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Cakewalk/Roland/Audiophile Midi Playback Conundrum 2

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thefiend

Technical User
Feb 29, 2004
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Please help if you can! I have been on this for days now. I have a Roland xv-88 -- midi in & out to Midiman 2x2 (A), Audio in/out thru Behringer mixer, then:::::: in-out B on Midiman 2x2 TO M-AUDIO AUDIOPHILE SOUND CARD....So far, so good, but, when I use Cakewalk, even though I downloaded all the XV-88 instrument files, and set up the tracks as Midi 1, 2 etc. only can play back 1 midi track at a time and it has to be set to the Roland Channel setting at the time (1,2,.etc...) -- i.e. if the Roland is on Channel 1, then I hear channel 1, etc. Cannot playback a channel 2 track at all -- I used to be able to do this effortlessly when I had my rotten Sound Blaster Audigy card, but, now that I upgraded to pro stuff -- doesn't work --
 
If you explain what you're trying to do I may be able to suggest a solution. Are you using soundfonts to be played with the midi file?
 
ok -- my dearest friend!! If you will be brave enough, here goes......up another nite -- ready to actually cry at this point. Here it is, and NOT in a nutshell:

1. You are correct as always.... spoke to the E-MU Tech, and he said the E-MU card will do nothing that the M-Audio card will not do. So, returning the E-MU card today......hope I hear from you before I do, in case I need to get something else.....

2. Before this new disaster started, I was simply trying to convert/render/simulate, etc. whatever you want to call it -- my midi files and make them into wav files.....using Cakewalk Pro Audio or anything else. This was for a job which I have since lost :((((
I am using the following:

M-Audio Audiophile 2496 card,
Roland XV-88,
Behringer Eurorack
Cakewalk Pro Audio

In addition to the above, my producer wants me to record voice directly into this (has nothing to do with job above) and my voice was not being recognized by M-Audio Delta panel, cakewalk audio tracks, etc.

I also have the following programs if you need to know this?

Cool Edit Pro
Reason (which I am still learning)
Ableton !Live

I don't know if I have something hooked up incorrectly?? Have my tracks set up incorrectly in Cakewalk (Audio/Midi in/outs set-up wrong)...

I can't tell you how much it means to me that you are helping.....Every single other piece of advice ia have gotten from the audio store/other musicians has been wrong and this is getting too expensive and draining.....

I will wait to hear back from you before I go to the store to return this card......Another $200+ I don't have to spare.....thanks so very much -- TLC
 
Also -- I forgot to mention I am using the XV-88 instrument files imported to cakewalk, (.ins file) and bypassing the soundfonts included in the program, so I can get all of my midi sounds direct into the composition.......This part of it works very well....and the Sysx messages (midi end of this) are all working perfectly. I also use, in case you need to know, the XV sound editor, which also works perfectly, and have the Virtual Sound Canvas installed (I thought that would help - but, I don't use it, because it only allows access to the 5080 instrument files, which does not help)......

In addition (arrrrgh) -- I have now taken my Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum 2 card from my other computer, and put it in this one (with M-Audio) because I know that one has a "What U Hear" recorder -- that is not working either.......Any time I record audio - during any of the scenarios of the past week or two -- the audio records a silent line - in Cakewalk, and anything I record in the Audigy also shows as having been recorded but comes up silent.

IOU one.....TLC
 
One question...does your voice need to be synced with other parts in the arrangement? If not then I'd record my voice into Soundforge and save as a WAV. You should then be able to import the WAV into an audio track. Cakewalk should have some sort of timestretching facility (SF should do it but it means multiple saves and re-importing to test) to make it fit better so long as you don't go much more than 10-12% either way (you'll get artifacts in the sound otherwise)

Unfortunately I don't know Cakewalk so not sure of it's capabilities but when you're saying that you've imported the VX88 patches into CW do you mean that they're getting played by something else other than the VX88? Are you saying that the actual sound is now playing from the PC? Or is it just passing the sound parameters from the PC to the synth when played?

Are you able to record anything to an audio track (not just voice) e.g. have you tried connecting a different source to either of your cards? It sounds to me like you have something disabled or drivers incorrectly installed. Have you got onboard audio on your motherboard? Has this been disabled in the BIOS..if not this is a common cause of problems.

Have you checked that the mic input is selected in the recording properties of Windows Volume control (don't forget this only displays the line-in on the default page, you need to go to Option-->Properties and select recording and then tick the correct input) You may then have to set the m-audio applications accordingly if they operate independantly of the windows mixer.
 
Hi Norty - OK -- I will try all of the above -- and, yes, the onboard audio is disabled in the bios -- What I am having a problem with is even recording the midis to an audio track -- I haven't tried this in Soundforge yet -- will do and will let you know. You are the best! TLC
 
Part of your problem is that a midi track is not actually a 'sound'. It is purely a way to tell an instrument to play a certain noise a certain way. If that instrument is a 'soft synth' (e.g. a VST instrument) then it will all happen internally.

What instrument are your midi tracks actually playing?

If it is an external instrument then you won't actually record any sound unless the output of the instrument is somehow routed back into the inputs of your soundcard and then routed correctly in your sequencer to the audio track.

To be honest I'd say your wasting your time with the Roland when there is such a wealth of FREE VST instruments available including samplers (assuming your version of Cakewalk supports VST - which version are you using?). The Roland would make an excellent controller keyboard for playing VSTi's.

The other benefit of using VSTi's is that you won't run into the problems of being able to play multiple parts with one synth.

Once you have a VSTi installed you can have as many 'instances' of that instrument as your computer can cope with so if you had a general instrument with drums, piano, etc on it, you could have 5 or 6 of them all running simultaneously, each doing a different part e.g. drums, bass, rythmn part, lead and pads.
 
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