New member - using Reason with Roland JV 1080

[Sedan Love]

Hello
I have Reason 7 and am a hobbyist.
I have an old(ish) Focusrite Saffire soundcard, along with an M-Audio Trigger Finger Pro and an M-Audio Oxygen 25. I very recently picked up a used Roland JV 1080 sound module and would like to use it with Reason. The "soundcard" (actually an external module) has SPDIF in and out and I have plugged a cable from the in to the out (per a suggestion from Focusrite to allow a version of Loopback).
Looking at Propellerhead's video:
https://www.propellerheads.se/blog/usin ... ith-reason
I am supposed to create an external midi instrument along with an audio track. When I do this, the external midi instrument shows MME 2 - Focusrite Saffire (along with other MME 2 "drivers" - Trigger Finger Pro and Oxygen). I see no other input options.
The audio instrument (in the instrument rack) I create does show the correct Focusrite Asio driver.

Now... I can play the JV okay from the Trigger Finger, the audio shows up in the (sequencer) audio track, but I'm not really seeing any note activity on the external midi instrument. In fact, I can delete the EM and still play the JV and record the output to the audio track. The audio track in the sequencer section shows line input, but the actual instrument in the rack does not show any input.
So I'm clearly doing something wrong, but being very new to hardware and as I have never delved too much into midi - I'm not sure what.
Any advice is very much appreciated.
Thanks for looking.

[Ronin]

Firstly, you dont want mme, you want to use ASIO drivers.
Secondly, its probably a bit easier to do it by taking a midi cable out of your saffire, into the synth. Then take audio cable out of synth into saffire.
Use midi controller/keyboard to play midi into reason, then external midi instrument will send that midi out again, to the synth.

[Sedan Love]

"Firstly, you dont want mme, you want to use ASIO drivers.
Secondly, its probably a bit easier to do it by taking a midi cable out of your saffire, into the synth. Then take audio cable out of synth into saffire.
Use midi controller/keyboard to play midi into reason, then external midi instrument will send that midi out again, to the synth."

Thanks for the reply. Re the MME - I don't have any choice shown in the external midi instrument - no asio is shown, and I do have the JV 1080 hooked up with midi from the Focusrite and the audio from the JV going back into the Focusrite.

[Ronin]

Can you select ASIO driver in edit>preferences>audio thing?

[Sedan Love]

I do have the correct asio driver shown under preferences.

[Ronin]

Hmm, im not really sure then, sorry :S
Maybe someone else can help.

[bpmorton]

I'm a little confused about your setup. I would use the oxygen or trigger finger as your midi controllers into your midi interface and midi out from the interface to the JV. Audio in from the JV. Not sure what you need an audio loop-back for? To get midi on a track you'll have to have the EMI track record enabled at the same time your audio is if you are recoring audio live from it.

[Sedan Love]

I'm a little confused about your setup. I would use the oxygen or trigger finger as your midi controllers into your midi interface and midi out from the interface to the JV. Audio in from the JV. Not sure what you need an audio loop-back for? To get midi on a track you'll have to have the EMI track record enabled at the same time your audio is if you are recoring audio live from it.

Thanks for replying - Yes I agree that the loopback may be or is redundant. I contacted Focusrite after I got Reason 7 as I had heard that with Loopback I could record audio into Reason. As I didn't want to spend $250 an a new Focusrite Pro 14, I asked them if the Saffire had that ability.They replied by saying that the Saffire had a spdif in and out and if I placed the same cable on both, then it's the same as Loopback. I was then advised to use inputs 3 and 4 in Reason as that's the spdif input.
I took the cable out and it made no difference.
I have the TFP into the midi in of the Focusrite, and the midi out from the Focusrite into the JV, with audio going into Instruments 1 and 2 of the Focusrite. The Oxygen is usb only and goes into the computer.
I haven't had much time to get back on the computer, but no way can I get an asio driver to show in the EMI. I'll keep working on it and appreciate your time.
Dave

[Ronin]

Honestly, i have never used spdif, so i have no clue, but if you use phono/jack whatever standard cable the saffire input has it should work fine.
after that it may be a case of, either the settings in reason need sorting, or the soundcard settings themselves. Does it have a control panel app?

[bpmorton]

I say forget about spdf for right now and just use the audio ins for input. What exact Saffire model do you have?

[Sedan Love]

Yes, there is a control panel for the Focusrite and it's confusing. It may be that that's the fault. However - that wouldn't explain why the EMI only shows MME drivers.
Thanks for replying.

[Sedan Love]

I say forget about spdf for right now and just use the audio ins for input. What exact Saffire model do you have?

Saffire

[bpmorton]

you running a mac or a PC?

[Sedan Love]

PC

[Leighbeater]

Hey I use a Saffire like that and the Spdf loop back definitely works, I have a Mac though so maybe that will be different to a PC? I will check my set up when I get home tonight.

[Leighbeater]

Ok checked my settings it's coming out of Safire input 3 or 4 like they said to you

I think I remember I had trouble setting it up as well but someone on PUF helped me, I'm hopeless with remembering what my issue was

Can you go up to your preferences in reason which is just under about reason in the tittle bar, then go to audio

Check if if you have 4 out of 4 Active input channels, if not go into channels and make sure input 3/input 4 is ticked

Let me know if that helps?, if not I will make a little screen video with my exact settings

[Sedan Love]

Leighbeater - I did not have all 4 channels working. I have tried a few combinations so it may have been but not sure - at least now they are.
Under Sync - I have "2-Focusrite Saffire" shown under Bus A and No Midi Input under the rest. Is that okay? I don't know why there is a "2" in front of it.
Also - being new I'm not sure if there is PM here but if so can I do so? I'm still confused with Reason and this hardware.
Thanks.

[Leighbeater]

I just sent a PM to you, hopefully we can get it working for you