Hi everyone,

This is my first post - we'd be really grateful if anyone out there could help us!

We've got Logic Pro 7 and don't think the EXS24 conventional instruments are anywhere near as good as the ones we left behind in Logic 4 (piano, harp etc.). We prefer the sounds on our ancient Yamaha SY77 keyboard!

I've tried for hours to get the SY77 to talk to Logic via midi so I can use it as a midi sound module. I've created a multi instrument you can access in the Arrange window, and when I choose it and play a melody the midi out registers in the transport window. The SY77 is shown in the channel strip as 'plugged into port 1' of our Firebox (detected automatically). According to manuals and other information I can find I should be able to hear sounds from the SY77 when choosing it as an instrument.

I've even tried the new function of selecting it as an external midi device and plugging audio back into the front of the Firebox. Still no sound. The Firebox works fine otherwise.

Am I trying the impossible or missing something simple?

Thankyou for any input,

Tracey

Hi there, forgive if I am stating the obvious but even if you have the midi set up right, you won't hear the keyboard through Logic, if Logic send out midi to the keyboard you keyboard should make a noise, but unles you have the audio out from your keyboard coming in to Logic you won't hear it through Logic. Can you hear anything if you plug headphones directly into the keyboard? Midi is just information to tell the keyboard to make a noise, it doesn't contain audio.

Please ignore this post if I am stating the obvious, but sometimes it is worth starting at a basic level. I am afraid I am not really the one to ask for detailed help on midi, but there is a set up assistant in Logic, that if you plug your midi leads from interface to SY77, and back, might detect it and set it all up for you? It did with my CS1x.

Also the sounds in Logic can be really good, sometimes you might want to add effects to them, I imagine a lot of the ounds in the SY77 have reverb and stuff on them, so that could be why they sound better?

Good luck.
Minskybabs.

Hi Minskybabs,

Thankyou so much for your suggestion - I plugged headphones into the SY77 and it talked to me! I then tried plugging the audio back into the Firebox again and this time remembered to put an audio track in recording mode (doh!) and the sound came through loud and clear!

Now I can hear what's going on I've been able to name all the voices on the multi instrument and can hear that the computer IS dictating the sounds on the SY77. I swear the keyboard display wasn't changing before but all of a sudden it's being controlled by the computer - everything's suddenly clicked!

I think I was expecting to leave it all in midi rather than convert it to audio but you're right - I was getting confused. Being able to get the midi melodies spot on and then let the keyboard put them into the audio tracks automatically is priceless.

I think I was disappointed with the piano and woodwind noises mostly in Logic 7 - Logic 4 has a great piano sound and nice panflute etc., and I think the strings sound worse! I'll try some effects to improve them.

Thanks again,

Tracey

There is a ton of 3rd party EXS libraries available, all of the Logic instruments including the EXS24 are programmable, be adventerous create your OWN sound banks. The included sound banks are just a starting point.

Thanks gdoubleyou,

We're looking into that - we spoke to a music creative at an Apple store yesterday and he recommended the best ones for real instruments (violin etc.) that are EXS24 compatible. He recommended Vienna Symphonic library which looks fantastic so we're saving up for just the violin one... Otherwise East West Symphonic Orchestra from Turnkey (we always get bewildered when we go to their samples department)

We're still getting used to Logic 7 from 4 but must be more experimental! We had fun creating our own voices in 4.

Tracey