Recording from a Yamaha Clavinova keyboard

2004-08-01 08:23 pm

I have a Yamaha Clavinova which is MIDI compatible. Is there a way that I can connect the Clavinova to a laptop and use Noteworthy software to record (and notate) as I play?

Thank you

Re: Recording from a Yamaha Clavinova keyboard

Reply #1 – 2004-08-02 11:48 am

Yes. If your laptop has a serial interface and your Clavinova includes a serial port (they used to include these), you can use the matching cable to connect the two. Install the necessary driver support, and then any PC MIDI software should interwork with your Clav.

You can probably also just use General MIDI cables, but you will need to add a MIDI interface to your laptop. The technology you use for this will depend on what ports are available on your laptop. You usually have the choice between interfaces connecting to USB, PCMCIA, or a Parallel port.

Re: Recording from a Yamaha Clavinova keyboard

Reply #2 – 2005-01-19 03:32 pm

I've wanted to get CLAVINOVA QUALITY music to CD's for the past 6 years and always failed. Midi quality is really crappy when played from the diskette on my computer and when I use line out,.. I get loads and loads of inteference.

So if you want a simple relatively cheap way to basically,.. HEAR THE SAME THING YOU HEAR FROM YOUR CLAVINOVA WITHOUT REDUCTION IN QUALITY OR INTERFERENCE...
I have the way to do it. I write this now because I searched for a way for 6 years before finally finding a solution so I feel compelled to do my bit. P.s. I was given this advice by someone thru email who works in yamaha.

1)Get a GOOD SOUND CARD. Its terribly important. (yes, the standard one that came with your computer is NOT GOOD ENOUGH... i had this lousy soundcard for 6 years) I bought the SoundBlaster Live 24-Bit. That I can guarantee, is good enough. Cost me $58 (Singapore Dollars).

2)Install it and the software that comes with it. I think its "wave studio".

3)Connect the auxillary output of the clavinova to the line in of the sound card. You can get a combination of the required wires and converters from hardware stores,.. my combination cost me less than $20 (singapore dollars).

(Side note here,.. dont bother getting software or computer hardware to play the music,.. eg midi players, midi to wav converters etc... Nothing out there beats the raw guts, the processing power of the clavinova,.. no sound card does. the best way is to record thru line out,.. aux,..what the clavinova plays)

4)Make adjustments until you get ideal volumes for recording (clavinova about midway to 3/4 full) p.c microphone usually about full. Each song is different, having different volumes, depending on instruments used.

5)Record the wav file.

THERE YOU GO YOU GET GREAT!!! QUALITY.

6)If you wanna fine tune,.. you realise the volume of your recorded wave is very low,(a small wave graph with low amplitude) It should be that way if you are preserving the quality of the music. If you record at too high a volume then you get distortion. there is a way around this.

when recording,.. and experimenting for ideal volume,.. choose a level where the loudest part never goes into the red bar in the program.. basically as loud as it can get without distortion. when done, the wave will still have a pathetic amplitude, but fear not... click on NORMALIZE,.. and this will maximise the whole waveform to ideal levels so if you have many songs,.. the volume will be about the same. The reason we record as loud as we can before we normalise is because normalising also increases the background noise. However it IS, i assure you, undetectable as far as making a cd for proffesional performances go. its not perfect, but even at high volumes,.. you WONT hear any background noise. Mission Accomplished.

CHeers
SANJE

Re: Recording from a Yamaha Clavinova keyboard

Reply #3 – 2005-02-27 11:53 pm

Interesting comments. I'm still baffled why one should not get the same sound quality by transferring to appropriate software via a stiffy disk, because we are dealing with digital information, and using the same sound card on the computer. I have a problem in that my Clavinova is in another room from my computer, and I am tearing my hair out in frustration trying to transfer via the stiffy. I have no problem downloading midi files from the net, converting them via midi2wave, and then editing the wav file in something like Adobe Audition, so why should this be different?

Re: Recording from a Yamaha Clavinova keyboard

Reply #4 – 2005-02-28 11:17 am

Christine
I have no experience with serial interfaces, but if your laptop has a USB port it should be easy. I did it using a MIDIMAN MIDISPORT Midi-to-USB adapter, which cost about £40 a year or two ago (Yes, I thought it was a bit of a rip-off!) but there are other makes e.g. Roland. Use a midi cable to connect the midi output from your keyboard to the adapter, and use the USB cable that comes with the adapter to connect it to your laptop. You also need to install the drivers that come with the adapter. Works a treat!
If you have a docking station with a joystick port, you can connect via that – which is cheaper – you only need the appropriate cable.