Hey Everyone, I got a question for those with hardware. I never used hardware before and I'm curious as to how hardware is connected and how you record and playback in a sequencer. Does it work like vsti, where u make melodies in the piano roll and play back in realtime? I notice on the back of a virus c there are 6 outputs and midi in/out. Does each output record 1 track of audio? So if i had a soundcard with 6 inputs i could record 6 seperate tracks of virus c?
If anyone can explain all this that would be great, I hate not knowing these things even though i dont have hardware yet, i plan to very soon so i just wanna know what everything does. thanks

Cheers

I'll 2nd this. Have always wondered it myself aswell. Will want Hardware in the future.

This is what I know, The midi sequenced in your computer is sent to the Hardware Sound module and into your mixer, all in real time.
If you want to put it back into your card an onto an audio channel again, your gonna get some latency, so you tend to record it, not in real time.
But some sequencers have a 'Delay time' setup for hardware where it can match up its time by sending the signal a bit earlier than the rest so by the time it comes back its in sync with the track.
If you have a good mixer with effects though you would use that.

As for more than one channel, some of these synths are multi-tibre and you can send 16 different sounds/channels at a time. Not sure if you can effect them differently however because it may only have 1 stereo output, Im guessing thats more complex

http://trance.nu/v3/forum_viewtopic...9174&forum=15&6

great post with all the answers

Hey.. This is how i do it..

I make a melody first, as a midi... than I just mute other tracks, for example some drums that are an audio track in cubase already. than I select a new stereo channel and let cubase play the midi i created and the sound from my synth is recorded on to the new audio track in cubase.. The more inputs you have the more tracks you can record seperately. But i never record more than one at a time. The only good thing about card with multiple inns for me is that I can skip heaving a mixing desk, cause for example i can connect my cs6x synth and the virus at the same time.. or whatever synth I wont.. It's dieferent when you have say a rock band, cause than you usually record the band together and require recording of fiew audio tracks together.. bass, lead guitar, drums, keyboard, and vocal for example.. and i save my midi tracks in a seperate folder in cubase just in case if i wont to change something later.. after i recorded the synth to audio..

It works the same as a VSTi except that you need to hook the thing up to your computer (and mixer if you have one).

The midi cables send the notes to and from the computer and virus while the 1/4" leads carry the audio from the virus to the computer to be recorded.

There should be 8 jacks on the back of the virus, 3 stereo out and 1 stereo in, as well as 3 midi cables.

You can run a different patches out of different out channels for mixing, so yes, you can record them seperately, if you have a sound card that will allow you to hook them all up together.

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My understanding is that you have to record your hard synth to the disk in order to use it in the final mix.. this is why I use VSTi primarily now instead of my Alesis since you can put in FX "on the fly" and just render the synth instead of recording..

If anyone else knows a better way then recording, please share it

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quote:

My understanding is that you have to record your hard synth to the disk in order to use it in the final mix.. this is why I use VSTi primarily now instead of my Alesis since you can put in FX "on the fly" and just render the synth instead of recording..

Yeah sure you can use fx and eq's in real time on your hardware.
I use cubase so i can only really tell you what to do in there but i am sure it works this way with all of em.

Go to devices, then device setup, then VST Multitrack. Now uncheck the box that says "Direct Monitoring"

Now any fx or eqing on the chanel your synth playes through will happen in real time. I sold my fx rack becouse of how much better the software stuff works too. Your synth will thank you for it.

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Can you tell me HOW this works?
and can you do it when using more than ONE HDWARE synth?

Just hook you audio outs from your synth to your audio inputs on your P.C.
If you have more than one synth like I do. You will need a sound card with multiple inputs. I have a m-audio delta 1010. Check m-audio's site for some others. I also have four synths running into it. I record all of them in realtime with fx all at the same time. I can do that becouse of the 10 different inputs on the delta 1010.
You can do it now if you just have one synth. just get you audio to run through cubase like i said above and you should be set.

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yeah I know that, but by the time it sends recives and goes back into the computer there with be a small bit of latency, I use a proteus synth in college that goes back into the computer at my college, and its always a little 'OUT' with everything.

Hmm that sucks. But thats all soundcard latency issues. The delta 1010 works fine for me. I had a soundblaster when i first started out. Really bad latency there bro! Ya gotta invest in some good equipment.

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