Voyager with external Midi expander

Niko · Post by **Niko** » Mon Feb 15, 2010 4:54 am

I would like to use a Yamaha QY10 Midi-expander together with my Voyager in order to use its polyphonic voices to feed into the audio-in of the Voyager. So I can achieve a semi-poly-Voyager (using the Voyager-keyboard as a midi-master-keyboard). This works quite o.k. already but obviously my experiences and knowledge about midi is very poor so I only have access to 9 voices of the QY10 using the function "Midi Channels" in the master mode. When I select the midi out chan. numbers I can change the sounds of the QY10 but again only 9 of the 30.
Furthermore I cannot change the sounds at the QY10 by using the QY10 voice selection function and the QY10 keys for that after I've connected the midi cable.
Can I solve this problem with a better understanding of mide or should I try a different hardware (midi controlled voice expander)?
Thank you all in advance for your help and recommendations.

jeepo · Post by **jeepo** » Mon Feb 15, 2010 2:26 pm

You may benefit from a dedicated midi controller, and yes, a better understanding of midi would make it quite a bit easier. In the yamaha manual there should be a section explaining how the synth uses which midi messages.

Niko · Post by **Niko** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 4:06 am

thanks a lot for the reply. So I'll read the manual first. It seems that QY10 does not support general midi. Anyway I'll go ahead with my research.

jeepo · Post by **jeepo** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 4:32 am

Hey Niko,

I just looked at the manual for the QY10, and it appears as though that piece of equipment is designed to be used as a sequencer, with internal voices, not really a voice expander. If you like the sounds on the QY10, I would recommend finding a similar yamaha keyboard, with out the sequencing emphasis, which likely will be more midi friendly. You may; however, prefer a sampler, due to their increased flexibility (you could even sample the QY10, witch is itself sample based, if desired).

Also, I too am a fan of the prisoner.

Niko · Post by **Niko** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 5:33 am

Hi jeepo,
many thanks for the recommendation. I actually considered already to go for a sampler. I could minimize my setup volume drastically. I still love my Crumar compacpiano, Yamaha strings, CasioVL1tone, Universum-organ, Wasp and all the other stuff I've collected over the years. Put it in one box and recall it via the Voyager sounds like a suitable idea.

And, by the way, do you have an idea where I could get a midi file from the soundtrack of The Prisoner from Ron Grainer?

I want information, information, in formation...

jeepo · Post by **jeepo** » Sat Feb 20, 2010 4:34 pm

Hey Niko,

I don't have a voyager, just a phatty, but this same problem may apply when using the voyager as a midi controller. My phatty is very sensitive to grounding issues, thus causing to the parameters to drift, when not plugged into the same outlet as the amp, I have solved this problem on the phatty by using pass through mode, but it still sends junk midi, which makes it impossible to use as a midi controller, hopefully this in not an issue with the voyager.

I do not know of any midi files for the prisoner soundtrack, sorry. If you come across one, I would, however, appreciate a link.

Niko · Post by **Niko** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 5:03 am

Hi jeepo,
I just started with my Voyager to use it with GarageBand (on Leopard) and with the Arturia MiniMoog on both Leopard and XP. It works fine with these extensions. However when I tweak the amount knob on the modulation busses section of the Voyager the monitor function at GarageBand goes into an idle mode. I use a M-Audio Midisport Uno USB/Midi interface together with a MacBook Pro. But all via the same power line. So I'm not sure whether this is a grounding issue as well or just a lack of midi-understanding I still have.

And I'm still searching for the prisoner midi file. By hook or by crook, I'll get it. And I'll let you know.

Niko · Post by **Niko** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 6:14 am

Hi jeepo,

the prisoner midi research in the meantime achieved following result:

http://www.the-prisoner-6.freeserve.co.uk/faq_01.htm

here Annie Wallace is indicated as a producer of the opening credits version of the theme. You can press the link and store the file (23 kb)
At least a start herewith.

Be seeing you!

jeepo · Post by **jeepo** » Thu Feb 25, 2010 1:02 am

The problem you are having with garage band does not sound like a grounding issue, if it was garage band would do strange things as soon as the voyager is plugged in, it is likely caused by the voyager using the same cc number as garage band uses for idle, I don't use garage band, as I run linux, and prefer hardware and a tape deck, but there may be an option to change how garage band responds to certain midi commands. This website may be helpful to you http://www.thegaragedoor.com/ it contains quite a bit of information on garage band.

Thanks for the link

Be seeing you

Niko · Post by **Niko** » Thu Feb 25, 2010 5:17 am

many thanks for the link. I originally worked with intuitive tape equipment as well. Logic actually seems to be too comprehenisve for me at the moment. So garge band looks like a good compromise in order to keep myself up to date so far as state of the art recording is concerned. But still I really like to tweak or turn knobs with an immediate response rather than accepting latency behaviours. And additionally I'm suffering on a manual dyslexia and cannot read manuals. So your link to the garage band page is very helpful. Anyway at the moment I'm not too unsatisfied with the results I get with my first attempts with midi and digital stuff. And the Voyager or the Model-D are my ancors if the bits and bytes annoys me too much.
You mentioned to use Linux. Do you have a software for recording for this operating system? I actually would like to merge midi files with real instruments.

Be seeing you

jeepo · Post by **jeepo** » Fri Feb 26, 2010 3:45 am

I do have software for recording with Linux, and all of it was free! I installed the Ubuntu Studio distribution of Linux, available here http://ubuntustudio.org/
the operating system comes pre-loaded with quite a bit of media software, I installed ubuntu studio after I had installed Ubuntu (a version of linux), and thus did not have to install the non audio programs

The way the programs work is different than with most DAWs. Each program performs a different task, and are joined together by using a program called JACK, which routes all of the audio and midi data among the programs, thus to record audio only one program is needed, but to use midi, and record audio one must use a separate program for each and another if a virtual instrument is desired, then route the information between then using JACK. many of the programs rely on JACK to operate. I have not tried using it to record, as my computer is in another room, but have tried to use some of the other programs and have not been very successful, but I have not put much time into learning how to use it, and I am not sure if my computer can handle it anyways. I have gotten the program Hydrogen to work, its a pretty cool drum machine program.

Be seeing you.

Niko · Post by **Niko** » Mon Mar 01, 2010 6:40 am

many thanks for the hints about Linux and Ubuntu. I did not had the chance to look at it but I will, hopefully soon.
This weekend I did my premiere to play with my Voyager in a session together with Peter Graef http://www.petergraef.com/index.htm , a musician who works in the field of sound healing, overtone and harmonic singing and a lot of percussion. Very Om or Aum (or as I personally would call it Ohm...).
Anyway great fun and the Voyager did a wonderful job in this environment. And Peter was fascinated by my Theremin and accompained his singing with it in a fantastic symbiosis. I hope I can extract a CD out of the recordings we've made. So your information about the recording is very welcome now.

Be seeing you