[SOLVED] HELP Recording digitial piano

MindCrave

New member
Hello, everyone. I'm having trouble recording my Kawai ES110 piano. I'm a complete newbie to music recording, and the thing I'm confused about is how to record the sound from my keyboard. I have Scarlett 2i4 audio interface and also 2 TS 1/4" cables. I tried connecting the piano via line outputs to an audio interface line inputs, but to no avail. I tried using Audacity but, unfortunately, there's no sound recorded when I touch my keyboard (MIDI btw is working fine). I'm pretty sure I'm messing up with those stereo/mono settings, but that's not certain. Would be extremely grateful if someone can explain what should I do. Thank you!



(The pictures of piano and audio interface inputs/outputs can be easily found online).
 
I haven't tried other musical instruments, but I've successfully recorded a mic through it, as well as piano MIDI.
 
I haven't tried other musical instruments, but I've successfully recorded a mic through it, as well as piano MIDI.

Aha! :D OK.. just going over the basics.

1. Do you know for sure if an audio signal is coming out of your ES110 line outs?

2. Was the mic connected to your interface using an XLR cable.. where you had to use phantom power?

3. When you plugged the ES110 cables into your interface, did you flip the LINE/INST switch from LINE to INST?
 
1. No I'm not 100 % sure about it. Generally, it should be the line outs.
2. Yes , exactly like that.
3. No, I didn't. It stayed at Line.

---------- Update ----------

Thanks, but I've seen these. Didn't really help...
 
Do you get any indication on the 2i4's signal LEDs that the keyboard is sending a signal? If not you can prove the 2i4 line in function with a "wet finger test".

Plug a TS (guitar type) jack lead into line 1 and fully advance the gain. Have headphones around neck, NOT on lugs!
Hold the jack cable by the insulation, not the metal body and touch the tip with finger of other hand. The LED should flash and if you have it setup right there should be a BLURT! from the cans.

Repeat the exercise for ch 2. If that works the 2i4 is working and I would say there is a setting in the kbd that has stopped the line outs outing.


Aha! Page 51 rtfm, "the volume slider affects the jack output level". Not how I would have made it but there you go.
Dave.
 
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I'm not sure which outputs are the correct ones. The ones on the right, right? Since the TS cable won't fit into the left ones. sc1.jpg
 
The jacks go into the FRONT inputs and set the "instru/line" button for line.

The rear sockets are outputs for active speakers, monitors and other duties.

Dave.

Dave means the PLUGS from your TS cables. Jacks on the back are outputs; the ones on the front are inputs.
 
OMG I AM SO DUMB
It works now perfectly, thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One more question, the sound of the piano seems less of a quality, not too much though, but still, is it a normal thing?
 
Dave means the PLUGS from your TS cables. Jacks on the back are outputs; the ones on the front are inputs.

I do indeed mean plug! Very sloppy of me. "jacks" are always receptacles, for instance an Ethernet port is a jack. Soldered farsons of 'em!

Dave.
 
One more question, the sound of the piano seems less of a quality, not too much though, but still, is it a normal thing?

In my experience the sound quality should not "change" from raw input sound to raw recorded sound...of course there will be changes if there is any effects / eq applied. Listening through the same equipment there shouldn't be any noticeable difference. That said my piano sounds much different through different headphones different monitors ...just the nature of the beast we work with.
 
Thank you for the answer. Well, on the recording it sounds almost as the RAW input, I think I don't hear any difference, but just during the recording, in my headphones, it's quite noticeable.
 
Thank you for the answer. Well, on the recording it sounds almost as the RAW input, I think I don't hear any difference, but just during the recording, in my headphones, it's quite noticeable.

Maybe you could post clip of you playing? For me the easiest format is a 320k MP3 attached.

Now, I always tell "synth" folk about Modartt's Pianoteq. Google and download the demo. I am sure you will like the piano sounds. Play with MIDI data.

Just occurred! Are you comparing the speaker sound of the digi-Joe with the AI headphone feed? If so, WILL be different.

Dave.
 
I'm sorry, since I'm a newbie to all of this, I don't understand all of your abbreviations yet :) As I understood correctly, you're saying that the sound during the recording beying different is ok?
Thank you for the Modartt's Pianoteq, I'll definitely check it out!
Here's the recording
, im a little embarassed, it's FAR from perfect, but I was doing just a quick test! Also there was an error during the recording, so there is a silent blank (if I can say like that) in the middle. I like the sound overall.
 
I'm sorry, since I'm a newbie to all of this, I don't understand all of your abbreviations yet :) As I understood correctly, you're saying that the sound during the recording beying different is ok?
Thank you for the Modartt's Pianoteq, I'll definitely check it out!
Here's the recording
, im a little embarassed, it's FAR from perfect, but I was doing just a quick test! Also there was an error during the recording, so there is a silent blank (if I can say like that) in the middle. I like the sound overall.

It sounds ok to me, your piano's speakers probably don't replay the low end as well as headphones do.
 
Thank you for the answer. Well, on the recording it sounds almost as the RAW input, I think I don't hear any difference, but just during the recording, in my headphones, it's quite noticeable.

This may be because when recording and you monitoring the recording via headphones, the signal is effectively mono, but when you play back, you get the proper stereo sound.
 
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