Using Logic 9 as External sequencer with Kronos

Grokingout · Post by **Grokingout** » Fri Feb 20, 2015 4:10 am

USB-Audio from Kronos AUDIO-interface is only transmitted if you select Kronos as your AUDIO-Device in LOGiC preferences. If you use an external audio-interface with Logic then only Midi is transmited through Kronos USB. In this case you need of course an analog or digital audio connection between Kronos and your external audio interface.

At 4minutes into the video below, the author sets up an external instrument track and plays the Kronos and gets sound back. He hasn't also set up an audio track to monitor the sound. That's what I want to be able to do: instantiate an external instrument track on the arrange to control midi channels 1-16 on Kronos's sequencer without having to also setup an audio track in order to hear the sound. Given my setup of a Kronos, MacBook Pro, and MOTU audio interface, how would you suggest I achieve this?

Here is the perfect example of what I mean https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcC3X_uvnUQ[/b]

bobmusic · Post by **bobmusic** » Fri Feb 20, 2015 9:22 am

Grokingout wrote:At 4minutes into the video below, the author sets up an external instrument track and plays the Kronos and gets sound back. He hasn't also set up an audio track to monitor the sound. That's what I want to be able to do: instantiate an external instrument track on the arrange to control midi channels 1-16 on Kronos's sequencer without having to also setup an audio track in order to hear the sound. Given my setup of a Kronos, MacBook Pro, and MOTU audio interface, how would you suggest I achieve this?

Here is the perfect example of what I mean https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcC3X_uvnUQ[/b]

I really don't understand where your problem is right know. When you setup audio preferences in Logic as shown at minute 1:11 (kronos as audio-input) everything is straigt forward. And nobody said that an audiotrack has to be armed when you want record midisequences only.

PS:ok, correctly i must have written, "select Kronos as your audio INPUT-Device in Logic Preferences" in my previous post. I didn't mention the "Aggregated device" option to keep it simple. Anyway, it's always better to describe ALL your steup and devices and how they are connected from the beginnig. I am still not sure on how you setup and connected everything right now. And we are on page 2 of this topic...

ed_f · Post by **ed_f** » Fri Feb 20, 2015 2:28 pm

Hey Gang - Haven't been around so I missed this thread. I am pretty sure Grokingout has been emailing me directly on because it is my video he is referencing.

The answer to the audio piece should be in the video. I have an audio interface the motu828 connected. The Kronos is connected directly to it, and USB to the computer - all of my speakers are connected to the 828.

There are a few reasons for this setup.
1. I can turn on the kronos and 828 and play live without needing the computer.

2. It makes routing audio as is being asked in the question super easy. I can route the Kronos Audio to the speakers at any time. So when I am playing, when Logic is sending midi, when iPad is sending midi, triton sending midi. It becomes a separate branch of the whole path.

If I am recording audio I have a couple choices - go direct using USB or I can still route to the 828 and go through any external effects I might want and then use the 828 as an audio input into Logic.

Hope that makes sense. It is a lot easier to see than to explain.

bobmusic · Post by **bobmusic** » Fri Feb 20, 2015 5:45 pm

ed_f wrote:Hope that makes sense. It is a lot easier to see than to explain.

Yes, makes sense

Another idea for Grokingout: in your Motu cuemix console, do you use "direkt monitoring", or is it even possible with cuemix? direkt monitoring means that input signals to your Motu are routed directly to Motus outputs.

I use RME Fireface 400, and with it's TotalMix software i use direkt monitoring for all my input signals. I am so used to it that i forgot that if you don't use it, you of course need to arm the audio-input your Kronos is connected to, inside Logic.
Either through an armed Audio-track (not very elegant) or with the other option that is intended for this purpose:

When you create a new external miditrack, in the dialog box you have the option to activate "use plug-in for external midi". When you check this box, you can select the audio-input your Kronos is connected to. The result is that you have only one track which routes midi and audio at the same time.
The disadvantage of this solution is, that you can not select banks or programs from this track, only the midi channel.
The big advantage is, that you can apply Logics Audio-FX and Midi-FX to your Kronos sound.

Hope this helps.

Grokingout · Post by **Grokingout** » Sat Feb 21, 2015 7:31 pm

When you create a new external miditrack, in the dialog box you have the option to activate "use plug-in for external midi".

This option may exist with an external midi track, but it is certainly not in the dialog box that pops up when you choose to create a new track. Not sure what you're referring to here.

And nobody said that an audiotrack has to be armed when you want record midisequences only.

This is what I stated because although I could record a midi sequence without an audio track, I wasn't able to hear any sound unless I had the audio track armed for monitoring.

To resolve my issue, I google bobmusic's "use plug-in for external midi" when I couldn't find what he was referring to, which led me to this http://music.tutsplus.com/tutorials/qui ... audio-6054 article. It has me using a software instrument track with an external instrument plug-in (which I had tried before) though this time I used successive external midi tracks for the remaining 15 channels of midi, and I also needed to set up a multi-instrument in the environment.

Thanks to all of you for your help. It felt long and frustrating on my end, but it probably would have taken me ages longer without the help of your ideas. Now I can focus on playing!

bobmusic · Post by **bobmusic** » Sat Feb 21, 2015 11:54 pm

Grokingout wrote:
When you create a new external miditrack, in the dialog box you have the option to activate "use plug-in for external midi".
This option may exist with an external midi track, but it is certainly not in the dialog box that pops up when you choose to create a new track. Not sure what you're referring to here.

Sorry for the confusion, you're right. I was refering to the dialog box in Logic 10, which i am using. Good that you found the way to the external instrument plugin in Logic 9 and that you're back to recording