Greetings and of course some questions

[carlorossi]

Hello all. My name is Pete, and I am the newbie of all newbies. I've been recording for years, but have never used MIDI. Never felt I had the need, until now. And it turns out that I *might* already have the required hardware. So, here goes. I have almost zero knowledge of the terminology here. so feel free to dumb down any answers

I am in need of realistic-sounding drums. Not loops or rhythms, just
samples of a kick, snare, hats, etc, to be recorded separately. I know that
the samples themselves are readily available.

I have this old Korg DDD-1 with the cheesy drum sounds we all love.
Unfortunately, I don't have the RAM card that will allow me to sample some
real drum sounds onto there. And, even if I did, while I could probably figure out how to get the sounds onto the RAM card, I wouldn't know how to program the buttons to trigger the sounds. I have no manual for the Korg.
My first question is, are other RAM cards compatible with the DDD-1?
If so, can anyone here versed in the DDD1 school me on how to program
it to play the new samples?
If not, see next question:

As I understand it, I can use the Korg to trigger samples that exist in
other MIDI-compatible machines, like the Tascam 788 that I own, or the
Korg D1600 that I'm receiving soon. The question then becomes how
I get the samples onto the 788 ready to be triggered and recorded into
the 1600. Assuming I get the sounds on there, do I have all I need
to let the DDD-1 trigger the sounds? If so, how do I set it up, and if
not, what else do I need?

I have the manual for the 788, but the MIDI section seems to be written
for those who already have a clue about the subject at hand.

Also at my disposal is a laptop with Windows Vista with no MIDI ports,
and a Yamaha keyboard that is MIDI-capable, but it's not mine and I'd
prefer not to use it.

OK, that's it! Thanks for any help,
Pete

[brandondrury]

My first question is, are other RAM cards compatible with the DDD-1?

I had never heard of this. I had to look it up on Google. If I were you, I would look very hard to find a manual somewhere.

I have the manual for the 788, but the MIDI section seems to be written
for those who already have a clue about the subject at hand.

Check out the member-only guides in my signature. There is a entry level article on MIDI. It may help you out. Feel free to ask specific MIDI questions in the MIDI Sequencing forum. You may be a perfect candidate for my upcoming book.

Also at my disposal is a laptop with Windows Vista with no MIDI ports,
and a Yamaha keyboard that is MIDI-capable, but it's not mine and I'd
prefer not to use it.

What software do you currently record to?

Brandon

[carlorossi]

>Check out the member-only guides in my signature. There is a entry level >article on MIDI. It may help you out. Feel free to ask specific MIDI questions >in the MIDI Sequencing forum. You may be a perfect candidate for my >upcoming book.

I did look it over, without much success, but I'll give it another shot.
My needs are small, but specific.
.
>What software do you currently record to?

There's the problem--l don't. I can record some samples onto my
Tascam or Korg recording units, the only problem is setting up one of these
machines to take MIDI commands from the Korg drum machine. I know
it's possible, but....we'll see. The manuals use terminology that is
beyond me. I think that my question might have to be answered by
someone who actually owns a korg ddd-1 and has the same recording
equipment as I do. I know they're out there! Thanks for the response.
Pete

[brandondrury]

The manuals use terminology that is
beyond me.

That's what Google is for. You can choose to just not know the answer or you can choose to learn the terminology. It's your call.

[magno]

I hate to just tell you to go out and get some gear but, it could make your life a lot easier, and more fun maybe?
Anyways I have a 5x5 midi patchbay that works well for me, and I think it would for you too.
It lets you plug all your midi gear in then you can patch whatever midi signal wherever.Oh it's also a usb midi interface.
Also something else you may want to think about doing is using your drum machine to play software drum samplers like ez drummer.I use my Yamaha RX-17 in this manner.It's nice to be able to use old gear in a new way.
btw it's an Edirol UM-550 which I think is discontinued, but I'm sure there's similar products out there.