Help me set up my MIDI (please!)

[Jambourgie]

Guys, I swear I suffer from some kind of dyslexia when it comes to making connections. If it's anything more than MIDI IN/OUT I kind of stare at it all, my mind a blank.

So at the minute I've got a little area away from my main studio. I'm learning the piano so this area is mainly for that, but when inspiration hits I want to be able to record the info via audio and MIDI. But I can't work out how to make the connections, it seems like whenever I want to do something I'm always having to go round the back and start unplugging/plugging which is a total buzzkill. I want to somehow have this all set up and do everything I need to do without touching any cables, whether it needs a MIDI merge box or something else I've no idea...

So I have: a Yamaha digital piano, which is to double up as a controller. It has MIDI IN/OUT/THRU.

Next, I have a Roland JV-1010 sound module. It has MIDI IN/OUT/THRU.

Then I have my laptop with a Focusrite Saffire 6 USB audio interface. It has MIDI IN/OUT.

In an ideal world I want to be able to achieve the following without unplugging things:

Play the piano with it's onboard sounds with the laptop/interface not turned on.
Play the JV from the piano with the laptop/interface not turned on.
With the laptop/Interface turned on and Cubase running be able to record MIDI from the piano, playing its sounds or the JV.
Transmit MIDI from cubase back out to both the JV and/or the piano to play their sounds.

I used to have loads of hardware in an old project studio, I can't remember how I did this stuff!

Anyone?

[Ben Kohonays]

I want to be able to achieve the following without unplugging things:

1. Play the piano with it's onboard sounds with the laptop/interface not turned on.
2. Play the JV from the piano with the laptop/interface not turned on.
3. With the laptop/Interface turned on and Cubase running be able to record MIDI from the piano, playing its sounds or the JV.
4. Transmit MIDI from cubase back out to both the JV and/or the piano to play their sounds.

Obviously no 1 is simple as it only involves the piano.

For no 2 you want MIDI out from the piano to MIDI in on the JV.

If you take the MIDI thru out of the JV to MIDI in on the laptop/interface, then whatever notes you play on the piano will be replicated in your DAW and can be recorded - that's no 3.

No 4 is where things can start to get a little tricky. If you take the MIDI out from the laptop/interface to the MIDI in on the piano, then cubase can play notes on your piano, but not the JV. If you took the MIDI thru out of your piano and added a merge box so you would have both the MIDI out and the MIDI thru from the piano going to the JV, then cubase could play both the piano and the JV at the same time.

The alternative option would be to unplug the MIDI cable from the MIDI out on the piano and have it going from the MIDI through on the piano, so whatever notes are being sent from cubase would be duplicated at the MIDI in on the JV. This removes the need for a merge box but would prevent you from playing along (if that's something you might want to do) on the piano at the same time.

Whichever of these two you go with, the big issue at this point is MIDI feedback, because the MIDI going from cubase through the piano and into the JV is then going to be passed out of the JV's MIDI thru back into the laptop/cubase. You may be able to filter this in cubase, or you could just unplug that particular cable when using the setup in this way.

Also, remember to set MIDI channels correctly and you can have both the piano and the JV played by cubase at the same time.

I hope this makes sense.

[Jambourgie]

Ben Kohonays

Ben, thank you so much. Makes perfect sense seeing it written down.

I gave away an old Phillip Rees merger years ago to a mate. Wonder if he fancies giving it back?..

[Ben Kohonays]

I gave away an old Phillip Rees merger years ago to a mate. Wonder if he fancies giving it back?..

Definitely worth asking.

[loug]

Not refuting what Ben said, solid advice, but chipping in just for kicks and exercising my midi mental muscles
interface midi out > Yamaha midi in
Yamaha midi out > midi splitter input A
And Yamaha midi thru > midi splitter input B > JV midi in
JV midi out > interface midi in

And then just tweak the midi routings in cubase, and the gear's midi channels in a case by case basis, midi feedback wouldn't be an issue if Cubase midi routings are set up judiciously? Also, midi splitters are dirt cheap
I don't own these pieces of gear so I wouldn't know how accessible is the Yamaha midi configuration/routing options, so maybe there would be a need for a second midi splitter at the beginning of the chain, don't know, also, I never use my interface's midi ins/outs