Let me clarify: You're trying to record sounds already on your computer through the M-Audio 2496? A weird question, I must admit. If I understand what you're trying to get at you'd need an output from your computer to go to an input on the 2496 then back to the computer.

I've written pieces using the onboard GM Windows sounds, because we were told to take a couple of examples of the kind of music we write to our first class. I can't 'get' how to use Cubase - that's why I'm going to the classes - so I've output the MIDI files I've created through the WindowsXP built-in GM sounds - they're bad, but at least they make noises!

But I can't take in the MIDI files, I have to take in MP3s. So I have to record the sounds being output in response to the MIDI file I've created as a sound file, so I can convert it to an MP3 and take it into class. In other words, I need to find a 'what you hear' setting that actually works!

Now on my last soundcard, Soundblaster Live 5.1, it was easy, it HAD a 'what you hear' setting. So I just chose it and recorded MIDI files using the sounds on the Soundblaster (which are better than the ones on the Windows Synth!) This one doesn't! And I don't understand why controls and stuff are coming up as unavailable all over the place.

Please, if you know the answer to all of this, tell me so I can record a couple of bad music MP3s to take to class!!

yours hopefully

ulrichburke

I appreciate all the information. It may be too much of the wrong kind, but, information matters.

So if Cubase isn't being used...what, in particular, are you using for recording software. I wouldn't need a list of what you have tried...just pick one that you use right now, one.

(forum reminder: you post would be better suited here http://recording.org/forum-53.html)

I would suggest taking the sound card out of the machine and moving it over one pci space and re-installing it. That is a good idea for you. I must ask that you have to slow down in your expectation.

Pushing buttons and playing this and signing that then moving cards around can have a way of coming back on you. So take care to do the one step, check for improvement, move to next step, check for improvement, etc.

If you have on board sound this may need to be disabled at the BIOS level. This is going to take away the little "speaker" icon. But there can be conflict between the two sound cards, if there are in fact two sound cards.

Then I would look into the Music Maestro software and see if it has a "EXPORT" function on the menu. If it does, then select that for the file you are trying to get record as audio.

Once you have exported the song from Music Maestro, you have to import that midi file into the recording software, whatever that may be.

If you can get this far then you may be able to have your demo for the class room. If not or if none of it works, let's try something else, maybe from the perspective of another user.

Great advice from space there. Also, make sure youdownload the latest driver from M-Audio's site. Make sure you set the right ASIO in cubase. Make sure your audio settings in windows are set appropriately.

Dear hueseph and Space.

For starters - hueseph, what the heck's ASIO? Apart from being another bunch of letters I've never heard of in my life? Every time I think I've at least heard of everything to do with sound recording, even if I don't understand most of it (relevant to this soundcard, anyway!) someone bungs something else at me!

Dumbass question number 2. What would be the point of setting this mysterious ASIO in Cubase, as I'm not using Cubase yet? Just to get it ready for when the class starts (if that sounds facetious or anything, it's NOT supposed to - I'm not going to touch Cubase until the teacher tells me what to do with it, I've been batting my head against Cubase, Kontakt, Reason, you name it, ever since I discovered I could write tunes. So far they've won every round, they sit there sniggering at me and I've sworn off them until a teacher shows me how to use them. I've yet to get a SQUEAK out of Cubase, Reason plays EVERYTHING on 127 no matter what you set velocity/volume etc. on to, as does Kontakt. But that's not relevant to this - or it might be, what do I know! - I'm just letting off steam a bit.)

I turned off the soundchip in BIOS before I installed the soundcard. I've only got two PCI slots on the motherboard and I've tried both of them. No difference. You can hear everything, you can't record anything.

I have only one soundcard, the M-Audio Audiophile 2496, I'm sorry if I've wrongly intimated I have 2. The old one, the Soundblaster Live 5.1, was a WHILE back and is now part of history - I don't possess it any more. I wish I did, I actually UNDERSTOOD that thing!

