Connecting the Korg Triton Extreme to a computer

[Tallmaleuk]

Hi SanderXpander,

Thanks for your informative response. And yes Logic Pro X has come down in price enourmously and is now a fantastic choice for home recording.

I will list your responses first and then my questions regarding what you have said:

1) Your response:

"From your description I'm not sure I understand entirely what you want to do though. Unless you already have a significant number of backingtracks created in your Extreme, I would sequence everything in Logic. There are a few ways to go about it, but it seems you have all connections set up correctly for both midi and audio. You will need to tell Logic to use the Steinberg interface somewhere in the audio preferences. You also need to hook up your speakers to the Steinberg instead of the iMac audio output. You will also need to turn off "local control" in the TEX "global" menu, midi tab (I think). Turn it back on when you want to play the keyboard without running Logic/the computer."

My Questions:

A) When you ask "Unless I have a significant amount of backing tracks created in the Korg Triton Extreme". My answer is that I do not have that many saved backing tracks on the Korg Triton Extreme but I would like to use some of the preset sounds and pre-set drum patterns for songs that I will be writing on Logic Pro X and so I am looking for a way of saving these pre-set drum patterns from the Korg Triton Extreme onto Logic Pro X. Almost as if I was using Logic Pro X as a giant 8 Track machine to record 8 different pre-set sounds from the Korg Triton Extreme. This is what I am looking to achieve using Logic Pro X to record a song using mostly pre-set sounds and drum patterns from the Korg Triton Extreme.

B) To do this and record one of the pre-set drum patterns from the Korg Triton Extreme which option do I select 1) Audio or 2) Software Instrument & Midi.

2) Your Response:

What I normally do is use the midi connection (TEX USB) to play softsynths, in this case Logic will record any notes you play on the softsynth track, and after that it will play back without any help from the TEX.
You can also record audio from the TEX directly to audio tracks (a stereo pair) by creating a stereo audio track and selection the appropriate inputs.

The most complicated (but sometimes useful) way is recording midi from the TEX and then playing it back to the TEX to record the audio. For this you need a midi and an audio track. You would record the midi, make any edits, and then record the audio while playing back the midi track. Afterwards, mute the midi track.

I would personally advise against running multiple midi tracks to the TEX at the same time. It is mostly unnecessary when you use Logic and it takes a whole bunch of setting up which is tedious, requires extra loading and saving, etc.

My Answer:


C) When you say the word "Midi" what does this specifically refer too? Does it mean any audio that comes from the Korg Triton Extreme? Or does this mean audio that was written on the sequencer on the Korg Triton Extreme? I have always been confused by this term "Midi". Just to explain a bit further I have never written drum patterns or sequenced anything using the onboard Korg Triton Extreme sequencer. So If this is what you mean by the term "Midi" then I would not need to transfer this data over to Logic Pro X. I always use the pre-set drum patterns and pre-set sounds like Piano, Strings, Bass guitar etc on the Korg Triton Extreme and so its these sounds I would like to record individually on Logic Pro X from the Korg Triton Extreme. So I need to find a way to use Logic Pro X as an 8 Track to record 8 different pre-set sounds including one pre-set drum pattern from the Korg Triton Extreme. Hopefully this has made my intentions much clearer.

D) When a Korg Triton Extreme pre-set drum pattern is copied/transfered over to Logic Pro X even if I did not create it in the sequencer myself does it still count as "Midi"?

At some point I also plan to create songs using the pre-set sounds and drum patterns which come with Logic Pro X (So I will need advice about how to do this as well) but because I have already written some songs which use some of the Korg Triton Extreme pre-set drum patterns and pre-set sounds then I need to find a way to use Logic Pro X as an 8 Track machine so that I can just record 8 or more different tracks using pre-set sounds and pre-set drum patterns from the Korg Triton Extreme synthesizer.

Many thanks.

[Tallmaleuk]

Hi Hi SanderXpander,

I have successfully managed to record an audio track from my Korg Triton Extreme! I was very pleased with myself indeed!

Just one question now. How do I sync my Korg Triton Extreme and Logic Pro X so that when I click the record button on Logic Pro X to record the audio ie the pre-set drum pattern from the Korg Triton Extreme it automatically starts playing the drum pattern so that it can be recorded automatically?

I managed to do this many years ago but I have forgotten how now! And at the moment I am having to manually press the record button on the Logic Pro X and then press the play button on the Korg Triton Extreme at the same time so that the pre-set drum pattern will start playing so that it can be recorded.

Many thanks

[SanderXpander]

Oh dear, I'm afraid this will be way too much information for me to write in a few words on a message board

In a nutshell:
MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. It was developed in the eighties by mainly Yamaha and Roland and it's a way for two musical instruments to communicate. In most cases, this means one instruments sends note information (e.g. that a key was pressed on your TEX keyboard, and how hard) and other controller information (did you use the sustain pedal, pitchbend, or twist a knob). The receiving instrument interprets this information and makes the sound, with whatever preset you have selected on that instrument. In your case, the receiving "instrument" is a sequencing program called Logic, which can record the midi information and also load up a bunch of software synthesizers to play the recorded notes.

