• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

MIDI Controller Q

Freaky Fender

Freaky Fender

May 27, 2001
4,749
7
Saunderstown, RI
#1
Ok. I am looking to get a small MIDI controller to put down keyboard parts with, and misc. parts that I thinks would be better (strings for example, I can't recreate with guitar tunings, ebows, or effects, well, I could, but they wouldn't sound close to the tone I want, or maybe they would...)


Anyway, would I be able to just buy a MIDI controller and run it straight to N-track? Or would I need to install software? Should I just get a yamaha keyboard?
 
#2
Freaky, I'll admit to ignorance about N-Track but being the owner of several different synths spanning 20 years of technology, I'll chime in on this question - the real issue is the quality of sound you want to achieve, tempered by your budget. Assuming you have a PC with a MIDI input and a recent version of Windows (say 2000 or XP) you can spend very little money on a "dumb" controller (one with no sound of it's own) and use it to play the general midi synth that is built in to Windows - Roland provided the samples to Microsoft, and it's pretty good for some uses. Price goes up from there - I run Gigasampler and the Miroslav Vitous Mini Orchestra sample set - total cost (I paid too much) was about $800. However, in my band we have a rule - No COMPUTERS in Live Performance - therefore I also own a Yamaha S-80, which ran me about $1200. The S-90 is it's current replacement. Since I hve a full 88 keys now I don't need my Fatar Studio 490 keyboard (49 keys, velocity sensitive, twin midi out, very portable) and I'm selling it for $50. I'll throw in a simple sustain pedal that my dog chewed the cord on 0 it stil works but the cord whould be replaced
 
#4
I have a MdiMan Keystation USB that I use with my laptop - it's great - the Oxygen is newer and has cool features. go for it. Re: Win98 - no GM softsynth included but you're not out in the cold if you have a soundcard that support DLS (Down Loadable Samples) In Win 98 I use a Montego 2 fitted with the Cancun daughterboard (What do you know - it's that Roland sample set in a ROM chip!) Turtle beach now sells the Santa Cruz I used it in 98 (a friend's PC) and I think it's got terrific bang-for-the-buck. $60 full retail from Link Removed
 
#5
Freaky Fender said:
That's ok, but I was thinking of an M-Audio Oxygen 8, which is a dumb controller, but allows to be used as a MIDI controller with the USB port. Do you have any ideas on that? Also, I'm running Win 98.
Click to expand...
It works great for me. It should work with 98, check the site to be sure though. It's USB, so I doubt it's an issue. Did you have any specific questions about it?
 
#7
do you mean that you might use the keyboard to record ALL of the parts rather than keyboard for keys, bass for bass, drums for drums et al? I actually doubt that would happen - otherwise we'd all use keyboards! I am a keyboard player first and a bass player second (did I say that outloud?) and in the very first iteration of the band I currently play with, we were a trio - I did the Ray Manzarak thing and covered the bass lines with my left hand, However, I decided that it wasn't _right_ and we audtioned for a bass player. He's been with use ever since, and I've never regretted my decision. He also plays a little bit of keyboard, along with trombone. Our guitar player plays drums, bass, and keyboard. I have a trumpet that I used to have decent chops on (I still break it out once in a while). What I'm driving at is that I believe we ALL get better when we try new things. Get the keyboard, keep the bass, do your thing
 
#8
Yeah Zlart, I'm afraid of that. Nothing can replace the sound of guitar tuned E-B-A-F#-Ab-E hit with a drumstick. :D

I'll get the keyboard, and it will also give me a crash course in "When is enough too much?" Because I picture about 32 tracks, all of different midi IE Pan Flute, Sitar, Banjo and Harmonica.
 
#12
I had a big reply laid out then lost it when I got timed-out from the forum - MERDE - Freaky you need your CDROM to work, and you need that USB to MIDI driver. See if the CDROM is broken or not by doing this: get ftp://ftp1.dell.com/utility/CDENAB.EXE then run it - you'll need a floppy disk that can be erased, so you can make a boot disk. WRITE-PROTECT the disk afterwards, then reboot. If your CDROM is accessible after that, report back here and we'll continue to troubleshoot the problem. Deal?

BTW - please step away from the Pan Flute and put your hands where I can see them - that's better - now tell me Sir have you had anythig to drink this evening?
 
#15
Freaky I have to get out of the house for a while then return to my "work" on the computer - I used to have an AIM account but I'm not sure it still works - you may email to [email protected] - Sorry, I don't mean to leave you twisting in the wind here - did the boot disk work? If not then you might actually have a dead drive (or an unusual one that the boot disk doesn't support). If it did work, then the next thing you want to do is boot back on your hard drive and check your Windows performance settings. I think (trying to remember this) right-click My Computer, select Properties, then Performance. It should report "Optimal ..blah blah..32 bit" or words to that effect, but you might see "MS-DOS compatibility...blah blah..16bit" or smiliar. If that is true, then a) you could have a virus or b) somehow a "real mode" driver has been loaded instead of a "protected mode" driver, which adversely affects the 32 bit functions of Windows. If you do see that, then head over to http://support.microsoft.com and search on MS-DOS compatibilty Windows 98 or simlar (I believe you know how to search) and I'll be back online after about an hour. I was up til 5am CDT last night and tonight I have to get some sleep but I will help as much as I can and when it's all done you'll be playing with MIDI on your PC

addendum - if you run MEM in a command prompt window you should see that you have 655360 total bytes of conventional memory. (there are valid exceptions to this number). your system might be set up such that the proper value is 654336 (655360 -1024 = 654336) but if the number is off like 650222 then the odds are it's a virus. Remember that one kilobyte of memory = 1024 bytes (think base 16) 2KB = 2048 and on like that. So if the number is one or two or four KB less than 655360 that's probably OK, but if it's a strange value that is not a multiple of 1024 that is not OK

check ya on the flip side
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back