Subject:Piano Keyboard in Soundforge. What's it GOOD FOR?

Posted by: yegge

Date:6/6/2002 11:23:44 AM

Other than being a complete and frustrating tease I can't figure out the purpose of the virtual MIDI Keyboard in SoundForge. I would like to use it as an instrument/controller to lay down tracks and/or create loops in ACID but I can't seem to figure out how to do this. Let me just say I haven't had much experiance with MIDI but this just seems like a waste of a feature if I can't use it to record in my ACID projects or even create loops with it in Soundforge. I consulted the manuals for SoundForge, ACID, & Vegas and they mention no way of acheiving this goal, and if thats the case then Sonic Foundry can consider this a product suggestion, otherwise if there is a way of doing this please let me know.

By the way, I got the keyboard to play I just can't get it to record, that's why it's a frustrating tease.

Thanks,Brian

Subject:RE: Piano Keyboard in Soundforge. What's it GOOD FOR?

Reply by: Chienworks

Date:6/6/2002 11:28:07 AM

I can't comment on the keyboard's MIDI abilities (or lack thereof), but here's what i came up with for recording it:
http://www.sonicfoundry.com/forums/ShowMessage.asp?ForumID=3&MessageID=105784

Subject:RE: Piano Keyboard in Soundforge. What's it GOOD FOR?

Reply by: Rednroll

Date:6/6/2002 7:58:15 PM

I've used the keyboard in the past, for playing notes as a reference, while using Antares autotune on a vocal performance. It works well for this, if you need to hear if your vocalist is sharp or flat compared to the correct note. Also, if you're really using the keyboard as a performance tool.....you really need to get a life. I mean common, can you really play a piano with a mouse? If you need to play a piano with a mouse, try any sequencing program where you can click on a staff and add a note. At least this way you can then go and edit the notes and quantize them and also speed up and slow down the tempo if necessary. I'm sure there's many free sequencing programs on the net, that do this task. Or if you're really desperate for a keyboard then go buy a $40 casio with a midi out and connect it to a $5.00 midi to joystick port converter and at least have the ability to play with 10 fingers instead of a mouse pointer. This will use the same sounds the keyboard in sound forge is using also.

Subject:RE: Piano Keyboard in Soundforge. What's it GOOD FOR?

Reply by: MJhig

Date:6/6/2002 10:06:43 PM

I'm disappointed Forge doesn't include a little MIDI mouse pointer drum kit. I figure I could add a USB mouse along with the PS/2 and get some cool syncopation between the kick and snare.

Subject:RE: Piano Keyboard in Soundforge. What's it GOOD FOR?

Reply by: yegge

Date:6/11/2002 5:36:29 AM

Ok man! I was just inquiring about a feature within the software. I think you will agree it's better to consult this forum on a product I've allready bought than to go out and spend $40 on a keyboard. Also, what keyboard for $40 does the job your talking about, A link would be nice? After all I own a MIDI man keyboard I bought for $159 that works great, yet I still would like to know what the feature of the virtual MIDI keyboard is good for. How am I wrong here, or in need of a life?

Subject:RE: Piano Keyboard in Soundforge. What's it GOOD FOR?

Reply by: SonicJG

Date:6/11/2002 1:13:31 PM

The keyboard in Sound Forge (4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 6.0)is basically good for the things you've mentioned already. While it doesn't have a lot of firepower, it can be fun to play around with, and for people who don't actually have a hardware keyboard, it can be useful for a variety of things like triggering, sending notes, checking pitch on guitars or singers, etc. BTW, I've tried using the Virtual MIDI Router to send keyboard notes/chords from SF5's keyboard to ACID3, and ACID records them all right, so I guess it's good for that.

That said, if you have a Midiman Oxygen8 or USB keyboard, I'd totally agree with you that it's probably got a lot more going for it than the keyboard in Forge, if for no other reason than that you're not tied down to using a mouse for playing notes.

Best,
Joel