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Connecting two midi keyboards to PC.

tomasitok2

New member
Hello, I'm a newbie here and hope not to cause much trouble. I own two midi keyboards: A Suzuki digital piano (with Midi in, Midi Out and Midi Through ports) and and old Yamaha Keyboard (with Midi in and Midi Out ports).

I also have a In + Out/USB midi cable with which I have been able to connect a single midi keyboard to my PC (Using the Cable-In to Out-Port and Cable-Out to In-port combinations and then linking to my PC through the USB port).

Then, I have a midi-to-midi-cable aswell, with which I can connect both keyboards using one as a master (midi signal out) and one as a slave (midi signal in).

My question is: ¿How can I connect both midi keyboards two my PC using only the avaible resources for this moment?

I wish to do this in a way I can assign a signle midi channel to each keyboard so I could control a two manual virtual-organ (using, lets say, GrandOrgue software).

Hope to make sense and sorry for my lack of fluency with english language. Thanks in advance.
 
wljmrbill

wljmrbill

Member
you have to have a midi interface unit.. 2 or 3 adapter unit which would allow you to connect 2 keyboards and a pedal later on... They run about $89.00 USD on ebay or also at http://www.sweetwater.com has the cakewalk units. I do not know of another way to ahev 2 and separate channels.
 
Last edited:
Ghekorg7 (Ret)

Ghekorg7 (Ret)

Rear Admiral Appassionata (Ret)
Hi Tomasitok 2 and welcome to the forum !
Midi mergers do not always work on any system (if you follow Bill's good advice). Test before you buy one if it works on your system.Mine doesn't.
So I got RomioII midi to usb interface with built in driver that has two midi in/outs to USB. It's odd that yours has only one midi in. It's cheeper(39 euros) and works with any system.
Another solution is to buy a new modern usb keyboard - plug and play.Has many many controls and works great with computer music programs. I got U-Key 49 keys and costs 130 euros.
If you plan to add some pedals later, consider to get both, so you'll have the connections needed. Example : Yamaha kbd GO(Romio), U-Key(or any Plug&play USB direct) positiv and pedalboard(Romio).
I Hope I helped
Cheers 8)
Panos
 

ggoode.sa

New member
Hi Tomas,
How can I connect both midi keyboards two my PC using only the avaible resources for this moment?
Click to expand...

One thing to try...
1) Connect the old Yamaha Keyboard MIDI-OUT to the MIDI-THRU of the Suzuki digital piano using the midi-to-midi-cable.
2) Connect the USB/MIDI cable to the Suzuki digital piano
3) Run and configure a MIDI Monitor program (like MIDI-OX www.midiox.com)
4) Configure the keyboards to different channels
5) Test the MIDI input to see if you recieve signals from both keyboards on the channels that you have configured.

Theoretically this should work - but theory and practice are two different things! Let us know how it goes and if you need more help :)

GrahamG
 
Ghekorg7 (Ret)

Ghekorg7 (Ret)

Rear Admiral Appassionata (Ret)
ggoode.sa said:
Hi Tomas,


One thing to try...
1) Connect the old Yamaha Keyboard MIDI-OUT to the MIDI-THRU of the Suzuki digital piano using the midi-to-midi-cable.
2) Connect the USB/MIDI cable to the Suzuki digital piano
3) Run and configure a MIDI Monitor program (like MIDI-OX www.midiox.com)
4) Configure the keyboards to different channels
5) Test the MIDI input to see if you recieve signals from both keyboards on the channels that you have configured.

Theoretically this should work - but theory and practice are two different things! Let us know how it goes and if you need more help :)
GrahamG
Click to expand...

Hi again !

Grahan I did some test on your proposal here. It doesn't work....:crazy:
This is what I did.
Korg SG1d digital piano - midi out - to midi in Yamaha Motif ES6.
Yamaha ES - USB out to USB in PC.
Control ONLY ES. Korg NO. I know why : Motif wants to set in utility mode either Midi or USB send recieve, so set USB disables the previous midi connection with Korg.
2. Same as above, but with U-KeyII in place of ES.
U'Key doesn't ask for anything (plug & play). Control only U'Key. Korg off.
3. Same with Yamaha EL900. Only USB cnnection works.

So, I insist on my previous combination (RonioII usb + USB keyboard).
It seems that when usb is on Midi is disabled in all applications....

Thomas where are you?
Have you tried anything?

