Welcome to the latest edition of "Operation Help." Our main goal with this column is to help you get the most out of your favorite hardware and software. However, we've changed the format a bit and are now dedicating part of this column to answering reader questions about equipment and technical issues. Feel free to e-mail your questions to us at emeditorial@intertec.com.

FROM THE MANUFACTURERSPreparing MIDI Tracks for CD Burning and MP3 Encoding in Cakewalk Pro Audio 9Because both CD burning software and Cakewalk's built-in MP3 Encoder require digital audio source files to complete their respective tasks, you must convert all MIDI files to digital audio before proceeding. You can accomplish this easily within Cakewalk Pro Audio 9 by using one or both of the following methods.

For recording any MIDI tracks that use the internal synth sounds of a sound card (such as a Yamaha SW1000 or a Creative Labs SoundFont-capable card), follow these steps:

1. Find an empty Pro Audio track. Set its Source to Stereo and arm the track.

2. If you have more than one sound card installed, make sure you designate the sound card that is playing your internal MIDI sounds as the Source. Just to be safe, make sure that no other Pro Audio tracks are armed.

3. Open the mixer device of your sound card by double-clicking on the yellow speaker icon on your Windows taskbar. Make sure you are adjusting the Recording Controls (Options -- Properties -- Adjust Volume for Recording -- OK), not the Playback Volume Controls.

4. Because you want to record only the sound of the MIDI playback, make sure the MIDI or Synthesizer fader is the only option with a check in its Select box. That check indicates that the synth signal can now be recorded as digital audio. The fader will adjust the input levels into Pro Audio. To check recording levels, use the Audio Meters in Pro Audio's Console view.

5. Press Record in Pro Audio, and a submix of all the MIDI tracks assigned to the internal synth will be recorded in the stereo audio track.

6. After you've successfully recorded the MIDI tracks as audio, mute them in the file. You'll be listening to audio track versions of them for now.

Recording MIDI tracks that are played on your external sound modules or instruments is even easier:

1. Connect the audio outputs of your MIDI instruments to the line inputs of your sound card.

2. Find an empty Pro Audio track. Set its Source to Stereo and arm the track.

3. Open your digital audio card's mixing software. Check its Record Properties, making sure to select the Line Input. Adjust the input levels into Pro Audio using the onscreen fader. To make sure you're recording at a good level, check the Audio Meters in Pro Audio's Console view.

4. Press Record in Pro Audio, and the MIDI tracks assigned to external MIDI instruments will all be recorded as a stereo audio track.

5. Mute the original MIDI tracks for the rest of this process.

You now have an audio version of all the tracks you need to record your CD or MP3. Only one step remains: exporting your final mix to a file. To do this, open Pro Audio's Tools menu and select Mixdown Audio Export to File(s). This single command will combine your play-enabled (unmuted or soloed) audio tracks and export a CD-ready WAV file or a finished MP3.-Courtesy Adam Burch, Cakewalk

Accessing Hidden Functions with the Korg Triton's Enter KeyBetween its sequencer, synth, and sampling functions, there's no shortage of editable parameters on the Triton. While the touch screen (called the TouchView Graphical Interface) is certainly the Triton's flashiest editing tool, the Enter key is also quite valuable for facilitating quick and easy edits. Here are some cool ways to use it:

1. When you're editing a drum kit in Global mode and you want to see information for a specific key, press Enter while holding down that key. The corresponding parameters-including MIDI note information-will appear on the display.

2. When setting up a split in Combi mode (page 4), hold down Enter and select a key to quickly set the upper or lower boundary of a zone.

3. When setting up Velocity ranges in Combi mode (page 4), hold down Enter and hit a key (as hard or soft as you'd like) to input the Velocity level.

You can also use Enter for RPPR assignment in Seq/Pattern mode, Key assignment in Sampling mode, and Index selection in Sampling mode (when the key range is not highlighted).-Courtesy James Sajeva, Korg

Patch Management Tips for the Line 6 PodWhen recording with Pod, make sure to note on your track sheet which patch and pickup combination you used. That way, if you have to revisit the project later and make changes to your part, you'll be able to re-create your original sound easily. Once you match the levels to those of the original tracks, you will get absolutely seamless punches with no variation in tone (unless, of course, you haven't changed your strings for three months).

When you're programming multiple patches for live performance, it's important to make sure the volume levels are balanced between them. Here's the easy way to do it:

1. Choose one of the factory patches as your "default" patch. You'll compare this patch to your new patches to check levels. All the factory patches are reasonably well balanced, so just choose one that you like.

2. Do the initial sound tweaking on your new patch. Then A/B it with the default patch and adjust the Channel Volume so that it sits where you want it.

3. Here's the important part: play along with some program material (if you have the tracks of the song you're designing the patch for, so much the better) at varying volume levels. Frequently a patch that sounds great by itself will disappear in a mix with other instruments, or interfere with other sounds. Remember that whether you're on stage or in the studio, you're usually trying to find a distinct sonic identity for every part so that you don't end up with mush.-Courtesy George Van Wagner, Line 6

Changing Tascam DA-38 and DA-88 Greeting MessagesWhen Tascam holds a retail sales product training or end user clinic on DTRS products, one question almost always comes up: How do you change the greeting message? Although it seems silly, people want to know.

To change the greeting message on a DA-38:

1. Power On while holding Ffwd, Stop, and Play.

2. Press Stop before the word "TASCAM" begins scrolling. This will put the DA-38 into Test mode. "tESt" will appear in the time code display.

