A definite Newbie in need of Direction.....

  • Thread starter Thread starter MotifMan
  • Start date Start date
M

MotifMan

New member
I have decided that after 15 years of hitting the ebony and ivory keys that i would venture into the realm of digital music. I have read many post in search or answers to some of my questions but would feel a lot better if I worded my questions directly. Since my terminology will be a bit rough I will try my best to supply the need info to solve my problems. Here goes :
UPS has arrived and before me sitting on the living room floor is 3 cartons full of goodies. In one carton is a P4 computer with Sonar already installed. In the second carton is my new Yammy Motif7 and the third carton contains Delta 1010 midi interface.
My Goal: with the above mentioned items I want to be able to seamlessly record and edit my new digital creations.
1) I assume my first step will be to remove the computer cover and install the delta 1010 card.
2) I will be using Sonar primarily ( right now anyways ) to sequence my music.
3) Now heres where it begins to fall apart because I'm not familiar with the terms used in the Motif manual.
#1. Do I assume that my computer is going to be the host for the Motif?
#2 Then I need to route my Midi cables.....another road block ( did I mention how much of a newbie I really am? )
#3 My studio monitors should be run from the Delta 1010...correct?
#4 I look on the back of the Yammy and I'm faced with three choices for Midi. ( In, Out, Thru ) I want to be able to hear what i'm recording through the headphones or monitors.
I suppose answers to these few questions should get me started. I appreciate any help you guys could supply. Now I'm going back to the manual to do some more studying.
 
MotifMan said:

#1. Do I assume that my computer is going to be the host for the Motif?
#2 Then I need to route my Midi cables.....another road block ( did I mention how much of a newbie I really am? )
#3 My studio monitors should be run from the Delta 1010...correct?
#4 I look on the back of the Yammy and I'm faced with three choices for Midi. ( In, Out, Thru ) I want to be able to hear what i'm recording through the headphones or monitors.
Click to expand...

I can really only 100% answer your PC related questions, not being a midi user myself...

1 - Yes, I hope you didn't spend all that money on the PC for nothing :p

2 - That will be up to your sound card instruction manual (which you were right, installing that comes first). The should be a dedicate midi input on that card, consult the manual to be sure which it is.

3 - If the studio monitors are self powering, then yes. If not, the out on your PC sound card should go into a receiver/something to power the montiors (outputs on PC sound cards are very low wattage).

4 - Midi out should be what you want, again the Yammy manual would answer this one definitively, but that would be my best guess.

Hope I helped and minimized some confusion :D
 
Yeah, what he said.

And the yamaha midi out goes to delta midi in and vice versa.
 
No..the computer was purchased for Web design reasons but thought it would come in handy for this as well. I believe I may have somewhat of a handle on the hook-up. The only thing that really confuses me is the sounds the recorded song makes versus the sounds the keyboard actually makes while playing it live. Some how I need to save the recorded song as audio instead of Midi since all Midi notes ( or most ) seem to read similar. Probably some type of industry standard for Midi formatting...correct? And Yes .,..my monitors are self powered so the direct connect to the Delta should be no problem. One final question.......If I am planning on sequencing/recording my music via Sonar do I need to use the thru port on my Yammy so the computer and the keyboard can communicate the right sounds chosen for the song? Not really sure I have stated that question properly but its the only way I know how to state it. Maybe an example would be better :

Ok..I have sequenced and recorded say 1 min of a tune. I now decide to run to the store to grab some beer so I power down and save all work. Since I am not finished with the song I save it as a Midi file so I can call it up later to finish. Upon calling the song up later I discover that the audio type information ( arps, effects...etc ) has been lost and everything reverts back to the original MIDI sounds. Make sense? I wish I could be more clear. I really appreciate you guys input.....
 
Also, not being a "MIDI guy", but having some experience with it, here's a couple of things to ponder....

It sounds as though you'll be using Sonar for both MIDI and audio. This means that (initially) you'll be using Sonar as a sequencer/arrangement tool, for which it's very capable. This also means that, unless you want to hear the computer's fairly cheezy rendition of your Motif, you'll need to connect a MIDI cable OUT from the card, and back IN to the Motif. This allows the computer to "Play" your keyboard.

Assuming you're still using only the keyboard and no other instruments, your sound is going to be coming from just your Motif (just plug your headphones into that while sequencing/tracking).

When all of your sequencing is done and you want to move it into the world of audio, you'll need to connect 1/4" cables from your Motif into the Delta 1010 and actually record the audio as audio tracks instead of MIDI tracks.

