Can't get instrument sound.

[chrisonkeys]

Wow! Thanks for all the advice! I just wanted to let you all know that I am reading your messages, but I just haven't had time to work on my Tascam problem. I will try all of your suggestions as soon as I get the chance!

As for the question about what the Tascam is plugged into . . . the line outs are connected to a stereo sound system (amp/receiver, turntable, tape deck, CD player). I've had my computer hooked up to this sytem before and it worked fine.

As for the sound card issue . . . I was told by the guy at Sam Ash where I bought the Tascam unit that a computer's internal sound card will often conflict with the US-122, since it also is essentially a sound card (his words). That's why I disabled the internal sound card; I thought it would help. Obviously it didn't!

About my keyboard . . . it does not have internal speakers. It's an 88-key Yamaha that I usually hook up to a keyboard amp.

As for the latency issue . . . the US-122 has a "Direct" monitoring switch that eliminates the latency problem.

Once again, thanks for all the suggestions--I'll start working on it asap!

 

[Jamil]

MIDI data is small messages sent from a sender to a receiver, which plays the sound. A keyboard would transmit a message at both the press and release of a key. You want your computer to be setup as a MIDI synthesizer, which would interpret these messages and play sound. This is why there is inherent latency with MIDI as opposed to an instrument like a piano. This latency is different from latency in an audio interface and not comparable.

What model Yamaha is it? It seems to be a controller, but you stated that you connected it directly to a keyboard amp. A controller needs to control a synthesizer, which an amp usually is not.

 

[chrisonkeys]

The keyboard is a Yamaha P-80. It's not just a controller--it has internal sounds. It just doesn't have its own speakers (or amp), which is why it must be connected to an amplifier with speaker.

 

[Jamil]

Okay. This is making more sense, and I see the problem you were having now. If I was you, I would continue to use the keyboard amp. Just connect the keyboard's MIDI in and out to the Tascam's MIDI out and in. I'd use Cubase for sequencing, which would play data back via the keyboard through MIDI.

You can edit the MIDI data through Cubase after it has been recorded, and if you desire to use software synths or samplers, you can route specific MIDI channels in Cubase to your software synths. I would do this after tracks have already been recorded.

 

[fredley]

Do you have midi and audio recorded on your PC? If it's only midi, you need to have it playing a software or other type of synth which will actually generate audio. Audio is the only thing that will give you sound from your US-122 line outs to your stereo.