Hi,
I've been computer recording 'Audio' for a good number of years and have never took on the challenge of MIDI.
I've decided to replace human drummers in my songwriting with FXpansion's BFD Acoustic Drum software and yesterday, purchased an EMU Xboard 25 solely for the purpose of inputting these drums.
Why can't I make it work? EMU's manuals are not for NEWBIES like me and I can't believe this $139.00 piece of technology has me freaked right out.
The Drums all have a key number...for example; Kick is C1 on the software. When I play the C1 key, there's nothing.
Please advise.
Respectfully,
Bluezguy.

Hi!
Without knowing a little bit more about your setup I can't be of help.
From what you are describing it could be anything.

From screwed up MIDI configurations to something as silly as not knowing how to handle MIDI at all and transmitting on the wrong MIDI channel or whatever. )

In either case I would advise on taking some time to learn some basic facts about MIDI and MIDI interface communication. Without that knowledge trying to work with MIDI is pretty much like banging your head on a brick wall. We've all been there.

By details I mean your computer. MIDI setup. connections, required drivers etc. It all might be a matter of just dialing up the correct MIDI input source or selecting the right MIDI channel.


-ED-

Thanks Ed,

It was my configuration as you mentioned. The Xboard is configured to work out of the box with the USB connection and softwares. I don't want to run it USB...all I wanted was straight 'cabled' MIDI output therefore the unit had to be set to 'MIDI OUT'...this bypassed all the fancy stuff I don't want at this point.
I'm as happy as a pig in poop...my drums (with BFD software) sound INCREDIBLE; to me, the most important feature of the Xboard is the touch sensitivity of the keys themselves as I bought this unit to input drums only. I didn't want pads.
To be able to print vocals, guitars and basses to a click track THEN go underneath with this real time drum thing is just a MINDBLOWER EXTRORDINARE!!!
Look out world of MIDI here I come...

I built me the following computer, dedicated to recording only...no modems, no nothing...just straight meat and potatoes:

Cakewalk's Sonar Producer 4
Intel Pentium 4 2.8Ghz hyper-thread
3 SATA 120GB Seagate HardDrives
Frontier Design Wave Center card
Windows XP Pro OS
ASUS Board with 2 GB RAM
Mackie 1604 Analog Console
ALESIS AI3 AD/DA 8 Channel Converters

Jake.

Hey there,
Awesome. Just awesome.
I had a suspicion that it was something minor like a USB/MIDI switch but you figured it out even without needing any help.
I'm glad.

Quite a setup. I wish I could play with building custom made PCs but because of me having to rely on screen reader support I have to use Macs. Windows doesn't seem to handle Screen reader programs and DAW at the same time. WHich is I'm sure just a matter of time.

Speaking of drums I'm looking for some hot drum kits myself. Friend suggested that I look at something like "Drumkits from Hell Superior" (I might be getting the name wrong) that has something crazy like 32 Gb of drum samples.
Scary. RIght?

32 Gb of drums. Back a few years who would've thought?

Okay. Glad your problem is solved and now you doing what you're suppose to. Making music instead of reading pages and pages of manuals.

-ED-

Hi Ed,

My 2 cents worth on Drums from Hell software is that it was my second choice over BFD. And the only reason it was second choice to me was that BFD is purely a 100% acoustic drum program where Drums from Hell (me thinks) has lots of electronic options and other stuff...I heard some demos and they awesome! For what I do, it would of been a waste of software therefore my choice.

My musical discipline is in the Blues, Blues/Rock genres where as we know 'new age' sounds and such have no value. Please don't take my comment as 'unprogressive' but, nobody will ever change the Mona Lisa either.

I'm startin' to feel sorry for drummers these days...a lot of 'em are unemployed in the streets of Nashville, NY and LA because of highly skilled programmers and killer drums software (in part, thanks to those 2 products).
Good typin' with ya Ed!

Jake.

