Hello all, I am a composer who has been composing for several years, but have never tried record or upload any of my work. I have a Yahmaha keyboard with a MIDI output linked up to my computer, using Cakewalk Music Creator to record & mix. Heres the problem: when my songs are composed and saved on the Keyboard memory, they sound like I want them to. However when I lay them down MIDI style on my computer they do not sound good. Is this due to my cumputer sound card? My software? My goal is to get the sound that I hear from my keyboard to a medium where i can upload it and post it on sites. Would I need to bypass MIDI and record real audio? That would seem like a more expensive route. Any suggestions on how you guys achieve your recording sound would be very much appriciated. Thanks!

I think that you will need to get audio from your keyboard to Cakewalk if you want that exact sound. Otherwise you'll need some sort of sampler or softsynth. What you're hearing now is just midi - which just isn't going to sound good. There are tons of great software options out there. What type of sounds are you using? Electronic, drums, orchestral...?

Thanks for the reply,

I use mostly orchestra sounds. I would use the 'real audio' option, but due to disk space and the fact that i would need to buy a pre-amp or an interface I want that to be my last option. Would you mind quickly describing soft sythns and where i can get one? How expensive are they? I am new to the engineering side of music, so thanks for the help...

well listin. The only...only way that you are going to keep similariy with the midi orchestrated peices already saved on your keyboard is to send them as audio to your comp. You should drop money on a preamp/good sound card if your going to compose using your keyboard instruments and comp.

as for using the keyboard as the trigger for softsynths, that will be even more expensive if you want good quality. If you want your softsynth to provide sampled istruments that sound good and not like general midi.. well thats gunna be even more. How much?? I dont know..

I know if you start composing using cakewalk insruments wich are prob (general midi) you can bounce those to audio and make sure you get similarity


ps. If your serious.. do some research and your prob gunna have to drop alot of money

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kind of an idea i had is to take two get a converter from 1/2 inch to 1/4 and plug that sucker in right into the mic input of your comp... probly sound realllllly bad but try it and tell me how it goes...
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I don't know what your keyboard sounds like, but I doubt it could have the detail and realism that you'll get from the newer orchestral sample sets. A couple of good starter sets are:
EWQL Silver
and,
GPO

There also is the new Kirk Hunter Emerald, which is an incredible deal, and which I've heard great things about - but you'll need to buy a seperate software sampler to use it (such as Kontakt). In fact, check out Kontakt 2 - it now comes with a good orchestral set, as well as a great variety of other instruments and sounds.


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CI Studios

Like someone suggested, if you don't want to spent too much money, and just want those keyboard samples, get the 1/2 to 1/4 converter at any radioshack for like 2 bucks and plug it into line in. Should sound perfectly as it should, and you're only set back 2 bucks.

Hmm...I don't recall what program you said you're using. But if your keyboard has regular MIDI connections and it has the "GM" or "General MIDI" Logo then you should be able to use your instruments on your keyboard to sound like they do through your PC without converting them to audio.

I mean, it's just like hooking up a regular sound module. Your software has to know that it's more than just a controller and will look for instrument banks on it as well. Then you'd have to map certain input assignment channels to read from the keyboard. It's easier than it sounds.

However if it's all sequenced through your keyboard and no MIDI data can originate from your PC then you might have to go to Audio now.

See, a keyboard sequencer will typically save all of it's MIDI files in a propietary format. However they all will still have the MIDI TYPE 0 format. Which means every track, instrument, and other controller data is technically compressed to one channel. The keyboard can extrapolate the data and use it's own channel assignments because it can read what it wrote. The PC however won't be able to do specific channel assignments from TYPE 0 MIDI files; it wants TYPE 1.

So unless you're board doesn't say GM on it you should be able to use it's instruments "how they sound" from your keyboard. The GM logo is more of a compatibility assurance...since every card with GM sounds different from others.

However, you're done with the composition I would bounce to audio sooner rather than later. You can do a lot more to the mix in the audio realm!

Good luck!
Tony
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http://www.anthem-audio.com

Admittedly, I'm only familiar with midi controllers with no built in sounds or sequencing... But, I really can't see how Breslin could get actual keyboard audio/samples/sounds bounced down into the PC sequencer through a midi cable. I can see midi data within the PC sequencer being sent out to the keyboard to trigger sounds there. And, I can see midi sequences being sent out of the keyboard to the PC sequencer to trigger GM sounds (or VST softsynth/sampler sounds - which Breslin does not have yet). Beyond that, I can't imagine how Breslin could do anything else without audio going out of the keyboard and into the PC.

Thanks guys for your help...
I think I'm just going to record my sounds in real audio. Believe it or not I do work as an assistant engineer for a record label; I just never used MIDI and wanted to try it out. Thanks again!

no kidding? Then grab a DI to bring it up to Line level and plop it into your DAW track by track. That's what I would do in the end anyway.

And no audio NEVER goes through a MIDI cable. In the case I mentioned above the keyboard would only be acting like a sound module...triggered by MIDI from the PC but the AUDIO of course going back into your DAW, mixer, or control room amp, whatever the case may be.

Hey, I knew record labels still owned studios somewhere! They're getting rarer and rarer. Which one you at?

Tony
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http://www.anthem-audio.com