I'm struggling to figure out how to enter a new melody line with my Yamaha keyboard, BIAB 2013 and Mac Mini. I choose MacOS X CoreMidi and hit record, but I can hear my input only with the keyboard phones, and the rhythm track only with the Mac built-in speakers. Is there a better way? And I can't see any input until I'm asked if I want to keep the take; and I can't hear my line against the rhythm background w/o switching to the Apple DLS driver. I'm good with switching, but when I try to switch back to CoreMidi to record some more, it tells me CoreMidi can't be installed, so pick another driver. I have to reboot. Where have I gone wrong in all this (more than one place, I'm guessing)?

A few questions back, to try get some focus (or to at least avoid dragging you into a direction you never wanted to go, heh):

What would be your desired outcome in terms of what you hear and where from you hear it?
Have you thought of fiddling with the "Local On/Off" setup in BBox preferences?
Precisely how are you connecting your Yamaha to your Mac?

p.s. If "one chorus would be enough", perhaps simply setting your song to just one chorus before you start recording might be worth considering. You can always edit or add afterwards, if needed.

My top priority is hearing my recorded keyboard input play against the BB rhythm section. So far I can achieve this only by switching from CoreMidi to Apple Synth. If this switch is necessary, then my priority is to have BB keep CoreMidi available as a driver option; as it stands, I have to quit/restart BB which is a raging nuisance.

Following your prompt, I've tried fiddling with the "Local On/Off" setup in BBox preferences, but the situation remains unchanged.

Lesser priorities: to hear the BB rhythm section and my playing through the same set of phones when recording. I can live with wearing two, but it seems clumsy. Also, ideally, I'd like to see my notes appear on some staff somewhere while I'm recording, but if this is not possible no big deal.



I'm using an M-Audio Uno, usb at the computer of course, and plugged into the keyboard per instructions on the cable ends. This setup shown and confirmed in Midi Studio. All ports set to the Uno.

BTW I solved my "one chorus" problem (brilliant: just don't click the All Choruses option when keeping a take...)

Thanks for your help. I appreciate your patient approach.
LFM

Yea well, let's hold of the thank you's for a bit, for we have barely cracked a fraction of these issues yet
So on we trudge to get further into this:

You are absolutely sure that Midi Out in your CoreMidi setup actually works? I mean, when in the Audio/Midi setup, you can verify that output sent from your computer is actually being received by your keyboard!? For in all honesty, it rather seems like it isn't.
I must admit I am quite stumped by that "disappearing" CoreMidi issue that I simply have never seen before
That bit alone makes me want to advice you to take this straight to Support or Live Help at least to track this down.
I'm also surprised that "fiddling" with Local Control hasn't at the very least given you different results (Off or On should at least make a difference, even if not the difference you may have wanted), especially in terms of what you hear from your keyboard when playing. So that's a strike two, things not looking to good here
What I can tell you though is that your idea of seeing the notes as you play is something that BBox just cannot do. So at the very least that's one less thing for you to worry about.

Hopefully other user will start chiming in on this thread too - make that, other MAC USERS, to make that abundantly clear!

p.s. It's a good idea to do what I and most users on here have done and edit your profile to indicate at least your fundamental computer system and BBox version (you need to do this yourself by hand in your forum profile settings). Saves a lot of hoops you'll otherwise be asked to jump through each time you face some problem.

Elefem,

Another consideration is that you may be playing Real Tracks with BIAB, which are audio NOT MIDI. Audio, of course, will not be sent to your keyboard via the USB Uno cable. If you wouldn't mind, try using one of the old ZZstyles and turn off Real Drums, and see what you hear (and where you hear it).

Bruce

Good observations regarding the RT styles, glad more people are chipping in on this one. The only reservation about the "ZZstyles" advice might be that most of them have now an RT "Style Alias" attached to them, which might kick in and replace the intended midi style when one of those are selected and ruin the test. So watch out for that eventuality, just in case. This feature can be turned off, but I think the default setting for it is On, so that would have to be done manually.

Meanwhile, another midi-check advice just came to me: It's always preferable to turn on your computer first, before turning on your attached midi keyboard/device. This is to ensure that any kind of usb-to-midi system drivers/extensions are already up and running before testing connectivity.

