Midi newbie is frustrated

  • Thread starter Thread starter W.I.S.C.
  • Start date Start date
OK, if I am following this correctly, the Radium 49 does not have its own sound bank. It is essentially used to generate MIDI data, but requires a "sound module" to create sounds. That module can be a sound card (e.g, the Creative Soundcard), an external device, or a DXi (e.g, Dreamstation).

I would suggest starting with a DXi, since IMO they are by far the easiest to set up and work with.

As James indicated, you need to establish two tracks in Sonar in order to use a DXi: one MIDI track, and one audio track which has the DXi patched to it. The MIDI track should have its input set to MIDI Omni, and the output set to the DXi. The Audio track should have its input set to none, and its output set to your Master Bus (or directly to your sound card).

From what I can gather here, you seem to have had success with everything except getting sound to generate WHILE you are playing the controller. IOW, you can record midi data from the controller and get it to play back after it is recorded - but you get no playback WHILE you are recording. Correct?

The piece missing you are missing, I think, is that you may need to enable Input Monitoring. I don't use Input Monitoring myself, but in Sonar 3.X you enable it by clicking on the arrow symbol on the track (directly next to the R (record) button. If you hold the mouse over it, it will say Input Echo On/Off.

AFAIK you should only need to enable it for the Audio Track, but if that doesn't work, turn it on for both the MIDI and Audio Track.

If this works, you may find that your next problem is a latency delay. IOW, you press a key and the response is delayed by a few ms. If that happens, c'mon back. :)
 
wisc. if you need soundfont features you could check out a audigy card.
this is what many of my friends use. i think your problem is the audio pci card is not suitable for what you want to do.
i dont want anyone flaming me but on the pgmusic.com site are a whole bunch of faq's and in the support section tutorials and in the user forums a whole bunch of people using soundfonts and softsynths that have been doing this stuff for years ie...soundfonts and softsynths that could be a ton of help to you that use cakewalk, band in a box, powertracks, pro tools cubase and many other products. you might try talking to these folks as they have been thru the mill on this stuff. for real time playing of softsynths some use a product called "console" that interracts with the sequencer.
just trying to help. peace.
 
ThankYou guys so much...I wasn't really going to destroy it, but I was getting ready to abandon it. Anyway, I feel better today so I'll mess with it somemore. I know about that Input monitoring, now that you mentioned where it is located. I'm off to see what I can see...hear...you know what I mean. Thanx again to all you Midiphiles for helping out...Cheers
 
F&%k me freddy!!!! That was it. Stupid input monitoring BS!!!!! Sorry, no time for extensive thank you's...got some Keyboarding to do...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
manning1 said:
wisc. if you need soundfont features you could check out a audigy card.
this is what many of my friends use. i think your problem is the audio pci card is not suitable for what you want to do.

Actualy, Sonar 3 shipped with VSampler 3. It plays soundfonts. And with VSampler 3 -in the end of the line, you don't have to "record" soundfonts MIDI track into audio track, just "Bounce to track" or better yet, do the "MIDI to audio printing" when exporting the final mix... :)

manning1 said:
i dont want anyone flaming me but on the pgmusic.com site are a whole bunch of faq's and in the support section tutorials and in the user forums a whole bunch of people using soundfonts and softsynths that have been doing this stuff for years ie...soundfonts and softsynths that could be a ton of help to you that use cakewalk, band in a box, powertracks, pro tools cubase and many other products. you might try talking to these folks as they have been thru the mill on this stuff. for real time playing of softsynths some use a product called "console" that interracts with the sequencer.
just trying to help. peace.

Sure, but why redirecting? What about here? It IS user forum, and WE folks here, have been thru the mill on this stuff... :cool:

Peace back at'cha! ;)
 
W.I.S.C. said:
F&%k me freddy!!!! That was it. Stupid input monitoring BS!!!!! Sorry, no time for extensive thank you's...got some Keyboarding to do...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Way to go, pal...!!! :cool: All hail dachay!!! :D
 
Glad that worked out for the best. It was getting intense. Thank you Doctors...
:)
 
Me so happy now... :) . And yeah, I'm going to try that vSampler thing too. I don't think my soundcard supports soundfonts but maybe I'll buy a new one just for that. I know that James had mentioned the Input Monitoring Thing awhile back in the thread but I didn't realize he was talking about that silly little button. I saw "Echo" and thought it was some wierd kind of reverb/delay. That's why I'm a newbie... :rolleyes: Thanx to all four of you guys...an honest and valiant effort was made to help someone who you don't know and for what it's worth I offer my thanx and appretiation.
 
W.I.S.C. said:
Me so happy now... I don't think my soundcard supports soundfonts but maybe I'll buy a new one just for that.

Personally I wouldn't bother. There are too many software samplers available that can handle sound fonts. (In fact, I believe VSampler can.) That is the way to go. There are simply too many limitations with a sound card implementation (available memory, number of banks available, etc.). And normally the sound cards that can handle sound fonts are crap for audio (aka Creative Labs).

IMHO, softsynths are where it's at these days.
 
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