Complete Novice, very confused, please help :-)

daffodil · October 20, 2013, 1:29pm

Hi

I have Windows 7 Ultimate (64 bit), a Casio HT-3000 keyboard, Audacity 2.0.3 and a Roland UM-1 Midi-USB cable. (I know my equipment is a bit dated).

I have watched tutorials on YouTube on how to use Audacity and I think I’m ok there (well I can pick it up), I’ve installed my UM-1 Midi-USB lead and it shows in device manager under Sound Devices.

I cannot tho, get my keyboard to work with Audacity. I have done a google search and people are saying that midi is not audio and that’s why it wont work but I do not understand what they mean by this. What then is this Midi-USB cable for exactly??? and what do I need instead to make my keyboard playing record onto my computer hard drive via Audacity.

Argh… please help. In beginner words please, I am a complete newbie to all this.

steve · October 20, 2013, 1:32pm

MIDI is not sound - it is just instructions about “note data” and similar, for use with keyboards, synthesizers, MODI sequencers and so on. Audacity cannot record MIDI.
Please see here: http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/faq_recording_troubleshooting.html#keyboards

daffodil · October 20, 2013, 1:48pm

ah, great link, thank you.

so basically i need a lead with 2x6.5mm jack on one end (my keyboard has line out L & R on the back) and a 3.5mm jack on the other end to go into the blue port on my computer’s sound card, yes? Do you have any idea what one of these is called please, so I can search for one online?

(I think some software I had some years ago needed the MIDI-USB lead - is it dependent on the software you’re using?)

daffodil · October 20, 2013, 3:30pm

found a lead and ordered it - thanks for help

kozikowski · October 21, 2013, 1:09am

The blue connection on a normal soundcard is the Stereo Line-In.

http://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/pix/soundCardFinal2.jpg

But it doesn’t have to be. We had a run of bogus soundcards that scrambled the colours, I don’t know, because the manufacturer thought it looked cool? It drove us nuts not only until we figured out the damage that the cards were doing, but where in hundreds of company PCs we put them.

Koz