Simplest solution to hearing keyboard sound in BiaB and recording the MIDI from it, is to run an Audio connection From the keyboard out To the computer in.

Then sound from the keyboard goes directly in and can be mixed with the other tracks.

You can still record just the MIDI if you want, but can also record the audio this way if desired.
I usually record both when working in RB.

We don't have RB (and never will) but the rest of your advice is solid enough. If memory serves, the Mac Mini isn't all too generous when it comes to inputs, though, but it's well worth looking into.

He may need to get a cheap USB audio device, but it will save lots of headaches.

Never say never.

A good point. And of course, replace the "RB" bit with just about any DAW and your initial advice is solid throughout

Icelander, I think you're correct about the default being to substitute a Real Style for midi styles.

Rharv, I think you hit the nail squarely on the head - I think the OP needs a USB audio interface.

Elefem, has any of this helped?

Sorry, I was unable to participate in the conversation for a day or so.



I was indeed using RT, but now I've turned off RD and my guineapig tune is 16 Tons with ZZContry.STY. No particularly good results, however. Midi driver is CoreMidi, and I can hear the rhythm section via the computer, whereas I had previously to set it to Apple Synth to hear it. Midi Studio sees the keyboard and the Uno interface, and the connections test out. But now I do not have the Uno as a port setting option, and nothing at all shows in the Midi In box.

I can hear the output test chord via the keyboard phones, and see the Uno midi-out light blink. The midi input arrow lights when test-plunking the keyboard, but I don't hear anything. FWIW the midi-in light on the Uno blinks at an unvarying 2/sec rate as soon as it's plugged in.

I'm totally thrashing down here, no real idea what results to expect from what. Maybe I have a hardware problem? Could my System Prefs for Sound have any role in this?

I'll try rharv's audio set-up suggestion; definitely open to work-arounds at this point...

This is starting to sound like a "flaky midi connectivity" kind of issue, i.e. drivers, interfaces & cables, possibly even system version related (the one vital thing you've neglected to include in your updated profile).
Time to take this to Live Help & Support, me thinks

Happily, I got the Uno back as a Midi Input setting option as soon as I switch midi drivers from CoreMidi to Apple Synth and then back. I'm wondering if I should be setting all ports to the Uno, and if the Midi-In light on the Uno ever does anything but flicker.

Perhaps I'm mistaken in expecting to hear the BBox rhythm section over my keyboard phones under any circumstances?—although I don't see otherwise what the point of a midi out to the keyboard would really be.

Live Help says their main tech guy is out for the week, so we'll see Monday if there's anything left of my problems and/or computer.

Of course you should if your intention is to hear the notes via your Uno. And ignore the lights if your ears and eyes don't match each other. Rely on ears before eyes in music, always,
Also, your optimal chain of sequence is: 1. start up Mac, 2. turn on keyboard and 3. then run BBox!
No, as long as those are midi, that is precisely what you should expect. It works on my keyboard and I'm on a Mac like you => it should on yours as well.

Then again, we see now (at last) that you are running Yosemite, the Mac system least compatible with BBox, so...
When you do get a hold of that tech support, be sure to open with that piece of information straight off the bat. It will be the most important thing you ever say to them.

Good luck!

Ditto what Icelander said: this should work. How about using Garageband - can you record midi to GB and play it back through your keyboard?

I've been holding off until there was something significant to report. To make a long story short, Live Help was No Help and Tech Support was basically unreachable. I finally went to Goodwill and bought a Cheap Farfisa. Worked like a champ, so I guess the problem was with my Cheap Yamaha!

Thanks, y'all, for your attempts to help me out.
LFM

Thanks likewise for the update, something far too few around here bother with once they find the fix to their problem.
So not even a clean install did the job?

Great to hear your follow up on this. Glad to hear you got it working!

Farfisa keyboards have a VERY distinct sound. It is the keyboard sound you hear on songs like "Crocodile Rock" by Elton John or "Wooley Bully" by Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs.

You may have purchased a classic at the Goodwill.

Then again, maybe not. This quote from the Farfisa wiki page:

"The Farfisa brand name, meanwhile, continues to appear on contemporary MIDI keyboards."

Which in the context of this particular thread makes one suspect he may have got one of those rather than one of the 'classic' (which were all without midi, for one thing).
Would be interesting if OP would reveal precise name of said 'cheap' thing he actually bought.