Multitimbral Synth as External MIDI Instr. - double Notes

[pummelfee]

I want to use a multitimbral Synth with its 16 channels as xternal MIDI instrument and as the main controller keyboard. In this setup the Roland synth should be the only sound source, no virtual instruments involved so far.

When i play a note, i hear this note twice at the same time. It's an interisting echo/flanger effect but this is definetely not what i want.

I think it's sort of a "soft MIDI true" function in Reason. How can i get rid of this?

[Delora Software]

What is happening is that your synth is indeed receiving two notes every time you press a key. The first is the local note itself, the second is from Reason. Reason sends MIDI events from all of the active controllers to the whichever synth is assigned to the active sequencer track. So when your Roland synth is thus selected it will play the note locally, plus the one sent by Reason a short time later.

Check if the synth has a setting called "Local On/Off" (most synths do). Set it to "Local Off". That will effectively disconnect the synth's keyboard and other controllers like the pitchbend and mod wheels from the internal sound engine. Used this way the synth will act like a kind of external sound module and only play notes when it receives MIDI.

Generally speaking this is the "correct" way to use an external synth as a controller. Otherwise you may (depending on your audio routine and monitoring settings) hear the synth play whenever you use it to control any track, including Reason devices and REs. That said it does make it inconvenient to just use it as a stand alone synth ; you have to either have Reason running to play it, or remember to switch back to "Local On".

[pummelfee]

Hi Douglas,

i use your rsTouch App...

However, i will try the Local Off setting... You made things clear!

But what is strange to me is that when i plug my iPad with cubasis to the midi interface and to this roland monster, i hear no double notes! This midi routing must work somehow in another way then with reason...?!

[Delora Software]

Some DAWs have an option so that you can select which external MIDI instruments have MIDI from the controllers forwarded and which do not. Cubase, if I remember correctly, calls this "MIDI Thru". Basically when this is on MIDI sent to the input of a MIDI track is always sent on to the MIDI instrument; when it is off no controller MIDI is forwarded, only recorded MIDI. Some hardware synths do not include a Local ON/OFF option so controlling this from the DAW is important. Its also much easier to do this from the DAW than from each keyboard synth.

And thanks for using rsTouch! The support is much appreciated.