Playing multiple MIDI tracks with Multiple Instruments..Only one instrument plays all

Vandy12

Banned
Greetings from Tennessee:

I have a Tascam 1884 Firewired into a XPC music computer and MIDI connection to Yahama P90 Keyboard.
MIDI is baffling me. I can play multiple MIDI tracks in Sonar 3 sequencer. If they are soloed, then they
play the instrument I've patched to the track. My problem is I cannot get multiple instruments to play
all at once. When soloed, the patched instrument plays the MIDI data, but when played with
two or three other tracks that have drum patch assigned, or Sax patch assigned, they
all are then played with ONE INSTRUMENT and not different instruments assigned. I have
been trying to get multiple MIDI sounds from the Yahama to play back on the
Sonar 3 for days and would appreciate any advice.
If I assign an instrument to channel two of the 16 MIDI channels it will not play. All of the MIDI
tracks will only play on channel one. I have tried every combination of patching
and channeling I can think of. Must be doing something wrong. Is this a
Sequencer setting issue or Keyboard setting issue? Keyboard is sending and
receiving MIDI data. If I can get 16 different instruments playing
16 MIDI data tracks thru the P90 I will be a happy camper--but what a PIA.

Thanks, Vandy
 
Ah ok, I see your problem.

You are trying to use the Yamaha keyboard as the actual midi instrument, rather than just for recording the midi data?
Or have I misunderstood?

If I'm right, you are expecting your computer to send the prerecorded MIDI data to your keyboard, and then the keyboard to turn that into three different instruments at once?
The problem is that your keyboard is only capable of playing one sound at any one time, so it merges all those parts into one.

What you need to do is use a 'virtual instrument' (basically a plugin which pretends to be a real midi instrument) on each of the separate prerecorded midi channels, all within Sonar.
Otherwise, play one track at a time through your keyboard and record the audio it produces.

Hope that helps?

Andrew
 
Review the manual for the P90. I don't have one so I can't say. I'm assuming as did cobaltaudio that you want the P90 to play all the instruments you have sequenced. I don't know if it is capable of that, but if it is you'd want to P90 to e.g. receive piano on channel 1, bass on channel 2, organ on channel 3 and what not. You may have the P90 set to omni mode so it is receiving all the midi data. Again, I'm not sure the P90 will do what (I think) you want it to do. In other words, you want to assign a particular channel to a particular voice on it.
 
Thanks for advice...need more..

Finally someone responded!!! Thanks guys.

From what I understand you can somehow use the P90 as a tone generator?
The manual? Oh my God you should see that thing. I have read it multiple
times--definitely bought a keyboard that is over my head.

I don't understand the MIDI connections when it comes to connecting it to
my 1884 DAW and P90. I thought you could just assign patches from the keyboard
in the sequencer to each of the 16 MIDI channels and then the keyboard would generate
16 different instrument sounds on different channels which is my goal.

So if I am understanding you correctly, the keyboard can only generate
one instrument sound at a time. With this setup, what do I need to do
to utilize all 16 MIDI tracks, have 16 differents tracks of MIDI data, and
then be able to play back that data and have 16 different instruments play
at one time?

Vandy
 
Whoops. What a dummy. Tone generator? I know MIDI is not tones.
This keyboard can be used as a tone generator, but I've not figured
that out yet. You have to program it. Complicated.

Anyway, what connection or equipment do I need with a Tascam 1884,
a computer, a P90 Yahama Keyboard, and Sonar 3, to have this system
play back multiple MIDI parts playing MULTIPLE INSTRUMENTS?
Can you not do this with MIDI like you can do with analog?
Thanks.
 
Oh, and lastly, what am I going to do with this Tascam 1884 when Firewire becomes obsolete?
Doorstop? Not many new computers have Firewire now-a-days with USB 3 out.
 
See page 40 to start and review the knobology. The OM, says it can be put in multi-timbral mode. You need to determine how you assign voices to particular midi channels on teh p90. Obsolete is in the eye of the beholder. I wouldn't call the 34 year old ARP I have obsolete, just a PITA to repair.
 
This would be much easier to do inside Sonar.
Use the keyboard to record the MIDI parts into Sonar, then use a virtual instrument for each MIDI channel and you're away.

Sonar comes with these instrument plugins already to go. Piano, strings, drums, they're all there.
 
@Vandy12

It shouldn't be that difficult on the P90, assuming the P90 is multi timbral. E.g. I have a Yamaha TX802. I can assign particular voices to particular receive channels. E.g. I can have the TX802 playing a bass line with one voice set to RCV on Channel 1, a string sound with another voice, set to RCV on Channel 2, etc. (Up to 8).

OP you state all the parts you have sequenced play with a single voice on the P90. (I'm assuming they have different channels assigned in the sequencer) I've had this exact thing happen when I had the keyboard I use for inputting set to OMNI.

@cobaltaudio:https://homerecording.com/bbs/members/cobaltaudio/

I see your point, but I'm assuming OP wants to use the P90 for a reason, rather than soft synths.

@Vandy12:

As far as connections go, examples are also is in the manual.

It's a matter of preference, but I prefer to do as much as possible "outside the box."
 
Last edited:
Soft Synth...P90...Vandy...new update

Thanks to the advice, I've started to use Edirol sound canvas--a program in Sonar I've never used before. The only way
I got to know it is thru an instructional CD received recently in mail. I have all audio outputs set to output one.
For the first time ever I can have the computer play multiple tracks with different instruments. It has been a steep
learning curve for a newbie. The CD I used got me thru a couple barriers. I didn't know you need to have TWO tracks
open in Edirol. One for analog and one for MIDI. If you just have MIDI, at least with my setup, it will not work and I'm thinking
because output is routed thru output one on DAW? Not sure. So now I can assign different instruments in Edirol, play some
nonsense on the keyboard, it records it as MIDI, and then will play back thank you Jesus. Really didn't care whether it was
done with P90 or virtual sound canvas, but thought I'd try with P90 since it is there. Much easier with Edirol.
Two more questions. Edirol is not made anymore and will not load on Vista. What other sound canvas artifical
synths are similar? Also, even though I can get multiple instruments to play in Edirol, the little bar on the left, like
a VU meter/bar, only shows up on PART ONE. I can hear the individual instruments play on other parts, but the VU meter
only moves on one. Is this because of only one analog output assigned to DAW or something else? The still photo of
Edirol shows all of the VU meters on all parts in different states of moving in a still picture. Thanks.
 
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