HELP PLEASE! I recently got a Genos and I am using Cakewalk. I recorded midi tracks on Genos, saved to a thumb drive and then imported the files to Cakewalk. The files sound great as midi but when I record them to audio the audio tracks are noisy and they did not record the full midi voice and all of it's elements. I'm hoping it's just a settings issue on the Genos that I have to change?
Hi cranders,
depending of the settings on your DAW (Cakewalk), after importing a MIDI file from a USB stick (thumb drive) you will have only one Track (that contains all MIDI data of all Channels), or the MIDI data are automatically split into individual tracks (depending on the MIDI channel).
If the latter doesn't happen automatically, you'll have to do it manually. Note: The SysEx messages are very important here. If you have all SysEx messages in a separate track (which is recommended), you must NOT mute this track, because it contains not only the GM and XG Reset (at the beginning of the first bar), but also many other important SysEx data (e.g. for effects / DSPs). Please also note that Effects SysEx are often channel-related. I.e. if you change the MIDI channel of a voice in the DAW, the corresponding effect may no longer work.
If the SysEx are NOT in a separate track in the DAW, they may be displayed in one of the tracks for MIDI channels 1 - 16 (although SysEx is NOT channel-related MIDI data). In this case, this track (which contains both normal channel events and the SysEx) must NOT be muted (so that the SysEx is sent to the Genos sound generation as intended). And of course the DAW must generally be set up so that SysEx is
output via MIDI.
I am using a Focusrite Scarlett 2 soundcard. Also I have midi cables connected to Focusrite and Genos as well as a midi usb cable connected - I might just need the usb? I also have two instrument cables hooked into 1 and 2 on focusrite running to MAIN right and Main L/R on back of Genos.
You can use either the USB-MIDI connection OR a MIDI connection via standard DIN MIDI cables. Usually you should NOT have
both connected at the same time. But in principle nothing can "happen" even then, because in the DAW you usually select either your MIDI interface OR the USB-MIDI driver to output the MIDI tracks to the Genos. To use USB-MIDI it is strongly recommended to have installed the Yamaha USB-MIDI Driver. For a current Windows system you normally need the
64-bit version of the USB-MIDI driver (current version
3.1.4).
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https://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/musical_instruments/keyboards/arranger_workstations/genos/downloads.html#product-tabsFirst of all, make sure that the Preset MIDI template "
All Parts" is selected on the Genos. Then you can control the
SONG Parts of the Genos via MIDI
Port 1 from the DAW.
If you use the
USB-MIDI connection, set the Port "
Digital Workstation 1" as MIDI Output Port for each MIDI Track on the DAW.
If you use DIN-MIDI cables, connect the DIN-MIDI
A IN socket to the DIN MIDI OUT of your MIDI Interface (Focusrite). The
second DIN-MIDI cable (from MIDI
A OUT to the MIDI IN of the MIDI Interface) only needs to be connected if you want to use the Genos keyboard to import MIDI data into the DAW.
Note: Do not select the USB-MIDI Port "Digital Workstation 2" as MIDI Output Port on the DAW, and do not use the DIN MIDI
B IN socket in this case. Via this MIDI
Port 2 the
Keyboard Parts and the Style Parts of the Genos can be controlled. But if you route the Channels of a MIDI file to MIDI
Port 2, you will not get the right sounds in many cases.
Note also: Via USB-MIDI you can NOT transmit on MIDI Port 2 from the Genos. This means: IF you want (some day) to transmit the MIDI data of a MIDI file which is played back in the
internal MIDI Player of the Genos, you can either use the DIN MIDI
B OUT socket OR you have to create a user defined MIDI template in which you re-route the Output of the internal SONG Channels to MIDI Port 1.
I heard that it's really hard to get the full midi voice exported to a daw because of Yamaha exclusivity - I hope not for as much money as the Genos cost! I want to be able to record tracks on Genos, import them to my daw and record them as audio without losing any quality. Is that possible?? Thanks for your help!!
If you have followed all these instructions regarding the MIDI control of the Genos from the DAW, a MIDI file played on the DAW (played via MIDI / USB-MIDI via the Genos sound generation) MUST sound EXACTLY as if you were doing it directly on the Genos play.
This means that if everything works so far, your problem (poor audio recording quality) can only be due to the recording settings of your audio interface or your DAW.
Oh, before I forget: Please turn up the Master Volume on the Genos relatively high! I recommend the "three o'clock" position, i.e. turned up to three quarters. You are also welcome to try it with the master volume fully turned up. The
less you turn up the Master Volume of the Genos, the more you have to turn up the GAIN on your Audio Interface (and thus have more Noise in the recorded signal). And always be sure to set the Input GAIN on your Interface correctly (as high as possible, but without Clipping indicator lit).
Of course, it is also important to set the Sampling Rate and the Sampling Resolution on the DAW appropriately. For normal applications, 44.1 kHz at 24-bit should be sufficient.
Hope this helps!
Best regards,
Chris