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Setting up a home Studio

Topic started by L (@ 144.42.9.104) on Tue Jun 17 11:39:28 EDT 2003.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

If you are a composer, pls share the hardware and the network setup of your home studio pls? Also, feel free to give tips to others who are planning to setup their own.

Thanks

L

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Responses:

• From: L (@ 144.42.9.106) on: Tue Jun 17 11:45:15 EDT 2003
  
  I think the basic config would be:
  
  PC + Sound Card + Cakewalk (or equivalent)
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  MIDI
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  MIDI Keyboard
  
  The questions are:
  
  1. Using this we can generate the MIDI files. But how do we generate WAV out of it. Or am I missing any other hardware?
  
  2. Also, can someone explain what is what? Like MIXER, SEQUENCER etc. Also tips about the products and reviews available now.
  
  L
  
  
• From: Sam (@ 63.73.213.5) on: Tue Jun 17 13:44:39 EDT 2003
  
  Good thread,
  
  L,
  I think the only way to produce wav files in your PC is to have the keyboard play the tracks and then record it using a software (cooledit, etc). You need a sound card with digital interface (also the keyboard) so that the data is completely transfered in digital.
  
  My question is, if I am using a multi track synthesizer (like the Korg Triton), how do I get the individual tracks as individual wave files on the PC? So that I can do some final editing on the PC using a sound ediging/mixing software (cooledit, acid, etc)
  
  if anyone has knowledge in this area, please let us know
  
  thanks,
  -Sam
  
  
• From: Srik (@ 64.80.98.165) on: Tue Jun 17 14:11:32 EDT 2003
  
  Sam,
  get hold of a good audio seq software like Sonar or calkwalk project. Sonar is about $300, project is about $400-500.
  
  Protools is complex but the top of the line.
  LE edition with the hardware interface (Digi001 or digi002 or digi002 rack) will be around $1000-$2200.But apart from this, you need to midi sync each track with your sequecer, if the seq is external.
  
  I will answer question this week i have some free time, please post it.
  
  
  
  
  
• From: Sam (@ 63.73.213.5) on: Tue Jun 17 14:39:27 EDT 2003
  
  Srik,
  
  Thanks, I will read info on Sonar, and check it ou. In the meantime, do you know much about the titon series? I was looking at the Triton Studio.
  
  I am not a music remixer, who would like to go to the next level - I want to be able to produce my own tracks - my forte is Dance music (not just hip-hop, pop, techno - but really Dance Fusion music)
  
  any suggestions?
  
  So I want to use the Triton as the main sound producer and then master/add other tracks via software. My remixes are primarily done using CoolEdit
  
  
• From: Srik (@ 64.80.98.165) on: Tue Jun 17 15:04:31 EDT 2003
  
  Triton is one of the coolest keyboards I have,
  it multiplies its power if you get the addon cards. Triton Studio is an augumented version of the Triton classic, it has few new features, one is it allows resampling of internal sounds. We can resample the internal sounds to get a new one, this is not found in triton classic, also, it has a 5gig hdd to store your audio and midi, they have also added some more new sounds.
  Touch senstives screen is cool ,
  Triton series in general has the best user interface on this planet, very very easy and user friendly. Well desigined for any kind of user, advanced or novice.
  
  Triton Studio is very good keyboard and you can to buy it-if you are serious about music and can afford this animal.
  
  
• From: Srik (@ 64.80.98.165) on: Tue Jun 17 15:31:25 EDT 2003
  
  How to setup a simple studio
  
  Before going deep into this let us see some basic concepts.
  
  Sequencer: A program that arranges midi data or audio data in tracks It is kind of a word processor, word processor handles text while sequencers handle midi data or audio data.
  
  Let us see what a midi sequencer is, I will take cakewalk as an example.
  Cakewalk is most popular and one of powerful midi sequencers around. Cakewalk takes midi data as input and arranges them in tracks and reproduces them to various midi slaves ports. Cakewalk is the master and it controls various midi-enabled devices. These devices understand midi data that flows from cakewalk via your sound card (called mpu401). These devices interpret and produce the tone for you.
  
  A very Simple midi data structure
  Class Midi
  {
  Note; //eg: c4, c4 (the number is the octave.)
  Duration; // length in milliseconds or time ticks
  Velocity; // the key pressure, some keyboards do not transmit this.
  }
  
  This structure is passed to the salve and the actual sound is generated by the salve based on the data received.
  The salve sound module or sound generator, which can be a triton keyboard or a Roland sound module.
  
  Now how does the data get in to the sequencer, you can type it or draw the actual musical score, however these are the most painful methods to do music.
  However we can also input the midi data from a musical keyboard that transmits midi data to the sequencer. A midi controller can be used or keyboard like triton will do this quite well.
  
  Setup a one instrument midi studio: You need a PC (or an apple mac ;) with a sound card that has MPU401 capabilities and a (licensed version :) of a sequencer software like cakewalk. Get a midi cable (from circuit city or CompUSA or guitar center) hook it up to your sound cards game port. Take the cable that is marked Midi-In , plug this to midi out your keyboard Meaning Midi-Out form the keyboard will transmit data to Midi-In of the sound card. Next connect the midi-out to Midi in of the keyboard.
  Now start the sequencer, select the midi-in/out ports in cakewalk. You are ready, if you hear sound doubling select the local control off in you keyboard.
  Select track in the channel column enter 1 , on the patch column select 1 , ignore the port columns as you have only one midi device .
  When you play the sound goes to cakewalk and cakewalk will transmit back to the keyboard keyboard will play it
  You can start recording it and replay it , adding another , select the midi channel 2 select a patch , you can have 2 tracks with 2 instruments now.
  Most of the keyboards support upto 16 instruments. This is called as 16 parts. Some keyboard support 32 channels or more.
  Domestic keyboards like Casio’s, channel 10 is often reserved for percussion.
  
