How to record midi to audio

UHE is now closed. For Technical Support from Ableton, please go here: http://www.ableton.com/support
Locked
creation25
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2012 6:49 pm

How to record midi to audio

Post by creation25 » Tue Jan 17, 2012 9:01 am

I was wondering how to record midi via my fantom G keyboard and then convert that into audio file inside Ableton live. For testing I basically set up my driver in Live. I create 2 channels: 1 audio and 1 midi. I then armed record the midi channel. I receive midi just fine. However when I play back I don't hear anything. I don't want to drop a vst into the midi channel (I know that will work) however, I WANT TO USE BUILT IN SOUNDS FROM MY ROLAND KEYBOARD! What did I do wrong?

Then how to convert this midi into audio?

Thanks guys.

k-toh
Posts: 88
Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2010 9:29 pm
Location: Hants, UK
Contact:

Re: How to record midi to audio

Post by k-toh » Tue Jan 17, 2012 12:00 pm

Not done it myself, so I'm sure someone will have a better idea, but logic (little l) suggests you need to record it as audio and not midi. Anything midi will just act like a controller so you need to record the audio. Can you hear the sounds from the Roland through Live or just your audio interface? You may need to record it into something like Audacity or SSF first :?

crumhorn
Posts: 2503
Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2008 6:04 pm

Re: How to record midi to audio

Post by crumhorn » Tue Jan 17, 2012 12:30 pm

Assuming that you are using the USB to connect your keyboard to your computer.

You need to install the ASIO drivers for your fantom.

Then in live's audio preferences select the fantom ASIO drivers as your audio device.

Create and audio track and select input from the fantom and enable for record.

hopefully that should do the job.
"The banjo is the perfect instrument for the antisocial."

(Allow me to plug my guitar scale visualiser thingy - www.fretlearner.com)

creation25
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2012 6:49 pm

Re: How to record midi to audio

Post by creation25 » Tue Jan 17, 2012 4:02 pm

k-toh wrote:Not done it myself, so I'm sure someone will have a better idea, but logic (little l) suggests you need to record it as audio and not midi. Anything midi will just act like a controller so you need to record the audio. Can you hear the sounds from the Roland through Live or just your audio interface? You may need to record it into something like Audacity or SSF first :?
I can record audio just fine through Live. I need to record through midi because I like to arrange the piano roll and then convert that to audio. Recording audio you couldn't arrangement the piano roll so it's harder to play that way.

k-toh
Posts: 88
Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2010 9:29 pm
Location: Hants, UK
Contact:

Re: How to record midi to audio

Post by k-toh » Tue Jan 17, 2012 4:11 pm

Right, see what you're after. You've already got the midi recorded so you'll need to route that back into the Roland to trigger it's sounds and then have that audio come back into Live. Should be able to sort that with a half decent audio interface - someone with more know how than myself should be able to advise how to do that routing :)

creation25
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2012 6:49 pm

Re: How to record midi to audio

Post by creation25 » Tue Jan 17, 2012 4:16 pm

crumhorn wrote:Assuming that you are using the USB to connect your keyboard to your computer.

You need to install the ASIO drivers for your fantom.

Then in live's audio preferences select the fantom ASIO drivers as your audio device.

Create and audio track and select input from the fantom and enable for record.

hopefully that should do the job.
Yeah that worked fine. I just need to record it through midi first then I'll convert that to audio later. I can record midi, but I don't hear anything when I playback unless I throw a VST in it. The Fantom comes with it's own VST so I throw that into the midi channel. I couldn't armed recorded this time. I received no input. If I take the VST off, I received input again. I don't think Fantom VST support Live. I'll have to check on that.

creation25
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2012 6:49 pm

Re: How to record midi to audio

Post by creation25 » Tue Jan 17, 2012 4:20 pm

k-toh wrote:Right, see what you're after. You've already got the midi recorded so you'll need to route that back into the Roland to trigger it's sounds and then have that audio come back into Live. Should be able to sort that with a half decent audio interface - someone with more know how than myself should be able to advise how to do that routing :)
Ah I see. I armed record the midi track. Send midi to the Fantom driver or the interface driver.

