Midimerge headache. Roland TD3, Fatar S90, Yamaha N12

LemonTree

LemonTree

Suck 'em and see!
Here's my problem.

I have a Yamaha N12 digital recording console with one midi input. A roland TD3 drum brain with one midi output and a Fatar Studio 90 with 3 midi outputs.

I'm using cubase 5, Superior 2.0 with my e-drums and NI B4 II with the fatar.

I've bought a midi merge box (from ebay) it's a 19" rackmount Orchid Electronics it has Midi in 1, 2 and 3. Midi thru 1, 2 and 3 and midi merge a, b and c. I have no instructions, but when I play the e-drums the midi 1 light eluminates and when I play the fatar the midi 2 light eluminates. Please note there are no lights for the midi thru or midi merged outputs, only the midi ins.

within cubase 5 the Fatar is playing drum hits in Superior 2.0 AND on the hammon B4 II, and also the TD3 drums is playing notes in superior 2.0 and on the hammon B4..

Now, I have the manual still for the Fatar studio 90 which goes into great detail about midi but it is completely over my head. I expect I'm trying to take too much information in at the one time while trying to get a quick answer from a bloated manual. I don't have the TD3 manual at hand but I know I can download one online.

Before I went any further I jusy thought I'd ask if what I'm trying to do is even possible? If the midi merge box is combining information from the Fatar and the TD3 into the Yamaha N12 and into cubase.....how is cubase supposed to know what bits of the combined input to send to each VSTi?

Should I be setting up the Fatar and the TD3 to send midi data on different channels. Is this the right way I'm going about this? Or if I set the fatar to send on one channel and the TD3 to send on another would the merge box still combine the two inputs and send them out merged on the same midi channel?

I'm confused so if you know of a quick solution, or even if what I'm trying to do is impossible, please let me know so I can either fix it and move on or go back to swapping out midi cables and put the merge box back on ebay.

Many thanks,

Alex.
 
I would set things up so the Yamaha was only sending/receiving console commands like automation or fader settings to/from Cubase and not passing any musical (notes, CC's, etc) MIDI data at all.

MIDI modules really seem to work best when they are on their own MIDI port.

I use a MIDIsport 8 x 8 that connects to my computer via USB.

I use freeware called MIDI-OX to configure the routings of the inputs and outputs.

The merge box may be able to do what you want, if you can get it configured. Seperate MIDI channels is a partial answer.

Really, a multiport USB MIDI interace is gonna solve a lot of headaches for you. If the Orchid will do that function that's how I'd set it up and forget trying to merge everything through the Yamaha.
 
I have the yamaha N12 AISO down to 32 samples and have ALWAYS recorded the e-drums (TD3) via the midi input into cubase triggering Superiour 2.0 @1.9ms latency which, in latency terms for a drummer is fantastic.

I haven't up untill now needed to record drums and keys at the same time and I've been happy just changing out midi cables between drums and keys. However, reading about midi merge I thought my problems would be solved when buying a merge box.

I'm not even sure if Cubase 5 will let me select a different midi input device from the N12 if I had to add one. Wouldn't there be timing issues? Sorry about my lack of midi knowledge, I'm a total novice in that department. To top it all off I'm having further headaches with the Fatar. It has 3 midi outputs on the back which the manual says output the same signal, yet when you power it up the keyboard is split into 3 and the manual says these can be set to 3 different midi channels....so why would the three midi outs send out the same information?

I have an old 1x1 USB midiX interphase somewhere, I'll did that out and try putting the Fatar through it and see if cubase will let me record that midi input at the same time as the midi in on the N12
 
You should be fine with the merger. It's not like you're playing the drums and keys at the exact same time so nothing will interfere, they will simply both control whatever the midi track controls. If someone else WILL be playing while you're playing the drums, then it gets a little more complicated. What you want to do is to have the Roland and Fatar send on different midi channels and then filter the output so the drum channel goes to one midi track and the keyboard to the other one The most efficient way to deal with it is to set up two tracks with the port as the input and use the midi insert "transformer" which allows you to filter/translate/shift/delete midi data based on certain conditions. So what you want is a delete filter set to delete all events received on the drum channel for the keyboard track and delete all events on the keyboard channel for the drum track. This should work in realtime btw..
 
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Thanks Altitude! That's exactly the type of info I'm looking for. I'll give that a try as soon as the sun comes up.
 
altitude909 said:
You should be fine with the merger. It's not like you're playing the drums and keys at the exact same time so nothing will interfere, they will simply both control whatever the midi track controls. If someone else WILL be playing while you're playing the drums, then it gets a little more complicated. What you want to do is to have the Roland and Fatar send on different midi channels and then filter the output so the drum channel goes to one midi track and the keyboard to the other one The most efficient way to deal with it is to set up two tracks with the port as the input and use the midi insert "transformer" which allows you to filter/translate/shift/delete midi data based on certain conditions. So what you want is a delete filter set to delete all events received on the drum channel for the keyboard track and delete all events on the keyboard channel for the drum track. This should work in realtime btw..
Click to expand...

I found the Transformer insert plug but I am baffled by all these conditions and values, etc. I was hoping I'd find a drop down list that said "block channel 10" for instance as this is the midi channel the roland TD3 is fixed to transmit on. But I see no such easy shortcut.

In the transformer window I see... filter target, condition, parameter 1, parameter 2

and in the bottom half...action target, operation, parameter 1, parameter 2

Still pulling out hair :o
 
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