Midi files play in Cakewalk but can't get my midi keyboard to input to Cakewalk

[pwallie]

11 minutes ago, dominic snell said:

I tried to download savihost but it failed "side by side error"

as noted on these forums from time to time, that's a vc redistributable error

https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=567501

or maybe just download reaper and try it in there? any other host would do

[User 905133]

33 minutes ago, dominic snell said:

does any one know of a free vst that can run stand alone without a daw so I can see if that recognises my inputs from midi keyboard? 

Arturia has a free version of Analog Lab (Analog Lab Play). I know that the paid product comes with a standalone version that does not require a Host such as a DAW. Also some well-known software synth makers have trial versions of their software synths.  I am familiar with Cherry Audio's emulated instruments.  Again, I am not sure if the trials include standalone versions.

 

Edited November 13 by user 905133
word changes

[David Baay]

Try the Pianoteq trial:

https://www.modartt.com/try

[dominic snell]

I downloaded reaper, found it bewildering to be honest but anyway no joy there. Also downloaded pianotech but can't play that from my midi keyboard either.

I tried playing another synth from the synth I want to play midi into my pc with and that works ago, so at least I know that my synth is sending a midi signal out. 

[User 905133]

3 minutes ago, dominic snell said:

I tried playing another synth from the synth I want to play midi into my pc with and that works . . . .

Does the second synth have a midi thru port?  If so, maybe you could get the midi data to go into the PC from the second synth's thru port?

[David Baay]

3 hours ago, dominic snell said:

I tried playing another synth from the synth I want to play midi into my pc with and that works ago, so at least I know that my synth is sending a midi signal out. 

I assume this was with a standard MIDI cable between DIN ports, is that right?

If so, that would tend to support the the hypothesis that the MIDI-USB cable just isn't playing nice with your PC given that Pianoteq isn't working, either.

You seriously need to look into getting either an audio interface with integrated MIDI or a standlaone MIDI interface.

[Amberwolf]

I used the ancient MIDIMan USB from the win95 days for years just fine (windows always had the drivers built in for it), until one day some months back it just blew up (some chip in it actually smoked; I think JellyBeanThePerfectlyNormalSchmoo drowned it in water dripping off her head while I wasn't home, and it had already dried out by the time I opened it up but not before it blew it up). 

Some of them are still around:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/274549855853

 

Now I use this one 

Midiplus 2x2 USB MIDI interface

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CHRS1RC 

 

I also have one similar to this that I found at goodwill for a couple bucks but it wasn't worth even that.  It detects MIDI being sent, and *sometimes* passes those thru to the USB and the software on the computer, and *sometimes* passes MIDI from the computer to the output cable, but most of the time it either doesn't do either one at all, or it corrupts the data.  I already tested the actual wiring, connectors, solder joints, etc., so it's just crappy electronics.   

This thread has links to other threads about the same "only get one note" problem, caused by the crappy electronics

https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/122795/my-usb-midi-cable-is-properly-connected-but-only-one-note-plays-at-a-time-for-ab

[msmcleod]

I've use a Miditech MidiFace 8x8's, which has been rock solid for me (I've actually got two - one in the studio, and one in my office).   They also do a 4x4.

Think of USB MIDI interfaces like a bucket with a small tap at the bottom.   The tap is the MIDI speed running at 31.25KBaud, but it's being filled up at USB speed.

If you fill it up too quick, stuff will spill out the top... this means dropped MIDI events in the MIDI interface world.

The only way to stop a bucket overflowing is to have a bigger bucket.  For MIDI interfaces, this is the internal buffer size built into the interface.

Cheaper MIDI interfaces have a tiny buffer size, some as small as 128 bytes.  Better MIDI interfaces have a much larger buffer size.
 

[dominic snell]

On 11/13/2024 at 12:24 PM, Cobus Prinsloo said:

Yes -- I had endless issues with a brand new Midi/USB cable, and eventually resorted to the old 5-pin Midi cables with their ports in a new audio interface.

does that mean buying a small box which I can plug a few normal midi leads from my old synths into, and than a more modern usb lead comes out of the box and connects to my pc? 

[msmcleod]

1 hour ago, dominic snell said:

does that mean buying a small box which I can plug a few normal midi leads from my old synths into, and than a more modern usb lead comes out of the box and connects to my pc? 

Yes - but not all small boxes are the same.  Some will use exactly the same internals as the cheap USB cables, so if you can, get one you can return with a full refund if necessary.
 

[Amberwolf]

Here's another ebay find that should work even in modern OS's (driver built into OS). 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/296789205454

 

 

BTW, a USB type MIDI box will be easiest, but if you still have a real serial port on  your computer, you can also find older serial MIDI interfaces that work very well (if their software will still work on your OS, since they will all be fairly ancient).

I have in my rack a MOTU Studio128X 8x8 serial MIDI interface that has it's own internal brain for routing each physical port and channel on each port, but has been unused for I guess almost a decade now because my present computer (laptop) doesn't have a serial port, and it's drivers don't work with any USB-serial port that I can find, and there's no other way to get a serial port onto this laptop.  

It's driver software still runs even on Windows10 (despite being a couple decades older, I think), and it was very stable, no data issues even with giant sysex dumps back when I used only hardware. 

 

 

I also still have a similar-era GadgetLabs Wave8*24 which has a "fanbase" that has kept updating the drivers to work with new OS's, but it has an internal PCI card with all the electronics so it can't be used on a (typical) laptop, or even most modern desktops (they usually only have PCI-E slots, no PCI).  It has a very good MIDI port as well as 8 in and out audio channels, and I miss it's stability and sound quality, etc.   

 

(Even further OT 😊 :  I just received some old HP server rack computers that actually have a serial port, and can run desktop-type Windows10,  and are about a dozen times better / faster / etc than my laptop, so once I get one of those going I'll use the Studio128x on that for the MIDI interface, but it still doesn't have a PCI slot so  I will still have to use my old Avid FasttrackUSB-audio interface...whcih is derived from the old M-Audio version that did have a MIDI port, and the place is still there on the case for it, but it doesn't have the hardware or drivers for the MIDI in it.  Unfortunate since the M-audio version was nearly as good as the GL8*24).  

[dominic snell]

Thanks for all the advice. I looked into buying miditeck and midiplus. Ended up buying the midiplus because whilst both were highly recommended, the midiplus was quite a lot cheaper. We will see!.....

[dominic snell]

Just wanted to thank everyone who offered advice above. I tried everything and finally cracked it by buying a midiplus box from ebay for about £30. I couldn't believe it could be so simple because I had 3 midi/usb leads and I couldn't accept that none of them worked. They didn't but midi plus does. 

Thanks again to everyone

[Amberwolf]

you're welcome. 

 

my midiplus 2x2 has been working perfectly since first connecting it, though i don't push it nearly as hard as i used to push the studio128x back when i was all external hardware sounds.

 

i didn't think it should be possible to make something for midi so cheap that it actually didn't work, but somehow a bunch of companies have managed to do it.  :rolls eyes: 

 

i've had the cheapest possible joystick-to-midi adapters back when computers still had joystick ports, and even those worked perfectly fine, even with some pretty crappy soundblaster-clone cards. 😆     ( think i still have those in a box along with a 'real" joystick-port midi box from advanced gravis; it might have come in a box with one of their cards or maybe it was a turtle beach card; back in win95 days i think. maybe win3.1. 😊 i think it even came with a game control pad too; probably don't still have that though) 

wow, a quick google to find the image above also found that there are still sites supporting that ag card

http://www.gravisultrasound.com/