Best way to Merge two MIDI outs (piano and drum set) into ONE interface input?

[777funk]

I have an S30 (61 key version of the S80). Is it possible to somehow run the drum set MIDI out into the keyboard and then run both signals into my interface MIDI in?

I'd like to be able to have the drummer and keyboardist feed into the interface at the same time.

[tseaver]

@777funk

I have an S30 (61 key version of the S80). Is it possible to somehow run the drum set MIDI out into the keyboard and then run both signals into my interface MIDI in?

I'd like to be able to have the drummer and keyboardist feed into the interface at the same time.

I'm not sure the model(s) you are referencing. If both the drum set module and the keyboard have 5-pin MIDI ports, then you should be able to configure them together to route MIDI to your audio interface using 5-pin MIDI cables (similar to chaining synths on a shared MIDI path). You will likely want to configure them to use different MIDI channels: the conventional MIDI channel for drums is channel 10, leaving you 15 others to use for your keyboard.

[777funk]

Would that be MIDI out of the Yamaha S30 keyboard (to the IN on the interface) and running the Roland MIDI to the THRU of the Keyboard.

Would that feed both 5 pin MIDI signals to the interface?

[bluebell]

You could buy another cheap MIDI interface or audio interface with a MIDI input. There are some problems using the audio signals of two interfaces, but there are no problems at all using multiple interfaces for MIDI in and out.

[erlkönig]

You could get an external hardware: there are MIDI mergers/patchbays to do this externally (4in2, or so), e.g. from Kenton or Akai.

[folderol]

I wouldn't do it at all. If the two sources are fairly busy it will mess up the timing of both. bluebell's suggestion is much better as the sources come in on different ports so get handled quite independently.