I'm a complete beginner when it comes to music, but I really liked the videos I saw of the Roland Aira range, so bought myself the System-1, TR-8 and TB-3. Roland assumes that I already know what I'm doing, have an existing studio set up and have lots of equipment already. This is evidenced by the completely inadequate instructions and lack of other kit or cables included.
I have no idea and no other equipment. How do I set it all up? I went and bought 3 midi cables to hook all 3 bits of hardware together, I bought an 8 channel mixer and a bunch of mono jack cables (under the advice of the guy in the electronics store) but I can't get a single sound out of the thing. I am able to plug my PC speakers into an individual device and play with it, but not all 3 together.
Have I got the wrong mixer? The wrong cables? Have I set it up wrong? I tried using a mono jack cable from the L output of each device into the mixer, but still nothing.
I'm really stuck and have nobody to ask. I'm going to end up sending it all back at this rate and never touching a piece of music making equipment again.
Please help, I'd be very appreciative.
I have no idea what I'm doing
Re: I have no idea what I'm doing
Could be a number of things and if you're not hearing anything, then the mixer would be my focus. This is how I would set them up.
MIDI - Have the TR-8 as Master, so this will send/start MIDI Clock and Sync, to ensure all 3 work together. Midi out of the TR8 into the IN of System 1, then MIDI out of the S1 to the MIDI IN of the TB-3. You can go further and have MIDI out of the TB-3 to the IN of the TR8, but if you do, make sure the firmware us up to date as there were issues with it originally, sending on all channels.
Audio - I would use them in Stereo, meaning you'll need 6 Mono cables and using 2 channels on your mixer for each one. Set the panning for Stereo, Channel 1, panned hard left, Channel 2, panned hard right and repeat for the next 4 channels. If you only have 3 cables, then MONO will be fine.
There is a volume boost setting in the TR-8 that makes the volume output very hot, I turned it off, but look for a video on YouTube about "TR8 Under the Hood" or something like that.
As a starting point, on your mixer for each channel, set the gain at about 12 O'clock and hit start on the TR-8, chances are only the TR-8 and TB-3 will show up on the mixer (must be a signal/peak LED) and you will have to play the S1, depending on the sound. You want to turn down the gain for each channel so any peak LED is not lighting up or going Red (green is good) You want to have a healthy signal from each, but when summed to the stereo out of the mixer, you want the mix to be around 0DB.
Analogue mixers are more forgiving, but they can be noisy, so drop the faders for every stereo channel (2 channels for each instrument) by a few DB.
If you're not getting sound through the speakers, but all is showing up on the mixer, then i'd look at which outputs you are using. You may have a Main Mix out (L&R) and a Control Out. I'd have them plugged into the Control Out, this way I can set the output fader to 0DB, but still have control of the volume to the speakers (there will be a knob for this volume)
Other than that, without seeing your mixer/speaker set up, then not sure. I use a DAW to control everything, but I only have the TR-8, sold the TB-3.
MIDI - Have the TR-8 as Master, so this will send/start MIDI Clock and Sync, to ensure all 3 work together. Midi out of the TR8 into the IN of System 1, then MIDI out of the S1 to the MIDI IN of the TB-3. You can go further and have MIDI out of the TB-3 to the IN of the TR8, but if you do, make sure the firmware us up to date as there were issues with it originally, sending on all channels.
Audio - I would use them in Stereo, meaning you'll need 6 Mono cables and using 2 channels on your mixer for each one. Set the panning for Stereo, Channel 1, panned hard left, Channel 2, panned hard right and repeat for the next 4 channels. If you only have 3 cables, then MONO will be fine.
There is a volume boost setting in the TR-8 that makes the volume output very hot, I turned it off, but look for a video on YouTube about "TR8 Under the Hood" or something like that.
As a starting point, on your mixer for each channel, set the gain at about 12 O'clock and hit start on the TR-8, chances are only the TR-8 and TB-3 will show up on the mixer (must be a signal/peak LED) and you will have to play the S1, depending on the sound. You want to turn down the gain for each channel so any peak LED is not lighting up or going Red (green is good) You want to have a healthy signal from each, but when summed to the stereo out of the mixer, you want the mix to be around 0DB.
Analogue mixers are more forgiving, but they can be noisy, so drop the faders for every stereo channel (2 channels for each instrument) by a few DB.
If you're not getting sound through the speakers, but all is showing up on the mixer, then i'd look at which outputs you are using. You may have a Main Mix out (L&R) and a Control Out. I'd have them plugged into the Control Out, this way I can set the output fader to 0DB, but still have control of the volume to the speakers (there will be a knob for this volume)
Other than that, without seeing your mixer/speaker set up, then not sure. I use a DAW to control everything, but I only have the TR-8, sold the TB-3.