MIDI vs WAV

  • Thread starter Thread starter MrAriel
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MrAriel

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What are the differences between recording from a Yamaha Keyboard using a MIDI cable or an stereo audio cable?
When i record using an audio cable, i got the sound exactly as i played in the keyboard, when i use a MIDI cable i just got sounds like the GrandPiano.
 
A midi cable can't transmit sound, it only transmits midi signals. What are your cables plugged into? A PC? Maybe with the midi cable plugged in the yamaha is playing a midi instrument on the PC?
 
I have a YAMAHA PSR-292 Keyboard connected to the PC via MIDI cable.

If i use the keyboard to make music, like jamaican reggae... using drums, some trumpets, bass, organo.. its better use the MIDI CABLE or audio cable?
 
If you want to record the Yamaha sounds onto the PC all you need is the audio cable. You would only need the midi cable if you wanted to use the Yamaha keyboard to play a softsynth or something similar loaded on the PC. The main thing to know about a midi cable is that it only transmits midi data, it can't transmit any actual sounds. It transmits midi data telling a midi instrument what to play.

I think what I've said is right re: your setup. You'll have to excuse me if I've misunderstood.
 
MIDI

Ok i understand now... i think now that i need is the audio cable.

If i need to record from midi.. what program i need to use to assign an instrument to the midi data?
 
You can get software synths or drum machines which you load onto the PC and then use the Yamaha keyboard to play. You'd need the midi cable to do this. You can download demos from places like www.hitsquad.com

However, I'm thinking that's not what you're actually trying to do. You want to record a whole reggae style track just using the Yamaha keyboard, is that right? So the keyboard has onboard drum sounds as well as trumpets etc.? You can do this without using midi at all by using multitrack recording software on the PC and just recording one track at a time and building up a whole song that way. A cheap software multitracker is n-Track Studio available from www.fasoft.com.

Or if the Yamaha keyboard is fully midi functional you could get a sequencer, connect it to the yamaha, and programme it to play all the parts. The options are a hardware sequencer - quite expensive - or a software sequencer - also quite expensive and complicated, but can be used to record on too.

I'll stop now, 'cos I'm not even sure I'm answering your question usefully. If I was you I'd read some of the articles on MIDI at www.studiocovers.com and get a good idea of what MIDI is all about. They'll explain it better than I can.
 
Audio records sound. Midi records instructions. When you record midi, everything you touch on your keyboard is recorded. It can then be sent to the microsoft gs wavetable synth, which is probably what is playing the piano sounds, or another softsynth or even back out to the keyboard to play the exact "reggae" sounds that you played while recording.
So whatever software you use, just specify on the midi track that you recorded, to go back out to the yamaha through the appropriate midi port and channel, and your yamaha will play it back exactly how you played it.

In a perfect world.;)

And while it's playing you can change patches, to make it play back your keystrokes with a different instrument... And tons of other stuff that you will understand later.
 
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