Hi everyone. I am a new GP user here. I was trying to connect a Casio CTK 3500 keyboard to GP.
My laptop is a Huawei D14 with 8 GB RAM. I could launch GP and connect the USB cable from the laptop to the keyboard. But I don’t know how to make the audio come out to the PA system. The keyboard is connected to a DI via stereo PL cables and then to the mixer via an XLR cable. I would greatly appreciate your input and expert advice. Thank you everyone!
Welcome!
you need to provide your GP audio output from the Laptop to the PA as well. You Casio is only exchanging MIDI information with Gig Performer.
You could either send your audio output to the audio inout of your Casio or use a small mixer between your Casio and the DI, or dedicated inputs (/w seperetae DIs) on the existing mixer.
What audio interface are you using on your D14?
BBB
I see, I guess that’s where I am wrong. At the moment, I don’t have an audio interface, I’m still saving up for it. I do have a small mixer, a 4ch one, I believe. I still have a few channels on the mixer where the keyboard is connected. Can you teach me on how to set that up ( step by step or a rough layout would really help a lot?) Thank you so much in advance.
I suppose you currently hear your audio output of GP by the inbuilt D14 speakers or headphione?
So for the moment the most simple and cheapest option would be to connect the audio out of your D14 to the audio in of your Casio by a 3.5mm / 1/8" TRS cable. Or go directly from the D14 with a suitable TRS Adapter cable to your small mixer.
Not sure whether the internal audio interface of your laptop will cut it. (I wouldn’t think the Casio would be able to serve the role as an audio interface? Am I wrong?).
If you need a simple audio interface, you could consider this: (I have been happy with it in my rigs):
https://www.amazon.com/PreSonus-AudioBox-GO-production-Instruments/dp/B09N557CYK
Jeff
PS: I use a Casio CTK-7200 as one of my controllers (as well as continuing to use its internal sounds sometimes).
I see. So, the audio from the laptop to the audio in the keyboards? My usual setup is connecting the keyboard audio via a TRS cable to the audio in the DI and then to the audio in the mixer. I’m sorry if I am becoming annoying, but I want to improve the sound.
Ok… let me try to sum up things a bit.
You have a keyboard, which acts as a sound source on its own, this is connected to a mixer.
If you connect the keyboard with your laptop via USB, you will have a bidirectional MIDI-connection between those two. This MIDI connection is not for sound - it’s just transmitting/receiving note and various control signals! There is always a MIDI-signal chain and, separated from that, an audio signal chain, you’ll have to take care of both!
Now you want to use Gig Performer for… what exactly? You haven’t told yet what you intend to do or what you expect. This might help us to give you better hints on how to do things best, so please tell us your whole plan. 
Typically you would use Gig Performer to play sotfware based instruments or use software based effects in real time. The sound of those plugins (instruments/effects) is generated in your laptop, so if you want to hear it, you’ll have to connect your laptop’s audio output with your mixer/pa the same way you did with your keyboard. A dedicated audio interface will make this way more reliable (and most probably reacting faster while you play).
With Gig Performer you could as well use and control the sounds of your keyboard, but then, you would have to connect the output of your keyboard with an audio input of your computer, so that your computer, respectively Gig Performer, is able to “hear” it. And this is also something which would be solved best with an audio interface!
If you managed to have these kind of connections, you could mix both sound sources at will (your keyboard and/or plugins) or you could use additional plugin effects on the sounds of your keyboard… endless possibilities!
If you plan to buy an audio iinterface, you should pay attention that it has native ASIO support, because this will provide the best audio performance on Windows PCs!
Depending on what you plan to do (maybe you also want to sing?) you should choose an interface with at least two inputs (or more). My recommendation for a cheap but good interface would be this (for example): Behringer U-Phoria UMC204HD – Thomann United States
Maybe this helps a bit with your further steps…
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For what its worth, to simplify things (and get away with a smaller, less expensive audio interface), I do not run my audio from my Casio Keyboards back into my computer/Gig Performer. (It may be better in a number of ways to do that (for example, you can use effects on your computer, etc.), but I chose not to).
So, when I am triggering sounds from my Casios, the sounds go from the (internal) keyboard right into my keyboard amp (many people would run it into a mixer).
But, I also use sounds from plugins controlled by GP (using Kontakt, Arturia V Collection, etc.) in my laptop.
So, for audio coming out of my laptop, I have a high speed USB cable run from my laptop into my Presonus Audiobox Go audio interface. Then I have 1/4 cable going from the Audiobox Go into my amp (again, many people would run it into a mixer).
In terms of using my Casios as controller keyboards, I have USB cables from the back of my Casios into a USB hub then into my laptop. I only use those USB cables to send MIDI data to my laptop/GP to control my plugins (Kontakt, Arturia V Collection etc.)
One issue is, if you use your Casio’s as a controller only (you do not want internal sounds) you have to find a way to do that. So, maybe you can make a user tone that does not generate any sound. And you can use that (silent) user tone slot whenever you just want to use your Casio as a controller (without generating any internal sound from the Casio).
I hope this is some help. I was/am not to strong in this. So, I had to work my way through all this stuff. But it is worth it!
Jeff
[PS, now I am thinking about exploring running the audio from my Casio’s into the audio interface. It looks like I may have two 1/4 inputs available. (One big benefit is I would not have to turn down the volume of my Casio PX350 when use it solely as a controller keyboard).]
Hi there. Thanks for taking the time to reply. So what I wanted to do is to use the GP for expansion of the keyboard for live worship setup, and just like you have said it, use software-based instruments for live performance with the Casio keys as a controller.
So basically, I wanted to send the sound generated from the GP connected to the keyboards to the PA system. I hope you guys are getting what I’m trying to do here. Because most of the videos that I am seeing on Youtube are mostly about recording, and not really about live performance.
There are a fair number of videos that should help you. I would watch them and try to also look at the manual.
Watch the ones on setting up a rackspace.
You need to have MIDI from the keyboard sent to the computer.
And audio sent from the computer (ideally through an audio interface) into an amp (or mixer to an amp or speaker).
You might have complications because that is an inexpensive keyboard that was not intended as a keyboard controller.
Does that keyboard send midi? Does it receive midi?
Based on the inputs at the back and the specs, it sends MIDI, but I’m unsure if it receives the same. I guess, the best workaround for the set-up that I am aiming for is really to have an audio interface to send the signal back to the PA system.
Yes, the important thing is it sends out midi, at least for standard things like note on/off velocity, pitch bend, etc.
Yes, you probably need an audio interface. The Presonus Audiobox Go I use is very reasonably priced. I have been happy with it.
You will have to figure somethings out. For example, if you hit a note on the keyboard to trigger a plugin (VST, etc.), you probably do not want to also hear the internal keyboard. For now you can turn Local Off or turn down the master volume. But, you probably want a user tone slot that does not generate any sound to use when you want it to solely a controller. (I had to figure this out with very little knowledge).
You should check if any buttons send midi out to Gig Performer. You will probably want some way to switch rackspaces/variations/songs/songs parts. (It might not have that option).
One step at a time.
This is a good video for optimizing your computer:
Good starter video for you:
Watch all these:
Consider these:
And these:
Be aware that some video reference older versions of Gig Performer.
Good luck!
Jeff
[PS I meant to link to the full playlists for some of these links. There are a LOT of videos that are very helpful for keyboard players starting with Gig Performer. For people who are not great at learning by reading a manual (I think many musicians) these are amazing resources (thanks, Brett, Matt and all the other people who produced these!).
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This video might be helpful too:
It is talking about Bandlab, but still might be helpful.
Jeff
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