Help getting a sound out of my synth when connected to Mac Pro!

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bgold50

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I've just upgraded a 25 year-old home studio. I'm using Logic Pro on a Mac Pro with a Profire 610 interface and a Yamaha S-80 keyboard. I've got a Neuman mic and Yamaha studio monitors.
So why doesn't the Mac recognize the S-80? When I go to Utilities/Audio MIDI setup, it automatically recognizes the Profire interface, the System Prefs will allow me to switch to the Yamaha monitors, but the keyboard doesn't show up at all. I've reset it to factory specs and still nothing. I've tried 3 different MIDI cables… nothing. I've added the S-80 manually, but I still get no sound out of it in any program (I tried Garage Band too).
The keyboard works fine on its own. The computer simply won't recognize it. PLEASE HELP!!! I've songs to write and record and am completely stuck.
Many thanks!
Brian
 
Hi there,
If you're connecting the keyboard over midi the computer wont recognize it by name. It'll just receive data from it over whatever midi channel it's set to.
You could plug in a control surface, a drum kit, a keyboard........The computer still just sees 'channel 1', or whatever.

As long as your interface is recognized in the audio panel of audio/midi setup, and the fact that it has midi ports is acknowledged in the midi panel, it should be good to go.

Just open your daw, create a track with a virtual instrument on it, select the correct midi input channel (there's usually an omni option), then hit record arm and go.

If you're trying to record the audio output of your keyboard then midi is not what you want.
Have a look for line outputs on the keyboard.

Apologies if this is stuff you already know.
Best to cover all bases.
 
Thank you, Steenamaroo! THe only thing that you mentioned that I haven't double checked is making sure that the MIDI channels are the same in Logic Pro and the Profire. I did have it set to omni, so that should have worked, but I'll try it again and just match up the port numbers. Hopefully that will do it.I'm not trying to record the audio output... just the MIDI signal. In fact, I'll be using Komplete 7 for almost all of my sounds. Can't wait to get this baby up and running!
Best,
Brian
 
Hey, no problem.

Another thing I forgot to mention is this.
You should have a 'host select' switch on the back of your keyboard.

It does matter what way that's set, but I can't remember what you set it to! Give it a try each way to be sure.
 
Well by setting the "host select" switch to MIDI (instead of Mac), I was just able to successfully record a MIDI track. Now the only problem is that I can't hear it! I'm trying to play it back through the S80 using the S80 Grand Piano sound with which I recorded it. I should be able to hear it through the studio monitors, right? What else am I missing here??
I can't thank you enough for your help with this.
Brian
 
bgold50 said:
Now the only problem is that I can't hear it! I'm trying to play it back through the S80 using the S80 Grand Piano sound with which I recorded it.
Click to expand...

Ok, whatever patch the keyboard was on when you recorded has no bearing on the recorded midi data.
The midi data is is pretty much digital sheet music.
It's pitch, velocity, volume, duration etc, but there's no sound until it hits a midi synthesiser.


You can either feed that data into a software synth, or send it back out the midi cable to a hardware synth (s80).

bgold50 said:
I should be able to hear it through the studio monitors, right? What else am I missing here??
Click to expand...
You should only be able to hear it through the studio monitors if your midi recording is being fed to a soft synth.


bgold50 said:
I can't thank you enough for your help with this.
Click to expand...

Glad to help where I can.
 
I still can't get any sounds to play back except using MIDI out going back into the S80. I understand the principles of MIDI, and know that it's just info. I should be able to play it through any software instrument, but I can't. I also can't get it to play through the studio monitors... only through headsets that have to be plugged into the S80. It seems that there is some problem getting the MIDI signal back to the interface (Profire 610) for it to trigger the selected sounds. I'm still just at a loss here.
It has also been my experience that if the synth is setup correctly, it should play back the recorded MIDI through the monitors just as if it were any software instrument. Is that no correct? Shouldn't it just be a question of selecting the correct channel and sound in Logic Pro?
Thanks again!
Brian
 
Hi again Brian. Sorry you're having no joy.
I think I follow what you're asking, but there's definitely room for confusion.

Without patronising you, If you play the keyboard it will output it's own sound through it's own speakers.
It will also output midi data to the computer via midi cable.

If have a softsynth set up in logic to receive that midi data, the synth will create sound too which would come out of your monitors, assuming the monitors are connected to the mac pro / interface connected the the mac pro.

bgold50 said:
It has also been my experience that if the synth is setup correctly, it should play back the recorded MIDI through the monitors just as if it were any software instrument. Is that no correct?
Brian
Click to expand...

Yes, that's true.

In logic, you have recorded midi data, right?
If that's the case, you need to put your softsynth on that track as an insert.
As far as I know, logic should automatically use that midi data to trigger the soft synth.

I'm a Protools user so it may be slightly different, but In protools I'll have a midi/instrument track with midi data on it, and a softsynth insert on that track.
At the top I have the option to choose where the midi goes.
I either select a hardware output, or that synth by name.

If it's not the same in logic I'm afraid someone else will have to chime in and help.
 
Thanks for the info. I'll try playing around more with this. I don't know Logic Pro either! This program is new to me, and I think that's where the problem is. I'm not sure how to setup my keyboard as a "soft synth." I'm also not sure how to get it to play the sounds that came with Logic using my S80 as a controller. I'm working on that.
I have successfully recorded MIDI data in Logic. I'm just unable to hear it play back through anything other than the S80 and only when using the MIDI In on the Synth (MIDI Out on the Profire 610 interface).
The interface IS recognized by Logic. If the S80 doesn't need to be recognized, I should be good to go. I'll keep at it, but I may need a Logic expert.
Thank you so much again for your time and invaluable assistance!
Brian
 
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