Can I use my Roland VA-76 ARRANGER as a midi controller in Cakewalk Sonar 6 or do I have to buy one of these.. http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Keystation61es-main.html

thank you

[This message has been edited by claudiu (edited 07-17-2007).]

You can use your VA-76

for midi i connect it with the USB midi-sport cable from m-audio, i set the midi in and midi out, and when i try to record a midi track, i press a note on my keyboard and it has these weird echoes to it. i don't know what to do..i turned the local parts in my keyboard OFF, and it still does it.
please help me

turn off "always echo midi track" in options-global.
dennis

Miden i did that, and now i don't get sound at all and the little light doesn't lit when i press the keys on the keyboard.
As soon as i select the echo thing under Options > Global, i have sound and the echo is still present.

the echo i get: I press the C key and after i press it several times i also get a sound like i'm pressing the same note 5 octaves downwards.
and if i play several notes some sound, and some don't.

i don't know what to do

Have you tried taking "local" off on your VA 76?

are you recording a midi track or and audio track? ie are you trying to capture the audio from the va76, or just the midi data as you are playing it?
dennis

MIDI. I am trying to record MIDI. i can't record audio.

try having just the midi out from your keyboard connected to your PC, ie NO midi in to the va76 (remove the cable) then set local on on the keyboard and see what happens then....

i pulled out the midi in cable. now there's only the midi out cable in my keyboard and the usb in the compuuter. i go into Cakewalk Sonar, insert a midi track, i press keys on the keyboard [ the local parts are ON because if i turn them off i have no sound ], everything sounds good, no echo. i arm for recording, i record, Don't hear the metronome, and when i play back, i don't have sound in my headphones which are connected to the keyboard. i connected my headphones to the computer and played back, and still no sound.

to have sonar playback the midi file you would need to re-connect the out cable...when you have done this,play the midi data you have recorded (or any midi file really!!) does it still play with the echo? if not then the problem lies with the midi setup on the va76..if it does then re-check your midi on sonar (and the va76!!)....i have mine setup as previously mentioned...midi in/out to the keyboard (sd1+) local off,and "always echo midi" in sonar off as well....
dennis

I only have the MIDI OUT cable connected to my roland now. I go into sonar, i turn the Local Parts OFF in my roland and i have no sound. i Turn the Local Parts ON, and i have sound. I arm for record, i don't have any control because i can't hear the metronome from Sonar .. but i record, i have NO echo ( yay.. )..and i stop. playback, no sound. Pull the midi out cable from my roland, reconnect it, no sound when i playback.I connect the MIDI IN to my roland too, i playback, It DOES play back but with echo, and some notes aren't played..and it's just not right. I don't know what else to do

claudiu,
no need to do it so complicated for yourself.

try to consider midi setup as mathematicaly as you can. after that you'll get to the music part too!
but more than anything, midi is about technically setting things right.
but with sonar is particulary easy to do that, because you have 16 channels available for each track, for midi in and for midi out. this way you can record all 16 track (accompaniment and others) at once, from your keyboard, for instance.

anyway... if you read carefully the help section of you sonar, it would make things easier.
and here it is the best site IMO for clearing the things up.
http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm

okay claudio, i understand your pain!! go back to your original setup...PC midi out to VA76 midi in and va76 midi out to PC midi in...turn local on, on the VA76 and ensure that in sonar all midi echo/thru is disabled..its a basic midi setup but it should work assuming everything on the va76 is setup correctly (and you are getting some sound so someting is working!!)..result? you will hear what you are playing on your va76 (assuming the audio outs from it are connected to the mixer and speakers) and sonar will record midi notes coming in, and then after recording make sure you turn off the "R" on the midi track just recorded should then replay back okay...
dennis

[This message has been edited by miden (edited 07-19-2007).]

no miden..doesn't work..plus, that's kinda ghetto..pulling out the midi out cable and putting it back in every time i try to playback my recording. I'm so disappointed in me.

1. I have this: http://www.muzoborudovanie.ru/equip/studio/homekeyb/pict/rolandva76.jpg

2. I have this: http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/shop_image/product/6e9de0d0b7eb78c0f3cc4763d051aa98.jpg

3. I have this: http://rekkerd.org/img/articles/cakewalk_SONAR6_Producer_Box.jpg


please...again, tell me how to set them up..in order for me to record.

claudio, read my previous post...one other thing, make sure that midi TX + RX are also activated on the va76

What an excellent site...Thank you ver much

yes, i was on that website, it doesn't help my much. it doesn't explain me what to do on the ROLAND in particular. It just gives me the general idea of connecting the keyboard to the pc. I think the keyboard is the problem. Something in there doesn't allow me to do what i want to do and i don't know what it is.

and yes miden, RX and TX are on ...

hi claudiu,
what i described is a "bog standard" midi setup..if its not workig for you, either there is a serious fault with your keyboard (doubtful) or a user error somewhere in the chain..sorry but thats about the only 2 things i can come up with...i have been using midi since 1985 and it ALWAYS works the same...you can get more in depth and complicated setups with additional modules and controllers, but with just a PC, midi interface and a keyboard it doesn't get much simpler..(and roland have a VERY GOOD midi implementation btw).....please do not read this as a criticism of you personally, it is not that..just something is goofing somewhere and without being able to physically look at your setup, about all i can do is give the standard general setup info...good luck in getting your system working...
regards,
dennis