MIDI contains NO AUDIO. MIDI is just digital control data that tells a device what note to play, how long to play it, ect... MIDI must be mapped to trigger something that has sounds such as a VST instrument, wavetable or an external MIDI sound module.

yea i can see this now- but the real question is- hwo can i monitor the MIDI through my speakers?

i know it is possible as i have seen it done at other home studios?- do their monitors have MIDI in then?

so how can i do this?

!!!!

midi is midi (midi is key comamands .... like a text file)

audio is audio

Speakers respond to an amplified audio signal ... some speakers are active(amped) and respond directly to the audio signal

Midi keyboards or sound modules respond to midi signals and THEY MAKE the audio which is then directed to the speakers

yes there are software sound modules (Soft Synths) which can work completely inside your DAW.

midi channel assigned to Soft Synth assigned to audio channel and then output

Here's the way it works. Midi data must be sent to some sort of device to convert the midi data to audio data.

You should also have the Midi out of the Tascam hooked up to the Midi in on the keyboard.

When you play your keyboard it produces both audio and midi data. You are recording the midi data into your DAW.

I'm assuming you want that recorded midi data to play back the sounds from your keyboard. If that is the case you need to route your recorded midi data to the midi out port and have it send on a specific midi channel. Then you need to set up your keyboard to receive midi on that channel.

Now if you want your midi data to control a plug in or some other device, you need to route your recorded midi data to that plug in or device and make sure the plug-in or device is set up to receive that midi data.

Brief midi crash course:

Midi is control data. Midi data consists of things like note on and note off commands. When recorded you are recording what note was played when the note started, when it stopped. Other data can also recorded like the velocity of the note pitch bend or modulation. So a midi track is basically a bunch of data consisting of note on and note off data. You can send that data to any instrument that accepts midi data and have that instrument play back the notes you recorded.

I have carried this file on my web site for many years

http://www.diyfactory.com/data/midibasics.pdf

the original Roland Midi Basics booklet

thanks for that- i understand the separations of audio and midi now - kind of like analog/digital eh?

anyway- lets get this straight-

-If I am wanting to record and monitor midi using just the keyboard i need an extra midid cable than i already have(right now- there is one from keyboard out to tascam in- so i need also one from tascam out to keyboard)

- or i can use just the one i have now but use also a soft synth/plug-in

is gigastudio a soft synth?? it came bundled with the tascam and i havent used it yet......................

You don't need another cord. You need to have the midi from the keyboard triggering something (softsynth) then you monitor the softsynth outputs.

Keyboard --midi--> Softsynth ---audio---> Speakers

oh ok, thats cool.

so what are some free "soft synths"?

and is gigastudio a soft synth?