Korg Volca Beats & Blackstar ID:Core into Logic Pro X

I've seen online some modest looking usb to midi cables such as the ART M-CONNECT and similar brands.

Avoid these cheap types of midi cords... like the plague...... They are the most commonly reported cause of Midi related issues .. and are typically unreliable.

Consider the fact it is similar to putting $100 tires on a $300K Ferrari.... They will work, kind of.. but turn your Ferrari's performance into that of a $20k Kia....

Get a quality Midi interface such as an iConnectmidi2+ for about $90 if you shop around... which apart from providing very stable midi connectivity... if you also have an iPad/iPhone.. allows Audio Pass thru... turning your iOS device into an external Software instrument or FX Plugin...

http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2013/11/20/sonic-touch-26-iconnect-midi-game-chan ger/

http://www.iconnectivity.com/iConnectMIDI2plus

oly_xa wrote:

Hello everyone

However I recently installed Logic Pro X, and my question is how do I record the sounds that I'm setting up and making on the drum machine / guitar amp in Logic? What is the correct setup? I'm always confused by by the options when creating a new track in Logic - software instrument, external midi, guitar or bass, audio... and then all the extra settings within those....

A really good place to start is the manual.

Start with "Get Started With Logic"

http://help.apple.com/logicpro/mac/10/

oly_xa wrote:

The manual seems to help a little. But seeing as the Volca Beats only has a MIDI IN.. how would that work? I thought that it would need a MIDI OUT to be able to send anything out to Logic. The manual didn't really enlighten me as to which settings to choose...

If you guys could explain to me what I would need to do and why in order to achieve my aims that would be awesome

You must understand...... MIDI is NOT audio, you can't send the Volca sounds over MIDI. MIDI is a small amount of data that is a representation of a "keyboard" performance. A MIDI recording can playback any sound, her's what a MIDI recording looks like. (this is from my old version of Logic, still running under windows 7 in compatibility mode) The graphic is of the "Event List" view.

That's it, there is no sound, a MIDI recording recreates the performance of (in this case) the notes I played on a controller keyboard.

You would have to record the Volca from the audio outs to an audio track.

As a side note, in order to record a MIDI performance that played the Volca you would need a controller keyboard or use Logic's built-in keyboard or computer keyboard

PanCenter seems to have covered the MIDI aspect.

oly_xa wrote:

all I want to do is record the sounds i'm making into Logic. nothing too fancy.

Your amp acts as an audio interface, it says, and has inputs for an external device so you can plug the drum machine into that. One question is will the amp send the guitar and drum machine to Logic as 2 different inputs - then you're set. If not (if it combines them) maybe that's all you want. Fine. It could be better, though, if you could have the drums & guitar on their own tracks. To achieve this if the amp's interface won't allow you can either buy an interface, or plug the drum machine into the Mac's built in input and create an Aggregate in the System Tools that combines the built-in input and the USB from your amp.

Buying an interface is recommended, as you will get better results (mac's built in is - how you say... cheap?) and have more flexibility down the road (using microphones, studio monitors, headphones, etc). If you go this route do some research and make sure you get something that accommodates your current needs and consider a few future needs. For instance, a cheap (similar to what TAOS warned against above) audio to USB cable will not be what you want. As it looks, your amp and drum machine are both stereo, so you already need 4-inputs.

Bare minimum purchase is a 3.5mm to 3.5mm stereo cable (goes either to your amp or to built-in). Google how to set up an aggregate device (this is an OSX thing, not a Logic thing, once you have it set up then you tell Logic to use that for input). This will at least get you running and you can start having fun.