Thanks just got a roland kboard a macbookpro, M audio 2x2 so a lot of learning to do. Last time I used cubase it was on an atari st with a one meg upgrade. 85. Lol so a little rusty. 🎹🎸🌞👏👏👏
Thank you for making a really useful video. I'm a MIDI beginner so this kind of basic stuff, clearly explained is exceptionally helpful in building my knowledge. Appreciated, keep up the good work, and cheers ! :)
If you happened to see this can you tell me how to connect my yamaha keyboard to my computer using the midisport 2x2? I think I am very close to making this all work but cannot hear playback to what I played on the keyboard. Thanks so much for sharing.
hey i heard someone on a video say that in order to take sound out of the sound module to keyboard you need an audio interface/sound card is it always necessary? cos i saw you only used the sound module and the keyboard and the cable, is it because your keyboard has speakers and most midi keyboards don't?
In this kind of setup you would expect the sound module audio output to connect directly to loud speakers or a mixing desk. In my case I wasn’t using the internal sounds on the keyboard as the volume level was set to zero. If I wanted to combine the keyboard audio I would turn the volume up and connect the audio out directly to another set of loud speakers or a mixing desk. It’s unusual for a keyboard to have audio input but I used to have a Yamaha PF70 that accepted audio input: In this case I could connect the audio output direct into the keyboard and both the sound mode and internal keyboard voices would combine to be heard through the keyboard speakers and keyboard audio output.. Another scenario could be to mix all your sounds through a computer. In this case you would need an audio interface with at least two input channels, one for the keyboard and the other for the sound module; other sounds may be generated internally from the computer. In this case the computer becomes the audio mixer and the audio output from the computer goes to loud speakers.
Thanks money is an issue for me atm ,later i might get a triton extreme and install the moss board or any other synthesizer but i can't wait i need a keyboard for now.i saw on gumtree.com trinity classic for £170 but i don't know how good its sound quality is compared to a used sound module around £80-£120 on ebay ,if i buy a sound module i hope i should be fine connecting the the midi 5 pin cable into the sound module's input and into midi keyboard's output and connect the audio cables to sound module ''left-right'' and connect it to my amplifier+speakers and i shouldn't need any computer or sound card.What do you think of buying an ipad and using a software synthesizer or using a pc software? Are sound modules really better and more powerful or more responsive than a software?Or are they very similar?
There are a lot of ways to try an answer your question, but what I'll do is tell you of my experience with keyboard and modules. One of the first keyboards I bought was the Yamaha PF70. Having had classical piano lessons, I was interested in a keyboard that felt close to a real piano and had pretty much a full size keyboard - 76 keys, however, the keyboard was limited to about 10 electronic piano sounds and so adding a sound module (in my case a Yamaha TG33) was a budget way of adding extra sounds whilst having the keyboard type I wanted. In the early ninety's, sound-modules tended to have a higher memory specification compared to the keyboard counter-part; so for example the keyboard version Yamaha SY35 would have 16 note polyphony while the TG33 had 32 note polyphony (that being the number of notes that can be played at one time). However, the sounds and audio quality were exactly the same between the keyboard and the module version. My current preference and budget solution these days is to use a midi keyboard (I have a Roland JV80 and the Edirol PCR-80) connected to a computer (Macbook Quad Core 16GB RAM). The keyboards I got cheap because I bought them from ebay as faulty but I knew how to repair them; the Laptop came in at a good price on ebay. The advantage that I personally get through a computer managed audio device is that I can arrange voices, layers and splits exactly as I want them and the polyphony I find is far more flexible than the kind of sound modules I can afford considering that I use a lot of voice layering. On the other hand, a modern sound module should offer at least 128 polyphony and would be considered by some as more stable and reliable than a computer for live performances. The iPad can be used as a sound module; ideally you'd want to be aiming for an iPad Air or better. I have the iPad Air 2 which I use with the Alesis iPad Dock II which in turn allows midi in and out ports and audio ports. The bismark bs-16i is a budget priced app with some really good natural sounds with the option to load your own sounds in the soundfont sf2 format. Sampletank is another app that I have on the iPad and is a more polished software presentation. Polyphony will depend on the power of the iPad which for me was about 64 note polyphony and in both app cases, voice layering is limited to 8 voices on 8 midi channels. My Roland JV80 worked well in midi mode to remotely switch the 8 midi channels off and on as well as control the volume levels on each channel; my only disappointment was that I couldn't get it to do a midi split on the fly which I can do on a fully fleged computer. If you already have a keyboard, I would suggest that you go for the sound module since it will cost half the price of the keyboard version and the module version may well have a higher polyphony specification. If you're not fussed about being mobile with two divices and connection cables then result wise you'll have the same sound at half the cost. I wouldn't recomment using a computer unless you're well acquainted with troubleshooting problems.
