Mini Grand Volume Issues?

[StuckWithMCE]

Brand new to PT/home recording.

Along w/ the Mbox I also bought a M-Audio keystation es to play the virtual instruments.

Noticed that when playing the Mini Grand using the keystation, there is noticible volume inconsistency - some notes just seem louder or softer than their neighbors (not HUGE jumps, but enough to notice/annoy). I thought that maybe the keystation was defective (its pretty low-end), but the problem does not appear to show up using the expand2 VI's, even the expand2 pianos.

I've only had this stuff for a few days, so I'm sure I could exchange the keystation for another, but I'm not sure it's the problem.

Has anyone else had a similar experience or have any ideas?? Does the Mini Grand require a higher-end, more life-like keyboard?

Thanks!

[chrisdee]

Hi.

Have you tried entering notes (with the mouse) in the midi editor and se if you still have the problem ?

[StuckWithMCE]

ok,

I haven't tried the midi editor (haven't even opened that up yet!), but I did just test clicking on the keys of the mini grand with the mouse (you know, when you open up the Mini Grand through the mix window, the "mini grand" display with the picture of the keyboard and the selector knobs).

I first I thought I found an issue with the mini grand, but I realized just that the closer you click the mouse near the "top" of a key, the softer it is and when you click closer to the bottom, it sounds louder. Clicking in the same spot across the keys seems to yield consistant volumes. However, (without touching the volume contols) I did notice that the volume of the sound coming out when playing the keystation keyboard is significantly lower than when clicking the keys on the mini grand screen with the mouse (even hitting them really hard doesn't get them up to the volume of "clicked" notes).

Is this normal? Or is it the evidence I need that I need to exchange my keystation? Does anyone else hear a diff. in volume between "clicked" notes and "played" notes?

[StuckWithMCE]

Just tried updating the driver - didn't help the issue.

[StuckWithMCE]

Originally Posted by StuckWithMCE

I did notice that the volume of the sound coming out when playing the keystation keyboard is significantly lower than when clicking the keys on the mini grand screen with the mouse (even hitting them really hard doesn't get them up to the volume of "clicked" notes).

Further info to report. The quoted issue is clearly visable in the visual meters in the mix window for the mini grand. Oddly, this issue does NOT occur with the Vacuum VI or the DB-33 VI, which both have keyboards in the "plug-in" window, so I can compare clicked notes v. played notes. These 2 VI's seem to be approximately the same, clicked and played.

[StuckWithMCE]

Any other thoughts or comments before I return the keyboard for a new one?

I'm a complete newb, and though I've tried everything I could think of, I'm wondering if its possible I just have some setting wrong somewhere.

"Midi Through" is clicked, and PT is seeing/recognizing the keyboard (it's playing notes and it shows up and is checked in the midi input pull-down menu/window).

Besides confirming (by comparing the meter levels in the mix window) that clicked notes are louder than played notes, I could also see noticably lower meter levels on certain played notes v. other played notes (on the Mini Grand, didn't have time to check others).

So it seems that its recognizing a signal, but information relative to the velocity of the notes is somehow not getting through the right way.

Unless there's something else, I plan on returning the keyboard tonight and trying with another (bad news is that the GC where I got it doesn't have any in stock, so I'll have to wait for the replacement).

Thanks!