@Johnny-Smith

Welcome to the Magix user to user forums.

My initial thought is that this is an issue with the MIDI output of your keyboard failing. Do you have another keyboard which you could use to test this, even temporarily borrow one? In my experience the majority of MIDI cables (either DIN to DIN or USB) generally perform well so I would be rather surprised if that was the problem.

If another keyboard doesn't have the problem the solution is clear, a new keyboard is needed! If the other keyboard does exhibit the same thing then, yes, the next thing to check would be the cable, again by testing with a different one.

As to it being a software problem, this is highly unlikely especially since both MM and Cakewalk exhibit the same problem on your computer. MIDI is merely a communication and control protocol using digital data; in my experience it either works properly, or not at all!

HTH

Jeff
Forum Moderator

@Johnny-Smith

Hi

Check the Casio WX3500 is not set to 'split' the keyboard into 2 different tone ranges - see manual p78.

John EB
Forum Moderator

@Johnny-Smith

Hi,

Kidding aside and further to what Jeff and John EB mentioned, did you try recording just the notes/keys that are giving you problems? Try that. Same result or no problem?

Also, try several recordings of just the parts where there are the most problems. Are the results always the same?

John CB

@Johnny-Smith

Hi

Check the Casio WX3500 is not set to 'split' the keyboard into 2 different tone ranges - see manual p78.

John EB
Forum Moderator

 

Thanks for the tip. What manual are you referring to? In the meantime I'll assume the Casio manual.

Jeff / Emmrecs, I appreciate your help. I also suspected it was the keyboard, although I don't have a keyboard to test unless I find a store. I'll consider replacing it. The keyboard has a floppy disk drive, so it's gotta be a bit old, but I wonder why it would fail over time? That would be unfortunate.

John / Browj2, I tested playing the same keys repeatedly. First I tried pressing some random key, and I heard the playback was the same (mostly good but still had approx. 25% random long deep notes). Then I tried playing a simple melody and re-listened to my Charlie Brown recording, and I noticed certain notes went bad frequently. I can't remember if it was 100% likely for a certain note to go bad though. I think it was most of the time but not always. And thanks for the joke!

@Johnny-Smith

...My initial thought is that this is an issue with the MIDI output of your keyboard failing. Do you have another keyboard which you could use to test this, even temporarily borrow one?...

Jeff
Forum Moderator

Adding to my last message,

I might be able to borrow someone's keyboard. Hopefully! But first, I should check about the splitting that John Baker mentioned.

@Johnny-Smith

John (@johnebaker) is referring to the Casio manual. I think he may actually mean p76, rather than 78 (having had a look at it online).

I have to admit I haven't seen (or played) a keyboard with a floppy disk drive for a very long time so yes, it certainly is rather old! As to why it would fail over time, my guess would be that some component(s) is/are beginning to fail.

A suggestion to test: if you start at either the highest, or lowest note on your keyboard and slowly go up (or down) in semitones, is there an obvious point /note at which this sudden change of pitch on playback occurs? If so, can you reproduce the change by playing, in semitone steps from a few notes below that point to a few notes above, or vice versa? Does the change still happen?

Jeff

@Johnny-Smith

Hi,

Further to what Jeff said, which VST instrument are you using?

Try turning on the on-screen keyboard (K) and playing on your Casio just problem notes. Watch to see if the correct note is played on the on-screen keyboard.

John CB

@Johnny-Smith

Hi,

Further to what Jeff said, which VST instrument are you using?

Try turning on the on-screen keyboard (K) and playing on your Casio just problem notes. Watch to see if the correct note is played on the on-screen keyboard.

John CB

 

I studied the on-screen piano while playing the keyboard as you suggested and noticed this:

-All keys appear equally likely to become "bad".

-No matter the velocity

-But if I press a note once (or press and hold and let go) and then wait 3 seconds before pressing again, it never became a super deep note, although it did become "bad" in another way: sustaining itself without being pressed. Any quicker and everything is the same. Although when I played with 2 seconds apart on the high end, only a note an octave lower was recorded, as opposed to the absolute deepest note.

-Playing on the computer's keyboard I get no bad notes.

To define these "bad" notes I'm witnessing: A bad note is one in which I play a certain key on the Casio instrument, and the Music Maker software records usually one of the following:

1. Most often the absolute deepest note;

2 A random note that is deeper but not the absolute deepest;

3. Skipped note (not recorded);

4. Extra-extra-long note of the same frequency;

5. Every bad note is recorded for a much longer time than intended. Sometimes 1-3 seconds, other times it goes on forever.

I appreciate the assistance, everyone. You know, this 76-key Casio keyboard is really good in all other aspects, except for this MIDI recording stuff. It's almost perfect. (Assuming the instrument is at fault.)

...which VST instrument are you using?

John CB

I don't know what VST means and I don't know how to check. Right now I have open either my second or third ever "project"; I stopped the active recording to the first track (named Piano VSTi); and I created a third track that is actively recording my MIDI keyboard.

Trying to be as informative as possible at the expense of conciseness