Frustrated MIDI wannabe needs lobotomy

[EarthGuest]

Dear MIDI pros,

I apologize in advance for sounding so dumb here, but I'm a musician, not a technician, and I'm going nuts trying to figure out how to properly use MIDI in my recording. I've got no problems doing any of the audio recording... live drums, bass, guitar, keys, vocals, etc. I have a decent vocal mic and have done some nice tunes. However, when it comes to MIDI I am a lame brain. I cannot for the life of me figure out why I cannot just hook up a little JV-880 I have to a Digi002 rack and start recording.

I'm using a Dual Processor 1.42gig G4, plenty beefy and fast enough. I think I've got the MIDI setup correct in the ProTools setup section. And I've got my MIDI cables going from the OUT of the JV880 to the IN of the 002R, and the OUT of the 002R back into the JV-880 (but I've also tried it going the opposite way, and then THRU with no success). Then the 002R is hooked to my Mac via Firewire. I have tried the stereo mains going out of the JV-880 into the ALT SRC INPUTS as well as just the first two line channels of the recording inputs of the 002R, thinking I'll just hear them like anything else plugged in the recording inputs, but no settings allow me to hear both the MIDI and the analog together. I really only want to use the drums at this point. I've successfully done it before. But I had to create the whole MIDI drum part, at the correct speed and then record it correctly before I could even start the rest of the music. I mean I can't even come back and listen and hit a tamborine on the offbeats after the song is recorded because I can't hear them both at the same time. I could always record, copy and paste that tamborine in an audio track, but I want to figure this thing out.

I purchased what I thought would be a great book called Pro Tools for Macintosh & Windows 6, by Steven Roback. Reading the MIDI sections get me confused. All the ports, and one port here is not the same as another port there. Multiple places to select the device and channel within the mixing track section, blah blah blah, my head hurts just thinking about it. Another problem is that all these "visual quickstart guide" graphics they brag about in the book look nothing like my interface. I'm using PT6.4 in OSX. I don't know, maybe most of the MIDI graphics must be Windows graphics in this book. Anyway, I just need someone to say, "Hey, dummy, just plug this in here, that in there, set your doohitchy to this, your thingamabob to that and go!

I apologize again for sounding so simple-minded. The whole concept of MIDI turns me into a raving madman. I get a headache trying to figure it out, but I know I need to learn it. And like I say, I've done it the hard way with some success, but it's a pain in the butt. I mean, I love my Mac, but I want to make music not study computers (I'm a Graphic Designer in my day gig). Is there someone out there who can very plainly tell me what I need to do? I know it's probably a tedious thing for someone just to do that, if it really is as complex as it seems to me. But I've got some pretty decent equipment sitting here, and I've got this "deer in the headlights" look on my face most of the time. I wish there were some website (maybe someone knows if there is) where I could go and just say "I have this equipment, and I want to do this with it, how do I hook it up, and how do I adjust my settings?"

If anyone has the time to help I'd appreciate it. It seems a pretty daunting task to even help out, considering my lack of MIDI skills here. But any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'll even call you on the phone if you think it would be easier.

Thank you,
Michael

[toddm7]

I'ma try to help you.

Forget about midi for a second. Let's try to get the audio happening. Hook up your 880 to the line inputs 1&2 on the back of the 002. I'm sure your 880 has a demo mode where it plays the factory installed internal demo song. Get this started so you know you have continuous audio coming from your midi instrument. Open the session that you want to add the midi to, or open a new session. Go to file> new track. Select STEREO, then AUX INPUT. Click "OK". You should now have a new stereo aux track in your session. You now have set the input of this new aux track to "listen" to inputs 1&2 where your 880 is connected. Go to the MIX window (Windows>Show Mix). The input and output settings are right above the panning faders. The top drop-down box is your input setting. I think by default this should already be set to "mic/line 1-2". If not, change the inputs of your new AUX track it to "mic/line 1-2". Make sure your fader is at unity gain (0) by alt+clicking the fader or move it manually. If you were able to get the demo song happening then you should hearing audio.

Now for Midi.

Connect the midi-out from the 002 to the midi-in of the 880. Connect the midi-out from the 880 to the midi in of the 002. For this setup, you don't need to use the thru connection. On your 880 make sure <local control> is set to "OFF". Now I'm going to assume that you have midi already setup in OSX, if this is not the case, then you've got to make that happen. (I'm not going to explain that you'll have to look it up). If you haven't already done so, stop the 880 demo and put it back into its normal operating mode. Create a new MIDI track, file>new track>midi. Go to MIDI>Input Devices, make sure your 880 is checked. Go to the new midi track you just created and select the midi input the same way you selected the input on your AUX track. The input should be the 880, or ALL. Right below the input is output selector. Select 880-channel 1. Record enable the new midi track and play. You should be hearing audio. To play a different channel in the 880, just create a new midi track and change the output to 880 ch. 2 etc.


Hope this helps.

[Homebelly]

Okay,,
MIDI out from your 002 to the midi in on your roland,,
Midi out from your roland to the midi in on your 002,,
Open PT and go to SETUPS and select edit midi studio ,, this will open AMS,,
Go to the MIDI DEVICES page and make sure that your digi interface is present,, if it is great,, if not the hit the rescan button,,
Now select add new device and name this ROLAND,, connect the virtual cables between the two devises,,
Make sure that you have audio cables running out of your roland and into your 002,, i'd use 3 and 4,,
Open a session,, and then open a stereo aux track,, select inputs 3/4 and make sure the fader is up,,
Open a midi track and select all as the input and ROLAND as the out put,,,you will be given a list of numbers 1 through 16,, drums are usually on 10 if the module is set to GM standard,, the manual should be able to tell you how to work that out,,
Go to the OPERATIONS menu and make sure input only monitor is selected,,
Write a few notes onto your midi track and hit play back to see if you get sound,,,
If all is well,, you should,, the drum sounds usually run from C1 to C6 with some other odd sounds above and bellow,,

[EarthGuest]

Toddm7, Homebelly,
Thanks so much. I'm going to try to dive into this thing this afternoon. I appreciate your help.


Michael