Can Someone Learn Me Home Audio Recording, Please?

Hey all. My girlfriend bought this keyboard - Studiologic / Fatal VMK-188 Plus, used. The manual I downloaded for it does not tell you anything about hooking it up or how to get sound out of it. All she want to do with it is hear what she is playing while she practices - that's it. She's not looking to make a hit record. I know that it will not produce sound on its own - it pretty much just produces a bit stream. We were going to try to run it through her laptop. Is there someone out there that can tell me what I need to get, that when she hits a key on the keyboard sound comes out of the speakers on her computer? Cables, software, hardware - whatever it takes to get the job done.

Thanks!

-Keith

Does her keyboard have a headphone jack? Does her computer have a microphone input? If so, just run a cable from the keyboard headphone jack to the computer's microphone input. (You may want to use a Y in the headphone jack so that you can also hook in a speaker.) Put Audacity on the computer.

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

"Audacity" is to "Pro Tools" as "GIMP" is to "Photoshop"; i.e. Audacity is a free, open source sound recording and editing software that will do much (or all) of what most people want.

I've dabbled with it, but my needs are different than those of a musician. My guess, based on what you are saying, that her computer, audacity, and a microphone (if she doesn't already have one) are all she needs to do what she wants.

My guess, based on what you are saying, that her computer, audacity, and a microphone (if she doesn't already have one) are all she needs to do what she wants.

Yep that is all that she needs. However, her keyboard does not have a microphone jack. MIDI and USB are the only available connections.

This is the keyboard she has: http://www.studiologic.net/VMK-188plus.html

And I also already downloaded Audacity. (makes me feel good that I did one thing right )

There are USB Microphones and Audacity is supposed to work with USB devices. I'd just slap a cable between the two and see if Audacity can detect the keyboard as a USB input device.

http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Troubleshooting_Recordings (same link as above)

Whoa...I was dead wrong. Audacity alone won't do anything for you in this situation. Here's a solution (for a MIDI drum kit) that uses a MIDI-to-Audio software named Proteus VX, then records that sound with audacity:

http://forum.audacityteam.org/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=2574

Some Audacity User said: My solution for recording unlimited tracks from a midi keyboard (or anything) to Audacity: First I'll tell you about what I was working with (since you probably don't have the same equipment), then how I did it (and also some traps to aviod). - Computer: Dell Inspiron 9100 laptop, 2.8 ghz, 2 gigs ram, Windows XP (sp2). - Sound card #1: Sigma Tel Audio (This is the native - sound card and associated software inncluded with the computer.) - Sound card #2. E-MU 0404/USB (This is a small box w/ sound card and software. It has 2 mic ports, midi in/out, USB 2.0, etc. I got it to connect a studio mic [Rode NT-1A] to my computer for recording guitar and vocal.) - Midi controller: M-Audio Axiom 49 It has USB 1.1 and midi in/out. (This is a piano keyboard type midi controller.) - Midi controller software: Proteus X (This is a synth with sounds (sampler). It receives the signal from the midi keyboard and translate them into usable audio [analogue?] sounds. i.e. drums, bass guitar, pipe organ, etc, etc.) Traps to avoid: 1: My laptop has four USB 2.0 ports and one Firewire port. Those got used up long ago, so now I have to play "swap the connector". Ring a bell? I wanted to use the midi-out on my midi keyboard to connect to the midi-in on my external sound card (E-MU), thus avoiding connector swaping at my USB ports. I never could get this to work and after many hours, I gave up. This still might be possible. I couldn't do it. 2. This is the big one and it can make you crazy. Some sound hardware/software devices will grab on and they won't let go. If you try to reconfigure with Window's "Sounds and Audio Devices", or any of the "Options" (Preferences)" munus in your software, your computer will tell you that it is doing it, but it won't happen. I have a turntable that I use to record my old LPs to my hard drive. Once it's pluged into a USB port, it grabs the sound card and the only way to get it to let go is to unplug (USB) it and reboot the computer. Turns out my external sound card (E-MU) was doing a similar thing. When I made changes, the computer accepted the changes as "a done deal". THEY WERE NOT. Therefore, anything I tried after the sound card (E-MU) found Audacity's "sound in" was a useless exercise. Hours wasted. Days? Solution: I start with everything turned off. The midi keyboard is connected to a USB port, and the external sound card (E-MU) is connect to a USB port also. (both are 'plug and play' and I'm not even using the drivers for the midi keyboard.) My studio monitors (external powered speakers) are connected to the external sound card (E-MU). I have my headphones pluged into the headphone jack on my laptop. 1. Turn on the midi keyboard. 2. Boot the computer (turn it on). 3. Open Window's "Sounds and Audio Devices" and make sure everything is set for the computer's native sound card/software. In my case the "Audio" tab shows Sigma Tel Audio for input and output, and at the bottom, I think Midi music playback shows USB audio device. The "Voice" tab shows Sigma Tel Audio for both input and output. 4. Open your midi sound software. In my case this is Proteus X. I check the options (prefs) menu and make sure it's showing the basic native settings also. (It lists Sound Out as "Direct Sound" and sound in (input) as "USB Audio Device". 5. Open Audacity (I'm using the Beta version). Under the Options (prefs) Menu I make sure "sound in" (recording) and "sound out" both show the computer's native software. (Sigma Tel Audio in my case) Check the box to "play previously recorded tracks" while recording. Don't check the box for playing thur the currently recording music. 6. Turn on the external audio device/sound card. (In my case this is E-MU.) 7. Go to Window's "Sound and Audio Devices" and on the "Audio" tab, change Sound Out (Playback) to the external sound card. (In my case this is E-MU.) This last step routes the "previously recorded tracks" thru the external sound card to the external speakers. The input (live music being created by the midi keyboard and associated software) is still going thru the computer's internal sound card. I then monitor the input (live music I'm playing and recording from the midi keyboard) with headphones connected to my laptop's headphone jack. By cranking up my external speakers a bit I can also hear the previously recorded tracks even with the headphones on. I can't detect any delay in the speaker sound vs the headphone sound. (There is a recording delay for the new music but you can set Audacity to auto-correct that.) None of the "previously recorded tracks" are re-recorded to the new track because they are directed thur the external sound card to the external speakers. You get a clean new track. That's how I did it. It works great. Watch out for trap #2 .