If I could wave a magic wand and make ONE recorder work, it would be the NCH Wavepad. It lets you add compression and reverb to the file after you've recorded it, you see. Why not record each instrument seperately, add reverb. etc. to each then record the finished composite? Because unless you start ALL the instruments at once and finish them ALL at once, I find it impossible to line the (censored) things back up again afterwards. If I was doing word-processing, I'd use tabstops to line things up. Unfortunately, none of these music software writers have thought of tabstops, so I don't know how the heck ANYONE lines anything back up. I expect I'll learn in class.

I was just trying all the others incase there was something out there that actually WORKED!! Export function? Well, there's a button in Music Maestro that's supposed to record what you've written. Guess what. It doesn't record anything either. Surprised? I'm not! That's why I downloaded NCH Wavepad!!

Everything was fine until I was told I needed a more professional soundcard, so I flogged the Soundblaster to get money towards the M-Audio. What a mistake THAT'S turning out to be.

Thanks for your help thus far. At this rate, if I get any new stuff recorded before class starts it'll be by pointing a cassette recorder's mike at the loudspeaker very early in the morning, before the other flats wake up, then importing from that as a soundfile. If this card lets me do that, that is. I've thought of that, haven't tried it yet.

Sorry if I sound a leetle frustrated!

Yours respectfully

ulrichburke

Sorry, Hueseph, just noticed something else in your post I should have answered.

When I click on the Windows Audio Settings in Start/All Programs/Accessories/Entertainment, I get THREE sliders. Now from somewhere in the distant recesses of my memory, I'm sure you should be getting FIVE sliders. There's two that only show themselves if you tick a box somewheres in the dim recesses of Windows. And I can't remember where that box is. Just can't find it.

If you know where the box is that you tick to bring up the other two sliders, please, please tell me! I've been trying different Googles all afternoon but I haven't managed to find this back out yet.

Also, the M-Audio control panel seems to take over from the Windows sounds control panel a bit, but that's not why the other two sliders aren't there, I've uninstalled the M-Audio (without turning the soundchip back on in Bios, this is true) but the other two sliders don't turn up when M-Audio is uninstalled. Hence the hunt for the mysterious box to tick!

Yours respectfully

ulrichburke

"When I click on the Windows Audio Settings in Start/All Programs/Accessories/Entertainment, I get THREE sliders. Now from somewhere in the distant recesses of my memory, I'm sure you should be getting FIVE sliders."

Once this software is open; Select OPTIONS>PROPERTIES

What space said. Also, you need to make sure that the 2496 is your default recording device.

Done that. The Properties panel in the Entertainment Volume Control has 3 things in it - Adjust volume for Playback, Recording and Other. Playback shows Wave, SW/Synth and CD Player, all ticked. Just those three, no options for any others.

Recording just comes up blank. Empty white window. No controls there at all. Which is what I think everything's trying to tell me! Or am I wrong?

Other lets me choose between Recording Control and Wave. Recording Control is blank, empty white window. As is Wave.

The Mixer device is M-Audio Delta AP S/PDIF. There are other options in the box - all prefaced by M-Audio Delta AP - 1/2, MonMixer and Multi. None of them show any volume controls in Recording. Just the empty white window. Mon Mixer doesn't show any controls in Playback either. All the others do.

That's where I thought the two missing sliders would be, but they just are not there.

I know I'm being a pain. Anyone got any more ideas?

Yours hopefully

ulrichburke

Uninstall the card. Turn off your computer and make sure that the card is seated properly. Then turn on your computer. Windows should automatically recognize the card. If it doesn't, there is a problem. You took precautions against static right? Cancel window's installation and install the drivers directly from the file you downloaded from M-Audio.

Then, read the manual.

did you set up your vst connections in cubase? tools->vst connections->add bus->stereo->choose the two hardware devices you want to output to.

if your trying to compose with windows sounds that are allready wavs or mp3s then why do all that extra stuff when you can just drag the audio files into cubase and compose them there?

http://www.m-audio.com

What software are you using to record the audio? I suggest you keep it simple for now and use windows sound recorder:

Start menu -> Programs -> Accessories -> Entertainment -> Sound Recorder

Now go to the Edit menu -> Audio Properties: set the Sound recording field to your soundcard's 'Monitor' output. (This is the output of the 2496's internal mixer, and is the equivalent of the 'what you hear' option on your old Soundblaster).

