Help with midi controller and sound module

[birdie_in_texas]

hey there...in doing research to help a local kid get a "real" setup, i have become very interested in synths and stuff....but i need some info...i do not even know what lingo to use in a search to find what i need...

i am looking to get a sc-55 used ofrm a local and use my crappy casio (ctk-631) as a controller for the sc-55...

but i am a midi moron...i am just clueless..the keyboard manual is not very helpful..but i understand there are 16 midi channels..i just need to make the sc-55 and the keyboard tolk on the same channel..i am sure i can do that...

but then what..is it just press-n-go? and i have a nice computer at home with a soundblaster Live card and i now have a midi adapter for the keyboard, but last night, i couldnot get anything to happen..i am sure i just need proper software..right?

if you guys/gals could post me some links to a "For Dummies" kind of site, it would be very much appreciated...

my goal is to be able to use the stuff i got and be able to add keyboards with decent tones to my guitar recordings...


thank you!

birdie :)

[Stimpus]

hmmm. Well i don't know wether it helps but this is what i think you need to do:
1) Do the obvious and check wether noth are MIDI capable (i doubt they won't be)
2) get a midi cable to connect them and attach the cable in the OUT of your keyboard and IN of the sound module.
3) Now send a jack from the sound module's Audio Output to an external amplifier (if you have one)

This should allow you to fiddle about with your sound module.

To record on your computer you will need to buy another piece of equipment:

4) Go to your local music store that seels electical equipment for them too (maybe you can find them in a hardware store, i'm not sure), but yo need a normal 1/4 inch jack to 1/8 inch mini jack converter. If you ask for a jack to mini jack converter, they should hopefully know what you mean.
5) With this you can convert your audio output from the module into the right connection to fit into the line in (or microphone port, whatever) on the back of your computer.
6) now you need recording software, or if you want to fiddle with midi, midi software. Audacity is a good free program just to record some simple things, but it lack loads of features. A good midi one is cubase, which i think you can download a free trial of.
Either way you need to configure the programs to accept the audio from the line in, then have fun recording!!

nI hope at least some of it helped, i'm not really sure what you wanted but there it is in a nutshell. Any problems just ask!

[birdie_in_texas]

thank you very much...

i posted on a couple other sites and got some responses that have helped me kind of focus on what i shold do...

i think i will get the sc-55 since it is cheap, use my dell witht he SBLive card in it and then go and buy Cakewalk Home Studio 2...

this seems like the cheapest route i can take to get quality sounds using my crappy casio and also get a so-called "good" recording setup on my computer...

there have been several really good responses and i thank everyone that has replied..on this forum and others...

i am hoping that the learning curve will not be so steep that i cannot move ahead with what i want to accomplish...
if anyone can think of simple cheap modules/soft synths/p[rograms, etc....that have helped you or would help me, then please post here or send me pm's or email..

thanks again for the help!

birdie

[ktriton]

If you're a student, you can buy things at a discount off of

http://academicsuperstore.com/

Also, if you get into VSTs and such, Kompakt is a great program that lets you import almost any format and it's pretty cheap. Pretty damn decent patches, too. You can find more about that at http://www.native-instruments.com.

[Stimpus]

well if you want advice on what to buy then fire away. there must be loads of different modules belonging to us all on here lol

[birdie_in_texas]

i would love to hear what you guys have! i am still leaning towards somethnig older and affordable, like sc-55 or something but i have such limited knowledge on what is available and "good"...that i am not sure what to get really..

let me know what rocks and whats flops..

thanks!

birdie