Ableton Forum

Hi guys,

Need some help. I'm trying to connect my Novation SuperNova2 Synth to Ableton but cannot get the midi to work. Below is my setup and configuration:

Setup:
Novation Supernova 2 Rack with Midi In/Out/Thru ports
M-Audio FW410 External Audio interface with midi In/Out
M-Audio Audiophione Internal 24/96 sound card with midi In/Out (not being used)
M Audio Ozonic Master Keyboard with midi In/Out(connected via FW to computer)
Ableton 8

Configuration:
The M-Audio Ozonic Keyboard will be used as my master keyboard. How do I connect all of the above together? The Ozonic does not have a 'Midi Thru' port but my Novation Supernova 2 does.

Should I connect the Ozonic Keyboard Midi In/Out to the Midi In/Out of my M-Audio FW410 Soundcard and the Midi In/Out of my Novation Synth to the Midi In/Out to my internal Audiophile soundcard?

Or am I missing some hardware such as a Motu Midi Express Bridge?: http://www.motu.com/products/midi/128/


Note - I have already connected the Audio 1/4 Jacks from the Novation Supernova 2 to my FW410 soundcard and can hear audio when I run a demo track from the synth. I just can't seem to communicate any midi from the sequencer to the unit (The sequencer reads midi input from the keyboard ok)

Please help, I want to hear some sounds from my Novation!!!

You can send MIDI from your ozonic to either you internal or external soundcard (whichever has least latency) to send MIDI to Live. Then you can route the MIDI signal from Live to your rack synth using the "external instrument" device. Use another MIDI cable to go from your soundcard MIDI OUT to your supernova MIDI IN. You'll probably notice some latency by the time the audio signal from your synth gets back into Live, so use your latency compensation and/or track timing offsets to compensate for that.

Thanks for the quick reply, I'm just testing this now

Do you know If I need to change any settings on the Supernova to receive the midi? I've read the manual but can't get my head round it?

No, you shouldn't need to. I'm not familiar with that synth, but it should be set to receive MIDI info by default.

Wicked, thanks a lot man

If you want to be able to record any automation from the super nova while you are playing your ozonic
you have two methods.
1. the easiest is to set the input of the midi track in live to ALL. This works, but there are some issues i can't remember off hand with this set up which is why i went with method 2.
2. I imagine the ozonic has two or more virtual midi in/outs running off of the FW cable. If it has you'll need to figure out what midi port is set to send and receive the traditional midi in/out on the back of the controller. Now, connect the SN2 to the hard ware midi in/out on the ozonic. When you want to record the SN2 into live set the midi in of the track to what ever the port number is on the ozonic that the SN2 is attached to. Put an external instrument plug on the track and set its midi out to the same port. Connect the audio out of the SN2 to the audio in of your sound card and then set this as the audio in of the external instrument.

Ok so I've encountered a new problem.

I can get 3 external instruments channels running in Ableton but when I setup a 4th external instrument I can see midi data being sent to the SN11 but no audio is coming back.

Each external instrument is set to transmit midi on a unique midi channel and the SN11 is set to receive the relative midi but still no audio. I'm guessing my problem now has something to do with the settings on the SN11?

Can anyone help

Just worked it out, some of the performance parts were auto turned to off.

enjoy your supernova - its a cracking workhorse synth.
i know plenty of dance music artists that still use it every day.

great, deep bass. better than any other VA out there in my opinion.
google 'midiquest' - they make a vst editor type thing for it - you can store and edit patches with it, not sure about
full realtime control like the virusTI plugin.

the novation arpeggiator is awesome too...