Setup help CbB--> Roland Integra7

[Chaotica]

So, I use CbB (having come from many earlier Sonar iterations, even before it was called Sonar) - SoftSynths/VSTs/Soundfonts etc

Have been successfully sending my midi to the Integra7 over USB and outing it to speakers.  No problem.   Great for hearing my music BUT cannot figure how to export/bounce/convert my Midi, currently trapped in my I7, to audio/mp3.    Have tried all manner of arming/recording then solo/select all, hit record on  single audio track....nothing, flatline.  No signal.

Not even sure if this is hardware or software issue, setup, routing, cabling, techno ignorance.  What am I doing wrong?  How do I do this? 

Please help - I've spent SO long reading forums/youtube etc.  Am losing all hair and the will to live. ☹️

Any pointers , clues gratefully accepted.

 

[msmcleod]

As the Integra7 is an external device, you need to:

1. Connect the audio out of the Integra7  to an audio in on your audio interface,
2. Create an audio track and arm it, setting up the relevant input device
3. Record your project

Depending on how many tracks you have routed to the Integra7, you may want to do this a track at a time - i.e. solo each track one by one and record to a separate audio track.

The upside of using this approach is that once recorded, you no longer need your Integra7 plugged in as you have the audio. The downside is you need to repeat this every time you edit one of your MIDI tracks.

An alternative approach would be to leave the processing of your Integra7 outside of your DAW by using an external mixer. This is more convenient during writing/tracking, but forces you to mix out of the box.

My advice would be to only record your Integra7 as audio when you're 100% sure you've no more changes to do.

There is however a third approach.... if you have multiple audio inputs on audio interface, you could:

1. Connect the separate outputs from your Integra7 to the audio inputs on your audio interface.
2. Create 8 audio tracks, for each of the outputs of your Integra 7 (setting them to the relevant audio input device)
3. Make sure they have echo enabled on each track.

You can then continue to use the audio from the Integra7, but add effects/automation to the audio tracks in Cakewalk.


 

[David Baay]

4th approach (or maybe just expanding on the 1st approach described above):

- Set up just one audio track to  record and echo the stereo output of the synth connected to one pair of inuts to your interface (preferably always available)

- Shift+Solo (override) that audio track so that it won't be muted by soloing MIDI tracks that drive it or other audio tracks in the project.

-  Create a MIDI track for each channel of the synth that you want to use with output channel assigned accordingly.

- Do a rough mix of the parts using MIDI track volume, panning and controllers as needed.

- When satisfied with that rough mix and the arrangement, solo each MIDI track in turn, and Bounce to Tracks with Fast Bounce disabled, and Audible Bounce and Live Input enabled in the bounce dialog, specifying a new target track for each part.

- Archive bounced MIDI tracks as you go, and when you're done, disable input echo on the audio track so you're not adding to the noise floor of your mix with his from the idling synth.

- When using a hardware synth for drums, you can put all the MIDI parts for each kit piece in lanes of a single track, and solo lanes when bouncing those parts to get multitrack audio.

One thing to keep in mind: For any parts that are really low in the mix, you might want to make note of the audio live level of the soloed part, temporarily raise the MIDI volume up to get a better signal to noise ratio out of the synth while bouncing, and then take the level of the audio track back down after bouncing using its Input Gain or Volume controls.  This will help to minimize the effect of  summing of noise floors from all the separate bounces. This would also be a reason to consider doing all the drum mixing with MIDI, and recording a single drum audio track.

 

[Chaotica]

22 hours ago, msmcleod said:

As the Integra7 is an external device, you need to:

1. Connect the audio out of the Integra7  to an audio in on your audio interface,
2. Create an audio track and arm it, setting up the relevant input device
3. Record your project

Depending on how many tracks you have routed to the Integra7, you may want to do this a track at a time - i.e. solo each track one by one and record to a separate audio track.

The upside of using this approach is that once recorded, you no longer need your Integra7 plugged in as you have the audio. The downside is you need to repeat this every time you edit one of your MIDI tracks.

An alternative approach would be to leave the processing of your Integra7 outside of your DAW by using an external mixer. This is more convenient during writing/tracking, but forces you to mix out of the box.

My advice would be to only record your Integra7 as audio when you're 100% sure you've no more changes to do.

There is however a third approach.... if you have multiple audio inputs on audio interface, you could:

1. Connect the separate outputs from your Integra7 to the audio inputs on your audio interface.
2. Create 8 audio tracks, for each of the outputs of your Integra 7 (setting them to the relevant audio input device)
3. Make sure they have echo enabled on each track.

You can then continue to use the audio from the Integra7, but add effects/automation to the audio tracks in Cakewalk.


 

Thanks for swift response.

That all seems overly complex ,  counter-productive and deconstructionist.  My song is complete and 'good to go'.  I really don't want to be breaking it down into its component tracks - it's like restoring a classic car in your garage then finding  you have to remove all the panels to get it out again.

I'm not using an interface - it's a very simple setup. PC-->(USB)-->Integra-->Monitors/Headphones.  I do, however, have a Focusrite 2i4 that I have tried to use but couldn't figure out how to connect it.  I 'usb'd the 2i4 to my PC but stumbled trying to connect the Integra to the interface.  I think that is your solution #1 and seems to be what I'm trying to do without success .   Audio out to Audio in (1/4 jack, front panel) seems the only option but didn't work.  Would I also need a combo of Midi out to Midi in?  I'm getting really confused.  I realise this is really a hardware question and not much to do with Cakewalk so, sorry -  but the Roland forums are unavailable to me.  

I just need to route my Integra7 audio out, back to my PC somehow to record what I hear. 

Edited April 23, 2020 by Blank