My Edrums, midi and Cubase

WaveLab
1

I’m sorry about the wordiness of this post but I don’t really know how else to explain what I have done already/learned.

Looks like some pretty knowledgeable folks here so maybe I can get some questions answered. I am a total newbie. I am not coming here without trying to get past this myself. I have spent what I consider to be a reasonable amount of time just trying to get Cubase to soundback a .mid format 0 MIDI file. I’ve learned a lot in the process so I don’t consider it wasted time but I want/need to move forward and I’m not getting past this sticking point.

I have a DTX900 trigger module. Its the brain for a series of Yamaha electronic drum kits. Cubase AI4 came with the set so that is what I am using. I used Cubase to record some drumming and was able to play it back, albeit, the voices (drum sounds) were entirely different, but because it recorded and played back shouldn’t that mean the set- up between the two is correct? This is not my major concern, however. I mention it just to let you know I have had some success.

I play along with MIDI files using my trigger module so obviously it has no problem generating sounds for these files. The .mid files I get over the Internet. The module will only handle format 0 files. I want to learn how to manipulate/alter some of them beyond what the DTX900 can do for me. I was thinking I could use Cubase to do this. I can import or load a .mid and all the data appears but I can’t get any sound from it. Windows Media Player(WMP) has no problem playing back these files. I thought as long as Cubase is pointing to this “Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth(MSWS)” that it would use it to generate the correct sounds. Isn’t that what the media player is using or am I mistaken? Why does the DTX900 and WMP play the voices the same way but Cubase does not, let alone just simply playing back the file period.

I am using a USB cable to connect the two. Yes, I do have a USB midi driver installed. The MIDI port setup shows MSWS as one of the I/O outs and active. There is also a Yamaha DTX900-1, 2 and 3 listed(shouldn’t this mean the DTX900 and the PC are communicating correctly?) as I/O outs whose states are inactive and I am confused about why that is. Heck, I don’t even know what they are. Are they different channels or what? Why are three of them listed? ASIO DirectX Full Duplex Driver set-up shows SoundMax Digital Audio 1and 2 as the I/O outs and are active(also doesn’t this mean I am using the correct soundcard drivers?) The MIDI device manager shows the output pull down menu with MSWS checked. Below it lists the Yamaha DTX900-1, 2 and 3 but are unchecked.

Beyond all that I don’t what else to do to soundback these files WHILE using the intended drum voices in Cubase.

I get what a controller is but I couldn’t tell you what the difference between a sequencer and a synthesizer is. Could my DTX900 be all three of those? What is WMP when it comes to midi? A synthesizer plays the sounds(whether its a piece of hardware or software) and a sequencer puts the “sound messages” together and that is always software? Does that sound right?

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Lots of things in your post.

I’m sorry about the wordiness of this post

no problem :slight_smile:

I used Cubase to record some drumming and was able to play it back, albeit, the voices (drum sounds) were entirely different, but because it recorded and played back shouldn’t that mean the set- up between the two is correct?

Were you recording midi or audio?

I thought as long as Cubase is pointing to this “Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth(MSWS)” that it would use it to generate the correct sounds. Isn’t that what the media player is using or am I mistaken?

Sounds about right. Importing a midifile like that usually creates a bunch of instrument tracks with Halion for all the instruments. At least that’s what it does for me (Cubase 5 essential). Could you provide an example midifile so we are looking at the same thing?

ASIO DirectX Full Duplex Driver set-up shows SoundMax Digital Audio 1and 2 as the I/O outs and are active(also doesn’t this mean I am using the correct soundcard drivers?)

Don’t know what soundmax cards are like, but directx or generic drivers are usually bad. If you have a good soundcard it probably came with ASIO drivers which you should use. If not, try downloading the ASIO4All drivers, they’re free and usually much better than directx or generic drivers. The digital out you mention is probably not what you’re using anyway, it would be cool if you could provide a bit more detail about your setup. Windows/mac version, soundcard etc.

I get what a controller is but I couldn’t tell you what the difference between a sequencer and a synthesizer is. Could my DTX900 be all three of those? What is WMP when it comes to midi? A synthesizer plays the sounds(whether its a piece of hardware or software) and a sequencer puts the “sound messages” together and that is always software? Does that sound right?

I don’t think the DTX900 is a sequencer, but there are hardware sequencers. Many advanced keyboards have sequencers for example. You will want to use Cubase as a sequencer though, not the DTX900 (if it even has that functionality).

Your terminology is a bit wobbly here and there so I’m not entirely sure what it is you’re trying to do. You have a midifile which consists of instrument and drum parts, and you want to playback the drumparts using the dtx900 sounds right?

I play along with MIDI files using my trigger module so obviously it has no problem generating sounds for these files.

You’re playing the midi files back in cubase? WMP? something else?
The fact that there’s sound from the dtx900 when you’re playing it is to be expected, that’s kinda the idea of a drumkit :wink:

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Don’t use MS Wavetable, it’s just a MIDI device for Windows. Not to be used in Cubase. There are plenty of free general MIDI VSTi’s at kvr audio to use to playback MIDI files.

Don’t use The Direct X ASIO Driver, it’s just a generic Cubase driver that’s been obsolete for a long time. Use the specific ASIO driver for your soundcard.

In order to use the sounds of the drum module, you need to connect audio cables from the device to your soundcard and set up an audio track in Cubase to monitor that audio. You also need MIDI cables to and from your interface to have the module sound during playback of any MIDI parts.