GarageBand and midi help

[Mugs]

Hey. I have recently bought a Roland dr 670 drum machine and also a m-audio UNO midi plug thingy. I was hoping to use the drum machine and record stuff off it, but I can't get it to do anything in GarageBand. Also I read somewhere that if you connect something by midi you can't use the software on the instrument and only the software instruments in GarageBand! If so, why is there stuff like the quantisizing feature on the drum machine when you record if you can't even using it in GarageBand?! If anyone could help it would be greatly appreciated. thanks.

 

[dXTC]

GarageBand is not a full-fledged digital audio workstation app. It only accepts MIDI In from keyboards and other controllers to control its internal softsynth; it cannot send MIDI out to a MIDI tone generator, such as your drum machine, and it will not sync to an external MIDI clock. It cannot save to a MIDI file either-- it will only save a file as its proprietary Garage Band project file or export the resulting final mixdown to a handful of formats, including AIFF and m4a.

Because of this, I use GB only as a quick sketchpad of sorts.

If you're wanting to integrate your drum machine fully into a computer-based music system, take a look at Logic Express or Cubase. Both will allow you to use the DR-670 to record notes and to generate the sound. (As for myself, I use Cakewalk SONAR in Bootcamp, as Cakewalk is a Windows-only program.)

By the way, you have good tastes in gear. Roland drum machines FTW!

 

[Mugs]

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Oooooh! Hehe thanks a lot. So if I get logic express, I will be able to use my drum machines sounds and also sounds from a keyboard?! Thanks sp much! and thank you for the compliment.

 

[dXTC]

Yes, Logic Express can control both a keyboard and the drum machine simultaneously in concert with any internal software synths, provided you have enough connectors. Your MIDISport Uno only has one MIDI Out, so in order to get both the keyboard and the drum machine to sound (and assuming that your keyboard is not otherwise connected to the computer), one of them may need to have a MIDI Thru port, in order to "daisy chain" the MIDI signals. You can search Google for some example MIDI Thru setups.

Don't forget to patch your audio cables into the computer (preferably through a small mixer), either. Remember, MIDI transfers note and controller information, not actual audio.

I'm somewhat of a Roland fan myself. My main synth controller is an XP-10. I also have a JV-880 synth module with the Vintage Synth sound expansion card that I use occasionally for atmospheric pads. My recording headphones are RH-50s, and my monitors are MA-8s. Although I don't have a true drum machine, the majority of drum samples I use are variations of classic Roland drum sounds (TR-909, some 808). The only non-Roland bits of gear I use are a M-Audio O2 MIDI controller and a Yamaha AN200 desktop synth.

 

[jackerin]

You can also look towards midiO for MIDI output from Garageband.