The KEYTAR phenomenon (re: Where the !*$&% have I been??)

[Al Coda]

thanks Al thats a great reply

 

thx !

 

personally I think I have missed out on a great modulation controller over the years..unfortunately my lungs are damaged and wonder how much effort a breath controller would need?

 

Well, I found out after some time, it was only useful for brass sounds in 1st place.

The 1st breath controller was this item you had always between your teeth which was very uncomfortable as also most brass sounds from synths weren´t very good at all at that time, so I sold it very fast.

 

just one more question

 

you run your yamaha with power thru your midi

 

No, not thru a standard midi cable. It´s a special customized cable w/ a Neutrik XLR 7-pole fem. plug on one end and a male one on the other. The battery holder in the KX-5 was removed and the XLR jack built in.

 

mine is as such too, but I believe this may be where the problem is.

 

bought it non working..it has a separate box [2" square] attached to the strap that takes the midi cable..and i believe by looking at it power is probably directed down one of the unused midi lines and a return down the other..so powered midi cable into this box...[if i remember rightly only 3 of the pins are used for midi]

 

from this box goes a small midi cable hard wired into the box and then a simple battery loom that has negative and positive poles with a battery plug and simply pluged into the already existing battery loom on the kx5

 

simple so far...as I didnt have a powered device to send power down the midi cable I would have simply connected batteries to the connectors in the keyboard and used the midi without power thus trying as it as originally intended..

 

does this setup sound similar to your midi/power setup.

 

No! There are no midi wires used for powering the KX-5,- thats because there are 7-pole connectors used.

 

in theory when I tested it, I bypassed the midi/power setup and ran the stock setup...

 

at the time of [purchase I couldnt get it working..but it was sold to me non working ]..should try it again and see if its possible to get it working]

 

any thoughts on this setup compared to yours would be appreciated

thanks aussie.

 

It´s possible to power midi devices via the midi-line, indeed only 3 wires are used for midi ( 2 for midi/ 1=ground) and one of the 5 pins/wires is reseved for power, but I don´t know how many mA/h midi should handle by midistandard specs.

It also makes neccessary to use midi cables which not only have 5-pin connectors but also 5 lines inside the cable. Often there are only 3 wires connected to the 5-pin DIN connectors.

Eventually, you should check this w/ a standard hi-fi DIN cable if you get power at all w/ your setup.

In theory, the KX-5 ( as a midi transmitter but power receiver) should have this 5-pole wireing to it´s electronics also, which I doubt it has, because it´s powered by batterys normally.

And, if you want to get power via a midi cable to the KX-5 in a standard way, the midi device the KX-5 is connected to, must be able to deliver power over midi which is also not the rule.

 

I remember we modified my KX-76 to deliver power over midi to a velocity transformer and I had to use a short true 5 line midi cable between the KX-76 and the velocity transformer then.

KX-5 and KX-76 are from the same era,- so, I think you have to modify this that way also w/ the KX-5 AND the midi reciever connected to the KX-5.

 

If you use a separate custom built PSU for the KX-5 (like me), you simply change the connectors type and make sure the PSU delivers the same DC voltage and mA/h, the batterys used normally deliver and wire the power to the wires of the removed battery holder (the midi wires connect to the inner-wires which run to the (now also removed) standard 5-pin DIN jack.

 

As I mentioned before, I have a customized standalone PSU w/ the 7-pole XLR out (acting as midi-input/ power output) running power to and midi from the KX-5, which matches the discription of wireing above. The midi-output of this combined PSU/midi-(buffer)-interface is a standard 5-pin DIN transmitting midi only (to the keyrigs central midi interface/controller-matrix).

 

Have in mind this is a cable based solution from the past which works now here at home.

 

Actually for live performances, I´d go wireless as Mark mentioned.

The best wireless midi interface seems to be the Kenton Midistream...

http://www.kentonuk.com/kenton/wireless_midi.shtml

 

But then, you´re addicted to batterys again w/ a lifetime of 2 hrs in a KX-5.

O.k. for shows, but not for rehearsals or at home.

 

A.C.

 

 

[AUSSIEKEYS]

thanks Ac...great info

 

if I get around to trying my kx5 out again I will keep what you said in mind...you are correct in using din cables...as I have used them in other applications knowing they have 5 separate lines.

 

I will try again using the battery box connected to the original battery loom/clip, and bypass the special power box that was made for this one...

 

I wonder if someone connected up what ever power sending device they originally had for this and maY HAve sent the power inadvertantly down the wrong midi line..as this unit was given up for dead when I received it .

 

they may have plugged the powered lead directly into the keyboard midi socket rather than into the special box that had been made to receive the power.

 

just to reaffirm...the power leads come out of the add on box after having been sent down a midi cable aka a din cable into a midi or 5 pin din socket in the box as two thin battery cable wires which go neg and pos to the existing battery loom clipping by ways of the original battery clip, thus no power going internally into the kx5 other than by its original battery connectors...[hence my kx5 came without a battery box and battery lid], looking for an original battery lid for my kx5 if anyone has one?