Does that work?

Dear Mannequin. I wish I could, but I can't wrap my head...

...around Cubase, hence the need for the course!

I know this will sound pathetic to you because you're an expert, but I've been trying to wrap my head around Cubase ever since I spent wads of money on the thing, and I feel like a caveman trying to fly the Space Shuttle! Cubase is, at present, a complete frustration to me. I've got a whole bunch of sounds that have come with it, but I can't make any of them make any noise. I've set up the ASIO and everything like you kind people told me how to, Windows sounds make noise (but faintly!) but nothing else seems to want to.

I just wanted to record a couple of crappy pieces using the stuff I actually CAN use properly so the teacher knows I'm not there on false pretences. I feel very dumb already as I seem to be the only person in the group who hasn't been using Cubase for ages. I could use the Commodore version well, but this PC version is a whole new beastie and I don't know what the heck's going on with any of it.

I've got Reason 4 as well and that's even MORE frustrating! THAT thing won't even obey MIDI numbers. It doesn't matter what you put in, it plays everything on 127. Velocity/Attack, Volume, the lot, all stay on 127 no matter what other numbers you try to change it to. Doesn't matter what you slide, what you turn, what you look up, everything stays on 127. Unless you put velocity on zero, then everything goes silent. Put Velocity on 1 - not 127, just 1 - and EVERYTHING goes back to 127 again.

I really, really wish I knew HOW to drag sounds into Cubase and make them play properly, but I just can't make it happen. Yes, I've read the books that come with it like a vicar reads a Bible. I know what SHOULD be happening. But when I follow the instructions, I either get no sounds at all (from any of the so-called Hallion built-in sounds) or only very, very quiet sounds (from the Windows sounds, with all the Cubase volume controls I can find on full blast). It's like trying to hear a distant radio station on an old radio set.

When I try using all the Hallion sounds, I get lots of pretty lights flashing all over the place, but no noise coming out! I really wish I knew why, I've followed the text-books, but I don't. THAT'S why I'm trying to use Music Maestro to record a few pieces. It's the only piece of software that plays ball with me right now.

Yep, pathetic, isn't it.

Yours sadly

ulrichburke.

*jumps on the bandwagon*

What you want to do is turn an existing MIDI file into an audio file?

I would, err...
Can you just import the MIDI file onto a track in Cubase and then play that?
I don't use Cubase, so in fact, I'll get off this bandwagon.

Dear Codemonkey. I would if I could make Cubase work!!

Dear Codemonkey.

The whole reason I'm doing this ridiculous Windows sound thang, is that I can't make Cubase DO anything. That's why I'm going on the course. Right now, in spite of having read all the textbooks, it just sits there, sniggers at me and won't let me use any of its sounds properly.

But the course master wants me to take in a couple of soundfiles, so I've written a couple using Windows sounds, because I can actually USE those! They're 'opeless, limited, but at least they're controllable. I just can't record them! I've got 4 programs that say 'WE RECORD EVERYTHING YOU CAN HEAR' but they only come up with empty files. That's the bit I don't understand. Presumably the people who wrote the programs tested them, so I'm assuming it's not the software's fault. I just don't know how to make my M-Audio Audiophile 2496 let them record the sounds!

Can you help?

Yours hopefully

ulrichburke

The manual is full of step by step instructions. Don't get flustered by what looks like a lot of information. Go to the index. Look up midi in the getting started manual and follow the steps. It would be best though to start from page one which explains the basic setup which you will only have to do once.

IIRs wrote: What software are you using to record the audio? I suggest you keep it simple for now and use windows sound recorder:

Start menu -> Programs -> Accessories -> Entertainment -> Sound Recorder

Now go to the Edit menu -> Audio Properties: set the Sound recording field to your soundcard's 'Monitor' output. (This is the output of the 2496's internal mixer, and is the equivalent of the 'what you hear' option on your old Soundblaster).

