Recording with vintage equipment -Please Help-

Ndgame

New member
Hello!

I am a musician, but I am new to Pro Tools and MIDI controllers. I was recently given a ton of vintage equipment and am trying to figure out a setup that will let me record a few demos. I updated my signature but I'll explain my current equipment here:

Dell Inspiron 17 500 series
Windows 10
Pro Tools 11
Sure SRH 240a (just headphones)
---This is my base of operations, I don't fully understand my equipment so I alternate between two separate setups for vocals and instruments.

Focusrite Forte
sE Electronics X1 condenser mic
a pop filter
---I use this setup for vocals. Each piece is relatively new. The Forte requires phantom power to record, but that's no challenge. The next set is where I am confused

Vintage synths Drum Machines

Roland JV 90 Roland MT 32
Ensoniq sq80 Alesis HR 16
Ensoniq EPS

And a Midiman usb midisport 2x2
---This is where I am stuck. The most I have accomplished is getting Pro Tools to recognize the JV-90 and record the notes I play as MIDI, but it ends there. If my headphones are installed to the JV-90, I can hear it play the music from the synth but I never hear it from my laptop- even when I can see the sound levels moving on the MIDI track. What's worse is, after tinkering around, I lost what little progress I made and now can't even record the MIDI.

So please disregard the vocal setup and my failed synth setup and imagine we're starting at square one.
Fresh Pro tools, vintage synths with a usb midiman, and 2 interesting drum machines.
How do I arrange all of this^ so that I can begin recording music? I don't need to use everything, or even use it all at once, I am just desperate to start. If I can manage to record sounds from one synth (the JV90 is my go to) and use a drum machine for percussion that would be ideal.

I am positive this is not as impossible as it feels but, as a musician, I am frustrated because the method is more complex than what I am used to.
I don't understand MIDI but I can learn it with some practice. For now, I just need a setup (synths, Rx/Tx, inputs/outputs, drum machines, etc) that will let me finally record.

Any help is appreciated!
I can and will learn, i just want to get started.
 
You don't need much MIDI. If the drum machine is any good as a MIDI clock, drum machine MIDI out to JV, and jv out and thru to the computer
 
Sounds to me like you want to record the audio from the synth, not the MIDI? You could route the recorded MIDI back to the synth for playback, but you would still need to route its audio to your headphones, or back to PT.
 
Would you be willing to give me a quick walkthrough on this?


Audio outs from the drum machine and the JV to your audio interface, for sound.

Then set drum machine to Master MIDI sync and JV and DAW to receive sync.. It is all in the manuals
 
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