drum machine, Cakewalk, USB MIDI interface, argh

[55337]

I have a Roland R-5 drum machine, Cakewalk, and a Yamaha UX16 USB MIDI interface. I can't get any sound from patterns in Cakewalk.

When I hook the R-5 to the UX16 and turn on the R-5, the UX16's MIDI in light blinks about every half second. This is without playing any pattern and without starting Cakewalk. If I tap a key more quickly than every half second, the MIDI in light blinks with the new frequency.

After starting Cakewalk, the MIDI in light blinks as before, but now the MIDI out light blinks in time with any pads I tap.

In Cakewalk's track view, In is set to MIDI Omni, and Out is set to 1-YAMAHA USB OUT 0-1. 1-YAMAHA USB IN 0-1 is selected as the MIDI Device Input (this is the only option) and 1-YAMAHA USB OUT 0-1 as the MIDI Device Output (the other option is Microsoft MIDI Mapper).

If I start recording then tap pads on the R-5, both the MIDI out and MIDI in lights on the UX16 blink. The MIDI out blinks with the frequency that I tap or every second, whichever is faster, and the MIDI in with the frequency that I tap or every half second, whichever is faster.

After recording, the piano roll shows that the sounds which I tapped have been recorded to the appropriate note numbers. On playback the UX16's MIDI out light blinks in time with the notes. However, there is no sound. The MIDI in light blinks once every half second.

If I manually write a pattern in the piano roll and then play it, the MIDI out light blinks in time but again there is no sound. Again, the MIDI in light blinks once every half second.

Through everything, the MIDI in light does not stop blinking. Even with no pattern being played or any programs being open, the MIDI in light blinks with the half second frequency.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions for solutions.

 

[regebro]

Have you set up the Roland to react to incoming MIDI?

 

[55337]

Have you set up the Roland to react to incoming MIDI?

It has a Sync Mode and that is set to Midi.

In its MIDI: Instrument Section the Receive Channel is set to 10, and the Transmit Channel for each instrument is also set to 10 (default values).

In its Perform Section, I have tried setting the Receive Channel for each Section to 10 and to OFF.

 

[regebro]

Well, sync is only about the time keeping. But the receive channels should be ten, yeah. Make sure that cakewalk sends the notes on channel 10 as well.

If it still doesn't work. It'd guess your midi out cable is a dud..

 

[Rokket]

If it still doesn't work. It'd guess your midi out cable is a dud..

"Through everything, the MIDI in light does not stop blinking. Even with no pattern being played or any programs being open, the MIDI in light blinks with the half second frequency."

That was my first thought...

 

[regebro]

Well, uhm, yeahhh. What type of MIDI in light is that? In cakewalk?

 

[55337]

Ha. Well, that's why I'm posting in the Newbies forum...

Anyway, if I turn off the drum machine then the MIDI in light (that's a light on the USB MIDI interface, by the way) goes off. So, er, what does that tell you? Apparently something's broken?

How can I test if the soundcard will play MIDI by itself? Should the soundcard have internal MIDI capabilities so I don't have to hook up a MIDI device in order to play a MIDI pattern? My soundcard is a Conexant AC-Link Audio.

 

[regebro]

No, the drum machine may send something regularily, but what, I don't know.

But IN is obviously working, since you get notes in cakewalk.

Yeah. Try sending the MIDI to the sound cards midi-port. It should make a sound.

 

[55337]

Ooook, I changed some Cakewalk track settings and was able to get the patterns to play out of the R-5's outputs when hooked up to a speaker. However, I can't get those sounds to play out of the computer's speakers.

I thought that in the past I had been able to hook the R-5 to the computer via MIDI and then, without hooking the R-5 to the sound card's audio input, I was able to hear the pattern with the R-5's sounds through the computer's speakers. Is this possible or am I remembering wrongly?

Also, how do I send the MIDI to the soundcard's MIDI port? Cakewalk only gives me the USB interface and MIDI mapper as options for output devices.

 

[regebro]

It's possible, but pretty pointless. If you want that, why not just record the drum audio on the first place?

 

[55337]

I'm all confused here as you can tell.

The goal is to record drum machine and guitars. Also I'd like to be able to mix the drum sounds separately. I have been acheiving this by recording an audio track for each sound (bass drum, snare, etc) then dragging and dropping them to sync them up. It seems there should be an easier way to do this. I thought that in the past I had used MIDI to achieve that, but as I suggested, I realize my memory could be wrong.

So, can MIDI be used to do what I described above? If not, is there an easier way to do it besides recording multiple audio tracks as I've been doing? (My sound card only has one input which means I can record one sound at a time so recording as I have been gets long.)

Also still can't figure out the soundcard MIDI port...

Thanks for all the replies up to this point.

 

[regebro]

MIDI can be achieved do this, but then you need separate outputs for every sound, and an external mixer.

 

[55337]

MIDI can be achieved do this, but then you need separate outputs for every sound, and an external mixer.

So, in most cases where someone records a drum machine and wants the ability to mix each sound, the person records separate audio tracks one at a time and then drags and drops them to sync them, or the person gives up on the mixing capability and records a single mixed down audio track instead?

 

[regebro]

No, normally you use a drum machine with separate outputs.

Also, I can't see any reason why you wuld have to drag and drop them to sync them, but then I don't know the software you use very well. Normally whatever you record in sync should be played back in sync.

 

[55337]

No, normally you use a drum machine with separate outputs.

So normally a hobbyist recording at home has a soundcard with multiple inputs. My cheap setup is my problem then.

Though even with a multiple output drum machine, there's going to end up being some relatively fixed volume tracks since the number of outs is limited. So this is never avoided even in a professional setting.