MicroSTATION and Ableton LIVE HELP!!!

feardafro128 · Post by **feardafro128** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 6:43 am

I have a Mac with Ableton Live 8.2 and a Korg MicroSTATION. I've been trying to get the two to work together for days now. I finally gave up and this is probably the only place I will figure this out. I want to be able to record in Ableton off of the Korg MicroSTATION. If anyone can help me out, I will be forever grateful. Hope to hear from somebody soon

p.s. I never installed anything on my computer directly for the Korg MicroSTATION, just in case that means anything.

vangelis · Post by **vangelis** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 5:18 pm

you need to install the usb driver , the editor , and the vst plugin and you need a usb cable to connect MS with the PC and ofcourse you need audio interface to pass the sound from MS to PC , and read the manuals.
thats all.

feardafro128 · Post by **feardafro128** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 10:24 pm

vangelis wrote:you need to install the usb driver , the editor , and the vst plugin and you need a usb cable to connect MS with the PC and ofcourse you need audio interface to pass the sound from MS to PC , and read the manuals.
thats all.

I bought it off Ebay, thats why I am missing the manuals. I'll find them on Korg's website. I get that I need the USB driver, the editor and the vst plugin, but what do you mean by audio interface? Are you saying I can't just plug in the MicroSTATION thru the USB into my laptop (iMAC) and it won't record what I play into ableton?

xmlguy · Post by **xmlguy** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 10:48 pm

Midi is not audio. You can't record or play any audio through midi.

You need an I/O box with audio input so that you can plug in a cable running from the audio outputs on your keyboard. Then Ableton can record the sounds your keyboard makes when you press the keys.

Ableton can record what note events you play through midi, but not the sound of those notes. So if you hit the C4 key, Ableton will record the midi that says you hit the C4 note with a particular velocity.

feardafro128 · Post by **feardafro128** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 9:34 am

xmlguy wrote:Midi is not audio. You can't record or play any audio through midi.

You need an I/O box with audio input so that you can plug in a cable running from the audio outputs on your keyboard. Then Ableton can record the sounds your keyboard makes when you press the keys.

Ableton can record what note events you play through midi, but not the sound of those notes. So if you hit the C4 key, Ableton will record the midi that says you hit the C4 note with a particular velocity.

Could you recomend anything in particular that I could buy? Any specific brands? Lastly, what price do you think this would cost me?

xmlguy · Post by **xmlguy** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 1:50 pm

If you plan on recording audio on a regular basis, I suggest buying an M-Audio Fast Track Pro (not the regular Fast Track), because it has 4 inputs, 4 outputs, midi in/out, combo XLR-1/4" connectors, level LED, gain knobs, headphone amp output with level, and other nice features to have in the long term. You can look up prices via google.

illionaire · Post by **illionaire** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 9:15 pm

Im having the same problem as feardafro

but i was wondering, could I use the M-Audio midisport UNO interface and still hear whats playing on the MS?

xmlguy · Post by **xmlguy** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 9:45 pm

No, midi is not audio, and the midisport UNO is midi. You have to connect cables from the audio outputs to some audio input attached to the computer. You could listen to the keyboard with headphones attached to the phones jack.

billbaker · Post by **billbaker** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 12:33 am

It's worth taking a look at what midi is and isn't when looking at sequencers.

XML guy is absolutely correct that midi is not audio. What it really is is a control signal - note on and off, volume expressed as velocity, performance controllers (like vibrato and pitch bend).

A sequencer records these control gestures (like pressing down a key) as a series of events against a time clock. You can edit the events; cut and paste 'em, move 'em around, copy, bend fold and mutilate them. They don't change from being controls, no matter how you edit them.

MIDI can be generated by OR control an instrument. In this case instrument means a sound generating device, in your synth or your computer.

It's a two way street... you have to get to the computer to record the control gestures you are making, AND get those control signals back out again to the synth engine in order to generate a sound.

--- this is a really simplified explanation -- you really should look for more in-depth explanations and examples if you are going to go further. Watch for (and ASK about) seminars in your area sponsored by music retailers - take a class at your local college - buddy up with a power user (put up a note at your music retailer's bulletin board) --

And keep posting here.

BB

illionaire · Post by **illionaire** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 3:45 am

I have everything connected properly but i still cant hear any audio??

if somebody can help me out I would appreciate it.

xmlguy · Post by **xmlguy** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 3:52 am

illionaire wrote:I have everything connected properly but i still cant hear any audio?? if somebody can help me out I would appreciate it.

If you had everything connected properly, then you should hear audio. We can't help if you don't specifically say what you've tried.

englishhermit · Post by **englishhermit** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 4:17 am

I hooked my microStation to my PC laptop running Cubase LE by connecting the headphone output to the line in on the laptop. Requires stereo 3.5 to 3.5 mm cable and 3.5mm to 1/4 " adaptor.

For MIDI, a simple USB MIDI cable will suffice.

xmlguy · Post by **xmlguy** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 10:44 am

englishhermit wrote:I hooked my microStation to my PC laptop running Cubase LE by connecting the headphone output to the line in on the laptop. Requires stereo 3.5 to 3.5 mm cable and 3.5mm to 1/4 " adaptor.

For MIDI, a simple USB MIDI cable will suffice.

The normal hookup is a Y cable with two 1/4" mono TS plugs on one end, one labelled Tip and the other Ring, going to a single stereo 1/8" TRS plug to the computer. This leaves the headphone port available for its intended purpose, to use headphones.

For MIDI, a regular USB cable is the normal hookup. There is no such thing as a "USB midi cable", as these are USB midi interfaces that are mislabled as cables. Cables do not have active electronics.

englishhermit · Post by **englishhermit** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 5:50 am

xmiguy

You are quite right. That would be the professional set up for the studio and very similar to the setup I normally use. My solution is a cheap and cheerful one which works and avoids the need for extra I/O devices or more expensive cables. It is how I set it up with my laptop on the living room table.

If you are using the microSTATION editor then you will need a standard USB cable + Korg drivers and set up the microSTATION as a device in the Korg software. Otherwise the MIDI in and out ports work perfectly well in the DAW with a standard USB MIDI interface (again you are right about the difference between an interface and a cable).

If you are using headphones, I would have thought it more likely that you would be listening to the output from the laptop rather than the microSTATION.

xmlguy · Post by **xmlguy** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 11:02 am

hi englishhermit, I just was describing the typical, recommended hookup. What you're doing is fine, so long as you don't overload the input with the headphone amp. There is a bit more risk of burning up the headphone amp if someone hooks up a mono Y cable that shorts them together, but it sounds like you know what you're doing and wouldn't do that. A lot of those "USB-midi cables" are a waste of money, particularly most of the ones on feebay, and a lot of people think they need them when they don't.