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Posted by beats and beeps on Feb-16-2007 23:18:

making hardware work...

so ive got an alesis ion synth, and a couple of drum machines. I find it more fun to use these than staring at cubase. Its a nice break.

Now i want to make them work properly with cubase.

I currently have an audiophile 2496, which just has an audio input and one set of midi in/out. So I basically hook the input up to the output of the machine i want to record, and then hook up the midi in/outs. So obviously I can only record one machine at a time.

How to I go about a more effective way of utilizing my hardware? I figure I should get a mixer, so i can have all the audio outputs from my gear going into it. But i still could only REALLY record audio from one instrument at a time in cubase, because cubase would just be getting the master from the mixer right? Theres no way to seperate tracks when my soundcard only has one input.

Also what about midi? How do i get midi from all my gear going into the computer, and midi going to all the gear? I guess i need one of those usb midi things that has like 4 ins 4 outs.

Could someone just give me an idea what they would view as the most effective way to utilize 1 synth, and 2 drum machines with cubase?

Posted by No Left Turn on Feb-16-2007 23:36:

With all that gear, I would seriously recommend upgrading your soundcard to one with multiple I/O's and getting a MIDI interface. This will cost you a bit of money (probably around $700) and you'll have a much easier use of your sound modules than if you used an analog mixer. Something like the MOTU Ultralite and M-Audio Midisport 4x4 would be perfect.

Posted by mysticalninja on Feb-16-2007 23:45:

just spend a day sampling the drum machines then ebay them, theyre useless.

Posted by beats and beeps on Feb-17-2007 00:37:

quote:
Originally posted by mysticalninja
just spend a day sampling the drum machines then ebay them, theyre useless.

no they arent
they offer a different interface that is more physical and sometimes that translates into more expressive or improvisational or something.

in other words, toys are fun to play with in my laundry bin.

also they can sound different, and i like to hear different sounds.

Posted by excite331 on Feb-17-2007 10:30:

You don't need a mixer, you can get multiple audio inputs from purchasing a soundcard suited to your situation. Something like this: http://www.emu.com/products/product...91&product=9870 would cover you...enough ins as well as 2 midi ins and outs. It has a software 'mixer' and you can record and audition all the ins at once, not one at a time. About $370-390 from the looks of things.

If you wanted 3 midi ins and outs you can actually get usb to midi converters so the 1820 and one of these would cover you. http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Uno-main.html

Of course, there are other solutions.