external MIDI to audio track? [SOLVED]

[grg1540]

so i set up after watching, a few tutorials and environment page link from my roland xr to logic.

 

midi runs fine, but i cannot seem to bounce it down.

 

as well, i cannot seem to create another audio track to send it to from the gm midi track.

 

i am a bit confused here.

 

any help would be great. simply looking to bounce the midi as i always do.

 

tutorial?

 

thanks

g

nyc

[ski]

Sorry, but your post is really confusing! Do you mean that you're trying to get the audio generated from the XR (which is external to your computer) to record onto an audio track in Logic?

[grg1540]

yes. that is correct. sorry if i was not clear enough.

 

g

nyc

[grg1540]

but i would rather bounce the midi to an audio track to be more specific this way i have better control over creating the midi part.

[David Nahmani]

Tutorial:

 

MIDI is just performance data, for example "C3 played with a velocity of 113". You can't record that onto an audio track, you have to route that to an instrument, that is going to use that performance to trigger sounds. At that point, and only at that point, do you have audio, that can be recorded onto an audio track.

 

If the instrument is a software instrument in Logic, you can program or record the MIDI data onto the software instrument track. Since the instrument is internal to Logic, you can bounce that MIDI region inside Logic.

 

If the instrument is a hardware instrument outside of Logic, then you need to route the MIDI data out of Logic into the instrument, and the audio out of the instrument into audio inputs on your audio interface, and record those audio inputs much like you would, say, a vocal.

 

So:

 

1) Select the external MIDI track and choose a MIDI destination in your library. That can be your synth (if it's connected through USB) or one of your MIDI interface's ports (if you're connected through MIDI cables through a USB MIDI Interface).

 

2) Connect USB between synth and computer, or connect USB between computer and MIDI interface, then MIDI Out from interface into MIDI In on the synth.

 

3) Connect Audio Outputs from synth to Audio Inputs on Audio Interface.

 

4) Create an audio track for those inputs, record enable and press record.

[ski]

but i would rather bounce the midi to an audio track to be more specific this way i have better control over creating the midi part.

 

You can't bounce MIDI because MIDI has nothing to do with audio. MIDI information only tells a MIDI device or plugin what notes to play, or that you've moved a control (like the modwheel).

 

When you record a MIDI track, you're only recording MIDI data, not sound. The MIDi data can be sent to one of two possible destinations: an external MIDI device (which generates sound "outside" of Logic), or, to an instrument plugin that produces sound in Logic "internally".

 

There is one other way, that's kind of sort of a combination of the two... the Logic "External Instrument" channel strip, and here's how that works...

 

As mentioned, when you send MIDI data to an external device, the MIDI data tells it what to play and the audio comes from the device itself. Audio from that device gets into your system via audio cables from the unit to your audio interface. Let's say those are Inputs 1 & 2. If you set up a Logic External Instrument, it routes MIDI data to your device. That same channel strip is then set up to receive audio coming from Inputs 1/2 and will appear on the channel strips meters. To summarize, the External Instrument is special in that it's used to send MIDI to your device and receive audio from it.

 

Now... External Instruments can be bounced, but only in real time. Here, "bouncing" is a poor choice of term if you ask me. This is not "bouncing". What you're really doing, quite simply, is recording the audio from the MIDI device just like you would record live audio from a musician playing along with the track. But Apple uses the term bounce (thanks Apple... ). Anyway, if you're not using one of these External Instrument channel strips, you can't "bounce" the audio from the Roland. You'd have to record the audio on an audio track from (in this example) Inputs 1/2.

 

Maybe that's more of an explanation than you were hoping for but that's the skinny on how this works.

[ski]

One more thing! Recording your Roland part is not going to give you more control over the part (except for level, effects, etc.) In fact, it's going to give you much LESS control, because once the part is recorded you won't be able to change notes or adjust (say) modulation wheel or pitch bend amount. That can only be done on the MIDI track itself.

[grg1540]

ok guys.

 

yes bouncing..... apple term ......interesting.

 

david you're detail always gets me moving.

 

let me simply say that i am used to bouncing midi with different sounds being triggered

 

yes midi has no sound.lol.

 

so what i ended up doing to cut to the chase and keep things very direct was i took a stereo out from the external unit ( roland fantom xr ), ran balanced audio lines to my presonus to channel 7and 8, opened a stereo audio track in logic and set the inputs to stereo channell 7 & 8 of course, hit that lovely little R button, and walla....... audio, audio , audio track.

 

want to thank ya both, as usual for kickstarting the ideas and possibilities.

 

now recording all the "midi" that i program whether from the fantom xr or NI maschine is just a few steps away and the freedom is phenominal.

 

now i can also bypass any software application as well, ie: NI maschine software, which in my opinion is less that desirable, and work with my external hardware units directly in logic, using the midi info and "bouncing", lol, to stereo audio tracks.

 

happiness .......is not only a warm gun, but logic pro forum help as well!!!

 

life really is good!

 

by the way, i never talk about what i do here, but i am producing my 6th album

here at my home studio and yes, i get paid to work. just did some major upgrading as well.

 

full time drummer, sessions, blah blah blah if any one wants some drum tracks.

 

that includes you david!!! lol

 

thanks again,

 

g

nyc

[David Nahmani]

Great!