I need help getting started

[SweetnSavory]

I wanna keep this short but im having some difficulties getting everything set up and working properly, but making music means a lot to me, so if someone would be willing to message me and help me out that would be amazing

[jestermgee]

Probably need to embellish a little.

What issues are you having?
What do you need to setup?
OS?
...?

[SweetnSavory]

I am having input issues, where im not able to produce notes using my launchkey 49, i still get audio from it but no notes. also i have not been able to figure out finger drumming with the pads. im working with windows 10 and abelton lite

[jestermgee]

Ok, sounds like beginner troubles being that you are using Lite I assume you are not too schooled on how MIDI works etc?

We need to figure out what you are saying in terms of general terminology that makes sense.

So you are working with a Launchkey49::

I am having input issues, where im not able to produce notes using my launchkey 49, i still get audio from it but no notes.

When you say you cannot "produce notes" but you can get audio from it, what exactly do you mean?

When you press notes on your keyboard it makes a sound of whatever instrument you loaded on your track I am assuming (which is a note being pressed so technically it is producing "notes") but are you having issues with it not "producing" (recording) notes? HOw are you trying to record/produce these notes?

Do you know how to record midi data to a clip or to arrangement?

also i have not been able to figure out finger drumming with the pads.

What can you not "figure out"? How to drum, how to make the pads work with a drum plugin?

The pads will just be "notes" like the keys but designed to be tapped by finger. They would probably just be the same notes you play on the keyboard tho there are ways (possibly) to use software that comes with the keyboard to set a MIDI channel (such as Midi ch 10 used for percussion in General Midi) which you could then set for your drum track so you could play drums on the pads at the same time as playing the keys with an instrument..... tho I would highly recommend forgetting about that until you understand a bit about what you have in front of you first.

I'd suggest spending some time reading the manuals for the keyboard and Live to get a bit more familiar with how MIDI and recording works. Reading is best but if you are the more lazy learner there are probably videos on setting up the LK with Live and how to do basic MIDI recording.

[SweetnSavory]

I am having trouble recording them, when I go to hit record the sound from the instrument stop and nothing happens

With the finger drumming, i agree i should wait until i figure the rest of this out.

[orpiah]

Hi i'm having the same problem with my midi controler on Ableton Live 10 lite.
When i play the drum pads on my Akai MPD218, i hear the sounds and also see the red highlights in the midi note editor window.
Problem starts when i hit the record button. Again i hear the sounds and see the red highlights but the notes doesn't appear as i play. So when i finish recording i have nothing to play.
But interestingly Capture midi button works and brings all the notes that i play during the recording.

Any help will be appreciated
Thx

[orpiah]

Just found out the problem; I've been using the arrangment record buttuon in session mode.
Be carefull where you click

[Mulberry9]

Hi, please don't laugh at me but I can't even figure out how to record from my electronic keyboard. I've read the manual, watched a dozen videos, and none of them tell me how to get set up. I have a Yamaha PSR-400 keyboard with input/output round thingies that have 5 little pins/holes, that cable goes to a USB into my laptop, to which is connected a Scarlett 2i2 interface. I have Ableton 9 lite and Windows 10. I tried recording in Arrangement view and it looks like something recorded, but when I try to play the clip there is no sound. I don't see anything in the preferences on on the screen about my Yamaha being recognized. What am I missing?

[jestermgee]

Hi, please don't laugh at me but I can't even figure out how to record from my electronic keyboard. I've read the manual, watched a dozen videos, and none of them tell me how to get set up. I have a Yamaha PSR-400 keyboard with input/output round thingies that have 5 little pins/holes, that cable goes to a USB into my laptop, to which is connected a Scarlett 2i2 interface. I have Ableton 9 lite and Windows 10. I tried recording in Arrangement view and it looks like something recorded, but when I try to play the clip there is no sound. I don't see anything in the preferences on on the screen about my Yamaha being recognized. What am I missing?

Ok, so firstly we need to get you up to speed with what things are. There probably won't be any videos that specifically cover exactly what you have but there is a ton of info around hooking up and recording midi with Live.

input/output round thingies that have 5 little pins/holes

These are MIDI ports which send your midi data out/in from your keyboard. Most consumer devices have USB that replaced the MIDI out these days but it's still common place to interconnect other gear for the fact it is simple and reliable.

If you have this connected to your audio interface midi input then that is all you need to do to get midi INTO the computer. It will not appear as a device on your system as it is connected via your audio interface which you would select as the midi input device (and whatever is attracted to that will send the data, the computer doesn't care what it is, just about the data that comes in that port).

Before getting carried away with trying to do recording, make sure you go into preferences and set the midi TRACK INPUT for your audio interface midi input port to ON which allows notes to be recorded. Then create a MIDI track and just check the piano roll, it should show notes being pressed when you play the keyboard.

If all that works then you should be good. Now, remember that MIDI is just note data and not sound. If you have recorded notes (which you would see as printed blocks on the piano roll) then these notes need something to playback. If you are using sounds direct from your keyboard these are not inside Live so you need to add an instrument to your midi channel you recorded to to hear sound. Otherwise if you really want the sound of the keyboard recorded into Live you need to record the audio output to an audio track, not MIDI. It is possible to output MIDI from your computer, to the keyboard, then record the audio itself so you can design your melody in the box first but at this stage that's probably a little beyond the scope of where you would be at technically.

[Mulberry9]

There is nothing in the preferences that looks like my interface. there's a long list, but nothing that says Scarlett.

[jestermgee]

screen shot of what devices are there may be needed. It could just be labelled midi IN or something, you could also see what is there, disconnect your interface and see what disappeared and that would be the midi ports on your interface.

[Mulberry9]

I'm not sure where to look. in "Link MIDI" box, there are columns for Control Surface, Input and Output. nothing changes or appears when I plug the USB for the keyboard into my laptop.
Beneath that is "MIDI Ports" which does change; Input: E-MU XMidi1X1, Track is "On", and Output: E-MU XMidi1X1, Track is "Off" and grey.
I have no idea what to do with this information.