Recording question for DGX660

[Beckiesu]

Hello all, this is my first time posting here though I have enjoyed lurking around for a little while.
I recently upgraded my Casio keyboard to the Yamaha DGX660 portable grand. I am really happy with my new toy!
My question is in regard to recording. I have followed the instructions and can record a simple User song. The problem starts when I have created an arrangement using the registration memory. Numbers 1-3 work fine as set, but when I change to #4 the Auto Fill to B accompaniment reverts to A, the Tempo also resets to the default which is much slower than the rest of the arrangement.
Anyone have any idea of what I am doing wrong?
Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[SeaGtGruff]

The Style Number, Style Main Variation, and Style Tempo are saved in the Registration, so when you're creating a setup that you want to save to a Registration you need to be careful to check that everything is the way you want it before you save.

If you've already saved a Registration and it's mostly correct, the easiest way to fix it is to recall it, then change the specific settings that didn't get saved the way you'd intended, and then re-save the Registration with the corrected settings.

 

[Beckiesu]

That is what is so frustrating. I have everything in the registration the way that I want it. I can play the arrangement and switch through the registration numbers with no problem. But if I hit record the #4 changes. Pulling my hair out! Lol!

 

[SeaGtGruff]

On page 51 of the Owner's Manual it says that "Style settings are not available for Registration Memory when using the Song/Audio features." I wonder if that's what is causing the strange behavior?

Also, on page 45 there's a list of "Data that cannot be changed during the Song recording," which includes "Style Number, ACMP ON/OFF, Smart Chord setting, Style Volume, Chord Fingering, Touch Response, Time Signature."

 

[Beckiesu]

Here is what I have finally figured out. When recording a User Song using the Keyboard recording system, all settings in the registration memory hold ( voice, split style) except for the accompaniment changes in the arrangement. Normal/Variation. I am able to manually change to the variation while playing and recording. I am just not fast enough to hit the registration key and variation key to make the arrangement flow as it should.
The good news is that I can record my arrangement using a Flash Drive and by recording to Audio. Yay! I can switch thru all of the registration memories and everything records just as I am playing. I can playback the recording from the keyboard or download to my computer and playback using Windows media or the Groove music app.
My next challenge will be to figure out the Midi recording from Keyboard to computer and learning how to use a software program but in the meantime I am just going to enjoy playing and recording my songs!

 

[happyrat1]

I'll reaffirm the value of using a computer to sequence your MIDI files instead of futzing around with a 5 inch screen on a workstation.

Computerized MIDI sequencing offers far more flexibility in creating and editing MIDI files, allowing you to control multiple MIDI as well as Virtual instruments as well as even sampling WAV files into your end product.

Personally I've been using Cakewalk products for the past 20 years and I can attest that they are very polished, reliable and loaded with professional features even on their budget programs like Music Creator.

Here's a few Youtube tutorials to help you get started and my advice would be to stop wasting your time on the Keyboard sequencer and start using software as soon as possible.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sequencing+midi+with+cakewalk+music+creator

Gary

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Using the keyboard itself to record (if the keyboard has a feature for recording) can be the easiest way to record. EDIT: I should probably mention that I'm talking about recording a fairly simple song that doesn't need a lot of multi-tracking and then editing the tracks and notes to get things "just right."

But as Gary said, a DAW (computer program for recording and editing audio or MIDI files) is the best way to record as far as flexibility and power. A lot of people are intimidated by the very idea of using a DAW-- even looking at the screen display of a typical DAW can be scary enough to make someone who's never used a DAW want to hide behind the couch! But most DAWs are actually pretty easy to use, and there are a number of free DAWs available, so you don't have to spend any money to dip your toe into the waters.

If you're able to accomplish what you want using just the keyboard, then by all means continue to do so. But don't be afraid to download and install a free DAW so you can tinker around with it every so often, and before long you might find yourself swimming along nicely.

 

[Beckiesu]

Any suggestions for a beginner friendly, free or inexpensive DAW?