Well, I am a guitar guy myself so I can only dig the need for acoustic drums.
On the other hand I do like synths and electronic music too.

Good thing you let me know about Drums From Hell having a full palette of drums as in oppose to just purely acoustic drums or percussion.

Since I have lots of electronic drums here I think BFD is now starting to look like something that I'm after.

Hey, I appreciate the info bro.

Will check out BFD now.

-ED-

------------------
A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone's feelings unintentionally.
- - - Oscar Wilde

Yeah...spent a lot o' time at the Gasworks on Yonge from 1980-'87. My favorite hangouts were Grossman's, Lee's Palace, Black Swan and the El Mocombo...played a whole lot at these places. I was a Q107 Homegrown winner in 1982(?)...first song I ever co-wrote got on that Q107 album. I haven't been right ever since. Used to work @ Steve's Music store on Queens and had some TV appearances on Breakfast Television (City TV)...do any of these places exist anymore???
Toronto was one of my best music experiences ever. I had to get out of Canada...I had to blame Brian Malroney and the CRTC in part for stifling my music career...so I moved to the land of guns and honey to pursue freedom.
Thanks for letting me go down Memory Lane...it keeps me grounded...man, I miss TeeOhh!

Ed...I forgot...what Mac do you use? I have an old G4 I bought brand new back when they first came out. It's only a 450Mhz single processor but it can record like my hotdog system. If you are a songwriter, and you like to work your craft alone (like most of do), your Mac is a recording monster. Invest in a Frontier Design Wave center card for Mac. It's only about $299.00. It gives you 2x2 MIDI, lightpipe, SPDF ins and outs in an unflappable package. AD/DA converters. Then all you need is your recording software. Don't get blinded by all the whistles and bells that are out there for home studio folks...ya don't need it! Marketing tells you you do but the human hear can only hear so much...I've been Cakewalk since 1996 and have never had a failure or glitch of anykind from these components. I'm sure there's equal stuff out there for Mac. Then all you need is a couple 7200RPM Western Digital or Seagate (with 8MB cache) hard drives and you are FLYIN'!!

[This message has been edited by bluezguy (edited 10-09-2005).]

Well,
I own several Macs actually.
RIght now my main workstation is my G5 dual 2.7 Ghz (2.5 Gb RAM) with Logic 7 Pro and MOTU 828 Firewire interface.
Motif ES for a controller and some more hardware synths to mess with.
Hard disk space wise I'm just over 700 Gb free space total. Recording at 24 bit 196 k because I can. :

My "middle" Mac is a G4/933 Mhz (1.5 Gb RAM) hooked up to a Digidesign Digi 001 interface. Used to run Logic Pro on it as well but right now my wife took over that machine and uses it for on-line banking.
Although I did install Absynth on it last night. SOmetimes it's cool to mess with synths while having breakfast. My G5 is in the basement and I'd rather be upstairs with wife and kids while their getting ready for school. You know, being too lazy to go downstairs. LOL

THe oldest of my Macs is a PowerMac 7100.80mhz. That's got good old Digidesign session + TDM cards all connected to a Digi 888 interface. Mostly TDM processing but I use Logic 3.0 as a front end.

My main concern now is building a vocal booth.

Mind you none of this shit even remotely compares to my TL or my 335. You know the feeling.

-ED-

ks for letting me go down Memory Lane...it keeps me grounded...man, I miss TeeOhh![/b][/QUOTE]



Well, sounds like T.O. to me. It's all stil there. Steve's has a few locations right now. Can't say I've gone to Steve's much actually since my favorite is Cosmo Music. Used to be SBT but I got fed up with some things there. I should say some people to be exact.

Q107 still rocks. City TV is still on channel 7 (Rogers cable) and I've been on Breakfast Television myself a few times. All the clubs where you played are stil there too. May be one or two changed names but they still smell the same!

-ED-




[This message has been edited by 3351 (edited 10-09-2005).]

[This message has been edited by 3351 (edited 10-09-2005).]