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Help with MIDI FlexiTime

Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2018 6:01 pm
by gunnarlinden
Hello,

I am having difficulty recording with my midi keyboard. I have a Casio PX-150 with a brand new computer and Sibelius First. The issue I have is when I input notes using flexitime I hear the notes come out of my keyboard speakers but when they come out of the computer speakers the sound of the note is delayed which throws me off. In audio engine options I have asio installed and it show 0 ms (Latency). I would like to hear a metronome when I record but I do not want to hear a delayed version of what I am entering while trying to record.

Re: Help with MIDI FlexiTime

Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2018 7:08 pm
by andyg
What 'ASIO' do you have installed? Zero latency is an impossibility so something's wrong somewhere.

You should also google the article "taming the flexitime beast" for more guidance, but first, we need to know what it is you've got. And we also need to know what 'First' you have. The current free one, or the older Sibelius First that's now called just Sibelius. The current version is so stripped down I don't even know if it works with ASIO. And for that matter, what virtual instruments are you using (if First allows that) that would use ASIO?

I'd guess that you're using the basic GM sounds, which are not compatible with ASIO at all, and will give you the latency you're describing.

You may not be able to get latency-free or low latency performance at all with the free Sibelius First!

So tell us:

Computer - Windows or Mac
Operating system version
Exact version of Sibelius
Soundset being used
Soundcard / audio interface or internal soundchip (most likely a Realtek one)

Re: Help with MIDI FlexiTime

Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 2:26 pm
by gunnarlinden
1. I have asio4all v2 which I selected to use in the audio engine options list within Sibelius

2. I have Sibelius First, the free version I downloaded 2 weeks ago from their website. I have no issue buying Sibelius if this will help.

3. I have Windows 10 running on a brand new laptop with I7 processor, 16/Ram, Solid state drive specifically got extra stuff to help with music.

4. Soundcard I believe is Realtek I looked under Device manager- sound and video game controllers and saw Realtek. I also saw something called Nividia virtual audio device.

5. Soundset - I have not downloaded or installed any soundsets.

6. I have read taming the flexitime beast and did try to at least change the configuration to Sibelius Sounds 32 as recommended. Within the playback device menu under configuration the only option I have is General MIDI basic.

I have reset my computer reinstalled programs. I noticed after I selected asio4all this time I get no sound within Sibelius (no metronome or startup sound, even when I go back to a different driver). I also noticed this time latency is not 0 more like 25 ms with a 1024 buffer size when I select asio

If I need to upgrade soundcard, purchase Sibelius I will, for years I have tried to work on recordings and writing but then always seem to never get past the technical problems and just go back to playing practicing. I am determined this time to slowly chip away no matter how long it takes. All I want for now is to be able to play 4+ bars at a time, have the music written by Sibelius and practice my own pieces. No multiple voices or orchestral work of the sort. I appreciate your time andyg.

Re: Help with MIDI FlexiTime

Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2018 7:58 am
by andyg
OK. First is the free version of Sibelius. It doesn't work with any virtual instruments, including the Sibelius Sounds library, and therefore ASIO4ALL has no effect. You're hearing the General MIDI sounds of your computer and yes, you'll have horrible latency.

I'm not certain that the 'lite' version of Sibelius (known formerly as Sibelius First but now called just Sibelius) works with virtual instruments - check on the feature comparison table on Avid's website. You may well need to buy the full version - Sibelius Ultimate.

This comes with the large Sibelius Sounds library, which is a 23GB download(!) for playback. ASIO4ALL may help, it may not - it does nothing useful on my laptop. If not, use the WASAPI audio driver. Be prepared for some latency, whatever you do. The Realtek chip isn't designed for this sort of work and your only real solution is to buy an external audio interface that is fully ASIO capable. You should then be able to get latency down to sub 10 milliseconds. That's enough for live input.

To be honest, once you get to really know Sibelius, it's often quicker to manually input the notes rather than use Flexitime and then do the required corrections.

Re: Help with MIDI FlexiTime

Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2018 5:43 pm
by gunnarlinden
I do have an AKAI EIE Interface I will try setting this up, I do need a power adapter for this device so may take a couple days to order one or find one. Thank you!

Re: Help with MIDI FlexiTime

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2018 8:16 am
by MikeLyons
Even if you have a ASIO or WASAPI driver availalble, you will experience some latency. You will have to fiddle around with the settings (buffer size, sample rate) until you get a bearable value for latency. Alternatively, if you are a good player, turn the sound off and just listen to your keyboard. This comes with the caveat that you mmight have a lot of tidying up to do at the end.

Sometimes, in my experience, it's the worst players who do best at live playing.

And No. The lowest tier of sibelius does not allow you to use ANY vst libraries.

Re: Help with MIDI FlexiTime

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2018 8:35 am
by andyg
The Akai EIE also has a direct monitoring facility, so you should be able to use this to listen to your input in real time rather than with the short latency that the ASIO drivers should give you.

'They' - according to sources on the net - say that the brain only really notices latency when it's over 20ms. I think that a pro musician might have a sharper ear than that and I always aim for around 10ms. If I use the Windows XP part of this PC I have access to an internal Terratec audio interface and card and that will work quite stably at 1ms for simple pieces - but I wouldn't trust it! It, and the M-Audio card that's next to it, run at 11ms and that's fine.

If you ever want to practice playing with latency, go play a pipe organ. I've played theatre organs with over half a second's delay and there are classical organs where the poor organist only hears the sound when it's been bounced around the church first. And for real fun, play a big pipe organ with multiple pipe chambers where the sound from different stops arrives at your ears at different times. :)

Re: Help with MIDI FlexiTime

Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2018 10:51 am
by gunnarlinden
Sounds like akai eie does not work with windows 10 this is disappointing. I have a casio privia px-150 a brand new dell laptop with windows 10 i7 processor 16 gb ram. What can I do to get this set up. Ill buy whatever I need to. I want to be able to use flextime to record notes. Is their another interface I should buy?

Re: Help with MIDI FlexiTime

Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2018 11:02 am
by gunnarlinden
Should I purchase Sibelius to use the sound library will this help.