Noob question (sorry!): connect keyboard to computer

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galaxitor
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Noob question (sorry!): connect keyboard to computer

Post by galaxitor »

Hi!

I have a noob question (sorry!).

I have Yamaha PSR- SQ16 keyboard and I want to connect it to my computer (OS: Ubuntu Studio 17.10) which has an old Sound Blaster Live! Platinum sound card. This sound card has a daughter board called Live drive II which has MIDI in and MIDI out ports. I connected the keyboard MIDI Out port to the Live Drive II MIDI In port. I configured the keyboard to send data through MIDI Out.

Assuming all hardware is working perfectly (I have my doubts on the Live Drive II, but I lack the technical acknowledge on how to test it), I have yet to find a way on how to connect things in QjackCtl so the computer receives the data from the keyboard.

That said, in QjackCtl on the MIDI tab I can find these ports:

Readable Clients / Output Ports

System
  • midi_capture_1
    midi_capture_2


Writable Clients / Input Ports

System
  • midi_playback_1
    ...
    midi_playback_6

On the ALSA tab I find these:


Readable Clients / Output Ports

14:Midi Through
  • 0:Midi Through Port-0

16:SB Live! Platinum [CT4760P]
  • 0:EMU10K1 MPU-401 (UART)


Writable Clients / Input Ports

14:Midi Through
  • 0:Midi Through Port-0
16:SB Live! Platinum [CT4760P]
  • 0:EMU10K1 MPU-401 (UART)
17:Emu10k1 WaveTable
  • 0:Emu10k1 Port 0
    ...
    3:Emu10k1 Port 3
130:amsynth


I tried several combinations and tested them with Gmidimonitor (with JACK support), and googled around to find an answer, all to no avail. :(

What should I do now?

Thanks for your help in advance :)
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Michael Willis
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Re: Noob question (sorry!): connect keyboard to computer

Post by Michael Willis »

Before trying to get it working with qjackctl, you can try using just ALSA first with the pmidi command:

http://manpages.org/pmidi

This will only test output to the yamaha, but at least it will give you some idea as to whether the daughter board works. The example at the bottom of that page looks similar to how you describe yours. If all else fails, you can get a class compliant usb midi interface for pretty cheap
galaxitor
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Re: Noob question (sorry!): connect keyboard to computer

Post by galaxitor »

Thanks for your reply, Michael!

I followed your advice, I tested the daughterboard as you suggested and it seems it is broken as I suspected.

This morning I bough a class compliant MIDI-to USB as you suggested and plugged it as soon as I arrived home. It is a pronged MIDI-in and MIDI-out to USB cable. I had trouble getting a connection at first, but then discovered the labels on the cables were switched for some weird reason. When I plugged the "In" cable to the MIDI-out keyboard port and the "out" cable to the MIDI-in port, everything began to function properly! :D

Time to start exploring the world of Linux Music! :D

Once again, many thanks, Michael!
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Michael Willis
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Re: Noob question (sorry!): connect keyboard to computer

Post by Michael Willis »

galaxitor wrote:... "In" ... "out" ...
Heh, that gets me every time... The "In" and "out" on the cables indicate in and out for the interface/computer rather than the midi keyboard. Thus, the signal "out" of the midi keyboard goes "in" to the computer, and vice versa.
galaxitor
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Re: Noob question (sorry!): connect keyboard to computer

Post by galaxitor »

I come from a webdesign / multimedia environment, Michael and this MIDI thing reminds me of some of the odd decisions the World Wide Web Consortium makes every now and then, when it comes to standards and my reaction is "WHAT THE HELL THEY WERE SMOKING WHEN THEY DECIDED THIS?!?!?!?!". :)
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protozone
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Re: Noob question (sorry!): connect keyboard to computer

Post by protozone »

this is off topic, but if you install Patchage, you'll see at a glance what your MIDI gear is called formally in linux and if it's being sensed at all.
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