If you're going to need more flexibility than that (like adding vocals before you're done arranging your MIDI), I'd recommend getting a small mixer so that you're not limited by routing options (at very least for monitoring).

Don't let it scare you. Dive in and see which way you're most comfortable working. At worst, you'll need more cables and a small mixer.
 
you beat me with your last post :)

No, the MIDI through port simply sends the signal through to another MIDI device. Yes, there are standards with MIDI, so the problem you're describing shouldn't happen as long as you've got the drivers installed correctly and your Yammy is setup correctly for external sequencing.

My midi knowlege is kinda limited, so hopefully a MIDI guru will chime in here.

If not, you could take it to the MIDI forum - you very well may have to ask some questions there before you're through anyway :)
 
I play keys as well, but this is why I record strictly audio ...I'm a member of the Audio-man, MIDI-haters club :)
 
Good advice from everyone. Just a few pointers.

Yam Midi out to Delta midi IN
Yam Midi In to Delta midi Out

You don't need to use the Thru unless you add more midi devices. Go into the global settings on the Yamaha and turn Local OFF. This makes sure that you don't have a midi loop with your connection to the computer.

You can tell sonar what patch you are using on the Motif so it will set that patch every time you play the song. That is called a Program Change message. But anything you do to the patch that changes it's default sound must be saved as a new patch on the motif if you want those changes to be saved.

Not all things that keyboard can do are saved as midi info. Arpeggios and some filter effects for example. You will need to record the audio and perform some of that stuff on the fly to capture the entire sound.
 
Seanmorse79 said:
Also, not being a "MIDI guy", but having some experience with it, here's a couple of things to ponder....


When all of your sequencing is done and you want to move it into the world of audio, you'll need to connect 1/4" cables from your Motif into the Delta 1010 and actually record the audio as audio tracks instead of MIDI tracks.

Don't let it scare you. Dive in and see which way you're most comfortable working. At worst, you'll need more cables and a small mixer.
Click to expand...

Holy crap...you hit the nail on the head...I was completely forgetting about the 1/4" connections.....whew! Thats what I was missing...I will also be using a Mackie 16 channel mixer at a later date a long with a Yammy AW2816 digital recorder. but assuming all goes well now I will just apply these same principles and all should be dandy...( I cant believe I said "Dandy" outloud...hehe) You are also correct in assuming that I will be working in both the MIdi and audio environments until I have locked down a sound/song I like. And as you said...once this is achieved I can then mix everything down as Audio to spice up and master...correct?

I really appreciate the feedback and the major tip..Thanks.again.....
 
The more I think about it ...the more I may want to head back to higher ground and stay with the baby grand. I love the keys and I can see why someone would want to stay strictly with audio...I'm sure once I grasp the whole MIDI concept it will flow like red wine.....just takes some time and much effort.
 
You know, I always was too. But I just recently started messing around with midi recording and it's pretty cool.

To hear the motif sounds you either need to record in audio format or set up your midi output to go back out to the motif. If it's playing the general midi sounds, you have it set (by default) to something like ms wavetable synth... On the "midi out" you need to specify the midi out port on your soundcard. Then make sure that the midi channel is set to whichever midi channel the motif is set to. Then it will send the recorded midi track data back to the motif and make it play as previously mentioned. The cool thing about doing it that way is you can change "patches" or sounds and hear what you recorded played with different kinds of instruments. ie; whatever you recorded as strings, or bass, or piano etc...
 
cool cheese. Tex pretty much laid out your Motif setup - much more concisely stated :) ...I couldn't remember the term "program change message". That's how your settings don't get lost.

Best O' Luck to ya

Sean
 
motifman, it's also real easy to record just audio. I'm not familiar with sonar so it's kinda hard for me to help you on that, but you won't have the confusion on audio recording. It's just audio...

But you just got this stuff today right? If you've never had a synth before... It'll probably take you at least a year to fully figure out the motif! And if you want to do midi sequencing, the motif sequencer might be easier to start with.
Don't worry you have a ton of fun to look forward to with your new set up. Just alot of learning to do!
 
Tex if he turns local off isn't that gonna turn off the keys?
 
Well I got everything a couple of days ago but when I unwrapped everything and sat back to look at it.....it was a bit overwhelming. This will be my first venture into the MIDI world and like you said..it will take time plus being fun. You guys have been a tremendous help and I am now going to hit the "print" key to take this info home with me to study. By the way Tex...I did figure out the local ON/OFF thing already. That only had me stumped for a few hours/.....hehe. Thanks once again.....Peace ! I will be sure to return when I have completed my first masterpiece.........
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top