3. Press and hold the Shift key while pressing the Down cursor button. The letter A will appear in the time code display.

4. Press the Up or Down cursor key to select a character.

5. Press the Shift key to store the characters (you can store up to 30 characters).

6. Press the Up and Down buttons simultaneously to enter the greeting into memory.

7. Power Off then On to see the greeting scroll across the meters.

To restore the DA-38's original "TASCAM" greeting:

Follow the previous instructions and enter the word "TASCAM," or initialize the unit like this:

1. Press Shift. The light above the key will flash green.

2. Push the Menu button repeatedly until the screen reads "init."

3. Press Up. The screen will read "rEAdY."

4. Press Up again. The screen will read "donE."

5. Press Shift.

To change the greeting message on a Tascam DA-88:

1. Power On while holding Ffwd, Stop, and Play.

2. Press Stop before the word "TASCAM" begins scrolling. This will put the DA-88 into Test mode. "tESt" will appear in the time code display.

3. Press and hold the Up cursor, Down cursor, Display, and Remote keys (in that order). The letter A will appear in the time code display.

4. Press the Up or Down cursor key to select a character. Press the Display key to store the characters (you can store up to 30 characters).

5. Power Off then On to see the new greeting.

To restore the DA-88's original "TASCAM" greeting, follow the previous instructions and enter the word "TASCAM." Don't perform the initialization process on the DA-88, because that will also reset the drum use hours.-Courtesy Karl Moet, Tascam

QUESTIONS FROM READERSInstrument Remover?Q:I enjoyed your much-needed article "Life in the Slow Lane" in the October 1999 issue of EM [about digital methods for slowing down audio]. Do any of the software programs that you tested have the ability to filter out all of the instruments and save the vocal track of an entire song as a separate WAV file? Thank you.

Paul Minotto via e-mail

A: Unfortunately, at this time I am not aware of any products that can isolate a vocal part from a mix and save it as a separate file. That's because vocal parts exist in the same range of the audio spectrum as many accompaniment instruments, which makes it hard to distinguish the voice from the instruments.

Most programs that eliminate sounds from a mix use one of two methods: stereo cancellation or frequency filtering. Reed Kotler's LBR-100 is a hardware alternative that employs both methods of sound isolation as an aid in transcribing or practicing parts.

In stereo cancellation, audio material that exists in both the left and right channels (in other words, centered audio) is eliminated, while material that resides predominantly in the left or right channels is preserved. This is the approach used by Replay Technologies' KaraokeMaker (Win), for example.

Because the vocal track is traditionally centered in the mix, stereo cancellation is often (but not always) effective in removing the vocal part (although a shadow of the vocal part may remain). The accompaniment instruments, if they are panned left or right, are retained to varying extents. Keep in mind that if the bass or any other part happens to be centered, this method may eliminate it as well. The quality of the results, therefore, depends a great deal on how the piece was mixed.

The other approach to eliminating sounds, frequency filtering, relies on filters of various kinds. Programs such as Replay's DeComposer (Win) remove specific frequency bands to focus on an instrument's range. If the vocal part you want to remove is accompanied only by a bass, a flute, or high strings, this approach might work for you. Most of the time, however, the vocalist is surrounded by instruments that are clustered in the midrange frequencies. That makes it pretty hard to distinguish the voice from the instrumental parts.

Of course, these programs are all designed to accomplish the inverse of what you want. To effectively preserve only the vocal part, you would need a sophisticated algorithm that could identify and isolate vocal timbres even when they're mixed with other sounds. As far as I know, such a program has not yet been developed. -David Rubin

Studio Setup ScenariosQ: I have decided to start a small home studio of my own. Unfortunately, I don't have the faintest clue as to how to proceed. I want to get a computer, but I don't know whether I need to get a Macintosh or not. I want to get a keyboard controller, but I don't know what's out there, and I obviously want software, but I'm without a clue. Your magazine is very informative but still a little ahead of me. Do you have any suggestions or any articles in the archives that would help me with such questions?

Thank you,Nechesa Morgan via e-mail

A: It's a little difficult to answer your questions without knowing more about what you want to do with your studio and what kind of music you play, but I'll give it a try. First, although Macintoshes are great computers for doing music production, there's no reason why you must use one. Plenty of good music software and hardware is available for Windows PCs (at the semipro level, there's actually a lot more for PCs than for Macs), and there are many good music programs that have versions for both platforms (for example, Steinberg Cubase and Emagic Logic Audio). You'll also need to take other factors into account when you're making your decision about a platform. What other software might you need? Do you use a Mac or a PC at your office? Is your budget very tight? (Although the price difference between Macs and PCs isn't as big as it was, Macs are still a bit more expensive.) Answering these types of questions will help you decide whether to go the Mac or PC route.

As for a keyboard controller, a lot depends on your budget. Many reasonably priced synths offer a variety of sounds and multitimbral operation (the ability to receive on multiple MIDI channels at once), and have the necessary controller features. One important factor is whether you need to have weighted-action keys (like a real piano) or you can get by with the spongier action of a typical synth keyboard. Weighted-action controllers-which tend to be aimed more at performance than sequencing applications-are typically more expensive and are less likely to have multitimbral sound generators.

For further information, check out "Build a Personal Studio on Any Budget" in the July 1998 issue of EM. (You can find it online in the EM archives at www.emusician.com.) The article gives some sample studio setups at different price points, and could help you get started.-Mike Levine