PG Music Home Forums PG Music Product Forums Band-in-a-Box for Windows Putting my own bass (or any other instrument) part in BIAB or Realband songs

I have a Korg M50 and bought a MIDI/USB adaptor. I read the related BIAB downloaded manual, watched some related videos, and checked the postings here, but other than connecting the adaptor cord between the DAW and computer, I don't have a clue how to add my own note-by-note parts from the Korg to the BIAB or Realband tracks. This is a whole lot harder than standard BIAB procedures. Could anyone tell me a step-by-step process that's easy to follow? Thanks so much. Zeke

Connecting the Adapter cord; which kind? Audio or MIDI?

If you want to hear the Korg you need to have an audio connection from the Korg to the computer.
If you want to record the note performance as MIDI you'll need a MIDI connection.

After that in RB you just highlight a new track, set it to be either an Audio or MIDI track and hit record.

We need to know more about how things are currently hooked up to give better instructions.

/Audio is not MIDI

The adapter chord has 2 MIDI connections on one side (midi in and out?) and a USB connection on the other side. I can hear the Korg O.K. with earphones. Is that O.K? If not, I'm hosed . . . I don't know of any sound input on my laptop.

Sounds like it is a MIDI connector.

Again; what is you desired goal?
Do you want to just hear you Korg using BiaB or actually record your Korg sounds?
These are two very different goals.

When you hear the Korg using headphones; where are the headphones plugged in to? The Korg, or the Computer?

You can hook up your Korg MIDI with a USB connection. For audio you can buy an USB to stereo audio input device for under $10: http://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-External-Adapter-Windows-AU-MMSA/dp/B00IRVQ0F8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1418264218&sr=8-3&keywords=usb+audio+input

This along with the appropriate cables will get you going assuming of course that you have enough USB inputs on your laptop. Otherwise you will also need a MIDI hub: http://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-4-Port-Power-Adapter-RHUB-210/dp/B00552PMN8/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1418264465&sr=1-3&keywords=usb+hub+with+power+supply
Be sure to get a power-supplied hub. The above one is only $15.

BUT this is just a temporary fix. As you progress you will find that you will want a better sound system for your laptop. There are many to choose from such as Fostex, MOTU, Roland, etc. But for now the above will get you started very inexpensively.

I hope this helps.

This still isn't working for me:
The MIDI keyboard and the BIAB laptop each are connected to an amp/speaker. The adapter goes from the keyboard's MIDI in & out connections to the laptops USB connection. My only goal is to change the bass notes that are in a song, to ones that I want to make up, instead.

You may have to write in your own bass line in midi and mute the Real Track bass. Ray

You need to record the MIDI into Real Band.

Read up on how that is done. I have never used RB for this purpose but I do this all the time in SONAR. I'm sure the principle is the same.


Record MIDI into a midi channel. The output of the midi channel needs to go to an audio channel with a synth in it running with a bass patch. When you press a note on the midi keyboard, you should hear the note come through the speakers.

At that point, you simply set up to record the midi channel and press the RECORD button.

My recent song called THe Caddy song was recorded that exact way..... I'm playing the bass with my midi keyboard in a live take.

Another option is to record the audio out from the keyboard if you like the bass patch it uses. No midi channels involved, just one audio channel set up to record that input.

There's more about softsynths on my website page on recording.... it will explain the details which you will need to adapt to Real Band. Read the help section on recording midi with real band AND using softsynths with real band.

NOTE EDIT: You should NOT have to enter notes one by one with your mouse...... you should be able to capture them in real time into a midi track as the song is playing.

Another thing to consider is that both BIAB & RB have MIDI driver settings. Maybe the Korg is not set as the default driver for MIDI.

The Korg isn't a driver. The computer and it's sound card use one of several drivers.....ASIO, MME, WDM, or WASPI (I think it's called) The driver in the computer handles the audio and midi in/out. External devices only need drivers in some cases to let them function fully with the computer and will sometimes load that to the computer automatically, but that driver is a different driver which serves a different purpose.
This really doesn't matter because the Korg will appear only as a midi source for midi inputs. Either directly as a KORG midi source or as the interface midi input on the interface being used. As long as the computer recognizes it as a device on it's USB port if it's a USB device, it will be available to anything that can use the midi coming from it..... or in my case, I connect my midi source to my interface and when I have a midi track, I select the Focusrite Midi source from the drop down. No driver from the device is required in this setup. ASIO for the sound card "discovers" the inputs available..... both audio and midi and lets you choose from them.

What is the brand name and model number of this "adapter cable" you are using? You have to know which plug is in and which is out... find out and label them if necessary.

