Hi. I’ve asked this question a while ago, but didn’t get an answer and now I was unable to find the previous post with the search function.

So basically I want to be able to record my Motif XF into Live. Not as MIDI, but as Audio, just to be clear. I bought a Scarlett 2i4 interface. Can someone please walk me through setting up the whole thing to work ?

therottweiler - 11 October 2016 04:00 AM

Hi. I’ve asked this question a while ago, but didn’t get an answer and now I was unable to find the previous post with the search function.

Easily found by accessing your member profile and clicking on
View all posts by this member.

http://www.motifator.com/index.php/forum/viewthread/476247/

 

therottweiler -

So basically I want to be able to record my Motif XF into Live. Not as MIDI, but as Audio, just to be clear. I bought a Scarlett 2i4 interface. Can someone please walk me through setting up the whole thing to work ?

Did you follow up on the offer from meatballfulton in the earlier thread?

5pinDIN - 11 October 2016 07:38 AM

Did you follow up on the offer from meatballfulton in the earlier thread?

I did actually. He gave me his e-mail address, but hasn’t responded yet. I’ve seen in the old thread that other people have this question as well. I asked on another forum and here’s the answer someone gave me

Line out Motif>Line in Scarlett

Open your audio preferences in Live and make sure your interface is selected for Ins and Outs.
Arm audio track and hit record.

Any 1/4” cable is fine to use. TS or TRS

I’m not sure that’s the correct solution, though. To my knowledge every keyboard/synth/sequencer is a stereo instrument. Shouldn’t I enter the interface with two cable jacks somehow ?

therottweiler - 24 October 2016 12:38 PM

To my knowledge every keyboard/synth/sequencer is a stereo instrument. Shouldn’t I enter the interface with two cable jacks somehow ?

I was on vacation when you PMed me, I’ll respond to you as soon as I get the chance.

When people write things like “Motif line out to interface line in” they are assuming you understand it is stereo and you need two 1/4” cables. In fact you can buy stereo cables like
this.

therottweiler - 24 October 2016 12:38 PM

[...]
I asked on another forum and here’s the answer someone gave me

Line out Motif>Line in Scarlett

Open your audio preferences in Live and make sure your interface is selected for Ins and Outs.
Arm audio track and hit record.

Any 1/4” cable is fine to use. TS or TRS

I’m not sure that’s the correct solution, though. To my knowledge every keyboard/synth/sequencer is a stereo instrument. Shouldn’t I enter the interface with two cable jacks somehow ?

Since the XF has unbalanced outputs, cables with TS plugs (such as the type meatballfulton has shown and linked to) are preferable. They don’t necessarily have to be conjoined, however.

I took a look at the Scarlett 2i4 User Guide. I have two observations…
1) It’s not obvious whether 48 volts might be applied to the input phone connection if phantom power is turned on. To be safe and protect the XF’s output stage muting transistors against possible damage, be sure the 2i4’s phantom power is turned off while the XF is connected.
2) Apparently Focusrite doesn’t know the difference between a jack and a plug.

Hey. Back on this topic. I got two cables as meatballfulton suggested. However, I find it difficult to adjust the two gain controls on the 2i4 at the same exact level so that the sound doesn’t pan left or right. Is there a way to tackle this ?

I don’t know, like a different set up/cable or something ?

Not with the Scarlett 2i4.

I was going to suggest S/PDIF, but the Scarlett 2i4 doesn’t have an S/PDIF input.

It’s surely not that hard to balance the inputs is it?

You haven’t fallen down the rabbit hole of not setting them both exactly the same because you can hear unequally balanced audio and can see unequal metering in your DAW?

If that is the case, there’s no need.

Many sounds are unequal and the spread of sound in them varies from voice to voice, also because of where and how you play the keyboard.

For example, if you play the lower octaves of a piano sound, you’ll notice that the audio and resulting metering is often biased a bit to the left.  It’s normal.

Don’t forget that you can rebalance the faders and pan to your taste on the audio tracks after you’ve recorded them and it will of course be incrementally numbered to satisfy the most stubborn OCD.

The simplest way to balance the inputs is to use a mono XF voice as the source and carefully balance the levels using the software metering.