Korg Forums

[erpaille]

Hi all

I would like to know if both can work together in sync, for ex record a track in the midi sequencer then some vocals in the audio recorder then
back to a midi track and so on overdubbing multiple tracks.

Thanks

[RichF]

Hi erpaille,

I think this is an important question for anyone looking to do combined MIDI/audio songwriting with their Kross.

First off, yes, you can synchronize the audio recorder to the MIDI sequencer. In the Audio Recorder Setup window, change the "Auto" setting to "SEQ START". This will start the audio recording when you start playback of your MIDI sequence.

Kross's multitrack audio capability works like this: Every time you record over existing audio, it's overdubbed onto what's already there, and stored in a new file on the SD card. Each of these files is basically an undo state. When you undo, you can choose how far back you want to go. Essentially, you're selecting one of the files, or states, to revert to. This is very similar to our Sound On Sound recorder.

Note that the audio recorder's input is at the very end of the audio signal path. It is ALWAYS recording a combination of the Kross's output and either the Mic or Line input. This means that it will always record what the sequencer is playing, or what's being played in a Program or Combi.

So, with that understanding, let's look at your scenario of recording MIDI, then adding audio, then more MIDI work. Say you've got a MIDI sequence that's ready for vocals. Of course, you'd want the song playing as you record the vocals, so you play back the sequence (using the SEQ START setting I mentioned above) while also recording audio. Now both the sequencer's output and the vocals are combined into an audio recording. Then, you can go back and record more vocal overdubs, plug in a guitar, etc.

Now, say you want to make a change in the MIDI sequence after recording all that audio. Because the sequence is already part of the audio, it can't be edited on its own. You can certainly overdub additional Kross sounds by playing them, but if you go back to the sequencer, make some changes, then play back the sequence again while recording audio, you'll be overdubbing a new version of the sequence on top of the older version. And if you undo back to the very first recording, all the audio recorded afterwards will be lost.

This is not to say that you can't use the sequencer more than once during the audio recording process- You can add another MIDI track to the song, then mute all the other tracks before you record the sequencer playback into the audio recorder again. The only thing you can't do is take things out of the first audio pass.

Therefore, for multitrack songwriting involving both MIDI and audio, a good rule of thumb is to plan ahead, and make sure you won't need to subtract anything from the MIDI sequence that's going into your first audio recording.

Hope this helps,
-Rich
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Richard Formidoni

[erpaille]

Thanks a lot, crystal clear explanations !
The possibilities are enough to make a good job.

One other little thing about tempo, would i be able to record bass in the
audio recorder (with or without sequenced drums playing along) and
then slowing down the tempo keeping recording tracks with the internal sounds ( which i am sometimes not able to perform on keys at the initial tempo) and then when done, go back to normal speed playback ?

Thanks.

[RichF]

Sorry, that wouldn't work. You can't change the speed of the audio once it's been recorded.

Thanks,
-Rich
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Richard Formidoni

[erpaille]

Thanks, i guess i have to work on my skills on keys !

[tommymandel]

...or just record the MIDI first, including the keyboards, saving the audio for when the 'hard bits' are done (slow) and sped back up (to normal speed) again!
OR, you could play and record the bass first (which is your desire) but play it extra slow! Then program MIDI along with that 'slow bass', at the slow speed; and then speed things back up in the Sequencer, undo all audio recording, record your skillful live bass playing at the correct speed, and then record the sequence to the audio track (maybe even one track at a time to audio, giving you more control and more undo possibilities) - and then do the vocals last?

[erpaille]

Great ! thanks a lot.