Problem Playing Casio CT-S500 From Another Keyboard

[BenWaB3]

I cross posted this on the Casio Music Forums as well and haven't gotten any replies although in all fairness it's only been on there about 12 hours

 

I've been trying to get my Hammond SKPro to play (trigger) the sounds from the CT-S500 via MIDI. The only way I can get it to almost work is using a MIDI dongle from the MIDI out of the SK and have the CT dongle attached. However after the first few notes the latency jumps to about a second. I've tried running a USB-B from the TO HOST out on the Hammond to the USB-A TO DEVICE on the CT with no luck. Also tried a USB-B from the Hammond to the USB Micro on the CT with the same (non)results. The Bluetooth attempt was with one of the WIDImaster dongles. I also have a Yamaha dongle but you have to put an app on the receiving device to get it to recognize it,  a feature I don't think the CT has. And it's very possible it would get the same delay. Has anyone been able to trigger the CT sounds from another keyboard using just USB cables? And also, would it have killed them to include good old common MIDI sockets on this keyboard? Thanks in advance.

 

Addendum to the original post: I did hook the SK up to a DAW on my computer just to make sure the Hammond was working correctly and it does trigger MIDI on the DAW.

[Mike Martin]

@BenWaB3

To be clear, you using the USB-MIDI input? Since the CT-S500 only has USB MIDI, that requires a host - a computer or other type of interface to go between. A direct cable connection is not possible. 

[BenWaB3]

2 hours ago, Mike Martin said:

@BenWaB3

To be clear, you using the USB-MIDI input? Since the CT-S500 only has USB MIDI, that requires a host - a computer or other type of interface to go between. A direct cable connection is not possible. 

 

I was using a direct cable from the TO HOST USB -B port from the Hammond and tried using both the USB-A (TO DEVICE) and micro USB (TO HOST) ports on the CT. I also tried using a regular MIDI cable from the SK to an Alesis Micro Hub and into the CT ports but that didn't work either. This negates one of the reasons I had picked up the CT (not the only reason, but one of the big ones). I've groused on the SKPro thread in the KC forums about the quality of the extra voices on the SK, acoustic piano, Wurlitzer elec. piano and particularly about the Rhodes & Clav sounds. I had hoped to tote the CT along & just plug into the SK's aux in & play those sounds from the CT via MIDI. The only way I could get it to almost work was using a WIDImaster BT dongle from the MIDI out of the SK and also using the USB BT dongle that comes with the CT. It plays okay for about the first 5 notes then starts having a latency of around one second. I did check the WIDImaster itself, running from the SK to some software in my phone & it didn't have that problem. I don't know if there is some weird buffer issue going on in the CT or what. I do have an old NI Komplete Audio 6 interface that I can try at some future point but I'm not very optimistic that will work either Thanks for the reply, Mike. It wasn't the answer I wanted to hear but I do appreciate you responding to this thread.

[AnotherScott]

With only a handful of exceptions, you can't connect one keyboard to another via USB, you need 5-pin MIDI (on both sides) for that. However, there are ways to do it by adding a USB host device in between. A computer can do it, as can an iPhone/iPad. There are also dedicated boxes for this purpose... the best one is probably the one from Kenton, but there are others, like this one on Amazon. (ETA: Though for those boxes, one of your two keyboards still needs to have 5-pin DIN MIDI.)

[BenWaB3]

Thanks for the reply, Scott. I won't be able to experiment with the setup for a few days but will probably try the one from Amazon once I get back home since their return policy is pretty easy if it still doesn't work out. I'll probably try the NI Komplete Audio 6 first since it seems like it might be the same type of thing but then again I thought the Alesis Micro Hub was kind of the same thing also. Thanks again.

[AnotherScott]

27 minutes ago, BenWaB3 said:

I'll probably try the NI Komplete Audio 6 first since it seems like it might be the same type of thing 

 

Looking at it online, I don't see any indication that it could do what we're talking about, unless it were connected to a computer as well.

[BenWaB3]

16 minutes ago, AnotherScott said:

 

Looking at it online, I don't see any indication that it could do what we're talking about, unless it were connected to a computer as well.

 

But will the Camola box converter allow me to go from the Hammond-to the box-to the Casio without having to have a computer involved in the chain? Since I would be using this for my "house gig" on weekends I don't want to have to lug around a computer to get the job done. Thanks

[AnotherScott]

2 minutes ago, BenWaB3 said:

 

But will the Camola box converter allow me to go from the Hammond-to the box-to the Casio without having to have a computer involved in the chain? 

Yes... the box would connect to the Casio via USB, it would connect to the Hammond via 5-pin DIN. The box is a one-trick pony, this is the kind of thing it is designed to do, and that's all it does. Basically, think of it as a box that adds 5-pin MIDI connectors to a device that only has USB.

 

I haven't seen anything that does this that also does anything else except for some of the stuff from iConnectivity (and only a small number of pieces from them). Other than those, if the box can connect to a computer (like the Alesis or NI boxes you mentioned), I would assume it can NOT do what you want, UNLESS it is attached to a computer.

[BenWaB3]

Thanks for clarifying that, Scott. I guess one of these boxes is in my near future.