  
• From: L (@ 144.42.9.106) on: Tue Jun 17 15:48:27 EDT 2003
  
  Srik,
  
  Thanks for your info. I have noticed in various threads here, that you have a natural tendency to share your knowledge with others. I admire that. Keep your thoughts flowing.
  
  Sam,
  
  Thanks for the info. But, what did you mean by a sound card with the 'digital interface'. I thought all the sound cards, that go into the PC are digital. Can you explain it, pls?
  
  
• From: Sam (@ 12.250.211.168) on: Tue Jun 17 20:40:17 EDT 2003
  
  Srik,
  Thanks! I have some questions, can you please answer:
  1. With MIDI protocol, can we record all the music? even the beats and the drum and all other instruments?
  
  2. What I would like to do is to record track by track on the computer (wave files) and then edit with effects etc. Basically I want to be able to create something on a triton in multiple tracks and then get the audio into the PC (not just the midi data, but the wave files as seperated tracks) - is this doable?
  
  Thanks,
  
  
  L,
  I meant a sound card which has a digital input like the optical one (I don't have one personally)
  
  
• From: Srik (@ 64.80.98.165) on: Wed Jun 18 09:10:57 EDT 2003
  
  
  With MIDI protocol, can we record all the music? even the beats and the drum and all other instruments?
  
  -- Yes, of course we can,
  
  Kolloywood technically calls it "programming". :)
  99% of the modern instruments support Midi, I have already posted how to arrange multiple tracks. You will get a better picture soon, read below.
  
  A Basic Midi setup is generally consist of up to 16 channels of input and 16 channels output. Single midi cable can take 16 channels. And Midi is unidirectional, that’s why you have a separate midi in and midi out however this is changing very soon, the new Fire ware port is used to for midi transporting.
  Something like you cable-TV, which carries all the channels and TV, splits them for you. Like wise. Using cakewalk (or any other sequencer), you can arrange the 16 instruments in separate tracks. The slave instrument understands the data. Let me explain some of the track parameters found in cakewalk.
  
  Track: A separate set of midi-data with many parameters. Though a track can hold multiple midi channels, it is better if we force to hold only one midi channel per track, For computer literates, consider a midi track to be something like an ODBC connection an ODBC connection can have only one database connected to it.
  
  TRACK parameters, most sequencers allow us to control various parameters. I have listed few commonly used parameters.
  1.Forced Midi channel: Force the track to play instrument in one midi channel, regardless of on which channel it was regarded.
  2.Volume: Volume level for the assigned midi track. This ranges from 0-127 (almost all values for parameters are 0-127 only.)
  3.Pan: Placing it in the stereo field, value 127 will place the sound to extreme right, and 0 will place it to extreme Left and 64 will be the center position.
  4.Velocity: We can force the same velocity for the entire tracks. Velocity is the force at which you hit a note. Lower values will soften the sound. Not used much I would leave it how it was played it.
  5.Name: You can assign a name to track, something like bass track, it is description for you refer later. A good practice. Real Computer programmer never documents so it is up to you :)
  6.Midi-Port: This is most confused thing for many cakewalk users. Port can be called an entry point for a protocol. If you have multiple midi instruments hooked up, we use the port number to select the required instrument. Assume that I have 1 Yamaha keyboard and a Casio connected via midi, using a midi hub. Hub distributes data to these 2 keyboards. This midi hub has 2 midi output ports. Cakewalk lets you choose the target port - where to send the midi data. In our example assume Yamaha keyboard is connected to the midi port 1 if you choose port 1 and midi the data is sent to Yamaha keyboard (the instrument that is connected to the port 1 of your midi interface) Quite simple,
  so when you have more instruments hooked up to single sequencer, we have many ports, in my studio setup I have utilized about 11 ports meaning I have 11 instruments hooked up. Remember as ports increase we need more hubs and sound cards to handle it. Besides if your computer is slow you can see latency. (Delay in data transmission) I use 2 midi man Midi sport 8x8 (USB) hubs to keep things in control each hub works out about $299. For small timers you can get a Midi Sport 4x4 USB (4 ins and 4 outs), works quite well, (priced at $199)
  7.Patch: This is the actual tone or voice you select. Like 000 is a piano, or 005 is electric piano. Fretless Bass 32 etc. This governs the instruments you have selected to play in the track. This can take values from 0 to 127,
  
  8.Bank: General Midi supports only 128 instruments. To over come this limitation we choose different banks. Set of Instruments are grouped or arranged based on the nature of the instruments, these are called banks. Each bank can hold 128 instruments or patches. Cakewalk supports 128 ports x 128 banks x 128 patches meaning you can program /play about 2097152 instruments together using cakewalk. Something like hooking up 128 instruments that has 128 banks (nothing I know in this planet with 128 ports) and each bank having 128 I instruments. Triton has 6 banks (A-F) assume we hook up 128 tritons. With 6 banks in each triton we get about 98304 instruments for us work with. Here Calk walk is actually working 50% of its capacity. :)
  
  
  
• From: L (@ 144.42.9.106) on: Wed Jun 18 12:26:46 EDT 2003
  
  Srik, after a simple track creation in cakewalk, how do we convert it into WAV?
  
  

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