JD-Xi Keyboard

i need your help

14 May 2023, 09:14

Hello Roland user,
I have been working with the DAW software Reaper for a long time now, I would like to integrate the JD-xi completely.
I would like to make a drum on the JD-xi, for example, then press play or record in Reaper and the Jd-xi then plays at the tempo of the DAW. I would like to use it like my other VST instruments, only as hardware.
My setup is MOTU Sound device with Midi Windows 10 Laptop external Midi Keyboard Native Instruments Complete A 49 and lots of VSTs I would be very happy about advice tips or whatever. Sorry for my bad English i use a Google translator.

Re: i need your help

15 May 2023, 14:53

Hi Fleshtronic,

I don't use Reaper, nor Windows. I do use Ableton and a Mac laptop. I do use some Native Instrument Plug-ins and many many many others. I therefore cant give you detailed set-up information but can give you some ideas to consider.

I do have 2 Roland keyboards, The JD-xi and the FA06. I started with these and found using their in-built sequencers limiting and not easy to manipulate. I therefore moved to MacBook Pro running Ableton as my primary sequencer/control. For a while I used Ableton as the Master controller and used this to start, stop and tempo control the sequencers in the Jd-xi and FA06. This works but requires setting up the 3 devices first for each song and getting hands on with each etc. I therefore decided to copy every songs midi sequence and each individual track from both keyboards into one song in Ableton as midi tracks.

I now therefore have every song stored in Ableton and run all songs from Ableton. So I send midi data to the Jd-xi and the FA06 which automatically selects/loads the right song/patches/sounds (using Programme Change midi data) followed by the midi data sequence for all the tracks, in-tempo. The two keyboards are therefor just acting as the sound sources with the brains/instructions sent from Ableton.

This allows me to use all 3 'instruments' Ableton, JD-xi and FA06 as the sounds/patches. Ableton ( and Reaper) do of course have unlimited number of tracks, so can feed 4 tracks of midi sequences to the JD-xi and 16 tracks to the FA06 at the same time as well as running its own midi tracks or audio tracks using Native Instrument sounds and the other VST.

If you set it up this way you also don't have the track length limitations of the JD-xi. And you can use the full size of your Native Instruments keyboard not the 3 octaves of the JD-xi. You can also play 1, 2, 3 or 4 tracks of the JD-xi at the same time from the native Instrument keyboard (presuming it can be 'split'. And no more relying on the small loops in the JD-xi. It would be unlimited.

Hope this 'translates' okay and you can get an idea of how I set-up, which really is unlimited and extremely flexible. It might be good for you?

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