Which Keyboard, Synth, Organ?

blobb

Yeah, headphone out will be whatever audio the keyboard is generating, or any pedal you run it through first. MIDI is different, it's just information: this note; this hard; for this long etc... You record the MIDI info on a MIDI track and you can playback the info and send into into any software sound generator.

Think about using a portable 4 track tape recorder (portastudio etc...). You plug your instrument cable into it, set the level, select and arm a track and press record/start. Play your guitar and when finished press stop. Rewind and the audio you captured is on the tape. And you've got 4 tracks which play at the same time. Mixbus is like this. You need to tell it where your 'input' is (interface) and which track you want to use but from there the process is pretty much the same. When you have 4 tracks you switch to the Mixer page and you can balance the tracks / pan / add reverb etc....  But, as with the portastudio, if you record a clean signal that's what it will sound like, if you run through a pedal, you get distortion or whatever. If you mic an amp you get a miced up amp (and all of the room noise too!).

So for me, I'll record a bass line in, add a miced up guitar amp so i get 2 tracks of audio. I always record against a tempo click so the system has a time reference (bpm). I can then add drums via my electronic kit (as audio) or more usually I record the MIDI out from the e-kit. Record the MIDI  and play it back through a software drum sample kit which sounds much better. Or I can use pre-recorded drum MIDI (included in the software package). These are basically MIDI recordings of really good drummers, because I tempo mapped my guitar it will match the tempo of the track. Voila proper drums.

Then add another MIDI track and record some MIDI keyboard. The MIDI track outputs to a software Organ (in real time so I can hear what I sound like, mixbus has one included) and I can play around with this at will as the MIDI info is already captured. Sometimes I will use a hardware synth and capture the audio, or I can send the MIDI back out into a hardware synth if I can't find a softsynth that sounds right.

Once all the inputs are recorded you put your instruments down and start mixing, which is where the real fun starts.

57Deluxe

for me would be a Hammond B3, Mellotron and a Mini Moog...

barryd

Hi Folks.  I finally got a Midi Keyboard.  I Was going to buy a new one but grabbed a ridiculously cheap M Audio Key station 49 off ebay for twenty quid and it actually works.  So far I have plugged it in and managed to get it to work in Cakewalk with the few built in VST's that come with the default package.  Basically I seem to have strings and thats about it.  I did managed to download an old 60s organ but it was a demo VST with white noise on it.

So right now I am looking for some free VSTs to try that will install into Cakewalk if anyone can recommend some.  I downloaded a free Native instruments package of VSTs but have not yet got that to work and I also downloaded Pro Tools First but last night it wouldnt let me login to the software (Still to figure that one out).  So some progress made.  Just need to get the right sounds and then hopefully it will all start to click into place.

wave100

barryd said:

Hi Folks.  I finally got a Midi Keyboard.  I Was going to buy a new one but grabbed a ridiculously cheap M Audio Key station 49 off ebay for twenty quid and it actually works.  So far I have plugged it in and managed to get it to work in Cakewalk with the few built in VST's that come with the default package.  Basically I seem to have strings and thats about it.  I did managed to download an old 60s organ but it was a demo VST with white noise on it.

So right now I am looking for some free VSTs to try that will install into Cakewalk if anyone can recommend some.  I downloaded a free Native instruments package of VSTs but have not yet got that to work and I also downloaded Pro Tools First but last night it wouldnt let me login to the software (Still to figure that one out).  So some progress made.  Just need to get the right sounds and then hopefully it will all start to click into place.

I am not a Cakewaik user so don't know for certain, but I imagine you need to add the file path to the folder where the NI plugins are installed to get them to show up in the DAW. For example, on my Win 10 machine, I have set up a specific folder (C:/Program Files/ 64bit VST Plugins) where all my 64 bit plugins are installed. I had to manually add this folder to the Preferences of my DAWs so they can find the plugins when they start. I also have to be careful when installing plugs that they go into this folder rather than the default path as each manufacturer seems to choose a different default folder. It seems likely that the default directory for the NI plugs is something like C:/Program Files/Native Instruments/ VST Plugins, or perhaps C:/Program Files/Steinberg/VST Plugins.
It sounds complicated to set up but should only take a few minutes and only needs to be done once as long as you remember to install your plugins to the directory Cakewalk is expecting.
If you can get the NI plugs working, they should give you a good selection of basic sounds, but if you need other things I am sure Googling "free vst plugins" will get you loads of results.

Good luck!
;-)
 

barryd

Thanks.  I dont seem to get notifications from the forum (will check settings) so I dont always know if someone has replied.  I managed to get Pro Tools first working. Bit of a carry on but it has a massive selection of VST instruments all of which I got working with my midi keyboard. Even managed to record a few tracks which of course sound a bit naff.  Ive just figured out how to record voice and guitar as well but its a massive learning curve. Maybe I dont need Cakewalk I dunno.  will check out your ideas of file paths etc.  I only seem to be able to fiddle about with this stuff for about an hour or so then my heads done in.

Still need to find an idiots set of online video tutorials I think and work through them.  I tried installing pro tools on my laptop as well as my PC but I had massive issues with latency so gave up for now on that. Works ok on the PC.

barryd

Here you go the result of all your hard work advising a numpty on the black art of DAWS, Midi Keyboards and VSTs.  Recorded in Pro Tools first just now.  Clearly I cant play the Piano at all and I am now lost in a world of instruments with funny names that mean nothing to me and too much choice.  Something for you to have a laugh at if nothing else.  Thanks again for getting me to this stage.  https://picosong.com/w6BDd/

paulmapp8306

Dexed - for DX7 sounds.  

http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?id=2026

or any others on here:

https://blog.landr.com/the-7-best-free-synth-vst-plugins/

tunefish and helix are decent enough.