Im hopefully picking up an access virus b on saturday… im just wondering how i can connect it to my mac so that i can play midi data out of ableton into the virus, and playback through the monitors? At the minute i have a ****ty m-audio usb fast track, im guessing im going to need to buy a new sound card… what sort of connections/inputs/outputs/cables do i need or better still, what sound cards would you recommend for the type of setup im talking about. I want to be able to lay down and sequence my midi notes etc in ableton, and have them sent to the virus and use the virus patches or create my own sounds off it to use in tunes. Also to be able to record the midi thats playing out of ableton into the virus down to audio in ableton … Ideally dont want to spend a fortune on an audio interface though
you’ll want a Audio Interface with good AD converters to capture the best quality audio from your synth.
i had a virus B but can’t remember how many connections it has on the back, quite sure you can feed audio into the virus filters so you’ll maybe want the AI to have minimum of
Audio 4 in/out
midi in/out
it just connects in with the big jack connections. All you need is a pair of stereo inputs on your soundcard.
You will also need a midi interface if you want to send midi to and from the virus. I recommend the midi sport from M Audio.
Ableton makes it easy to hook up external instruments with the external instrument device. It sets up all your routing for you.
You also need to make sure your sound card has a midi in/out. That way you can play it via midi in your daw otherwise all you can do is record it as audio. It connects like this. Midi out from your sound card to the midi in on the virus and midi out on the virus to the midi in on your soundcard. This way you can also record anything on the virus that is midi compatible for example the filters etc can be automated via midi as well I think. Tbh with the prices of decent soundcards you might be better off just saving up a bit more and getting a TI. Simple USB connection and your off.
Thanks for the replies guys… Are there any cheapish soundcards/interfaces that have all the required connections that you could recommend? Is the virus b def a good synth for trance or hardcore type sounds? He says hes selling it with all the vengeance soundsets aswell…
This sort of thing good enough? [url=http://www.dv247.com/computer-hardware/m-audio-fast-track-pro-4x4-mobile-usb-audio-midi-interface-with-preamps–29998]http://www.dv247.com/computer-hardware/m-audio-fast-track-pro-4x4-mobile-usb-audio-midi-interface-with-preamps--29998[/url]
By the way i have an m-audio axiom 61 keyboard… The keyboard connects to the mac via usb and has midi in and out on the back… can the virus be connected to the keyboard and use midi sent from ableton to it that way or does it require a new soundcard?