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How do I use my Kurzweil PC3X keyboard's sounds within logic?

Hey people,


I recently purchased Logic Pro, and I am a complete noob to the DAW world. I am a musician, and I really want to create recordings that use a mix of both logic's sounds and my Kurzweil's. The problem is I cannot figure out how to do that, and every forum/site I go to uses a plethora of specialised terminology that I simply do not understand. So would someone be able to explain to me what to do, using simple language that someone without a music technology background can understand?


I also have an AVID MBox Mini, if that helps.


Thanks 🙂

Posted on Feb 4, 2013 5:37 PM

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Posted on Feb 4, 2013 6:52 PM

First, you have a hill to climb, it's a fairly steep hill so patience is your friend. There's a lot to learn, reading the manual will help, not as much as you might think, at least not at first. This is professional software, while it's easier to use than it used to be, it's still not a walk in the park, you HAVE to educate yourself so get used to the concept that you will need to learn some of the treminology and correct procedure. I'm a musician too, it's all I've ever done for a living so no using that for an excuse. 😝


You can't really get your Kurzweil sounds "into" Logic in the sense that you might think. What you can do is setup Logic as a MIDI controller and external sound source. Then you can record MIDI tracks that both playback the Kurzweil and also record MIDI tracks that play Logic's instruments. MIDI tracks are not sound, they are small bits of data.. (what note you played, the duration, the velocity the key was struck...etc.) These bits of data can playback the any MIDI instrument, much like an old style "Piano Roll" can play back a player piano. (if anyone remembers those) There's also other performance data that can be recorded, the piano sustain pedal, the modulation and pitch bend wheels...etc. The way to get the Kurzweil's sound into Logic is to record and edit a MIDI performance, playback using the Kurzweil and record the sound as audio using the MBox.


I would think about using Youtube for instructional videos as well as one of the commercial video instruction sites.


I think it's beyond this forum to take someone from ground zero to recording level without some third party help. Unless you're further along than you let on.

6 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Feb 4, 2013 6:52 PM in response to Jethel-3

First, you have a hill to climb, it's a fairly steep hill so patience is your friend. There's a lot to learn, reading the manual will help, not as much as you might think, at least not at first. This is professional software, while it's easier to use than it used to be, it's still not a walk in the park, you HAVE to educate yourself so get used to the concept that you will need to learn some of the treminology and correct procedure. I'm a musician too, it's all I've ever done for a living so no using that for an excuse. 😝


You can't really get your Kurzweil sounds "into" Logic in the sense that you might think. What you can do is setup Logic as a MIDI controller and external sound source. Then you can record MIDI tracks that both playback the Kurzweil and also record MIDI tracks that play Logic's instruments. MIDI tracks are not sound, they are small bits of data.. (what note you played, the duration, the velocity the key was struck...etc.) These bits of data can playback the any MIDI instrument, much like an old style "Piano Roll" can play back a player piano. (if anyone remembers those) There's also other performance data that can be recorded, the piano sustain pedal, the modulation and pitch bend wheels...etc. The way to get the Kurzweil's sound into Logic is to record and edit a MIDI performance, playback using the Kurzweil and record the sound as audio using the MBox.


I would think about using Youtube for instructional videos as well as one of the commercial video instruction sites.


I think it's beyond this forum to take someone from ground zero to recording level without some third party help. Unless you're further along than you let on.

Feb 4, 2013 7:52 PM in response to Pancenter

Hey, thanks for your help!


Yes, I have watched various beginner YouTube videos, etc, so I'm not a complete noob I suppose, haha (but thanks for the simplified explanations!)


I do have the Kurzweil functioning as a MIDI input device through the USB connection, and I have figured out to get Logic to send MIDI data to it and then have the keyboard playback those sounds. I'm really trying to figure out how to get those sounds "into" Logic per se.


Are you saying that the only way to do that is by recording those MIDI tracks as an audio file? Would it be beyond this forum to ask how I might do that using my MBox? If it is, is there information about that I can find elsewhere?

Feb 4, 2013 8:46 PM in response to Jethel-3

Jethel-3 wrote:


Hey, thanks for your help!


Are you saying that the only way to do that is by recording those MIDI tracks as an audio file? Would it be beyond this forum to ask how I might do that using my MBox? If it is, is there information about that I can find elsewhere?


This forum is fine for what you're asking, sometimes it's hard to tell where someone is at. You're a lot further on than the average noob!


Here's the thing... the sounds in the Kurzweil are samples specifically edited and formatted for the Kurzweil sample playback audio engine, furthermore... the samples are under Kurzweil's copyright, even if you could get them out (you can't) it would be be a major infringement of copyright law. The other thing is, those sounds have been specifically programmed using the Kurzweil sound generator and effects system, they wouldn't sound anything like the Kurz if you managed to extract the samples. There is no Magic way to get the sounds into Logic.


There's two ways to use the Kurz sounds in Logic, record them as audio files using the stereo audio out into the MBox audio inputs.


Or using the I/O plugin (in Logic's Utilities effects sub-folder) in an Audio Channel strip. The I/O plugin also requires the Kurz's audio outputs be plugged into the MBox, it allows you to treat the Kurz output like a Virtual Audio Instrument.

How do I use my Kurzweil PC3X keyboard's sounds within logic?

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