Yamaha P-105 and MIDI

[Dorian27]

I recently purchased a Yamaha P-105 for gigging and recording, without realizing that it did not have a MIDI interface, I assumed it would have one. Instead it has a USB port. I am recording with a Pro Tools factory 3 which does not have a USB port. I did buy a USB to MIDI adapter, but it does not seem to be doing the trick. I cannot go directly into my computer because there is no way (that I know of) to input the signal into Pro Tools.

I don't know if I need a different USB to MIDI adapter, and additional interface, or a different keyboard entirely. I wouldn't think they would make this keyboard without a way of using a MIDI interface.

Any help on this topic would be greatly appreciated.

I do have this question logged with Yamaha as well and am waiting a reply. I will post their response in order to help others-I'm thinking I can't be the only one with this issue.

Thanks in Advance-

Tom (Dorian 27)

 

[happyrat1]

OK. What you have is a keyboard that will not work with any MIDI device without a computer acting in between as a MIDI Host and Router.

First of all, USB MIDI adapters are meant to connect MIDI keyboards to USB computers, not the other way around. THEY WILL NOT WORK IN REVERSE.

There are a couple of standalone USB MIDI Host Boxes available but even those probably won't work with a Yamaha because Yamaha tends to use proprietary USB drivers and is generally not USB MIDI Class Compliant.

Your only solution is to either haul around an IPad or a Laptop to act as your USB host when you need to connect to other MIDI gear.

Gary

 

[Dorian27]

Thank you for your response Gary-

I got an email from tech support at Yamaha, I will post it below. I was really annoyed with the email because basically it said that all I needed was a USB cable, and the right keyboard drivers for your PC, and they gave me a little step by step. I started to reply back that it wasn't going to work, and then thought, "let me try it, I have nothing to lose."- and it worked!

My studio PC is NOT connected to the internet, but the computer recognized the USB device as a Yamaha keyboard, and Pro Tools is now picking up a MIDI signal. I did not go through the whole step by step that they gave me, because the computer recognized the device right away as a Yamaha keyboard. I DID try this before, I'm not sure what made the difference. This time I turned off the keyboard, connected the USB cable, turned on the keyboard and then restarted Pro Tools. ...I don't know.

Well someone knew what they were doing....it obviously wasn't me.

At the end of the day Yamaha was great, and hopefully everything will continue to run smoothly.

Tech support email.


" A USB A-B cable is required to connect the P-105 to a computer. The P-105 cannot work with midi interfaces. This is the same cable used to connect a printer and is available everywhere. (Amazon, Fry's , Best Buy, Wal Mart, Target, Radio Shack, etc...).
Here is a picture
http://images.highspeedbackbone.net/skuimages/large/C184-4000_U_10-main.jpg
The cable type is mentioned on page 6 of the manual.
Before installing the driver, the keyboard must be powered on, and connected to your computer with a USB A-B cable. (The cable connects to the instrument's To Host USB port)
Close out and ignore any "new found hardware, seeking driver messages " that pop up when you connect the keyboard.
32bit :
Right click on the file name of the 32 bit driver
um3131x86.zip
64 bit:
Right click on the file name of the 64 bit driver (the second driver on the page) :
um3131x64.zip
Save Target As:
Save to your desktop.
Click open the saved driver folder.
Click the second folder inside.
Click the blue icon SETUP
Click run and the driver will install.
Let us know if this does not work."

 

[jonvaljean]

Hi
I hope this is not too simpleminded a question but I am a newbie.
I am learning to compose on Cubase 6
I am composing using the MIDI score editor
I have a Yamaha P-105 piano which I use mainly to play on but it would appear that it should also function as a GM (General MIDI) device or at least I hope so, so that the songs I am composing on Cubase are played through the Yamaha.
Well it sort of works, when I connect the device as a General MIDI device it plays as a piano and just a few of the voices generate other instruments from the Yamaha, but not much.
On the theory that I needed a MIDI driver I installed the one mentioned in the post above
Nothing changed. I can play the Yamaha from my Cubase file as a device and it sounds nice as a piano, but I cannot get much else from it.
Any ideas ?
Forgive me for the simplemindedness of this but any help would be much appreciated.
Jon

 

[happyrat1]

Hi,

The P-105 only has 14 different "tones" or "voices" in total.

That means it is not capable of GM since the GM standard is 128 tones.

What you can do with it though, is use it as a MIDI controller or Control Surface to play soft synths loaded into your computer.

Since you are using Cubase look around on Google for "Free VSTi plugins" and you should be good to go.

Just turn off "MIDI LOCAL" (or whatever the hell Yamaha calls it) on the keyboard and use your computer as a sound module.

Soft synths and controllers are the way of the future anyway.

Gary

 

[jonvaljean]

Hi Gary

I thought so. Anyway I bought the Y for the touch, as I play, and it feels really good *almost* like a piano certainly just like the 1880's harmonium I play every Sunday.

For composing I have a lot of vst's collected so that was my strategy anyway. Just the course I am following in cubase assumes a synth device outboard but no prob. I'm having loads of fun. Thanks for your rapid response.

Jon

 

[happyrat1]

You're very welcome... Happy composing...

Gary