Yamaha DGX 660 and midi recording

[Tom Cosentino]

Trying to connect my keyboard to my Presonus Audi Interface to send MIDI signal. The keyboard does not had traditional MIDI ports but it has what Yamaha calls USB HOST port which with an adaptor can send MIDI signal to a computer via the computers USB port. However I want to send the signal to my Audio interface which has 2 MIDI ports but not a USB port.

So I want the connect midi between my Keyboard USB HOST port and my Presonus Audio Interface MIDI Ports. Any help appreciated on this. Perhaps I need special cables or some type of adaptor. Not sure.

Thanks

 

[happyrat1]

What you do is plug the USB cables from your Yamaha and your Presonus into your computer (which is the actual USB Host btw) and then use MIDI Routing Software such as these programs to send the signals back and forth between the two.

http://www.kvraudio.com/product/midi-patchbay-by-soundigy

http://www.midiox.com/

http://jackaudio.org/

http://midirouter.sourceforge.net/

Hope this helps...

Gary

 

[Tom Cosentino]

Gary

Thanks for your reply. I already am using the Presonus interface for recording and am familiar with it. My problem is how to get the keyboard MIDI into the Presonus interface as the inputs on the interface are MIDI Inputs. My previous keyboard had MIDI outputs. This one only has the USB HOST.

 

[happyrat1]

Like I said.

What you have is a MIDI Routing problem.

USE THE COMPUTER AS HOST and USE ROUTING SOFTWARE TO SEND AND RECEIVE MIDI BETWEEN DEVICES.

There is NO WAY you can plug the DGX into the Presonus directly except for audio.

Gary

 

[happyrat1]

Perhaps you are confused as to basic cabling.

Get a USB AB Printer cable and plug one end into the Yamaha and the other end into your computer.

This is the ONLY way you can get MIDI out of the DGX.

Gary

 

[Fred Coulter]

If the only thing you used the Presonus for was to input MIDI to your computer, you no longer need it. The DGX can talk to the computer directly (after you load Yamaha's USB drivers).

If you also used the Presonus for inputting sounds into your computer, then you still can use the Presonus for that purpose. Or if you also have other MIDI keyboards. They, too, will still use the Presonus. Just not the DGX MIDI signals.

 

[SeaGtGruff]

I think we need more information on why you need the DGX's MIDI data to go to the audio interface-- i.e., what are you wanting the interface to do with the MIDI data, or where do you want it to send the data?

Normally the only reason you'd send MIDI data to an audio interface is so the interface can then transmit it to a computer via a USB connection for controlling virtual instruments or recording. If a keyboard or controller already sends and receives MIDI via USB, that eliminates the need to connect its MIDI to an interface.

On the other hand, you'll probably still want to connect the DGX's audio output to the interface, so the interface can send it to the computer via USB. (If the keyboard uses its USB connection to send both MIDI and audio data, then you can just go straight from the keyboard to the computer; but the DGX doesn't use its USB connection for send/receive audio data, so you do want to use the audio interface for that.) You could of course just connect the DGX's audio directly to the computer's MIC input, but you'll get better results by sending it to the interface instead, so the interface's sound card can digitize it and send it to the computer via USB.

So basically, use a USB cable to go directly from the DGX to the computer.

And use an audio cable to go from the DGX to the interface, then use a USB cable to go from the interface to the computer.

 

[happyrat1]

I was assuming he wanted to use the DGX MIDI as a soft synth controller for a Presonus VSTi.

In those instances you'd want to be able to direct MIDI output to a USB Sound Device.

Gary

 

[Fred Coulter]

If he's got an external, USB driven sound box, then he plugs both the DGX and the USB driven sound box into his computer. (If he doesn't have enough USB ports, then he'll need to buy an octopus.) Use software on the computer to route the MIDI signals.

 

[SeaGtGruff]

I was assuming he wanted to use the DGX MIDI as a soft synth controller for a Presonus VSTi.

In those instances you'd want to be able to direct MIDI output to a USB Sound Device.

Gary

I frequently use my Yamaha keyboards to control VST instruments, and I just need to have the keyboards' USB-MIDI going directly to the computer. I've never heard of a VST instrument running on an audio interface rather than a computer. Is there such a beast?

