Can you use 2 keyboard controllers with Yamaha Motif Rack ES?

[jallen]

Hi,

I'm looking to have 2 separate keyboard controllers connect to the Yamaha Motif Rack ES.. Each keyboard controller playing a different sound.

I've gone through the manual.. and can't figure it out if its even possible.

I have an M-Audio Axiom 61, and an older Korg Sg-1 Keyboard Controllers.

I've tried a few different ways to make it work, but I get no sound at all.

I have the M-Audio Axiom 61, connected to the Midi Thru on the Korg Sg-1, and then the Midi Out of the Korg Sg-1 connected to the Midi In on the Yamaha Motif Rack ES, and that doesn't work.

I also have the Motif Rack ES in Multi mode, and I've tried Voice mode as well.

Do I have to purchase a separate Midi Box to merge the 2 midi channels together and then insert that into the midi-in on the Yamaha Motif Rack ES?

Please help.. I have an important gig coming up soon..

 

[kanthos]

What you've tried doesn't work because MIDI Thru works in the opposite manner from the way you tried to use it. MIDI IN is an input, and MIDI THRU and MIDI OUT are both outputs.

MIDI Thru is intended to make a chain of MIDI units work together without delays. The idea is that something sends MIDI data to a unit via MIDI In. The second unit can either consume the MIDI data to produce audio or can pass it on to the next unit in the chain via MIDI Thru without any delay or processing done by the second unit. The second unit basically routes MIDI IN directly to MIDI THRU. The advantage of MIDI THRU is that because the data isn't processed by the keyboard receiving on MIDI IN, it is routed with very little delay. THRU is basically a fast bypass. Sending data through another device by doing A MIDI OUT -> B MIDI IN, B MIDI OUT -> C MIDI IN means that unit B *does* do some processing of the MIDI data and may introduce delay. The more things in your chain, the more delay will be introduced.

In your case, MIDI THRU is useless, since it will only pass on the data from MIDI IN and not from the keyboard.

The real question you want answered is whether either of your controllers can combine the input from MIDI IN with the MIDI messages generated by the controller and route both of them to MIDI OUT. With only three things in the chain, delay *might* not be an issue. It really depends on how fast the processing is done by the middle keyboard. Given that the Axiom is newer, it's probably going to be faster.

Sticking with your original idea of using the SG-1 as the middle keyboard would look like this. I can't find a manual online for the SG-1, so you could try to set things up as follows and hope it works (set all devices to send and receive on channel 1 as a test, to reduce the options for failure):

Axiom MIDI Out -> SG-1 MIDI IN
SG-1 MIDI Out -> Motif MIDI IN

I used to own an Axiom 61 and use it to route playing from it and another keyboard into my laptop, but since that was using the USB connection, things might be different than in your case. However, it *did* combine the Axiom with the other keyboard (other keyboard MIDI Out -> Axiom MIDI In), so it might be the case that the Axiom combines the keyboard playing with the MIDI IN data and sends it all to MIDI OUT. Unfortunately, the Axiom manual doesn't make that clear. Test it like this:

SG-1 MIDI Out -> Axiom MIDI IN
Axiom MIDI Out -> Motif MIDI IN

Of course, the problem here is that the Axiom can no longer play sounds on the SG-1, but given that you have a Motif rack, that may not be a problem anyway.

If neither of these options work, your only choice is to get a MIDI merge device, since the Motif has only one MIDI Input.

 

[jallen]

Hi,

Thanks very much for your explanation.. you are right.. I didn't really understand Midi Thru..

I tried both approaches that you mentioned, and neither one worked though.

I just ordered a Midi Merge box, that is exactly what I was looking for.

Thanks for all your help.

 

[kanthos]

Too bad you had to get extra hardware, but glad I could help