Basic question from a newb.. please help

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-- Basic question from a newb.. please help

Posted by Liamh on Nov-10-2005 12:22:

Basic question from a newb.. please help

Hi all.. I've recently obtained a copy of cubase with Battery and Z3ta to get myself started in production. I'm an absolute newby to production but a mate has shown me the basics of how to get started with cubase.

The problem i have is that even if there is no midi track in the sequencer and with no vsti running if i press play there is what i can only describe as a beep at every line on the grid (where the beats would be if i'd put them in yet). Even when i've prorgammed the beats and started a vsti off the beep is still there.

Too be honest i've not managed to get the vsti's producing any sound yet so i have a few other probs but can anyone help with the annoying beeping?

Any help appreciated, thanks

Posted by Project 7 on Nov-10-2005 12:26:

press F2 a few times, see that thing flashing?, well on that there should be a blue button saying CLICK on it, click on that and it should go away

Posted by Liamh on Nov-10-2005 12:30:

Nice one! i'm at work at the min but will do that as soon as i get home.

Posted by dj jasonF on Nov-10-2005 12:35:

it could be the metronome.

Posted by Liamh on Nov-10-2005 12:40:

I'm leaving myself open for a verbal bruising here but.. what's a metronome?

Posted by Icone on Nov-10-2005 12:49:

Wikipedia.org for all your needs:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metronome

Posted by Liamh on Nov-10-2005 12:58:

Thanks!

Are you Icone.. as in the guy who made 'Sintra'?

If you are.. tis a tune!

Posted by Liamh on Nov-10-2005 12:58:

'posted twice' - deleted

Posted by groundzero74 on Nov-10-2005 14:15:

Don't know about the MAC version , but on the PC version - when you are playing back the project, and hear the clicks, press the 'C' key, and it will stop, you can also disable the metronome button on your transport bar (the one with play/stop/REC etc...)

Posted by Icone on Nov-10-2005 14:34:

quote:
Originally posted by Liamh
Thanks!

Are you Icone.. as in the guy who made 'Sintra'?

If you are.. tis a tune!

Hehe, yes I am - call me Wim though

Thanks!

Posted by Liamh on Nov-11-2005 09:58:

Right.. I got rid of the Metronome.. Thanks Wim cuz i now actually know what one of them is Now my problem is with Z3ta - I've been told that i don't need a drum map for z3ta because it is a synth (i really am new to this). so i have a midi track in the sequencer and i have Z3ta assigned as the input for that track but when i press play z3ta creates no sound Now then i think i know that z3ta is working cuz at the very bottom of the z3ta window it has a strip of grey where when you run the cursor over it it turns to a cross hair and when i click it it makes different sounds depending on the preset selected.

So i thought what the hell, i'm not getting anywhere so i put my beat markers in on the drum editor to see if that makes a difference. It did make a difference but not what i wanted.. now at every beat its as if someone is pressing the same key on a piano so i'm stuck and don't know what to do.

If anyone can help me with this it would be much appreciated! I really want to start producing but i'm finding it hard enough just getting the software to work!

Posted by Project 7 on Nov-11-2005 10:46:

You do your output as Z3TA, not input...

Posted by Liamh on Nov-11-2005 10:52:

sorry, my bad.. i've got the output to z3ta not the input.. i know i have the correct input/output selected as its set up the same as my mate's... aarrrgh all i want to do is make some music.. sorry to keep asking what are probably stupid questions but i'm yet to find anywhere that's such a good source of help and information as trance addict

Posted by dj jasonF on Nov-11-2005 12:24:

you re going to have lots of problems like this if your starting with cubase.. if your m8 isnt able to help -meaning come over and show you how the ****** works you every now and then), its gonna be pretty tough and its gonna take lots of time... since you already have a vsti id recommend fl studio 5. its goona be alot easier and faster to learn the program and be able to actually finish tracks. plus fl is alot more fun than cubase IMHO...

good luck

Posted by Project 7 on Nov-11-2005 12:41:

well if you have all that setup, to test it, go to

File/Import/Import Midi/

then select the output as Z3ta on the channel

Posted by Low Profile on Nov-11-2005 12:49:

I only have one thing to say:

RTFM!
(and that means Read The Fucking Manual btw...)

...It should be in the box that came with Cubase when you bought it....

Posted by Liamh on Nov-11-2005 12:53:

JasonF - My mate tries his best to help but he's fairly new to it all aswell, he's just started a dj and production course, we both already dj and i want to produce too so he's helped me get started but lives 20 miles away so he can't just 'pop round' to sort things out. Too be honest we're both lost with the problems i'm having because he's got everything setup and working perfectly.

I'm using cubase just because i've seen it in action and i think once i get the ball rolling i'll be able to do good things with it. I've never seen or used fruity loops and although i've seen alot of peeps say good things about it i think i'm going to stick with what maybe the silly option, cubase.

Project 7 - I'm not sure what you mean.. If i import midi and select z3ta as the output will this run a test or just open a new midi track with z3ta as the synth? I already have the midi in place with z3ta attached to it but for the life of me i can't work out why when i press play z3ta does nothing it all looks so simple when i've seen it in action on another machine..

Do you guys think it could be down to the computer i'm using? its nothing special, just a fairly basic toshiba laptop/notebook running xp.

This is probably quite tedious for you guys but once i get started i promise my questions will be more interesing

Posted by Liamh on Nov-11-2005 12:56:

quote:
Originally posted by Low Profile
I only have one thing to say:

RTFM!
(and that means Read The Fucking Manual btw...)

...It should be in the box that came with Cubase when you bought it....

I've tried reading the manual and the help docs.. i think you have to be a fully qualified pro sound engineer just to understand it!

Posted by dj jasonF on Nov-11-2005 13:23:

quote:
Originally posted by Liamh

its not silly. what ever works for you. i was just suggesting you another program with an easier learning curve.

Posted by Project 7 on Nov-11-2005 13:38:

sounds weird, you do get sound from mp3s etc?

Posted by Liamh on Nov-11-2005 14:41:

Yeah i get sounds from mp3's etc.. never had any probs.. cubase takes a while to start up but i kind of expected that anyways as cubase requires more ram that what my laptop has but its doin my head in. Z3ta must be working to some degree because like i said about the grey bar at the bottom of the z3ta window.. when you run the mouse over it the cursor turns to a cross hair and if you click you get different sounds depending on the preset loaded so i'm absolutely baffled as to why it won't produce synths when i hit play.