MIDI to mp3....Beyond General MIDI??

[jojojeronimo]

I recently got a roland XV weighted synth, which comprises a keyboard controller and a sound generator, but no sequencer. So I connect the synth to my fairly decent PC with a Roland UM-1 MIDI USB cable (no im not here to advertise roland!). I use Cakewalk Pro Audio to sequence, using the amazing 1000+ sounds of the synth, then listen to the output from headphones plugged into the synth.

My big problem/question is about saving the multitrack MIDI projects, which use the rich and realistic synth sounds, as wav files. (as a round about way of producing the work into mp3 and onto CDs).

The wav file, which i listen to through the computer's SoundBlaster-LIVE! card, is complete crap, cause it utilises the SB-LIVE's GeneralMidi ibrary (which is the 128 or 256 tinny sounds we're all familiar with). Most of the time none of the synth's great sounds make it through the transformation into GM.

PLEASE HELP - if there is an answer, thats is! But im sure there must be! I just spent a lot of my money on these great synth sounds...there must be a way to produce them itno mp3/cd.

Would it involve connecting a CD-R to the syntyh? is that what is usualy done with synths anyway? Is the only answer a standalone sequencer, which i don not want to buy? please lend me any knwoeldge you have on this.

 

[AlChuck]

It's fine, don't worry, you can indeed what you want to do. You are just doing something wrong.

WAV files are pure audio. It makes no sense to say that "the wav file, which i listen to through the computer's SoundBlaster-LIVE! card, is complete crap, cause it utilises the SB-LIVE's GeneralMidi library..." Clearly this is a MIDI file.

When you say you "saving the multitrack MIDI projects... as wav files," how are you doing this? Just saying "save as" and forcing the extension to be .WAV? That won't work.

You need to send the audio output of the synth to audio tracks on the SB Live and record them. Then you can mix down to audio WAV or MP3 or whatever choice you pick.

A CD-R has nothing to do with this process.

The Cakewalk manual has a very clear explanation of this process. And their website has a FAQ that discusses it further. Check those out.