Thanks just got a roland kboard a macbookpro, M audio 2x2 so a lot of learning to do. Last time I used cubase it was on an atari st with a one meg upgrade. 85. Lol so a little rusty. 🎹🎸🌞👏👏👏
Thank you for making a really useful video. I'm a MIDI beginner so this kind of basic stuff, clearly explained is exceptionally helpful in building my knowledge. Appreciated, keep up the good work, and cheers ! :)
If you happened to see this can you tell me how to connect my yamaha keyboard to my computer using the midisport 2x2? I think I am very close to making this all work but cannot hear playback to what I played on the keyboard. Thanks so much for sharing.
hey i heard someone on a video say that in order to take sound out of the sound module to keyboard you need an audio interface/sound card is it always necessary? cos i saw you only used the sound module and the keyboard and the cable, is it because your keyboard has speakers and most midi keyboards don't?
In this kind of setup you would expect the sound module audio output to connect directly to loud speakers or a mixing desk. In my case I wasn’t using the internal sounds on the keyboard as the volume level was set to zero. If I wanted to combine the keyboard audio I would turn the volume up and connect the audio out directly to another set of loud speakers or a mixing desk. It’s unusual for a keyboard to have audio input but I used to have a Yamaha PF70 that accepted audio input: In this case I could connect the audio output direct into the keyboard and both the sound mode and internal keyboard voices would combine to be heard through the keyboard speakers and keyboard audio output.. Another scenario could be to mix all your sounds through a computer. In this case you would need an audio interface with at least two input channels, one for the keyboard and the other for the sound module; other sounds may be generated internally from the computer. In this case the computer becomes the audio mixer and the audio output from the computer goes to loud speakers.
Thanks money is an issue for me atm ,later i might get a triton extreme and install the moss board or any other synthesizer but i can't wait i need a keyboard for now.i saw on gumtree.com trinity classic for £170 but i don't know how good its sound quality is compared to a used sound module around £80-£120 on ebay ,if i buy a sound module i hope i should be fine connecting the the midi 5 pin cable into the sound module's input and into midi keyboard's output and connect the audio cables to sound module ''left-right'' and connect it to my amplifier+speakers and i shouldn't need any computer or sound card.What do you think of buying an ipad and using a software synthesizer or using a pc software? Are sound modules really better and more powerful or more responsive than a software?Or are they very similar?
There are a lot of ways to try an answer your question, but what I'll do is tell you of my experience with keyboard and modules.
One of the first keyboards I bought was the Yamaha PF70. Having had classical piano lessons, I was interested in a keyboard that felt close to a real piano and had pretty much a full size keyboard - 76 keys, however, the keyboard was limited to about 10 electronic piano sounds and so adding a sound module (in my case a Yamaha TG33) was a budget way of adding extra sounds whilst having the keyboard type I wanted. In the early ninety's, sound-modules tended to have a higher memory specification compared to the keyboard counter-part; so for example the keyboard version Yamaha SY35 would have 16 note polyphony while the TG33 had 32 note polyphony (that being the number of notes that can be played at one time). However, the sounds and audio quality were exactly the same between the keyboard and the module version.
My current preference and budget solution these days is to use a midi keyboard (I have a Roland JV80 and the Edirol PCR-80) connected to a computer (Macbook Quad Core 16GB RAM). The keyboards I got cheap because I bought them from ebay as faulty but I knew how to repair them; the Laptop came in at a good price on ebay. The advantage that I personally get through a computer managed audio device is that I can arrange voices, layers and splits exactly as I want them and the polyphony I find is far more flexible than the kind of sound modules I can afford considering that I use a lot of voice layering.
On the other hand, a modern sound module should offer at least 128 polyphony and would be considered by some as more stable and reliable than a computer for live performances. The iPad can be used as a sound module; ideally you'd want to be aiming for an iPad Air or better. I have the iPad Air 2 which I use with the Alesis iPad Dock II which in turn allows midi in and out ports and audio ports. The bismark bs-16i is a budget priced app with some really good natural sounds with the option to load your own sounds in the soundfont sf2 format. Sampletank is another app that I have on the iPad and is a more polished software presentation. Polyphony will depend on the power of the iPad which for me was about 64 note polyphony and in both app cases, voice layering is limited to 8 voices on 8 midi channels. My Roland JV80 worked well in midi mode to remotely switch the 8 midi channels off and on as well as control the volume levels on each channel; my only disappointment was that I couldn't get it to do a midi split on the fly which I can do on a fully fleged computer.
If you already have a keyboard, I would suggest that you go for the sound module since it will cost half the price of the keyboard version and the module version may well have a higher polyphony specification. If you're not fussed about being mobile with two divices and connection cables then result wise you'll have the same sound at half the cost. I wouldn't recomment using a computer unless you're well acquainted with troubleshooting problems.
Can I use a sound module just with a keyboard and an amp? No pc or other devices besides the cables?
The sort answer is yes. A midi out cable connection from the keyboard to midi in on the sound module will work directly.