Notes get stuck with microkorg as midi

[Eslet]

I use ableton 8 (8.2.1), have a two year old macbook pro, and a microkorg that goes almost well together. They´re connected with an m-audio uno USB MIDI interface.

The problem is that from time to time notes get stuck. And when they do, they don´t release until i press the same key again that first started it. It seems to happen more often If i play more than one key. As if its too much information at the same time or something.

I´ve seen that others have had similar problems, but not quite.. Is there another solution than buying a new interface? The one I have is totally new, and I have never had any midi problems in ableton or with other midi controllers earlier.

Any suggestions?



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[Sharon Kathleen Johnson]

As for me, I've got HOSA midi jumper cables feeding a MICROKORG into a PIANO ROLL COMPOSER music-editing program. After many hours of tinkering and re-reading instructions, I realized that those pesky 1-5 knobs are important for setting channels 1-16, synchronizing the clock, and/or lining up to KBP. And I haven't even begun to tinker with control changes--I was just happy that I finally eliminated the double-sounding notes (put no. 3 dial on automatic).

My biggest bugaboo is accidental mistakes as I play. It's hard to stay on the beat for long periods of time, as well as hit all the right notes on that tiny keyboard. Moreover, I invested in the MICROKORG for its VOCODER function. I was under the impression that I could create a MIDI vocal track by mixing a carrier with my voice via the VOCODER. But no, only the carrier comes out. This is kind of frustrating because 300$ spent in order to lay down vocoder-vocals was a lot of money for me.

All said, I'm having a lot of fun with MIDI-MICROKORG in spite of the kinks. Try laying down single-note tracks. Sure, it's slower but it is more likely to be accurate. (I didn't think arranging and editing my music would demand so much grunt-work.) The end product is crisper and cleaner if you simplify each track down to basic, on-key-at-a-time phrasing.

[xmlguy]

Sharon, your message indicate a number of fundamental errors and misconceptions that you have about MIDI. There is no such thing as a MIDI vocal track - it can't exist. MIDI is not audio. MIDI is musical event information, like a note on event for note C3 with velocity 127. There is no midi event for "sing the word Amen" to the tune of note C3 very loudly please. You cannot record ANY audio of the microkorg over MIDI, including vocoded audio. You cannot record the carrier or source audio of the vocoder over MIDI.

You can only record the vocals and the vocoder output using audio cables, and only if you have an audio interface with enough input channels and audio recording software to record everything at the same time. You need DAW software and an audio interface that can record at least three audio channels at once, one for the raw mic vocal and a stereo pair for the synth output (vocoding and the MK use stereo for full effect). I know nothing about Piano Roll Composer except that nobody apparently uses it but you. (smile) You probably should get one of the free versions of a professional DAW program that most musicians use, and some of these programs have piano roll views, so you can still see the music in that perspective. You can often get Cubase or Ableton Live in free versions when buying various cheap products. Yamaha owns the maker of Cubase, so you can often get it with any mini-mixer that has a USB interface. But look around and you might find other free versions. You might need to buy an audio interface, if all that you have right now is a MIDI interface.

To record the vocals and the vocoder output at the same time, then you have to hook the mic to some other input besides the MicroKorg, and then split that signal to go to the computer and to the MK input, simultanously. You could do that with a mini-mixer, or with an Audio I/O box, if you figure out how to send the mic signal two different ways in the DAW software.

[Sharon Kathleen Johnson]

Thanks for the prompt and comprehensive reply. So much for laying down vocoder-vocals at home! I'm already over a thousand dollars into it with the MICROKORG, the HOSA driver-free midi-cables, a wireless dynamic microphone, and an ION-ALESIS drumkit.

I did copy CAKEWALK 9 onto a CD but it contains so many files-within-files that I can't isolate the actual music-editor. I just want four instrumental tracks with one vocoder-vocal track to record. I have a live venue coming up in November. An instrumental arrangement would also suffice because the vocoder-vocals can be done live.

I know that sounds kind of karaoke, but the accompanying instrumental would be totally MY original composition and MY original arrangement. I've already performed a couple of times using the vocoder with pre-recorded instrumentals and believe me, it's a real departure from the usual shout-and-stomp garage bands in THIS neck of the woods!

[Dukeness]

hi, as there is no way of recording midi - is there anyway to quantize the output so that one can get everything perfectly in time?

[xmlguy]

hi, as there is no way of recording midi - is there anyway to quantize the output so that one can get everything perfectly in time?

Midi can be recorded and the notes you play can be quantized by any DAW that can quantize. I think you may have misunderstood this thread. Audio can be recorded as audio, and midi can be recorded as midi, but audio can't be recorded as midi nor can midi be recorded as audio because they are different things. Midi is music notation, events, and commands, which have no sound whatsoever until they are played by/on an instrument of some kind like a keyboard, soft synth, of some kind that understands midi and plays audio as the result. In the thread above, for example, it's impossible to record vocals or the vocoder effect using midi because voice and the vocoder are audio, and midi can't record audio, but the audio can be recorded by any DAW or audio recorder.

[pfdavidz]

SO whats teh solution? Do i need to get a new soundcard????

oh noooo....

[xmlguy]

SO whats teh solution? Do i need to get a new soundcard????

oh noooo....

What is the solution to what? You did not ask a question or pose a problem to be solved. There are several problems mentioned in this thread, so it is not clear which one you may be referring to. I have no idea whether you need a new sound card or not. You need to state what you are trying to do in order for anyone to help you, and it usually helps to do that in a new thread rather than digging up an old one.

[pfdavidz]

Sorry....when i record midi my notes get stuck and i cannot rec properly. When i rec audio without midi its fine. Is there a way to fix this?

m audio firewire 410 soundcard, cubase 5, mac

Thanks
David

[pfdavidz]

I have the same problem. I record midi and then play it back so that i can mess with the knobs while it records the audio but notes get stuck. Its not a microkorg problem since it also does the same thing on my other keyboards. Any ideas?? New soundcard? That sucks...

[xmlguy]

Sometimes notes get stuck when midi messages get doubled due to DAW software that has midi echo turned on. it also may happen when sending too much data at once, overflowing the hardware RAM buffer.