Does that work?

Did you try this yet?

Dear iirs

No, I didn't, because I didn't know that's what the 'what you hear' option on the Soundblaster was doing. I just knew it 'worked' and I didn't delve too deeply into WHY it was working, incase I did something stupid that made the magic STOP working, if you see what I mean!

I'll try that, and report back, and hopefully it's case closed, and if that works you're a genius!!

Thanx in anticipation,

ulrichburke

Sometimes you have to know when to say when.

It is just another tool in a sea of many tools. No , I am not talking about me.

I would figure you more for a digital home recorder in abox type personality.

You have dropped a lot of cash it would seem on many items you seemingly purchased with little understanding or platform to work from.

I would have sale day here at RO or a few other places, get rid of the frustration.

Get a stand alone digital recording box, stop the cash flow leak and ease your burden.

Trust me, it's a good start and you need a good start.

Technical support is a pain in the rear for computers, and to quote somebody who was often misquoted, "you ain't seen nothin' yet"!

To iirs and Space

Dear iirs. It's official, you ARE a genius, your idea worked fine. I've now got to spot why a soundcard that PLAYS fine develops a drunken stagger when trying to record anything, but that's a separate problem (OH GOD, DON'T LET THAT BE PART OF A WHOLE NEW THREAD FROM THIS LOSER!!!) they cry.

Dear Space - I'd never even HEARD of a standalone digital recorder until you mentioned it in your post! As you've no doubt guessed, it's the techie side of recording sound's that's causing me problems. You go onto all these different websites and they all say BUY ME - I'M THE ANSWER TO ALL YOUR PROBLEMS so you buy them and discover they answer one set of problems by bringing a whole NEW lot of their own with them. I keep looking for advice - and this is NOT about ANYONE here, it's a general comment - and you get loads of it, mostly contradictory - please nobody take offence at that statement, it's a general howl from a bombarded soul!

Anyway. I can now sorta record a couple of tracks to take into class. I'll get laughed out of court and told how to do it properly, but at least I'll have the tracks!

Thanx again, everyone. Is it OK to come back again when I hit the next bunch of problems, in class!?!

I WILL get the hang of this thing!

Yours respectfully

Chris, a.k.a. ulrichburke

Good, glad that did the trick.

As for a hardware recorder: nice idea, but it sounds like you want to be able to program MIDI parts, in which case you will really need a computer. Especially if you want to be able to use traditional musical notation? I suggest you persevere with Cubase a little longer... I taught my mum how to use it*, so anything is possible!

* Cubase VST that is. I never upgraded to any of the SX versions, so I can't give specific Cubase advice.

Re: To iirs and Space

ulrichburke wrote: your idea worked fine. I've now got to spot why a soundcard that PLAYS fine develops a drunken stagger when trying to record anything, but that's a separate problem

Actually, that doesn't sound like it worked fine..? :?

But lets not waste any time trouble shooting that method, because honestly: Cubase really is a lot better!

So, I suggest you fire up Cubase again, grab hold of the manual, and find out where the settings page that lets you set your audio drivers is to be found. When you find it, make sure that Cubase is using the "ASIO" drivers for your Audiophile card. If you don't find any in the list you need to download them from the M Audio site and install them.

Now, does Cubase have any demo projects? Open one and press play: do you hear the audio playback? Does it sound ok?

Third time's a charm? I wonder if we'll ever crack that manual.

I'm gonna get t-shirts made!

When I don't understand a word or an acronym I type it into Google or get out my dictionary.

T-shirts will read on the front: "BUY ME NOW!"

On the back:"No manual included! What did you expect for 7 dollars?"

IIRs wrote: Good, glad that did the trick.

As for a hardware recorder: nice idea, but it sounds like you want to be able to program MIDI parts, in which case you will really need a computer.

But...this would settle the user down to having to learn one piece of equipment...no more selections from tracktion or cubase or sonar, et. al.

It also introduces other complexity, like a keyboard controller with on-board sequencing.

It reduces the fiscal damage [short term] and the "BUY ME NOW" syndrome advertising and human want produce.