Work now. Thanks. I new that was coming. :D

Now how to convert midi to audio? I create an audio channel. Arm record it then just record. That'll do it.

EDIT: There's a problem. I don't hear any audio when playback.

simmerdown
Posts: 3761
Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2011 3:36 pm
Location: Northwest Nowhere

Re: How to record midi to audio

Post by simmerdown » Tue Jan 17, 2012 4:26 pm

...or freeze the midi track, then flatten..rt click dropdown menus

Warrior Bob
Posts: 841
Joined: Mon Apr 06, 2009 5:10 pm
Location: Central Coast, California
Contact:

Re: How to record midi to audio

Post by Warrior Bob » Tue Jan 17, 2012 4:35 pm

creation25 wrote: Now how to convert midi to audio? I create an audio channel. Arm record it then just record. That'll do it.

EDIT: There's a problem. I don't hear any audio when playback.
You have:
- MIDI going out of your Fantom to Live
- Audio coming from Fantom (somehow)

You need:
- MIDI sending back from Live to Fantom
- To get Fantom audio into Live (somehow... you might have this already)

The way I like to do it is to have a MIDI track, like you do, with its input set to the Fantom. So anything you play on the Fantom is recorded as MIDI in that track. Then put an External Instrument plugin on that track, which sends MIDI to the keyboard and gets audio back from it (presuming you've got it coming in through some kind of interface. If not, you'll need to).

You'll want to either disable input monitoring for that MIDI track or disable the Fantom playing notes when you play keys. Otherwise, you'll hear every note doubled: once when you hit the key and another when the Fantom gets the MIDI message from that track.

Finally, to actually record the audio, you'll want a separate audio track. Set its input to your MIDI track's output post-FX (so it gets the sound from the External Instrument device), and arm it for recording. Maybe disable input monitoring since you're already hearing the audio from the other track.

That was a lot of words but hopefully made some sense. Hope it's helpful.

EDIT: Your Fantom does play sound from MIDI input, yes? You might have to enable this.

creation25
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2012 6:49 pm

Re: How to record midi to audio

Post by creation25 » Tue Jan 17, 2012 4:40 pm

I got it work now. After I sent midi to the fanton driver/interface driver, I have to reconfigure the audio driver back to the asio mbox2 driver. At first it was the fantom driver so that's why I didn't hear any audio playing back.

wow...so every time i want to record midi I have to switch the interface driver back to the fantom driver. Then to record midi to audio I have to change the fantom driver back to the interface driver. I can work with that for now. Not a big deal i guess.

k-toh
Posts: 88
Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2010 9:29 pm
Location: Hants, UK
Contact:

Re: How to record midi to audio

Post by k-toh » Tue Jan 17, 2012 4:46 pm

Sweet :)

creation25
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2012 6:49 pm

Re: How to record midi to audio

Post by creation25 » Tue Jan 17, 2012 4:52 pm

There's a problem. If I have to change the driver to the fantom in order to record midi, I wouldn't be able to hear the metronome tickling unless I change the driver back to the mbox2 interface only then I could hear it. But if I do that I wouldn't be able to record midi. Is there a shorter way to record this midi as audio without changing driver?
Last edited by creation25 on Tue Jan 17, 2012 5:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

creation25
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2012 6:49 pm

Re: How to record midi to audio

Post by creation25 » Tue Jan 17, 2012 5:02 pm

NVM got it to work now. I set the driver in Live to the interface which is the Mbox2 or whichever one you have. Do not set it to the fantom driver or whichever keyboard driver you have. You won't be able to hear the metronome. With the Mbox2 driver set or whichever interface you have, you'll be able to record midi as well. Then to record this midi to audio, send midi out to your interface driver. Create an audio track. Do not mute the midi track. Arm record the audio track and there you have it. Hope somebody find this helpful.

Samaritan Sound
Posts: 93
Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:41 pm

Re: How to record midi to audio

Post by Samaritan Sound » Tue Jan 17, 2012 6:03 pm

This thread hilights why I generally prefer MIDI I/O on external hardware over USB I/O. No fooling with drivers and general USB issues.

Locked