Logic Pro Questions from a Newby....

[dalgoda]

Hey all,

First of all, I went last night and purchased a complete home studio set up. I am very excited about the prospect of what I may be able to do with it using Logic Pro X.

I have a really STUPID question though. I cannot find anywhere else to ask this question. I have a Yamaha S90 and I bought a Steinberg UR22 as an audio interface.

Please can someone tell me whether to use USB midi or standard midi cables to hook the S90 up with? I would like to use both the sounds in Logic Pro and the sounds of the keyboard itself in making music.

One more stupid question. I have read in some forums that new users have issues hearing the sounds coming from the actual S90 in their monitor speakers while hooked up to the software? What could be the issue there?

I am just looking for some guidance. The only recording I have ever done was years ago in an actual studio and I was just the singer and player. 🙂 But, I am dying to begin doing my own stuff.

So, I suppose I am looking for a dummies guide to how exactly I need to hook up my S90 in conjunction with the audio interface and Logic Pro X.

Thank you so much!🙂

 

[forgetr]

MIDI cables only transmit MIDI, and the USB cable is just another way to transmit MIDI. For that, I recommend the USB cable as it simpler and only requires one cable for bi-directional MIDI.

To get the actual audio from your synth into Logic, you have to plug audio cables from the Output jacks on your synth to your interface.

 

[dalgoda]

Thanks so much for replying. So, I would connect the UR22 via USB to the computer AND the S90 via USB to the computer also? And then connect the S90 again to the UR22 interface with an audio cable?

 

[forgetr]

That is correct. If you want stereo, you'll need to connect both Left and Right outputs to the interface. If you just want mono, make sure you only connect the Left output. The Left output is Mono when it's the only audio cable connected.

If you have limited USB ports, you can of course use a USB hub, but you can also use MIDI cables to connect the S90 to the UR22. Whether or not you want two cables in that case depends on how you'll be using your synth. The functions I describe below are already available if you're using the USB cable to connect the synth to your interface.

To transmit MIDI from the S90 into Logic with a MIDI cable, connect the MIDI out on the S90 to the UR22's MIDI In port. This will allow you to use your S90 as a MIDI controller, so you can play software instruments. I'm not sure what knobs/buttons on the S90 send CC messages, but you can also assign those to parameters in Logic using the Learn window.

To transmit MIDI from Logic to the synth is a little more complicated workflow-wise, but you just connect the MIDI In port on the S90 to the MIDI Out port on the UR22. You'll need to create an external MIDI track in Logic to transmit MIDI to the synth for playback.

If you want the best of both worlds, you can use 2 MIDI cables OR the USB cable. You don't need both. What's cool is you can play your MIDI controller, record the MIDI into Logic, then make changes to that MIDI and send it back to the S90. The synth plays it and send the audio back into Logic. Once you have the routing all set up it's a really nice workflow.