Equipment to connect Organelle to MIDI/Ableton?

I’ve looked at quite a few threads on this topic but have never found an exact answer. I have a MacBook with Ableton and a AKAI MPK mini. I want to both send organelle data to ableton as basically a VST and I also want Organelle to act as an effects processor. What I found so far is that an audio interface like the Behringer UCA202 is necessary as well as a USB MIDI cable like a “CREATIVE EMU XMIDI 1X1 USB MIDI Interface”.

Am I missing anything? Can I order the Organelle, the Behringer and the USB MIDI cable and be able to record organelle into a daw as well as have organelle act as an effects processor?

Many thanks-

You’ll also need to get a midi interface for your Mac if your going to use that cable.

Thanks for the reply. I am still confused.

According to this post Hooking Organelle up to a DAW , I need “two midi interfaces one for your PC and one for the Organelle. Join the PC midi out to the midi in of the Organelle and you’re away.”

A user on the same threa asked if he could order the “CREATIVE EMU XMIDI 1X1 USB MIDI Interface 87” and a “Midi plus Tbox 2x2 USB Midi interface 87” to connect his Organelle to Ableton. The answer that user got was “yes, that should work.” I’m basically asking the same question- (is an audio interface and usb midi cable enough?) and getting a different answer.

Are you saying I need two audio interfaces like a Behringer UCA202 as well as a USB MIDI cable for the organelle to function? If you could give me a list of the exact equipment I need for the Organelle to function, I’d really appreciate it.

the difference is In addition to the emu xmidi , you said the Behringer UCA202 , which is an audio interface, with no midi input/output - where as the other thread said they they would be getting a midi interface.

so the deal is:

your computer is a usb host, and the organelle is a usb host, so you cannot directly connect them together, the choices are:
a) you get a midi interface for each, such that you can connect them via midi din
b) you get a device that allows 2 usb hosts to be connected together

the later is less common,
the iConnectMidi is one such device (quite expensive)
or a device like this
http://compasflamenco.com/midi-c-3/midi-usbusb-p-4.html

which route you choose is up to you, and your budget.

2 Likes

Thanks for the clarification! I like the sound of the iConnectMidi- it sounds like if I got the Organelle with iConnectMIDI4+ and two CREATIVE EMU XMIDI 1X1 USB MIDI Interface 87 cords, the organelle would work. Is that correct?

If you get an iconnectmidi you won’t need the other midi cables. It can do usb host to usb host midi.

Ok, ive got the organelle connected with an roland Um one midi interface. Usb to Organelle, and Midi in and out to Focusrite 6i6.

OP-1 is connected USB.

Works fine.
Midi clock is abeton. Push 2 is my keyboard (sort off).
You have to select midi to Focusrite. And then I can use ableton and my push with my organelle. If I select midi to OP-1, I can use my OP-1.
Hope this is helpfull!!

Okay- I’m looking instead at getting an MIDI interface (Midiplus Tbox2X2 USB MIDI) and CREATIVE EMU XMIDI 1X1 USB MIDI Interface 87 cords. In other words, I’d like to get a midi interface for both my computer and the organelle. However I still think I’m misunderstanding something.

I want to a: send data from the organelle directly into ableton (like a synth patch) and b: send MIDI data from my MIDI keyboard into organelle and have the organelle process the data and send it to ableton(like the EnvelopeFX patch) or this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-svadNOKI9s .

According to this video, It seems like in order to accomplish B I need to first connect the MIDI keyboard and the organelle via a USB cable. I’m confused on what to do after that. You also mentioned “midi din”- I’m not sure what that is (din connector?) or if I need one.

If I want to do the things described- have the organelle act as both a synth and an effects processor- is all I need to order the Midiplus midi interface and the CREATIVE EMU cords? Do I need to buy any additional adapters or USB cords?

[quote=“maldoror, post:8, topic:3196”]
Okay- I’m looking instead at getting an MIDI interface (Midiplus Tbox2X2 USB MIDI) and CREATIVE EMU XMIDI 1X1 USB MIDI Interface 87 cords. In other words, I’d like to get a midi interface for both my computer and the organelle.
[/quote
sounds reasonable ( not that i know that particular midi interface, but looks ok)

honestly its getting a bit difficult to track what you want to do exactly, when you talk about routing midi data it all comes down to details, and often there are multiple ways to do things, depending on what you want to achieve… e.g. you now mention a midi keyboard, but you dont say if this is usb or midi din.

I think probably, the issue is your not used to using midi to external devices ,
so perhaps your best bet is to get the midi interface and emu and try it, once you have the things in your hand, you can see what fits into what, and then see how ableton and the organelle is configured.

also you can try things one step at a time, like making sure your keyboard works with ableton, then get it working with the organelle - then look at ableton to organelle, then look at connecting all 3 … talking about this in abstract is unsurprisingly going to get confusing for us all :wink:

Here’s my 2 cents. I got my organelle less than a year ago with similar thoughts. I got an iConnect Midi1. At the time I wanted to connect my Digitakt to my Organelle. Getting any iConnect product gives you a lot of options as your needs and interests might evolve. Even with the lowly MIDI1, I’ve played with connecting the Organelle to the Bop Pad, the Digitakt, Ableton via soundcard, BopPad, MIDI keyboards and so on.

