Vintage Synth Explorer Forums

I am just starting to setup my equipment on MIDI.

The only MIDI experience I have is:

1) Using a MIDI Keyboard with Reason to input notes
2) Having a MIDI Synth & Drum Machine connected directly to each other (IN & OUT to sync arpeggio & filters etc. to the Drum Machines BPM).

I have connected my synth to Cubase (using MIDI IN & OUT) and have got it to input MIDI notes by playing the keyboard manually and when playing the song back it plays the notes using the Synth.

It may be something I am doing wrong but when I put my Drum Machine into the chain should I still be able to input notes on my Synth and play them back or do I have to manually connect an item one at a time to input notes then connect the back into a chain to playback all the items at once?

Am I right in thinking it should be MIDI OUT from PC to MIDI IN on Drum Machine, then MIDI THRU on DM to MIDI IN on synth, finally MIDI OUT on Synth to MIDI IN on Computer? (The JP-8000 doesn't have a MIDI THRU)

The items I want to use are:

Roland JP-8000 (2 parts, 1 MIDI Channel each) has MIDI IN & OUT
Korg Electribe ES-1 Mk 1 - has MIDI IN & OUT & THRU
Yamaha Keyboard - has MIDI IN & OUT & THRU

Also would I be better starting out as a beginner to MIDI with a Hardware Sequencer or a Synth with one built in rather than Cubase? The Cubase I am using is an old version which was given to me so I'm not concerned if I don't use it for a while.

I'll just move this over to help for you!

Adam D wrote:Am I right in thinking it should be MIDI OUT from PC to MIDI IN on Drum Machine, then MIDI THRU on DM to MIDI IN on synth, finally MIDI OUT on Synth to MIDI IN on Computer? (The JP-8000 doesn't have a MIDI THRU).

Yamaha keyboard OUT --> Computer IN
Computer OUT --> Yamaha keyboard IN
Yamaha Keyboard THRU --> Electribe IN
Electribe THRU --> JP8000 IN

If Yamaha keyboard has a Local ON/OFF function, set it to OFF and change the MIDI channel in Cubase.

You can control everything through the computer using the Yamaha keyboard.

Finally got round to trying what gcoudert recommeded (after moving house!) but it's still not working. It seems the info isnt getting through the Keyboard.

I think it might be a Cubase or Yamaha KB issue but I have tried the following, just trying to get Midi IN/OUT Working first:

*Connected MIDI IN to OUT / OUT to IN on the JP8000 & Yamaha Keyboard - Both play each other

*Connected MIDI IN to OUT / OUT to IN on the JP8000 & Electribe - Both play each other

*Connected MIDI IN to OUT / OUT to IN on the Electribe & Yamaha Keyboard - Both play each other

*Connected MIDI IN & OUT on PC to JP8000 - JP8000 inputs notes on Cubase, Cubase plays the JP8000 when playing song back

*Connected MIDI IN & OUT on PC to Yamaha Keyboard - Yamaha inputs notes on Cubase, Cubase wont make the Yamaha play them back

I find this strange, the Yamaha is an old Keyboard but it's the only KB/Synth I have at the moment with IN & OUT & THRU. It has MIDI output channel selection 1-16, and you can Enable and Disable Receive on channels 1-16 and MIDI Clock.

Anyone know what might be wrong?

try different midi channels for each device

Cheers I did have them on separate channels, then disconnected everything to try and fault find. (forgot to mention when I started to narrow down the problem I didnt have anything connected to Thru on the Yamaha KB, just Midi In & Out on the relevant 2 Items at a time)

hm. strange. does that yamaha keyboard have sounds? or is it just a masterkeyboard? (ok maybe the midi in wouldnt make much sense only for a masterkeyboard... but who knows...)

have you only got one midi out of your pc?

i think it should basically work the way gcoudert described it...

Yeah I think he's right but it won't even work when just the KB is connected with In/Out to Cubase, yet it works when In/Out is connected with all my other devices and all the other devices work with In/Out and Cubase.

It's an old PSS-790 http://www.sonicstate.com/synth/yamaha_pss-790.cfm

It's got Mini keys and they don't have Velocity so it's not very good to play properly but it's ok till I find a good D-50. It has got a few useful sounds but I just want to use it to input MIDI notes for now.

I've just tryed the KB with a MIDI File player and no joy (It plays some parts on my drum machine / JP8000 but none on my synth, again connecting items one at a time to the computer using MIDI In & Out.)

Could it be something to do with the Keyboard not liking the sound card or MIDI > DSUB Cable?

hmmm. dont know. im not too familiar with cubase... make sure ur using the right midi channels...

maybe this things just broken. midi from keyboard to computer should be an easy task... and as you say, thats the only thing youre going to use it for... so maybe try again, checking the midi channels (try playing a vst in cubase with the keyboard).

I guess it's a Cubase issue. In Cubase (I'm only familiar with Cubase VST 32), make sure that:

1. Cubase recognises your MIDI card, i.e. somewhere in MIDI Options or whatever, the correct MIDI In and Out device is selected and active,
2. That you have selected a MIDI Out channel for the currently selected track,
3. That the aforementioned Cubase track is a MIDI (not audio) track,
4. That MIDI Out is active (I could be wrong about this but I think it can be disabled),
5. That MIDI Note On/Off messages are not filtered out.

Gilles

Thats the thing, MIDI fully works on the other items when connected to Cubase individually, it's only the Yamaha I have problems with.

And mentioned the Yamaha communicated directly with the rest of my hardware away from the PC so it seems the problem is with PC & the Yamaha Keyboard (not exclusive to Cubase either as I tested it in a MIDI File player CALLED Van Brasco which can playback the file using use GM/Soundcard Synth or MIDI, and I get the same results, my other hardware work fine with the MIDI Player)

I've just left the Yamaha out of the chain for now like this which seems to work for now:

JP8000 MIDI OUT - PC MIDI IN
PC MIDI OUT - ELECTRIBE MIDI IN
ELECTRIBE THRU - JP8000 MINI IN