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Midi or USB for external keyboard ?


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Good question. A few years ago I would have said USB, for convenience. Once cable that does midi in and out, and also powers the keyboard so you don't need the wall wart adapter. I ran into trouble on a festival gig with a big stage where my computer was far away. I had a USB extension cable but things did not work well with it. USB is definitely sensitive to cable length. I switched to 5-pin midi for my touring rig, using a 35-foot (10 meter) cable, and it worked fine. Also, I suspect that USB drivers can have conflicts with some software since different companies can use "tricks" to get better performance. For instance, my Roland A800 Pro keyboard has a USB setting to "use advanced driver" vs the regular "class compliant" setting. With different MacOSes, another company's hosting software, another company's softsynth, etc., I think it might give more peace of mind to use the old, tried and true 5-pin midi for real important gigs where you can't afford to have any problems.

 

Having said all this â for more informal local gigs, I use USB! I keep my midi interface and cable in my laptop bag just in case, but it really is much more convenient to use USB, and once you set up your system and play a bunch of gigs, you should have a good idea of how reliable it is.

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Yeah, USB is nice and simple, especially if your controller can be powered by it, and it can be cheapest since all you need is a USB cable. But MIDI connections provide more rugged connections that are less likely to be inadvertently disconnected or to break after frequent plugging/unplugging on the keyboard end, and also work better over longer cable lengths, and also don't have USB's susceptibility to hum/noise, something that doesn't bite everyone, but that standard MIDI connections (which are ground isolated) are impervious to. Obviously, both approaches have been successfully and happily employed by many players!

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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But MIDI connections provide more rugged connections that are less likely to be inadvertently disconnected or to break after frequent plugging/unplugging on the keyboard end,

Absolutely, as I detailed in an old thread here:

 

https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2880644/Controller_keyboards_and_their

 

(Unfortunately, my images hosting company changed hosts themselves so all postimg.org links here are broken. This is the pic that's shown as a "?" in that thread now):

 

A800-usb-ext.jpg

 

What's interesting is that my replacement A800 Pro seems to have a much better USB jack on it. I'm pretty careful & gentle with it, but so far it's been fine and grips the cable with much more force than my first A800, whose demise is illustrated by the video in that thread. On that one, the cable met barely any resistance when you plugged it in to the jack.

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I'm with you on this one. Tape has become a good friend for strain relief and that goes triple for mini-USB cords. I'd prefer to keep my gear semi-pristine, but I'll tolerate some adhesive leavings in trade for the peace of mind it confers. I also use a powered USB hub, which prevents any shenanigans from low current. The happiest jack is the one that only sees movement twice a year at best. I'm a lover of Logic Pro, so I've kinda missed the current connection woes that can crop up with iPads and Macbooks. I cut my sequencing teeth on a minimal workstation display, so Logic is like a gift from a genie. :puff::o

 "I want to be an intellectual, but I don't have the brainpower.
  The absent-mindedness, I've got that licked."
        ~ John Cleese

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How to connect multiple midi controllers (via midi) to a daw in ordre to control Omnisphere + keyscape ?

You mean if you want to use MIDI jacks as opposed to USB? Numerous ways to do it.

 

(a) The easiest way is to get a MIDI-USB interface that has two MIDI inputs. i.e. MOTU FastLane, iConnectivity mio2 or iConnectMIDI 2+.

 

(b) If you have a MIDI-USB interface you want to use that has only one MIDI input, you can use a MIDI Merge box to plug two keyboards into it.

 

© If you're going to be getting an audio interface anyway, you could choose one that has MIDI input as well (note that that's the exception rather than the rule). I'm not aware of any that have two MIDI inputs (though there may be some), but again, you could use a MIDI Merge box to connect two MIDI keyboards.

 

(d) As a variation of what Sven mentioned in the other thread, you may be able to plug keyboard 1's MIDI Out into keyboard 2's MIDI In, and if Keyboard 2 has a built-in MIDI Merge feature (sending the combined MIDI Out and Thru out a single MIDI jack), you can then connect both keyboards to the computer using just the second keyboard's MIDI connection. (Sven's post talked about going USB out from the second keyboard to the computer, but I'm guessing it can probably do the same out of its MIDI jack, I'm just not familiar with the ins and outs of that Roland that you're using as the second keyboard in this scenario.) If that works, then any single input MIDI-USB interface will work, you don't need a two-input one for scenario (a) or a merge box for scenarios (b) and ©.

 

As for connecting to a DAW for this live performance rig, that may be a good starting point if you're already using a DAW that you're comfortable with, but otherwise you may find more "live performance specific" ease and flexibility using a program designed for live work, as Sven also mentioned, i.e. Mainstage, Gig Performer, or Camelot Pro. The latter two have free downloadable demos you can try. Mainstage doesn't, but it is only $30.

 

If I were you, I'd start with the USB connection that Sven suggested (or some other variation above if you happen to have those pieces around), just to get up and running right away at no cost, and you can start getting the concepts down and evaluating your software options. Just make sure you set your two keyboards to two different MIDI channels. Then at a later date, when you decide on exactly what ancillary hardware you want, you can just swap out the USB connection for MIDI connection if desired, change a routing setting or two in your host program, and be up and running. There's no need to buy more stuff or make decisions about exactly which hardware you want right from day one. You can get started with what you have today and figure out the rest as you go. For example, you won't really know whether you need an audio interface until you see how the system works without one. And that decision in turn may affect how you choose to make your MIDI connection. So I'd say start with what you have, see how it goes, and then decide on the rest as you become better informed about how your system is working.

 

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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How to connect multiple midi controllers (via midi) to a daw in ordre to control Omnisphere + keyscape ?

3 midi-over-usb powered inputs for up to 3 keyboards

1 usb connection for audio interface connection to your computer

2 sets of 1/4" stereo output jacks plus monitor send, each with independent volume control.

 

I've used it for many years reliably; 2 controller keyboards go into it, my laptop communicates with it (it sends the midi to the laptop, and the laptop sends the digital audio data to it over just one USB cable), monitor speakers to the headphone jack, FOH connectors to the stereo output #1, and I don't touch the #2 jack. (Oh, and everything is mixed to mono in my computer :laugh: )

 

2a49889d07d69d4fefa8a8fd8b53a17e-970-80.jpg

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