1 Like

Okay, so I bought the Organelle, the midi interface, and the emu cords; all three are in front of me, and I can’t get anything to work with the computer. I also can’t get my USB Midi keyboard to work with the organelle The emu cords, because they’re 5 pin midi, doo not fit into organelle’s L and R out, or the midi keyboard. They fit into the midi interface, but not into anything else. Do I need adapters? Or different cords altogether? The only thing I can fit into the Organelle is the USB part of the Emu cords but that doesn’t seem useful.

Nearly every video I’ve seen of the organelle has two cords running from (I assume) the L and R out into something else out of the video frame. Do I need to buy cords that fit into the L and R out of the organelle? What do those cords go into?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMXf4L30E0w&t=98s This video around 2:06 is a good example of what I’m confused about. I’d like to do this exact thing- record audio into the organelle with my phone, alter it, and send that altered audio to ableton. There’s a cord running from the iPhone to the Organelle, and two cords to the left of that cord running from the Organelle to something else. What are those two cords called? What do they connect to?
Thanks again-

The L and R output Audio, not midi. You can run those into your audio interface and record audio directly into an Ableton audio track. You’d need standard 1/4 inch audio cables there. Sometimes in a pinch I’ll use a 1/8 inch audio cable out of the headphone jack and into my interface/computer. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Class compliant USB MIDI keyboards can be plugged into the organelle’s USB port and should be plug and play, IIRC.

See also https://critterandguitari.github.io/Organelle_Manual/#A_Few_Configuration_Ideas

1 Like

ok, the issue we are facing here, is you keep jumping between different topics, and connecting different things,
you really need to focus on one thing at a time, as your at risk of confusing us all :slight_smile:

but lets take each thing your talking about, one by one

a) send (midi) data from the Organelle to the computer/ableton.
to do this you need to connect the midi interface to your computer, and then the emu midi cable usb into the organelle, then the DIN into the midi interface - viola, midi can now go from organelle to your computer and back

b) connecting your keyboard to the Organelle or Computer.
this is different, because your keyboard (akai mpk mini) has only USB midi, so you just use the USB cable that was supplied with it,
the cable will look something like:

(you can get in any electrical/computer shop if you have lost it)

c) audio in to organelle
ok, so the video you linked, does not just midi at all, so there are no midi cables involved, this video just takes audio from the iPhone and process it in the organelle

an iphone uses a 3.5mm stereo jack output, and the Organelle has a single stereo 1/4" (6.3mm) stereo jack, so you need a cable to run between the two , and likely an adapter (depending what you cable looks like)

if you have a line/headphone out on your computer you can do the same to send audio from your computer to organelle.
(if you have an audio interface , see below)

d) audio out of organelle into ableton
this all depends what you have to get audio into your computer.

if you have a 3.5mm line in on the computer:
then you can use this, and you’ll need to get a 1/4" ‘Y cable’ which takes the two mono 1/4" jacks on the Organelle and puts into a single stereo jack, then you’ll need a lead , and possible an adapter like the input.

if you bought the UCA202 audio interface as you mentioned before, then you can use this to send audio between your computer and organelle (both ways)
then this appears to have RCA connectors (this is a bit unusual, most use 1/4" jacks like the organelle)
so you will need two cables with 1/4" mono at one end, and RCA connector at the other end.
something like
ttps://www.musicstore.de/es_ES/EUR/MUSIC-STORE-Cable-jack-RCA-2m-est-ndar/art-ACC0001207-002

(you’ll need one for input, and one for output)


ok, so all the above should enable you to get your computer to send/recieve midi to the organelle, and to send audio from your phone to organelle, and also send audio between your computer and organelle.

given this appears to be new to you, id suggest you try each in turn, and try to get one thing working at a time.

also Id suggest watching a few youtube videos on topics like how to link keyboards, and computers, and send audio into computers etc… Im sure ableton have some.
what you learn about connecting your computer to your keyboard/audio interface, will then directly transfer on how to do it with the organelle which is basically the same.

EDIT: also @healthylives link to the organelle manual has some great pictures, to explain whats going on :slight_smile:

2 Likes

Okay- thank you so much for advice. My apologies for skipping around to different questions–there’s just a lot i’m confused about. I’ll keep going with the a, b, c, d idea.

A) sending midi data from the organelle to the computer.
I figured out how to do that, but I didn’t know that it was ONLY midi data being sent, and not midi data plus audio from the patch (like an organelle synth patch). Right now, all I can do with the organelle is have it act as a midi controller, which isn’t particularly useful to me.

B) connecting your keyboard to the organelle or computer.
I know how to connect the USB cord from the midi keyboard to the computer, but not so sure about connecting the keyboard to the organelle.

C) audio into organelle
So to record audio from my iphone into organelle, I’d need a 3.5mm cord like this https://tinyurl.com/yd2hteez and an 3.5mm to 1/4 adaptor like this https://tinyurl.com/y7hnl5p9 ?

D) audio out of organelle into ableton
This is what I’m most interested in. It seems that the MIDI interface that I currently have is incapable of sending audio out of organelle into ableton-just midi data, like a midi controller. Is this true? It seems like to send audio out of organelle into ableton I need to buy an audio interface, like the uca202, and get 2 1/4 to rca cables, like these:

Okay! So if I have the the 3.5mm cord, the 3.5mm to 1/4 adapter, the audio interface, and the 1/4 to rca cables, could I use a patch like I Take Up which sends audio from the iphone into the organelle and send that audio from the organelle into the computer?

Thanks so much for your help :smile:

You always go above and beyond man. Thanks for doing it!

1 Like