Hey,

I have a Motif XF6 , connected to my PC Via USB , and a UX16 midi interface.

I want to play the sounds from my Motif XF6 in Cubase 5 and FL Studio.

The key strokes are registering however I cannot hear anything.

I Understand that you need to connect something to the soundcard to hear the sounds from the Motif however I am unsure of this process.

I am using Windows 7 64 bit.

I have read through the manual however I cannot get my head around it.

Thanks in advance.

* Edit *

Please answer in full as I have been reading a lot of brief answers on other forums that have left me unsure.

MIDI make no sound. That is where we must begin. In order to hear sound, MIDI data must be directed to a tone generator. The tone generator outputs audio and it is audio that you can hear.

So no audio ever travels through a MIDI cable. MIDI is coded messages that must be turned into audio by the synth tone generator.

If you are going to record to a computer you need a way (as you said) to get audio from the Motif XF tone generator into your DAW program (Cubase, etc). For that you need an audio interface. The Motif XF can output audio in the following ways:
_ L/R main outputs (two 1/4” outputs)
_ S/PDIF digital version of the main stereo outputs
_ FW digital (16 outs/6 ins)

There are many different audio interfaces. The built-in soundcard on most computers is not usually recommended by most professional DAW software (your mileage here will vary - it depends on the software you want to use). Please check the documentation of your preferred software as to recommendations about additional hardware.

What is usually recommended is an external audio interface, specifically looking for the type of gear (synths, keyboards, drum machines, mixers, microphones, etc) that you want to connect. Additionally, an external audio interface will allow you to connect to a pair of quality monitor speakers. (Again, the typical sound system that comes standard with most computers is not usually recommended… Most people opt for an external system with good pair of studio monitors. Critical listening is always done in stereo (at least).

The XF can be an audio interface with the addition of the FW16E (FireWire Expansion board).
You can research all types of audio interfaces - it will depend on how elaborate you want to get with your musical production.

Bad_Mister - 25 June 2011 10:02 PM

MIDI make no sound. That is where we must begin. In order to hear sound, MIDI data must be directed to a tone generator. The tone generator outputs audio and it is audio that you can hear.

So no audio ever travels through a MIDI cable. MIDI is coded messages that must be turned into audio by the synth tone generator.

If you are going to record to a computer you need a way (as you said) to get audio from the Motif XF tone generator into your DAW program (Cubase, etc). For that you need an audio interface. The Motif XF can output audio in the following ways:
_ L/R main outputs (two 1/4” outputs)
_ S/PDIF digital version of the main stereo outputs
_ FW digital (16 outs/6 ins)

There are many different audio interfaces. The built-in soundcard on most computers is not usually recommended by most professional DAW software (your mileage here will vary - it depends on the software you want to use). Please check the documentation of your preferred software as to recommendations about additional hardware.

What is usually recommended is an external audio interface, specifically looking for the type of gear (synths, keyboards, drum machines, mixers, microphones, etc) that you want to connect. Additionally, an external audio interface will allow you to connect to a pair of quality monitor speakers. (Again, the typical sound system that comes standard with most computers is not usually recommended… Most people opt for an external system with good pair of studio monitors. Critical listening is always done in stereo (at least).

The XF can be an audio interface with the addition of the FW16E (FireWire Expansion board).
You can research all types of audio interfaces - it will depend on how elaborate you want to get with your musical production.

Ok thanks a lot for the help.

I am still unsure of where I need to plug into my keyboard.

This is my audio card.

http://pdfguides.com/images/uploads/Connections-Creative-Labs-70SB088600002-SoundBlaster-X-FI-Titanium.jpg

This is my amplifier

http://cambridgeaudio.com/assets/documents/740A-rear.jpg

This is the back of my keyboard.

http://www.sweetwater.com/images/closeup/xl/1600-MotifXF6_rear.jpg

What wire do I need, and where does it plug into?

It may be a stupid question but I haven’t set this kind of thing up before.

Appreciate the help!

You could hook up with the items you have and it would send you through a rather frustrating experience where you learn (the hard way) that the items that come standard on most computers are (and I’ll be polite) not quite as good as what you will need to do even modest recording with your gear.

There is an entire industry of add-on proudcts (audio interfaces, in particular). These are add-on (external) devices designed for exactly what you are proposing to do. They range from modest prices ($100) right up through the hundreds of thousands of dollars… But there are plenty in the reasonable “home studio” range.

In general, the audio hardware that comes on a computer is desgined to “playback” music. The critical demand you are getting ready to ask of your computer is that: timing is important above almost everything else.

Therefore you need a very low, low latency driver; your soundcard might have several 100 millisecond delay between you pressing start on an audio file and it beginning to play. Who cares? ... when you are just playing back - once the music starts you hardly noticed the 100ms initial pause. But you are going to be wanting to listen and play along at some point. This is where the 100 or 200 or 300ms delay with that build in soundcard is sub-standard. You cannot play along and hear yourself 100-300ms after you press a key.

Determined by the recommendations of the software you are attempting to run, you should make sure you are using hardware that features low latency drivers (20ms and lower).

Using non-recommended hardware is not going to give you a good initial experience. All you will learn is WHY there is a whole small industry of audio devices for music recording with computers. So read carefullly the specifications of your software - contact the makers to get assistance and recommendations on what they recommend. Go to presentations on how to get started. If you ever attend a software presentation - make note of what they use to show their product. Use less at your own peril :-)

I highly recommend you do some basic research. Run, do not walk to get a hold of the following resource:

http://www.soundonsound.com/news?NewsID=13855