Midi is entirely separate from audio. It is not possible to send audio over a midi connection at all. This is the most important part to realize.
The main reason to use midi is that you can edit the notes very easily and use processes such as quantization (tightening), or of course to play a computer based synth from your hardware keyboard. If you have recorded midi notes, you will need to either have Logic load up a synth to hear anything, or send them back to the Triton and choose the appropriate sound, after which you can record them as audio. If you leave them as midi and don't assign a softsynth, they will just be there as silent note information.

Now, in your case, it might be useful to record some of these drum patterns as midi, because then you could edit them, add some fills etc, before recording them as audio. HOWEVER before you spend hours on figuring this out, I would highly recommend you check out Logic X's new drummer module. It sounds great, is very intuitive to use (pick a style and go from simple to complex) and it is generally a great way to lay down a basic song form. It will record any changes you make with the mouse while recording (e.g. hit fill after 8 bars or switch to the ride cymbal for the chorus).

If you really want to use the Triton drum patterns you should start by setting the Triton's clock to EXT or AUTO/USB. Tell Logic to send start/stop commands.

Hope this helps some, it's kind of a lot you're getting into in one go.

[Tallmaleuk]

Hi SanderXpander,

Thanks again for the excellent advice. It really did explain so much to me. You hear the word "Midi" all the time and even though I had a rough idea what it meant it was good to have this confirmed by you and to get an actual definition of what it means.

At the moment the simplest way forward is to record some of the Korg Triton Extreme drum patterns as Audio but in time I aim to also use the Midi feature because as you mentioned this would give me the option of adding fills etc and adding quantization to the beat. But I will definitely check out the new Drum features in Logic Pro X first. I have only just purchased the software so it will take me a while to familarise myself with all the exciting features.

With regards to this point:

"If you really want to use the Triton drum patterns you should start by setting the Triton's clock to EXT or AUTO/USB. Tell Logic to send start/stop commands."

Are these things difficult to do? I mean to set the Triton Extreme clock to EXT or Auto/USB?

And to also tell Logic to send start and stop commands?

Many thanks.

[SanderXpander]

Not really, for the Triton this should be in the global menu, midi page.
For Logic, it's been a while since I've used it and it may be in a different place in X, but it used to be somewhere in the midi or sync preferences.
EDIT: but again, You would probably be better off watching a youtube tutorial of Logic's drummer feature. It will get you much better results really quickly.
For instance:
http://youtu.be/AI9H9ii2rkA

[Tallmaleuk]

Hi SanderXpander,

Thanks for that last post the Youtube tutorial was excellent and really opened my eyes to some of the drum features in Logic Pro X.

I am also able to record audio tracks now as well which really helps me record my songs but what I want to do now is to use my Korg Triton Extreme to play the Soft Synthesizer pre-set sounds on Logic Pro X. When I have tried to do this for some reason I can hear no sound despite having the pre-set sound selected and visible on the track.

I can hear and record the pre-set sounds if I use the internal keyboard in Logic Pro X but not when I try to use the Korg Triton Extreme as my main keyboard.

I have removed the check mark in the Local Control Box and have the External USB box selected.

Do you know why I cannot hear any of the pre-set Logic Pro X sounds and why I cannot play these sounds from my Korg Triton Extreme?

Many thanks.

[SanderXpander]

Have you installed the Korg midi driver and is the USB cable from the Triton still connected?
Alternatively, if you have a midi cable, you could just leave the whole Triton/USB thing and hook up the Triton's midi out to the Steinberg's midi in.
Logic is pretty good at catching all incoming midi, assuming the drivers are properly installed.

Optionally, you would then need another midi cable going in the opposite direction to trigger the Triton's sounds from Logic.

[Tallmaleuk]

Hi SanderXpander,

Yes I have installed the Korg Midi Driver and the USB cable is still attached from my Korg Triton Extreme to my Apple Imac computer so those things are fine.

These things should be enough to allow me to play the Logic Pro X pre-set sounds right with my Korg Triton Extreme? Without having to use a Midi Cable?

I am assuming that once you connect a USB cable from your Korg Triton Extreme to your Apple Imac computer that this is transferring the Midi data across right? And there is no need to use a Midi Cable as well?

Many thanks.

[Tallmaleuk]

Hi SanderXpander,

Yes I have installed the Korg Midi Driver and the USB cable is still attached from my Korg Triton Extreme to my Apple Imac computer so those things are fine.

These things should be enough to allow me to play the Logic Pro X pre-set sounds right with my Korg Triton Extreme? Without having to use a Midi Cable?

I am assuming that once you connect a USB cable from your Korg Triton Extreme to your Apple Imac computer that this is transferring the Midi data across right? And there is no need to use a Midi Cable as well?

Many thanks.

[SanderXpander]

I think that that should be it, then. Did the Korg midi driver come with any extra instructions? I'm not really an expert on OSX and Logic, so I don't think I can be of much help besides those basics. If you make a midi track in Logic and try to record on it, does it record any notes when you play on the Triton?