Where are the headphones connected for you to hear it "ok"? To the computer or to the Korg headphone jack or somewhere else?

Knowing the cable name and model will help us to figure out the problem. In other forums, we've seen folks come in with those $20 midi cables and quite often, those things are not worth the time or money and folks have a hard time getting them set up properly...and other times, they work fine.

Please fill in the blanks.

Sorry for the confusion, yes, my 6i6 shows as the MIDI driver on my setup. I was just trying to give Zeke something else to check, the MIDI driver settings in BIAB & RB.

I have an E-MU brand cable. I saw the customer review was good on it and that's why I bought it. It's "IN" and "OUT" are marked. What I have currently set-up is earphones connected to the Korg keyboard, and have an amp/speaker connected to the laptop, so both can be heard at the same time.

Monitoring by the earphone jack is one way. However, you really need to monitor the total mix coming back from the DAW. However.....

Is that the E-mu x-midi 1x1? The Uno was problematic with DAW's. I'm not familiar with this one but I believe they are pretty much all the same.

SO.... that should get the MIDI into the computer. In the MIDI track, it should show up as a possible input option. If you're not sure.... unplug it, open the midi inputs and then plug it in. It should be the new addition to that list. It might be the only one.

Select it as the input. Now you need to link it to a synth.

OK.... that's for a DAW... for REAL BAND.... it's slightly different. The following is my experiment, partially successful and a question for the power users of RB.....

First: connect the Korg to the computer. In Real Band, click on Midi devices in the midi menu and select the inputs and outputs. I used the default TTS-1 in my DAW. Click on the track in the RB window that has BASS already set up. The track number turns red. Click RECORD and play along monitoring any way you can. I simply turned up the volume on my keyboard for this test.

At the end, hit STOP. A window popped up asking me if I wanted to "keep the take"... I clicked YES.

WAAA LAAA the notes appeared in the midi track. I played the file back and they sounded.


What I was unable to do was to monitor them in real time. If you are more familiar with RB than I, please tell me how you can monitor in real time. In SONAR, for example, I can set up the synths and set there all day long and play with them without having to record anything. This is the reason I use SONAR for my DAW.... because it acts like a DAW. I can use automation, envelopes, cut & paste, monitor everything in real time.... I have a time trying to do anything in RB like that.

Depending on your goals, you should consider a fully functional audio/midi interface where you can do audio and midi input as well as get the output from it as well as headphones all monitored in real time from that one source. Also, consider a full featured DAW ...again depending on your goals.....

I use BB to write.... RB to render the tracks....and Sonar to mix. And all are using my Focusrite Saffire interface with ASIO drivers running the show.


Does that help, or add confusion?

Took a look at this device. The OP doesn't say which OS he's using but according to E-Mu this device supports XP, Vista and Win 7, no listing for Win 8.

Also, the OP could have an issue plugging it in. The "IN"
of the E-Mu MIDI interface gets plugged into the Korg midi "OUT", the "OUT" of the interface gets plugged into the Korg midi "IN".

Jeff

Possibly a very good catch..... YES... I had to get rid of an earlier sound card I was using when I needed to upgrade my OS to the new one out at the time for my business software to run properly..... BUT at the same time, the new OS did NOT support the driver to my old PCI sound card I used at that time for recording. The mfg had no plans to support it so the sound card didn't work properly....it became a dust collector and I had to buy a new soundcard/interface that was supported.

That is a possibility here as well.

I didn't read every post but keep in mind that typically Korg workstations require setting the timbre in, out, both for each track if you are using it in combi or sequencer mode. Won't transmit midi data if not sent to out or both

I'm beginning to feel technologically impaired. This is getting a lot more complicated than I believe I can handle. Is there a simpler way to replace a bass part in a BIAB song without using a MIDI keyboard? The tone of the BIAB basses are fine; I'm just not happy with the particular notes that are currently available for some of the songs.

In the long run, if you can figure out the midi interface I think you'll be glad you did. I have a similar usb/midi cable and have had no issues getting it to work with Windows 8.1. As mentioned above, the "In" on the cable goes into the "Out" of the keyboard and vice versa.

Under the options menu select midi devices or setup and then select your midi device. This last part I'm quoting from memory, so I'll have to double check to see where the setup is.

Zeke, stick with it, it's well worth it. We all had to go through this....it's kinda the unofficial BIAB initiation. You'll be amazed at what you can do once you work through this. We're all here to help and cheering you on. Reread my post...start by making sure you have the connections right; we all help from there.

Jeff