 

[happyrat1]

Cakewalk Music Creator 6, $39.95 from Amazon. All products from Cakewalk generate interchangeable files with full legacy support for every older filetype and INS (Instrument Definitions Files) are the simplest and most universal easiest to find out of all the DAW's I've worked with. They are an industry standard.

http://www.amazon.com/Cakewalk-10-CWMC6-00-10C-Music-Creator-6/dp/B004TO9M5W

Cakewalk also released a full series of video tutorials on how to use it and actively support the product in their user forums.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=music+creator+6+tutorials

http://forum.cakewalk.com/

$40 ain't no big expense when you've already sunk over a grand into your MIDI gear.

Or a Shareware Sequencer which never expires but requires a totally different learning curve, Reaper.

Youtube tutorials are available and it nags you to purchase a license key everytime you boot it up but as I said the evaluation period never expires.

http://www.reaper.fm/

I personally find reaper is better suited for working with soft synths than MIDI devices.

There is also Freeware Anvil Studio which requires you to purchase add on modules to increase functionality such as allowing VSTi plugins or for printing scores or for recording audio tracks.

Personally I find it very primitive and do not recommend it.

Gary

 

[Beckiesu]

I checked that out. Looked so complicated to me! lol. Thanks for your help. I will do some more studying on it.

 

[happyrat1]

It's really not all that complicated.

Step 1) Plug in the DGX with the USB cable and Install the software.

Step 2) Configure the DGX to be your input and output device from the Tools MIDI Devices Menu.

Step 3) Setup the instrument definitions for your DGX so that you have access to all the hundreds of wonderful voices.

Step 4) You're good to go. Create a track (up to 16 of them) and arm it for recording and use the record and playback buttons just like a multitrack tape recorder to start recording and layering tracks.

Step 5) Swap out voices or virtual instruments for different tracks to hear variations on your recordings, arm multiple tracks simultaneously to create lush multiinstrumental layers and edit in score mode or piano roll mode to correct or remove accidentals note by note.

Really the sky's the limit with these things. It can be as simple or as complicated as you need it to be.

Have fun

Gary

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Anvil Studio, which Gary mentioned, is free for the basic version, but has add-ons which must be purchased if you want them.

PreSonus Studio One is a commercial DAW that has a free version called Studio One Prime (the previous free version was called Studio One Free). The free version is very similar to the paid versions but has fewer features, although it's still great for recording both MIDI and audio-- where it's mainly lacking in comparison to the paid versions is in the virtual instruments, but you don't need those anyway if you're going to be recording your keyboard.

Tracktion is another commercial DAW that has a free version, Tracktion T4. It's an older version, as opposed to a current version with decreased features. The newer versions are T5, T6, and T7, and they're all very affordable compared to other commercial DAWs. Tracktion T5 is only $30, and you can actually get it free if you buy a Behringer U-Control UCA-222 audio interface, which costs $30-- so depending on how you look at it, you're either buying Traction T5 for $30 and getting the UCA-222 for free, or vice versa.

There are other free DAWs, but these days the one I usually recommend is PreSonus Studio One Prime.

Just about any DAW is going to look rather intimidating at first glance to someone who's never used a DAW before-- or even at second, third, and fourth glance! I had Ableton Live Lite installed on my computer literally for years before I ever tried to actually use it, because each time I'd start it up with the intention of learning it I'd get so overwhelmed by its screen display that I didn't know what to click on first, so I'd just shut it down and go running to SynthFont-- which isn't even a proper DAW, but more of a MIDI sequencer and soundfont player. But I'd gotten Ableton Live Lite for free with a MIDI keyboard controller I'd bought, so every few months I'd start it up again with the intention of learning it, only to run away from it again! It literally took signing up for a free online course with Coursera called "An Introduction to Ableton Live" before I began using it, and then I was embarrassed to find out just how easy it is to use.

My favorite DAW at the moment is Acoustica Mixcraft Pro Studio 7, but it isn't free. It's my favorite because it's very easy to use and it's the first DAW I ever bought (I got Ableton Live Lite before Mixcraft, but I don't count it as a "purchased" DAW since it came bundled with a MIDI keyboard controller), hence I actually started learning to use Mixcraft on my own because I felt I ought to do so given that I'd spent my money on it, so I have more experience using it than any other DAW. The fact that it's easy to use also helps, of course. For instance, it's ridiculously easy to create multiple splits and layers on a keyboard using Mixcraft.

