The Song Fight Bulletin Board

What's the cheapest (or free-est ) way to MIDI your keyboard into your computer, assuming I have nothing more than a computer and a MIDI capable cheap Yamaha set of keys?

jb wrote:http://m-audio.com/products/en_us/Uno-main.html

Hmm, is that the cheapest? What's this world coming to? Cords for $50, bleh!

Technically, it's an adapter. There are dozens of similar USB-midi adapters, all around the $40 price point. (Look for manufacturers like M-audio, Edirol, Tascam, Hosa.)

If you have a PC, it's possible that your sound card already supports midi, probably via the "game" port, in which case you just need a cheap "midi game port" cable. See here: http://www.musicmall.com/cmp/article6.htm



edit: Link works now ... phpBB doesn't like dots at the end of URLs

deshead wrote:Technically, it's an adapter. There are dozens of similar USB-midi adapters, all around the $40 price point. (Look for manufacturers like M-audio, Edirol, Tascam, Hosa.)

If you have a PC, it's possible that your sound card already supports midi, probably via the "game" port, in which case you just need a cheap "midi game port" cable. See here: http://www.musicmall.com/cmp/article6.htm.

That linky no worky

Edit 1: Another question since I'm a MIDI virgin... When you plug your keyboard into your PC, does it transmit just the note, or also the particular voice you are using at that moment? Also does it require special software, or will Audacity or Krystal record MIDI?

Edit 2: I was looking around eBay for one of those adapters and stumbled upon thishttp://cgi.ebay.com/Creative-Prodikeys- ... dZViewItem. Has anyone used or played with this before? It's intriguing.

no, it doesn't transmit the voice, but there are plenty of free VST synths for your computer. it does transmit all of the midi information.

you're not going to find a decently working USB->MIDI adaptor for less than around $40. spending a little more on the M-Audio one means you also get decent drivers for it.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/home/nav ... _Price%7C0

P.S. I have that m-audio adapter and it works fine.

JB

blue wrote:it does transmit all of the midi information.

Well, it would, wouldn't it? :p

More usefully, as well as the note on/note off messages, the midi spec also includes information such as pitch bend, modulation, velocity etc. Not all midi instruments implement all aspects of the midi spec however, but all of them should include a midi implementation guide to tell you what they implement and what they don't.

If you're gonna go for the 'midi keyboard connected to a PC playing a vst synth' route, then the audio latency of your sound card will become a very important factor. Anything longer than 10-15ms and there'll be enough of a delay between hitting a note on your keyboard and hearing the sound that it'll throw you off when you're trying to play something.

jb wrote:http://m-audio.com/products/en_us/Uno-main.html

It's amusing to note that they list the features of the adapter as including '16 MIDI input and output channels'. I'm surprised they didn't go the whole hog and tell us it supports both note on and note off events too!

obscurity wrote:

jb wrote:http://m-audio.com/products/en_us/Uno-main.html

It's amusing to note that they list the features of the adapter as including '16 MIDI input and output channels'. I'm surprised they didn't go the whole hog and tell us it supports both note on and note off events too!

GIGGLE

kill_me_sarah wrote:That linky no worky

http://www.musicmall.com/cmp/article6.htm

(And fixed above)

resurrecting a dead thread with topic drift - because thats how I roll.

I recently aquired an <A href="http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Axiom25-main.html"> Axiom 25 keyboard</A>. I have it working with GarageBand and with a synth plugin in Protools. And I have a managed at least a conceptual understanding of MIDI ( i know what a controller isn't).

What is confusing me is all this equivocation of the word "sampler". It seems to mean sample library ???? that's not what I expected it to mean.

Is there a plugin somewhere that will allow me to record a wave form from a mic and then map it to midi data so it becomes the patch or instrument sound or whatever ????

Most of GarageBand's instruments are based on the EXS24 sampler, which does exactly what you think of when you think "sampler." However, one of the limitations of GarageBand is that you can't make your own sample patches (you can only install ones which Apple makes via Jam Packs). If you want that you have to upgrade to Logic.

I don't know what kind of softsynths ProTools comes with but one of them is probably a basic sampler of some sort.