Just got a R3. Got some questions if you could help..

hadesnuggz · Post by **hadesnuggz** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 4:31 pm

Advice/opinions would be very much appreciated...

Well guys, I just got an R3 and have a few questions if you guys could help me out... Im very new to this but not new to making music so please bear with me... I would like to use this r3 as a tool for learning as I bought it with pretty much the last of my free change so that I could expand my potential.

I have been sort of a "click-producer" so to speak, arranging and composing with my mouse and keyboard. I use acid pro 6.0 with several vsti programs such ass Massive, Atmosphere, Absynth4, Trilogy, and FM8. I also have a blue snowball w/pfilter and shockmount and also a m-audio triggerfinger which i dont really use.

Well, I have been playing the r3 and its really fun to tweak your sounds and the vocoder is really cool...

BUt I am having trouble getting my Acid Pro 6.0 to recognize it.

Like we can get it to be used as an external midi controller, but I have no idea how to actually get the sounds to play through acidpro so that I can record and sequence. I can only hear the sounds if I plug my speaker in.

Ill tell you how I have my setup. I have a stereo system hooked up to my computer via a sound cord with a left and right (red/black) at one and and a single computer sound hook up at the end. If I take that cord out of the comp and hook it into the mono line I can hear playback...

I also have it hooked up via usb.

Now do I need an midi and sound cords to be able to live sequence and record the synths and vocoder from the r3 itself?

Sorry if everything Im typing seems unorganized, I am having a stressful morning and just got baked. haha

paulierocks · Post by **paulierocks** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 5:14 pm

It depends on what you want to do. Do you want to record audio signals or MIDI data? Make sure you understand the difference between the two, then refer to page 4 of the R3 manual for the proper physical connections. Your DAW documentation should have instructions for working with each as well.

hadesnuggz · Post by **hadesnuggz** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 5:21 pm

Hey thanks for the reply paulierocks...

Basically i want to be able to to record and sequence the sounds and synths that are coming out of my R3. I want to record the audio data and the midi data to show up ion my acid so that i can arrange if necessary.

Like the diferent synths that im tweaking and playing and output from the vocoder. I was wondering how so that when I play the keys on the r3 that it shows up on my acidpro to sequence. Does that sound right? I understand how to use my r3 to control my internal midi software.

I was told that I would be able to direct sequence with my acid pro 6.0 with this... Keep in mind i only halfway know what Im talking about here. This is a whole new thing to me, and Id like to learn...

Im also pretty sure I need a stereo audio hookup because i have none that go from the stereo output of the r3 to the computer. Like I said, the only way i can even hear the sounds coming from the r3 is if I hook up the speakers to the r3 via a mono computer cord.

paulierocks · Post by **paulierocks** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 5:56 pm

My pleasure...I'm a novice myself. I'm not familiar with Acid Pro, but there should be a way you can set up a track for recording MIDI data. Make sure you've got the right channels set on the R3 and the DAW. Page 65 of the R3 manual shows you how to set the channel, then make sure your DAW is listening on the right channel.

Once that's set, arm your track and play/record. If it works, you should have a MIDI track. You'll hear references to "piano roll." That's the view you get when editing MIDI on a DAW.

If trouble persists, you may want to just download a basic MIDI file, load it into your DAW, and play it back through the R3. Once you've got that task down, then move on to recording your own MIDI sequence.

I always like to start out with easy things...keeps the psychotic episodes to a minimum.

hadesnuggz · Post by **hadesnuggz** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 6:12 pm

haha thanks paulie...

Well, Me and a friend whos a dj went through the manual last night and were trying to figure out this but couldnt. We had it on midi mode and hat it set on the right channel... But also about that... (when in midi mode) how do you switch to different programs and use the vocoder. It seem sin midi mode all you can do is use it as a midi controller.

BUt all it would do was control a vsti that we had set on acid pro 6.

Then we tried switching to external midi controls and messing with preferences and nothing.

Also when we would press record we would get nothing. But sometimes when we pressed wrecord, we could see the notes being put down but there was no sound when playback.

Dio you know what type of stereo cords I need to get to put into the output to the computer? Ill take a pic of my setup, if you could spot any wires i should need, that would be cool.

Am i missing stereo output cords. could this be the problem? if so... what kind of cords do I need considering the stereo system in the background is connected into the computers single sound jack like computer speakers.

hadesnuggz · Post by **hadesnuggz** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 8:33 pm

Okay guys. I just realized that i cant do what i am trying to do using just a usb cord.. I think I need midi cords and stereo jacks? Acan anyone point me in the right direction on what cords I should be using? I would very much appreciate it. Forreals.

xmlguy · Post by **xmlguy** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 9:25 pm

You need one of these for a regular computer audio aux input:

Along with two regular 1/4" mono instrument cables, like you would use for a guitar. Or you can get any number of different combinations of adapters/Y cables that do the same thing.

If you have a Audio I/O box/sound card that has separate 1/4" inputs, then you'll need just the two instrument cables and no adapter.

