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Could some one recommend some reading for some one that's never used midi before?

I'm getting a reallt good price on an m-audio 88 key usb midi controller / keyboard and need to find out how to run the cables and what to do in Cubase to get midi working to record for some tracks.

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pr0gr4m Fri, 08/18/2006 - 09:26

http://www.borg.com/~jglatt/tutr/miditutr.htm

What you want to do is pretty simple. You hook the MIDI out of the keyboard to the MIDI in on your computers MIDI interface. In Cubase, create a new MIDI track. Set that track to take it's input from the MIDI interface. I'm guessing you want to use it to control VST instruments in Cubase so set the track's output to VSTi plugin. Of course, you'll have to have the VSTi loaded.

Now on the MIDI keyboard probably has a setting to select the MIDI channel that it transmits data on. You may need to set the VSTi to receive on a specific MIDI channel, you may not.

With all that set up, you should be able to play your MIDI keyboard and hear your VSTi sounds.

I want to add that since the keyboard you are using is just a controller (it doesn't have any sounds) you only need to hood the MIDI out of it to the MIDI in of the computer. There won't be any connection from the MIDI out of the computer to the MIDI in of the keyboard because it's not needed.

anonymous Fri, 08/18/2006 - 14:14

FreakStudios wrote: what if the midi controler has a usb connection also does it work as well as connecting it via midi cables???? what i mean is that would it work the same way.???

Midi data has it's own type of connection, the USB is probably for setup? I don't know enough about it, but I thought all Midi used the same connection. I've been wrong before...

pr0gr4m Fri, 08/18/2006 - 15:12

Actually, some of the new MIDI controllers do have a USB connection and they will transmit MIDI data through that connection.

If you already have a MIDI interface for the computer and the controller has both a MIDI out and USB port, I would probably use the MIDI port instead of the USB. That way in your recording program you will only need to deal with the single MIDI interface.

dterry Sat, 08/19/2006 - 14:05

Midi is just a protocol like IMAP or SMTP (email). It can be passed over most any data link that at least has some capability to buffer and adjust for timing (1394, usb, etc). Midi is dog slow - 3.1kb I believe - not even as fast as a slow modem, so it isn't hard to buffer it and maintain decent timing, unless the data link is subject to interrupts with a longer cycle than that.

Most current USB-midi controllers should work fine with a newer computer (USB was problematic at one time, but is mostly okay now). The advantage of a USB controller is not having to have a midi interface (though a large number of sound cards have at least one port anyway). As far as timing accuracy - that depends partly on the quality of drivers, how much your USB ports are sharing with other devices, etc. A dedicated midi port can be noticeably better in some cases, but that isn't the rule. For most uses, USB works fine for controllers such as Oxygen, M-Audio, etc.