Midi for a dummy

  • Thread starter Thread starter denhoe
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denhoe

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Hey this is kind of a retarded question but i have an old Alesis drum machine with midi I/O and i want to hook it up to my computer and use it as a controller if i can but what im wondering is can i just hook it up via midi cables and use it in a program like Reason or do i need anything special hooked up before i can do that
 
thing is though, i dont know what i need, i've tried searching on the internet with no luck.... i guess the only thing i can do is just go get a midi cable from the local music store and try it out
 
oh i see. i know what you mean. i wasnt sure how to hook up my v-amp and i went through $50 worth of cables until i bought one that worked. but i suppose ive got a few spare cables lying around if i ever need them
 
If your computer has a MIDI interface you shouldn't have any trouble getting at least some functionality from any midi controller in Reason... my drummer built a midi kick pedal from SCRATCH and it works great.... freaking McGuiver engineers...
 
denhoe said:
Hey this is kind of a retarded question but i have an old Alesis drum machine with midi I/O and i want to hook it up to my computer and use it as a controller if i can but what im wondering is can i just hook it up via midi cables and use it in a program like Reason or do i need anything special hooked up before i can do that
Click to expand...

which alesis unit is it?
 
ummm its a Alesis Hr:16:B a little outdated but for simple demo's it works great.... but i jsut want to see if it works because i really want to get a keyboard hooked up into the interface but dont know if a cheap $200 Yamaha will work as a controller or not and eventually i want to run my guitar into a midi rig but im going to start off with baby steps.......
 
alright so i just got home from getting the midi cables and low and behold i found a sale on a midi keyboard....now i can have it register in the computer but when i try and play back im not getting any audio coming out....can someone please help me
 
If you want to play back midi tracks the audio will come from the keyboard, not the computer. I suggest you get some headphones or a small mixer like this and plug the outs of your keyboard into those.

You will also need to match the midi channels between your midi software and the keyboard, and --- depending on the complexity of the keyboard --- there may be an option to switch the 'local control' off which breaks the connection between the keyboard and the sound source inside.

If neither of these fix your problem, post again and include the platform - Mac or PC, which software you are using and the brand and model of keyboard you just bought.
 
there is no midi in on the keyboard its a Miditech Midi Controller.... I've tried using it in Cubase & Sonar... both will show that it's taking the notes from the keyboard it just wont play back... and its a PC with a Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinium
 
If you have no sound sources routed to the midi tracks you will hear no sound.

Read the manuals for Cubase and Sonar about how to place soft synths in the tracks.
 
What you need to do is tell Sonar where that midi data is to be routed... MIDI itself has no sound, it's just a set of instructions for a synthesyser or other peice of gear. In Sonar (or whatever program) route the output of the midi channel to any kind of soft synth (Sonar comes with a couple) and then route the output of that synth to your soundcard.
 
are there any online tutorials or anything i can use for setting all this up...
and by the way thanks guys this is acctually helping out alot
 
Read your manuals. Both Cubase and Sonar have well-written manuals that will tell you all you need to know about the programs.

Take your time and work thru them step by step and you'll be up and running in no time.
 
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