This post talks about software named Ardor and Hydrogen.

Thanks for the response.

I'll have to digest this and see how it works b/c I think this cat is using some extra gear she doesn't have (i.e. external sound card and MIDI controller)

plug in a usb cable and see what happens- the computer might see the keyboard and be able to find drivers for it.. of course, there is always the option of looking on the website of the company that made it for a downloadable driver..

google found me this...

http://www.studiologic.net/VMK-188plus.html

The key here is that - no matter what route you take - the MIDI sidnal must be converted to a sound before you record it. I'm going to forward this thread to a buddy who plays keyboards and see if he can offer some better advice.

The formatting may get a little screwed up, but here's a cut and paste from my friend's email:

My friend who plays keyboards said: This is what I like to call making a small mountain range out of the collision of two continents being pushed by moles [...] What should they do…take the controller back and get a decent electric piano with speakers already built in. With that being said, she’s going to need a few things. I’m going to throw out there that I haven’t really updated my rig in the past ten years, so I don’t know what’s the latest and greatest, I’m going with the basics. - 1) Midi cables, two of them - 2) Midi Interface, this is a little box that will have two midi inputs and most likely a usb output. The function of this item is to translate midi information to computer speak. - 3) USB cable…I’m not explaining this one - 4) Software (and no, Audacity won’t work). This will probably be the hardest part, but what you need to find is something called a sound module. This is basically a program with a library of keyboard sounds that you can switch between. Once you have all of these, you’ll have to configure the sound module to collect the midi signals from the USB interface and translate them to sound coming from the computer’s speakers. As I’ve been out of the loop for some time, I have no idea what to recommend for a sound module. There is an alternative set up that may or may not be easier depending on what you want to do… - 1) Midi cables, two of them - 2) Physical sound module, this is basically the guts of a keyboard with out the actual keys, usually takes up a rack space and has audio outs - 3) Audio cables, (again with the lack of explanation) I would imagine you’d be able to find a used module somewhere, but really, I think she got the wrong type of instrument for what she’s trying to do. Even a regular keyboard with audio outs would simplify her life considerably.

Thanks for the help.

...and I do think she has the wrong instrument (esp since she has an electric baby grand at her g-ma's)

....

...um. this keyboard is just a controller.

it can't make noises. You have to plug it into an external sound module, or a computer acting as one. Then that thing is what actually makes noises.

..... its a very nice controller...

I know that this is just a controller.

....but I can't figure out how to make it work. I can't figure out if the computer and it are actually talking and if if is, for the life of me I can't figure out how get started with Acid 8 to actually make music.

I emailed somebody else I know - a guy with a roland v-drum kit - to see if he can offer advice. I'll let you know if/when he replies.

All is working now.

There was a selection in the software, for a MIDI source, that I missed. She is now making piano-type noises with is.

Thanks for all of your help!