How to correctly connect Casio CTK-750 to PC by USB-MIDI cable?

[happyrat1]

Yes both plugs. There's no risk in a reverse connection.

Here's the official MIDI electrical specs.

http://www.midi.org/techspecs/ca33.pdf

Gary

 

[Maciaciek]

I have an idea. I'll buy new keyboard with USB socket or I'll play without PC connection. I'm starting to see that it's waste of time or waste of money, don't you?

 

[happyrat1]

That's the smartest thing you've said yet.

Buy a 61 key dumb MIDI controller with 9 sliders for the drawbars since you plan to use it for Organs.

Here's a good place to start.

http://www.thomann.de/gb/master_keyboards_up_to_61_keys.html

Personally I own an Alesis QX49 and I highly recommend the QX61 if you can still find one. They've been discontinued in North America but they may still be available in Europe.

Gary

 

[happyrat1]

BTW, don't buy the M-Audio Oxygen Controllers. I owned one once and it was total crap.

The Nektar LX61 looks pretty decent on that page.

Or the Swissonic Controlkey61 seems to have some good ratings as well.

Gary

 

[Maciaciek]

Thanks for help and ideas good luck mate

 

[happyrat1]

You're very welcome and good luck.

It probably really is just a F***ed up $5 interface though.

Drop by for a beer next time you're in Toronto

Gary

 

[Maciaciek]

You're very welcome and good luck.

It probably really is just a F***ed up $5 interface though.

Drop by for a beer next time you're in Toronto

Gary

hehe it will be hard to meet in Toronto but we can talk by Skype

Thanks again

 

[SeaGtGruff]

One thing you can do to test the keyboard's MIDI ports is to get a MIDI cable-- not a MIDI-to-USB cable, just a basic MIDI cable. Plug one end of the cable into the keyboard's MIDI Out port, and plug the other end into the keyboard's MIDI In port-- i.e., the cable just connects the keyboard's two MIDI ports together.

Next, follow the instructions in the manual for setting up the MIDI functions and do the following: (1) Turn the Local Control function OFF. (2) Set the Transmit Channel to 1. (3) Set the Receive Channel to 1.

Now play some notes on the keyboard. Does it make any sounds? If it does, then that must mean that the two MIDI ports are working correctly, because while you've got the Local Control set to OFF the keyboard will not produce any sounds when you play it, it will produce sounds only for the MIDI data that it's receiving (which in this case it's receiving from itself).

If the keyboard's MIDI ports seem to be functioning okay, then the problem is probably in the MIDI-to-USB cable.

By the way, there's one more thing you need to watch out for-- USB 2.0 versus USB 3.0. It's becoming common to have USB 3.0 ports on a computer, but I've read that this can cause problems with cables and devices that aren't compatible with USB 3.0-- what I read is that the software running on the computer acts like it can see that something is plugged into the USB port, yet it can't receive any MIDI data over the connection. If your computer has USB 3.0 ports, that may be what the problem is. If your computer also comes with a USB 2.0 port, try plugging the cable into that port and see if it works.

 

[Ted Nicoson]

Maciaciek

One other thing to check before you give up on the CTK-750: In the far distant past, I had a couple of keyboards that had all the MIDI channels default to OFF on power up. The assumption was that you would normally want to use the keyboard stand-alone. If not, you had to manually turn the MIDI channels, that you wanted to use, ON. If this is the case with the CTK-750, and you have not turned any MIDI channels ON, that could be your problem. Just below and to the left of the display on the CTK-750 is a MIDI button. Each time you press it, it steps the keyboard through some 7 or 8 different MIDI set up parameters AS WELL AS EACH of the 16 MIDI channels for turning them on or off. If you have not already done so, start pressing that MIDI button to see if the MIDI channels are ON. For now, I recommend turning them ALL ON, both transmit and receive. This places the keyboard in OMNI mode. You can always go back and turn off what you do not need, if you end up with some kind of unwanted MIDI loop or MIDI interference.