Hi folks, as per my bio, I am using 4 external synths. Originally, I had these daisy-chained through my MOTU 828 Hybrid audio interface but I kept hearing a faint tone of another synth playing along with my main synth (the DX7II). I turned off all the other snyths except the dx7 and could still hear the other synth. I assume this is the ForteDXi. In fact, I can change the tone of this ghost sound by changing the voices in the pull down in the upper left corner of BIAB. By the way, the DX is showing up in the keyboard that runs across the top of BIAB.

In reading somewhere on the BIAB site, or a mention by you folks, I remembered that BIAB uses channel 1 and also noted that the ForteDxi is using channels 2,3,4,6,7,8 and 10. I set my DX up to use the default channel 5 but still heard the sound of another synth. I changd the default channels in BIAB and on my synth to send and receive on chaneels 15 and 16....the only channels that weren't indicated by Fortedxi or the harmonization channels. Still I could hear the other synth.

I then disconnected the synth daisy-chain from the MOTU 828 Hybrid sound card and brought out my MOTU Express XT 8 port midi interface. I hooked each synth up to a different port and a different channel on each port such that BIAB and Forte has exclusive use of all 16 channels on port 1. Still I could hear the internal BIAB synth with only the DX7 on.

On my setup I have the non-BIAB ports selected as the midi input drivers, have tried various settings for the midi output driver, the "use DXi/Synth" is checked and the "route midi through to midi driver" is unchecked. Still I'm hearing the other synth. All the other external synths are powered down so only the DX and BIAB are running....so I am assuming the "ghost" synth is the ForteDXi.

The only way that I have found to stop this is to click on the "Thru" pulldown at the top of BIAB and mute the thru track. Once I do that everthing if fine, the DX plays clean and does not trigger the ForteDXi. Is this the right way of setting up the thru track or do you think I have setup some kind of midi loop that is triggering the Forte DXi plugin?

There are a few things I don't understand about your description, and I'm not sure I understand exactly what you are *trying* to do. In any case... you have a MIDI cable going from the OUT on your interface to the IN on your DX7, and another cable going from the OUT on the DX7 to the IN on your interface... is that correct? Are you sure you haven't plugged the cable into the THRU port instead of the OUT port? That would explain why the MIDI data is being echoed back to the computer.

If not, I suppose the DX7 is echoing the MIDI data to the OUT port, and there is likely a way to turn this feature off (although I couldn't see it from a quick glance at the manual).

Looking at the MIDI Monitor in Band-in-a-Box is a good way of seeing exactly what's happening.

Note: You can disable MIDI thru in Band-in-a-Box in Opt. | Preferences | MIDI Options. The "Thru" track in Band-in-a-Box is used for MIDI data received by an external MIDI device. e.g. so you could play along in realtime on your keyboard.

Hi Andrew, thanks for getting back to me. Sorry for the convoluted explanation, it gets complicated using 4 hardware synths, a sound interface and a midi interface. What I am trying to do is to play the DX7 in realtime and not hear the ForteDXI play along with it. Whatever voice the Forte assigns to channel 5 is the voice that plays along with the DX7. Its the same pitch, its just another voice sounding with the DX7. I would prefer to hear only the DX7 when playing in realtime.

To resolve this, I moved the midi part of my system over to a MOTU 8 port midi interface. Now the DX is on port 2 channel 2 and the other synths are assigned to their own independent ports and channels.

Still what ever voice Forte assigns to channel 5 is played by the DX7. The only way that I have found around this is to mute the "Thru" channel in BIAB, then the DX7 sounds by itself.

Perhaps I am not undestanding what the "Thru" channel is supposed to do. Do you have to mute it when you play live with a hardware-based synth?

I appreciate your continued help and support.

Jeff

Oh I see, I had thought you were hearing everything received by the DX7 echoed back to Band-in-a-Box, but it's only the part you are playing.

Yes, that is expected. The "Thru" track in Band-in-a-Box is used for hearing your live playing. If the word Thru is confusing, think about it as having a MIDI cable connected from a (imaginary) Thru port in Band-in-a-Box to the MIDI output driver/synth.

If you don't want to hear that live part in BB, you can do one of the following, whatever happens to be most convenient:

1. Mute the thru part.
2. Disable the thru part all together (Opt. | Preferences | MIDI Options)
3. Unplug the MIDI cable that goes from the OUT on the DX7 to the IN on the MIDI interface.
4. Toggle some setting on the DX7 that prevents it from sending MIDI data OUT. (? perhaps turn the 'transmit channel' parameter off)

Right Andrew, I think my misunderstading of the function of the Thru track has been my problem all along. I have found, as you suggested, that by muting the Thru track I can hear the DX only and if I want to play the voice that Forte assigned to the Thru track, I just turn "local off" on the DX. So everything is fine now.

Thanks for the help and continued support.
Jeff

Hi, Can I ask a what may be a silly question but why are you wanting to use 4 synths if that is what I assume you are doing from what I read. Are you wanting them all to play via biab at some time or other?.
Jeff

Hi Jeff, over the years have collected a few synths, midi interfaces and sound cards. Always looking for a way to keep it all together. Currently I am using the DX7II to do live play into BIAB but also use it as a controller to play the other 3 rack mounted synths. Love the DX with the E! card, it was way ahead of its time and still holds it own today.

Have to admit, I got into VSTi's a year or so ago and find that I am using them more and the hard synths less but I've got the hard side of system widdled down now to the point that it takes up a small corner and not the entire room.

Hi Jeff,
Thanks for the explanation, I understand now especially as 3 are rack mounted synths. I had a DX7 a long time ago, great sound. I recently got a Korg M50, does all I want and superb sounds. I too also used the VST's for a long time but I'm getting back into hardware of late and trying to get to grips with midi again.

I'm afraid I don't know enough about midi to be of any help but the other guys seems to know what they talking about, it's a great forum for friendly help.
Regards. Jeff