But at present Mixcraft doesn't let you work with SysEx commands-- that's rumored to be coming in a future version, although the person who I heard that from doesn't work for Acoustica so I don't how accurate the rumor is-- whereas PreSonus Studio One does allow SysEx commands, so that (and the fact that it's free) is why I usually recommend starting with PreSonus Studio One Prime.

I should probably mention that SysEx commands are something you might not even need to get into, but if you ever start getting into controlling your keyboard with MIDI then eventually you'll want to use at least a few SysEx commands, so it's a good idea to get a DAW that can handle SysEx commands. "SysEx" is an abbreviation for "System Exclusive," and basically SysEx commands are non-standard MIDI commands which are specific to a particular manufacturer and their keyboards-- e.g., Yamaha has their own set of SysEx commands, whereas Casio and Korg and Roland, etc., have their own sets of SysEx commands. There are also a few "universal" SysEx commands which are not unique to any particular manufacturer. Yamaha uses SysEx commands for (among other things) selecting the type of Reverb, Chorus, and DSP Effect that you want to use-- so if you get a DAW that doesn't work with SysEx commands then you won't be able to send messages from the DAW to your DGX-660 to tell it which type of Reverb or Chorus or DSP Effect you want it to use. Also, if you're recording a song in MIDI, the DAW will filter out any SysEx commands, so that means the MIDI messages for selecting the Reverb, Chorus, and DSP Effect types won't get recorded.

 

[Rayblewit]

G'day!
I am having frustrations too like beckisu. I can't get any satisfaction with my Yamaha registration memory. So thanks to gary and seagtgruf reading your recomendations i now realise it is time for me to buy or test drive a DAW.
So maybe i will look ar reaper.
Thanks for your guidance.

 

[Rayblewit]

I just downloaded reaper. Now can i copy it to small laptop or ipad and connect it to my keyboard isolated from my main computer? Do i need wifi to stay connected to the net or can i run it without the net?

 

[happyrat1]

First of all I wasn't even aware that Reaper had an Apple version.

Secondly, I can't say whether or not it requires a Wifi Connection because I always ran it under Linux with networking enabled. Like I said it just gives you an evaluation nag forever. On my laptop I'm currently on day 1503 of my evaluation period.

Lastly I'll give you a heads up on importing MIDI files.

Reaper loads and saves files in it's own format but it can easily export as MIDI as well. Importing a MIDI however can drive you insane if you don't know the trick. What you have to do is open Windows explorer or whatever file manager you are using and drag and drop the MIDI file onto a track in order to import it.

Reaper also works with standard VSTi plugins and I'm not 100% sure on this but I believe it can also import Cakewalk INS Instrument Definitions Files to use with your MIDI instrument but I only use it with a dumb controller and VSTi's so I'm not 100% certain about that. Either way you'll still have to set up your DGX as a MIDI input and output device in your config menus.

Gary

 

[Rayblewit]

Okay thanks. Btw when i said ipad i really mean to say an android pad of some kind. Not apple.
Also my kb is a psr s not dgx.
Thanks for all your help. I will shuffle through the muddle now.

 

[happyrat1]

Look up some youtubes on "Reaper Tutorials".

Bar none that will be the quickest and easiest way to get yourself up to speed.

If you have any more questions I will do my best to answer them but I can only answer stuff that I've encountered with my own setup.

Lastly, there are NO decent sequencers for Android Tablets. They lack both the necessary low latency hardware as well as the software driver capabilities necessary for MIDI communication.

That's why Apple sells so many iPhones and iPads to musicians

Gary

 

[leealsing]

Hello all, this is my first time posting here though I have enjoyed lurking around for a little while.
I recently upgraded my Casio keyboard to the Yamaha DGX660 portable grand. I am really happy with my new toy!
My question is in regard to recording. I have followed the instructions and can record a simple User song. The problem starts when I have created an arrangement using the registration memory. Numbers 1-3 work fine as set, but when I change to #4 the Auto Fill to B accompaniment reverts to A, the Tempo also resets to the default which is much slower than the rest of the arrangement.
Anyone have any idea of what I am doing wrong?
Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[leealsing]

hi Beckiesu - I just got my DGX 660 yesterday and am at a total loss at what to do next. I am looking for a DAW myself -

 

[SeaGtGruff]

What OS are you on?