Korg EMX, Midi and Recording in SX3

[rckandorroll]

Hey everyone,

I'm hoping someone can help me out with this. I currently have my korg triton le acting as my midi keyboard and it is running through my Mbox. I use the keyboard to play the notes in the vst instrument "a1" which contains bass sounds, pad sounds, etc. I also have a korg emx drum machine that has midi in and out ports. If any of you have one or understand midi really well, is there someway to record the drum and synth sounds of the emx into a midi track without having to use a vst instrument? When i use a vst intrument, it records the emx drums and synth sounds as whatever vst instrument i've chosen. Can I keep the original sound of the emx parts and still record them as midi tracks as opposed to mono/stereo audio tracks? Do I need to run midi cables like this: keyboard -> emx -> mbox or anything like that?

I feel like this is going to be my signature send off but: i hope that made sense!

[brandondrury]

You should probably check out these 2 guides first as it will greatly help if you can get a handle on what MIDI is really doing.

Getting Started With Midi Sequencing

MIDI Troubleshooting 101

It's no big deal to use a hardware synth. However, if you are mixing in the box (like most Cubase users are) you will need to get that audio into Cubase so it can be mixed.

You can use the Cubase sequencer (midi tracks) to record and then send the MIDI data right back out the MIDI out port (assuming you have one on your audio interface). Of course, you won't hear it.....

Just read this one:Using Hardware Synths In Softsynth World

Brandon

[rckandorroll]

Thanks for all the links Brandon. It helped me learn a lot more about what Midi really is. However, I'm still confused!

I'm trying to figure out how to use the cubase sx3 midi sequencer, what should be plugged in where, and what not. I have my emx's midi in port connected with my mbox 2's midi out. i get sound but when i attempt to record something into midi track 1 in the midi sequencer, no sound is recorded.

i'm not exactly sure what i'm doing wrong, especially when i can't find any visual tutorials or examples.

[brandondrury]

when i attempt to record something into midi track 1 in the midi sequencer, no sound is recorded.

That's correct. You won't get any sound on a MIDI track. It's only data. You should be routing the MIDI out for that track to a synth of some kind.

I'm trying to figure out how to use the cubase sx3 midi sequencer, what should be plugged in where, and what not.

I run my crappy old keyboard into the MIDI In of my Presonus Firestudio. I then create a MIDI track. I select Presonus MIDI IN as the input for that track. I think press F11 and select a soft synth of some kind. Just grab anything for now. I then set the output of my MIDI track to that soft synth. I hit record, I beat on the keyboard, I hear sound, and I hit stop. When I hit play I should hear what I heard.

This is all covered in the Cubase SX3 manual.

Brandon

[brandondrury]

hey brandon thanks for all your help with my questions regarding hardware synths, specifically the korg emx, and recording its sounds into midi tracks.

i'm still very much a n00b but after reading the article you sent me, i tried to make an external bus. I seem to have succeeded and created a Bus called "EMX". Whatever i did, i seem to have been able to record my sounds into the midi tracks because the little lines and dots appeared in time with the sounds as they normally do when i record midi.

the problem is, when i'm done recording and want to playback what i recorded, i can't hear anything!

in the mixer, the tracks volume faders are all up to the normal starting point (i noticed in midi, sound would still be "heard" by cubase but the faders were still all the way down), but still nothing.

can you explain??

I would highly recommend you not using the Korg EMX just yet. You need to get a feel for the routing and such.

So your first goal should be getting the vb-1 or one of the stock Cubase virtual synths working. When you have that perfected then start dealing with external busses. When you gut the vb-1 or whatever working correctly simply switch the MIDI track's output to go through your audio interface and into your EMX.

(Make sure you keep all your channels on "1" for now too)

Brandon

[uab9253]

Originally Posted by rckandorroll

Hey everyone,

Can I keep the original sound of the emx parts and still record them as midi tracks as opposed to mono/stereo audio tracks? Do I need to run midi cables like this: keyboard -> emx -> mbox or anything like that?

I feel like this is going to be my signature send off but: i hope that made sense!

Even though I've read all of the responses to this, I can't help but think that if you want the sounds of the emx into Cubase, you should record audio from the emx into cubase. If, for some reason, you want to have it go in as midi to be able to edit it, but then have the midi trigger the original voice, you would have to route it back out to the emx at that point, while at the same time then using the audio out back into Cubase. By then, it would still come back into Cubase as an audio track and live beside the original midi. You could then erase the midi.

Otherwise, as I think others have stated, you would have to use emx to cubase via midi, and then have the midi track drive an external synth (emx) which I have not tried. Luckily for me, I guess, I like my VST sounds way better than my Roland XP10, Alesis SR16 or Yamaha DTX Drum set.