Boss DR-770 and Reaper Problem. Help! Video Included

SenatorUppercut · 06-30-2012, 08:12 PM

So I am a super newbie at all this. I'm trying to connect my Boss DR-770 drum machine to reaper using custom drum kits I made on the machine. I'm such a newbie I won't bother trying to type out the issue and sound like an idiot so I just recorded a quick video of the issue. If you have a few minutes I would greatly appreciate some feedback.

*Also I didn't note in the video but when I plug my headphones into the drum machine, that is the drum kit I am wanting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei_rfLgiygM

Thanks so much.

SenatorUppercut · 06-30-2012, 08:20 PM

So I am a super newbie at all this. I'm trying to connect my Boss DR-770 drum machine to reaper using custom drum kits I made on the machine. I'm such a newbie I won't bother trying to type out the issue and sound like an idiot so I just recorded a quick video of the issue. If you have a few minutes I would greatly appreciate some feedback.

*Also I didn't note in the video but when I plug my headphones into the drum machine, that is the drum kit I am wanting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei_rfLgiygM

Thanks so much.

barefaced · 07-01-2012, 01:29 AM

Hi,

I have seen your video because I have a Boss DR 550 still running together with reaper without any problems.

I think, you have to connect the Audio output of your DR 770 with an audio input of your sound card or into your mixing console (you hear the rigth signal through your headphone, so it should be also hearable through the audio out),

About the piano:
If you press a button on the drum kit, a midi signal is sended to your Mac. Within the Mac the midi input is connected with a piano instrument (General MIdi I think), so you hear out of your computer speaker a piano, if you hit a key on your drum kit.

Best regards ...

mrelwood · 07-01-2012, 05:24 AM

I'll try to be as clear and straight forward as I can. There is a very basic thing about MIDI you need to understand:

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Midi doesn't sound like anything. Midi is only controller data, and it only has information such as "Play note A4 at velocity 105". Midi does not contain anything to listen to.

The drum machine outputs sound (analog audio) to your headphones. A midi cable does not transfer any sounds or audio. The sounds you are listening to in headphones are created in the drum machine, from the Midi information generated by the drum pads.
-----------------

When you connect the Midi cables as you do, you are only transferring the Midi information to the computer. In order for Midi to make a sound, it has to have an instrument (VSTi, AUi) that generates sounds from the Midi information. That is the same process your drum machine makes. The instruments you are using in Reaper are not the same instruments you have in the drum machine. Therefore they sound different.

Here's what you could do:
- Instead of the Midi cables, connect an audio cable from the drum machine line outs to your sound card line ins. Now you can record the Drum Machine sounds in audio.
- If you want to record Midi (and modify the played notes, tempo, etc), you can set up both Midi and audio cables, record Midi to Reaper, and send the Midi from Reaper to the drum machine. Now the drum machine will play sounds from the Midi information coming from Reaper instead of the Midi information from the drum pads. But you still have to listen to the sounds at the drum machine analog output, either with headphones or line out.

Please ask if I wasn't able to be clear enough.

Edit: To my understanding the Midi dump you did only transfers information such as "Set the instrument to number 10, set the pitch to +2" etc. That is all Midi data, no sound, no audio.

SenatorUppercut · 07-01-2012, 09:42 AM

Thanks so much for the help guys.

One question for mrelwood. When you say:

"- If you want to record Midi (and modify the played notes, tempo, etc), you can set up both Midi and audio cables, record Midi to Reaper, and send the Midi from Reaper to the drum machine. Now the drum machine will play sounds from the Midi information coming from Reaper instead of the Midi information from the drum pads. But you still have to listen to the sounds at the drum machine analog output, either with headphones or line out."

I connect an audio cable to my line out on my computer and then also connect my midi cables to the usb converter. I can hear the drum machine through my speakers if I choose Input1/Input2 however nothing when I select the midi device as the input. What do you mean when you say send the midi from reaper to the drum machine?

Thanks again all.

mrelwood · 07-01-2012, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SenatorUppercut

I connect an audio cable to my line out on my computer

Don't do that. The cable goes from drum machine line OUT to sound card line IN. Not from out to out. Think of the cables as water pipes. Output gives out water, input takes it in.

Quote:

however nothing when I select the midi device as the input.

That's because, again, Midi has no sound, there is nothing to hear in Midi.

Quote:

What do you mean when you say send the midi from reaper to the drum machine?

In that situation Reaper plays Midi on a track, the Midi track output is sent to the soundcard Midi output, of which it goes to the Midi cable, and goes in the drum machine Midi input. Drum machine plays the drum sounds in a way that the Midi information tells it to, and only then gives the actual SOUND to drum machine line OUT (and headphones) connectors.

But that might not be what you want to do, I don't know. The first situation is ofcourse the simpliest: You don't use any Midi cables, just record the same audio you listen to with headphones, from the line outputs of the drum machine.