Hi Neil,

Connecting you Casio to your computer through USB is a MIDI connection.

To play back a Midi object from Samplitude:

1. Program settings, MIDI, make sure that your Casio is checked in the MIDI Out column
2. In the Track Editor (the vertical column at the left of the track header), select your Casio keyboard as the Midi Out. Depending on your keyboard, you may also be able to select the MSB and LSB for the instrument of the external keyboard. Look these up in the manual. Mine doesn't work, so I have to select the tone on my Casio keyboard.

That's it. Play and the sound will come from your keyboard.

John CB

Thanks for your reply. I'm pleased to say it works now. I have another question about this - I've noticed that if I have more than 1 VSTi loaded, eg a synth on one track and drums on another track, when I play notes on my Casio it plays the sounds from BOTH VSTis. How can I stop this, for example if I record the drum track and then I want to jam along to it with a synth sound without my Casio triggering the drum sounds?

Also, I didn't know USB was the same as a MIDI connection. I always thought MIDI was the 5 pin type leads you see on electronic musical instruments. Indeed, you can buy 'USB to MIDI coverters', so I thought they were different things.

@Neil-Kendall

when I play notes on my Casio it plays the sounds from BOTH VSTis

You have to ensure that each VSTi is set to receive data on a different MIDI channel and that your keyboard is transmitting ONLY on the channel whose VSTi you wish to hear.

HTH

Jeff

@Neil-Kendall

when I play notes on my Casio it plays the sounds from BOTH VSTis

You have to ensure that each VSTi is set to receive data on a different MIDI channel and that your keyboard is transmitting ONLY on the channel whose VSTi you wish to hear.

HTH

Jeff

I'm afraid I'm still stumped. I've messed around with changing the 'channel in' and 'channel out' settings on each track, and changing the midi channel on my Casio, to no avail. The drums VSTi is on track one, and I've set both 'channel in' and 'channel out' to 1. The synth VSTi is on track 2, and I've set the 'channel in' and 'channel out' to 2. I've also tried changing the keyboard midi channels and it seems to make no difference. All I hear is the drum VSTi sounds when I play the keys on my Casio. I am getting no sound from the track 2 synth VSTi.

Hi Neil,

In order to have a track pick up what you are playing, you need to turn on the monitor (speaker) for that track. You probably have the speakers turned on for only 1 of the tracks. Turn it on for track 2.

If you want to record MIDI to more than one track, you have to arm more than one track and turn on the monitor for each track (and the MON at the right of the Transport Control).

Leave channels in and out to all.

It would help if you showed us a screen shot of what you are doing.

John CB

Hi Neil,

In order to have a track pick up what you are playing, you need to turn on the monitor (speaker) for that track. You probably have the speakers turned on for only 1 of the tracks. Turn it on for track 2.

If you want to record MIDI to more than one track, you have to arm more than one track and turn on the monitor for each track (and the MON at the right of the Transport Control).

Leave channels in and out to all.

It would help if you showed us a screen shot of what you are doing.

John CB

Here's a screenshot, I hope it's useful:

As you can see the drum VSTi is on track 1 (Vintage Drum Elements), and the Vita synth VSTi is on track 2.

I just want to be able to record a drum track on one track with a drum VSTi, then be able to jam along with it with a synth VSTi set to another track, so that my Casio plays the sound of the synth only and not the drums, but nothing seems to work. Also, I've noticed no VSTis play at all unless I hit the record button.

This is all becoming a total pain in the arse to be honest. All I want to do is create music, and not be endlessly bogged down with technical difficulties all the time, so I really hope we can get this fixed!

So in the simplest possibly way, how do I get this to work?

Hi Neil,

Thanks for the screen shot. I've been trying to figure out what you did.

First, just to be clear, you say that you want your Casio to play the sound of the synth only and not the drums. Do you mean that when you play on the Casio, you want the sound of the synth to come back to the Casio and play through its speakers? This is not normal. Or, do you mean that you want to play the Casio and have the sound of the synth play back through the computer's speakers? Normal case.

I find strange things in your screen shot.

1. Did you rename the tracks to "Output" and, if not, how did you get "Output as the name of the tracks?
2. You have track 2 selected, the Track Editor says that it's the piano, but the PL in the Track Header says "Vintage Drums." How did you do that?
3. You have armed track 2 to record, but the monitor is off; the monitor is on for track 3, which is drums. So, when you play the Casio, you will record to track 2 but not hear the piano while you play, but you will hear yourself playing drums because you turned on the Monitor of track 3.

To hear an instrument when you play the Casio, the Monitor for that track must be on. If you turn on several tracks with different instruments, you will hear all of them when you press on a note on your Casio.

In the image below, I have armed track 2 for recording and monitoring what the keyboard is playing is on. Tracks 1 and 3 will play back only whatever is on that track using the synth associated with that track. When I press Record, I will hear the drums play back on track 1, there is nothing on track 3, and I will hear whatever is on track 2 and also whatever I play on the keyboard will be recorded and I will hear it.

John CB