Line out or Midi out?

[herminga123]

Yes, I am a nooby and have a nooby question. I want to record my digital piano in Logic to my "future" 27" imac and am wondering what the difference would be between connecting it to my "future" interface (i.e. apogee duet or motu) via line out or midi out. I told you I was a nooby!

[t4mh]

There is a whole world of difference between a line out (audio) or line in and midi (data) regardless of in or out. Two entirely different things intended for two entirely different purposes.

HTH
Keith

[garrettmiller]

MIDI sends out (or receives) information of a particular performance (what key is pressed, how hard it's pushed, how long its's held down, etc...) along with MANY other functions....I would definately use your digital piano as a "MIDI controller" and use the MIDI out to go into the MIDI in of your "future" interface and control Virtual Instruments inside Logic.

[mojobone]

You can use either or both, actually, cuz Logic works with both. MIDI is an instrument data protocol; it records only keystrokes from your MIDI controller (a digital piano, in your case) and some data about the keystrokes, (such as how fast the keys traveled, called MIDI velocity) plus controller information. (the position of the pitch bend/modulation wheels, expression pedal, whether the damper is up or down, etc.) There's no audio involved until you feed the MIDI data to an instrument, which could be either hardware that exists outside your computer (like your piano) or a software virtual instrument hosted by your DAW. (Logic)

This is really no different than what already happens in your digital piano; you hit the keys, data is sent to a sound generator, music (hopefully) comes out the line outputs-Logic can record that, too. Why might you want to use both? Say you've written a left hand part that you can't quite manage to actually execute with your left hand in realtime; you could play the right hand part into the MIDI sequencer (requires a controller and a MIDI OUT cable connected from your controller to a MIDI interface connected to your computer) and have the sequencer play back the right hand part (requires a MIDI IN cable connected from the interface to your controller) while you overdub the left hand part into the sequencer using your right hand. Now the sequencer has both parts, sending them to the tone generator in your keyboard and you can use its line outputs to record the actual sound your digital piano's tone generator makes into logic as an audio track; the tone generator in your keyboard responds to the incoming MIDI data from the sequencer the same way it responds to input from your hands.

Okay, you're happy enough with the part, but you want it thicker; you could use the MIDI parts already recorded to generate another audio track, this time using your digital piano's vibe or electric piano sound, and layer the two together. Or perhaps your Yamaha digital grand sound ain't cuttin' it, and you're in more of a Bosendorfer sort of mood; you could send the MIDI data to a virtual instrument in Logic that plays back Bosendorfer samples, or Hammond B3 samples, a virtual Moog, or what have you. The possibilities are practically limitless; it's why they invented MIDI.

[herminga123]

So, if I want to record my digital piano's sound, I need to connect to the interface via Line Out but if I want to control and record Logic's virtual instruments, I connect via Midi Out?

[Len911]

yes. Midi out of the digital piano to midi in interface of the computer. Midi out from computer to midi in of digital piano would play the sounds of the digital piano that you would listen to from the piano.

[herminga123]

This is tough being a NOOBIE!!!! Midi seems as if it is essential...so, why wouldn't every audio interface have Midi connections? As far as I know, interfaces such as Apogee One and Duet do not.

[Len911]

I'm not sure, usually all lower end gear has it, so maybe as you go up the ladder it is assumed you already have midi.

http://www.sweetwater.com/c679--Portabl ... s/low2high

[mojobone]

The high end sequencers can use multiclient drivers and multiple interfaces; people with large rigs tend to have separate interfaces for MIDI and audio. Orchestral composers prefer to use MIDI velocity and other parameters to make level changes because it sounds more realistic than moving a fader; non-orchestral producers like to use faders and pan knobs, and tend to buy interfaces with more audio than MIDI I/Os. MIDI I/O was more important back in the day, when most sound sources/modules lived outside the computer.

[herminga123]

Any suggestions for a interface?