If you want the audio from the VST instrument to go to an audio interface's superior sound card for lower latency and better sound, don't you just tell the DAW or other VST host to output the audio to the audio interface?

 

[happyrat1]

I didn't really think it through in that much detail. At the time, he asked how he could get his keyboard to talk to his interface. I was more concerned with what he wanted to do rather than why.

Gary

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Fair point! The only reason I asked why was to determine whether or not it's really necessary to do so in the first place.

If someone really and truly needs to plug a keyboard into an audio interface's MIDI In/Out ports, but the keyboard has USB-MIDI only, there's always a device like the Kenton MIDI USB Host. I just don't see the need in this case.

I was thinking of ordering a Kenton MIDI USB Host myself, but not for connecting to an audio interface. Then I looked at some of iConnectivity's interfaces, which would do the same thing and more. I haven't bit that particular bullet yet, since I have no pressing need to-- plus, I've had some expensive car repairs over the last few months which have seriously deflated my GAS.

 

[happyrat1]

I went bananas this past month or so laying out about $2K on new gear.

Everyone kept on telling me to take a tropical vacation this winter now that my father's estate has been settled and the tax man has been paid, but I went the other way and took the money I would have blown on two weeks in some dysentary and malaria and zika ridden hell hole and blew it on gear instead.

Last month I picked up the Juno DS61 and this week I just received a shiny new Korg Minilogue and a Yamaha MG16XU mixer to keep me happy over the winter months.

I'm not overly concerned with whatever comes out at NAMM in 2 weeks because that stuff probably won't start shipping until 2018 anyway.

Right now I'm just in the final stages of tweaking the settings and putting the finishing touches on the rig before I start seriously composing with it, but I'm really happy with it so far and I just posted some pics in the gearpics thread.

It's really looking good so far, but now I just have to make it sound as good as it looks

Lotsa manual reading and youtube tutorial watching on my current schedule as well

Gary

 

[funkyman]

Like I said.

What you have is a MIDI Routing problem.

USE THE COMPUTER AS HOST and USE ROUTING SOFTWARE TO SEND AND RECEIVE MIDI BETWEEN DEVICES.

There is NO WAY you can plug the DGX into the Presonus directly except for audio.

Gary

Hi Gary can you simply explain or tell me what I must do or get in order to use my GSX 660 as a synthesiser and controller and be able to play thousands of sounds using pro tools on my mac

 

[happyrat1]

SeaGtGruff (AKA Michael) is more of a Yamaha expert than I am and I have zero experience with Apple computers and tablets.

I presume if your Mac has USB ports on it then you can hook up the DGX660 with a standard USB AB Printer cable and you may have to install some Yamaha drivers to recognize the keyboard.

At that point you should be able to access the MIDI output of the Yamaha in Garageband or whatever other DAW software you'd like to use.

You'd also have to turn off MIDI LOCAL on your keyboard so that the internal voices of the keyboard don't sound.

You may also have to enable MIDI SEND and MIDI RECEIVE on the keyboard first.

Like I said, I'm not a Yamaha guy and these are common features of most electronic synths.

Gary

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Hi Gary can you simply explain or tell me what I must do or get in order to use my GSX 660 as a synthesiser and controller and be able to play thousands of sounds using pro tools on my mac

As Gary/happyrat1 said, use a standard USB 2 cable (not USB 3) to go from the DGX-660 (USB TO HOST port) to the Mac (USB port). Depending on what type of USB ports the Mac has-- especially if it's a MacBook-- you might need an adapter so the cable can be plugged into the Mac.

Go into the function menu of the DGX-660, find the Local Control function, and turn it off. That will cause the DGX-660 to be silent when you play on its keys.

(Don't forget to turn Local Control back on after you're done, otherwise the next time you turn the DGX-660 on you might freak out because it won't make a sound!)

You should not need any drivers; the Mac should see the DGX-660, although it will most likely be referred to as a "Digital Piano," or possibly "Digital Piano-1."

I'm not familiar with Pro Tools. I do have the free version (Pro Tools First) on my Windows PC, but I haven't had much luck trying to use it, so you'd be better off getting Pro Tools related help from people who use it a lot, but I'll try to get you started-- if I can figure it out myself, first!