Tell me what you think Graham.
Panos:cool:
 

ggoode.sa

New member
Hi Panos,

MIDI-OUT/IN is different to MIDI-THRU. MIDI-Through takes the MIDI signals from that port and merges them with the MIDI-OUT... so the 'theory' still stands :) Not many keyboards have MIDI-THRU anymore. This did work for me in mid 1990s, but modern 'shorcuts' in the MIDI implementation make me doubt that it will still work. Thanks for trying!

GrahamG
 
Ghekorg7 (Ret)

Ghekorg7 (Ret)

Rear Admiral Appassionata (Ret)
ggoode.sa said:
Hi Panos,

MIDI-OUT/IN is different to MIDI-THRU. MIDI-Through takes the MIDI signals from that port and merges them with the MIDI-OUT... so the 'theory' still stands :) Not many keyboards have MIDI-THRU anymore. This did work for me in mid 1990s, but modern 'shorcuts' in the MIDI implementation make me doubt that it will still work. Thanks for trying!

GrahamG
Click to expand...

Sorry about that Graham I'll do the "Thru" treatment this afternoon and I;ll post again.
How did I forgot?! I allways used it too in the '90s and solved my skin in many cases.:grin:
Panos:cool:
 

tomasitok2

New member
Hello, I must say I wasn't successfull... when I connected Yamaha MIDI out to Suzuki MIDI through, and then the USB as usual, MIDI-ox only recognized the signal coming from the Suzuki. Another thing I can do?
 

ggoode.sa

New member
Hi Tomas,

Sorry, if this method didn't work, then your only alternative is to purchase more hardware. As you already have one USB/MIDI cable your cheapest option would probably be to simply purchase a 2nd one...

GrahamG
 
Ghekorg7 (Ret)

Ghekorg7 (Ret)

Rear Admiral Appassionata (Ret)
tomasitok2 said:
Hello, I must say I wasn't successfull... when I connected Yamaha MIDI out to Suzuki MIDI through, and then the USB as usual, MIDI-ox only recognized the signal coming from the Suzuki. Another thing I can do?
Click to expand...


Agree with Graham, and if you do , buy one with two midi ins, so when you got the pedals you'll be ok with 3 midi ins for your GrandOrgue VPO;)

Cheers
Panos:cool:
 

tomasitok2

New member
Hello, I'm a newbie here and hope not to cause much trouble. I own two midi keyboards: A Suzuki digital piano (with Midi in, Midi Out and Midi Through ports) and and old Yamaha Keyboard (with Midi in and Midi Out ports).

I also have a In + Out/USB midi cable with which I have been able to connect a single midi keyboard to my PC (Using the Cable-In to Out-Port and Cable-Out to In-port combinations and then linking to my PC through the USB port).

Then, I have a midi-to-midi-cable aswell, with which I can connect both keyboards using one as a master (midi signal out) and one as a slave (midi signal in).

My question is: ¿How can I connect both midi keyboards two my PC using only the avaible resources for this moment?

I wish to do this in a way I can assign a signle midi channel to each keyboard so I could control a two manual virtual-organ (using, lets say, GrandOrgue software).

Hope to make sense and sorry for my lack of fluency with english language. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Hello, it's a long time since I posted here, and I must say I bought a new organ pedalboard (midiworks.ca) and two new midi-usb cables, both of the same brand as the first one I had, which is this:
View attachment 2473
The cables all work perfectly on separate (I tested all of them with the three keyboards [counting the pedalboard as a keyboard]) and when I connect them all at the same time, midiOX recognizes the three devices and receives messages of the three of them, like this:
View attachment 2476View attachment 2474

Unfortunately, GrandOrgue recognizes only one of the two new cables when connected at the same time (as the two new are both named USB Midi Interface):
View attachment 2477

In this setting I gave the old cable to the first keyboard (Great) one of the new cables to the second keyboard (Swell) and the other to the Pedals. This is what happened once:Midi 5.jpgMidi 4.jpg

The program recognized the signal from the swell, but none from the pedal. Depending on the order with which I plug in the cables, it recognizes only the pedal or only the upper keyboard (with the lower keyboard always working, as I gave it the old cable). I'm starting to get unpatient. Is there any way to solve this conflict? (And no, I cannot purchase any fancy software as Hauptwerk or any new hardware, cable or idi device, I need to solve this problem with things I already have, which also include a midi-to-midi cable, thank you)
 
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