Logic Pro and KORG M3 EXB-FW and USB-MIDI Integration Notes

On this article, I am going to jot down any knowledge that I came to acquire in terms of integrating KORG M3 and Logic Pro. As you read this, please do not expect that I have the in-depth knowledge of Logic Pro 8 nor KORG M3.

These points are what works for me. If you know more about it, be sure to provide a comment in this blog post and I will make sure to update it here and also the KARMA Lab Wiki Page. Pictures included are too small on the post but clicking them will enlarge to the size that you can see better.

• Whenever you can use the USB-MIDI interface in addition to EXB-FW. In spite of the speed of the FW interface, the MIDI signal goes through it is at the same speed as the original MIDI Standard. The USB-MIDI interface implements significantly faster transfer rate.
• At least another person and myself have experienced that M3 won't start right on the beat even the M3 is slaved to the Logic. The best way to get around this issue is to let the Logic run for at least a bar and then start Bar 1 of your own material.
• Out-of-the-box, you cannot make the M3 to be the MIDI Clock master, or at least you cannot get the Logic to start when you start the M3 sequencer. This feature appeared to have been removed from Logic and Express based on Version 8. It was available in Version 7 based Logic software. Source: http://www.logicprohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=22957
  In addition I have confirmed with Stephen Kay of KARMA Lab that the M3 does not send MIDI Machine Control (MMC) which is implemented as SysEx message to Logic so out-of-the-box it cannot trigger the Logic to start from the Sequencer start button. M3 sends System Realtime Message (MIDI SRM) that contains Sequencer Start and Stop commands, but this is not recognized as an input to the Logic. Though, the Logic (express) manual clearly states that when the MIDI Clock output sends most of the M3 supported MIDI SRM. I have posted a message on Apple Logic Pro 8 support forum and a response from there pretty much confirmed that the for the input into LOGIC using the MIDI SRM is unsupported. I've also checked the Yamaha Motif XS manual as well as Roland Fantom series, they do support MTC and MMC features.
• Out-of-the-box, you do and can slave the M3 to the Logic's MIDI clock. Logic manual clearly states also that Logic does and will send the MIDI SRM message to get external (M3's) sequencer and such in sync. This is the preferred method to use the Logic in most MIDI production scenarios. To configure this on the M3 side, go to Global MIDI setting and set the M3 to sync with USB MIDI and then Logic's Project Sync to output the MIDI Clock on ALL interfaces. You may run into the issue that M3 starts significantly later than actual start. You may want to make sure to include an empty bar or two in your M3 sequence so that it will have ample time to get whatever internals started and drive the actual sound out (I am still investigating this to work perfectly.)
  
  

• Don't confuse MIDI clock with Audio Sampling Clock. The Audio clock is the 44 Khz stuff that is the sampling rate of the audio signal. And it seems to work the best if you set the Audio sampling clock on the Mac Audio/MIDI control panel to the "Device." In this case the "Device" to mean your M3's FW audio output.
  
  
  
• For recording the sound output from the M3 what works best for me is to use it as the Software Instrument, then divert the output of the instrument to another Audio Track. In my case, if you just bounce the tracks without first having the live-audio recording, the bounced track contains nothing but noise.

Some of the parameters that works best for me includes setting 2 Milliseconds latency and High CPU on the M3-Plug-in editor (read about the Audio Sampling Rate above as well). For the Core Audio option, set it to whatever audio output you are using (but not the M3). In my case I set this to M-Audio FastTrack. I will make sure that I will set every volume control knobs on your audio device to be in the dead center just so that you have not faded the input completely one way. Not doing so may result in a "dumb" error where you will only find out later (taking 1 hour checking cables, drivers and etc.) that it was just the volume control set all the way to left or right and the actual source was there but not hearing it.

• Speaking of using FastTrack, be sure that A/B input switch is set to A or the output will direct to channels 3-4 and you won't hear a thing unless you also direct the output of the software instruments to 3-4.
• The description of taking multiple inputs in the M3 Editor manual (about going to Environment window) seems to be wrong or other way around. I only get 2 channels under the software instruments. But on the stand-alone mode, you can feed all 6 channels into the audio channel strips (again though I have not figured out how to output those back into FastTrack without changing the AU settings between M3 and FastTrack).

I would like to thank KARMA Lab Forum users Coronado, Oddeo and also Stephen Kay in producing this article.

Please check out the following threads in the KARMA Lab Forums, if you have more problems or have answers, or post a comment to this article here and I will update.

• OS2/FW Low Latency..Yay!!! Clicks & Pops...Booo!!! (http://www.karma-lab.com/forum/showthread.php?p=74142#post74142)

• Syncing the M3 & Karma to your DAW (Logic) (http://www.karma-lab.com/forum/showthread.php?p=74228#post74228)

In addition, I do plan to make most of this content to be available on KARMA Lab Wiki Page at http://karma-lab.wikidot.com/ in late October 2008.

Update: Stand-Alone Mode Recording and Playback with M-Audio FastTrack

You can also the M3 Editor in the "Stand-Alone" mode and record the audio straight from inputs 1-2. In fact the signal does route through to Logic but if you are using the M-Audio FastTrack then you may wonder how to route the output. To do this you need to make an Aggregate Device in the MIDI Setup Utility and create the M3 and Input and FastTrack as the output device.

• Once you named the Aggregate Device that's what you need to select in the Audio setup of the Preference section of Logic
• You can now add an Audio track and if you record enable the track you should be able to hear the sound from M3.
• Add an External MIDI track and set the M3's MIDI to LOCAL CONTROL OFF (Press Global Settings button and then press the Page button, then select MIDI from the screen.) Then record enable the MIDI track and the Audio track at the same time.
• If the sounds (i.e., the MIDI events are) are doubling up sounding like in Unison mode (you can find this in the Event List) it is likely that MIDI is coming from both the FW and USB-2 interfaces. This is pretty standard. I will always Pull out the USB and see if that is what is going on.
• Turn the input knob of the FastTrack all the way right so that you are not getting the line input signals into the Mix. If you are trying to mix in other live signal you do need to do so into the IN of the M3. I'd personally finish the M3 segment of recording first then move onto the live stuff.