See page 8 of the manual. Where it says "Powered Monitors, etc.", the computer is the "etc.".

axxim · Post by **axxim** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 9:47 pm

Hi hadesnuggz.

Edit: while writing this "speedy" xmlguy crossed my lane.. beep..beep

Connecting the audio to your DAW is very simple. If the pictures you posted are all the connections you have done, then audio will never reach your DAW because it is not connected. The R3 like most synths use the 1/4 inch (6,3mm) jacks for (analog) audio output (R/Mono and L). This (besides the Headphone Jack) are the only audio outputs in the R3.

The USB cable is ONLY for transmiting MIDI data. MIDI data is digital information about what notes you play, how hard the keys are hit, what controllers (modwheel, volume, pitchbend, etc.) are changing. It does not contain any sounds (Audio)

Its like a partiture, you only see what notes you have to play and how but there is no sound on it.

So you have to connect your R3 with your DAWs Line-In which normally is a 3,5mm stereo plug like on the actual PC-headphones or headsets.

Then you have to go to your soundcard's setting program (or windows audio controller settings) and activate/set the Line-In fader.

In your recording software you have to activate this Line-In as the audio track you want to record. If you have more than one audio sources (i.e. R3 and other keyboard, groovebox etc.) then you have to use an audio mixer where those get connected and from there you go to the DAW's Line-In or plug one, record it then plug the next and so forth. You also can connect an audio source to your R3s inputs (same jack types) and bypass (see the manual) them to the R3s outputs so you get both going to your DAW.

If you go to a music store and you explain what do you want to connect they may tell you the right cable. One side has two mono 1/4" Plug which are used for e-guitars, keyboards as well as most musical instruments and the other end has a stereo (3,5mm) plug like the PC-Headphones, provided your soundcard has those type of Line-In.

hadesnuggz · Post by **hadesnuggz** » Sun Feb 21, 2010 12:45 am

Hey guys, I got the audio cord and can now record, but an error screen pops up and my acidpro says it needs to shutdown soon after i press record...

Also...

How do i get it to sequence in midi instead of recording? Like so I can rearrange the notes if I have too??

Sorry, im very new, and i looked in the manual, but Im just not sure i understand it.... :/

axxim · Post by **axxim** » Sun Feb 21, 2010 1:45 am

Hi hadesnuggz,

I don't know acidpro but if a recording software crashes when recording audio, it may have a bug or something is not installed properly (like the soundcard or ASIO drivers). Can you record from other sources like microphone or a mp3 player without having a crash?

Normally every recording software offers the possibility to select which type of track you want to record (Audio or MIDI), so you have to read your SW manual to check out how to do this. Commonly the users manual has a kind of tutorial on how to record audio ans MIDI tracks.

hadesnuggz · Post by **hadesnuggz** » Sun Feb 21, 2010 2:57 pm

hey thanks for the response axxim...

Yeah, i can record anything like mp3's and other audio without a crash, but when i use the r3 it crashes...

And Im having trouble finding a way to sequence in my acidpro, im sure theres gotta be a way, but I cant seem to find it.

hadesnuggz · Post by **hadesnuggz** » Mon Feb 22, 2010 4:43 am

Okay, I found out how to get it to stop crashing and have had kinda halfway luck with getting it to sequence.

We are able to get it to record midi and then playback when we rightclick and go to external control...

but when I press record even though I have the programs set on midi and the same channel, as soon as I press record, the r3 channges to the "favorite"

Also... When im listening to my beat and trying to play a new melody into the r3, how do I get my software to record just the melody and not the rest of the beat thats playing?

Any help woul d be very much appreciated.

hadesnuggz · Post by **hadesnuggz** » Mon Feb 22, 2010 4:31 pm

Hey sorry guys if my questions seem a little dumb,....

I jsut dont really know, and Id like to start making some music with the r3, i can only play with it right now. :/

axxim · Post by **axxim** » Mon Feb 22, 2010 4:50 pm

Hi,

if you press play or record and your R3 changest the programm then your midi track has a program change command. you can look for that in the MIDI inspector and remove it or you can set the R3 to ignore program changes (global settings -> MIDI program change =OFF, you have to look at the manual for where to find this setting because I dont have the R3 anymore)

If your SW records all playing sounds in one track look at the soundcards settings. there should be a selection for the recording device (Line in, mic, aux, mixer, telephone etc.) If you only want to record your R3 connected to Line-In then you have to select this input. Usually the recording input is set to "mixer" which means your SW will record all what you hear thru your speakers/headphones.

Sorry I'm in a hurry now, I will check tonight if you got succesfull

hadesnuggz · Post by **hadesnuggz** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 10:19 pm

OKay...

So I was able to get it to direct sequence but only one program and track at a time, i dont know how to have multiple programs running if that evebn is.

And I cant actually make any music, because as soon as i try to loop some audio tracks and record the midi or have the audio track playing and then try to record the midi, the acid pro freezes and I lose all of my work. i dont understand how to stop this from happening.

Anyone have any ideas, I would really appreciate it...