Connecting a synth to another keyboard via midi

[tkmike123]

I'm interested in getting the MODX6. I have a Kawai MP11. Is it possible to control the MODX with my keyboard with a midi cable and be able to hear the sounds from the synth but using the keys on the MP11 to trigger them? I also would like to know if the 61 keys makes a difference or will I be able to hear all 88 keys?

 

[happyrat1]

You'll be able to control all 127 MIDI notes with your Kawai. The physical number of keys on the Yamaha doesn't matter as the sound engine is capable of the full MIDI range.

Gary

 

[tkmike123]

Thanks Gary. Just to clarify, I would be able to hear the exact sounds coming from the MODX but I can use my Kawai to trigger those sounds?

 

[happyrat1]

You hook the MIDI OUT of the Kawai to the MIDI IN of the Yamaha, then whatever patch is set on the Yamaha will play when you hit a key on the Kawai.

You'll probably have to enable the MIDI ports on the Kawai and the Yamaha first.

You may also have to set the two devices to the same MIDI channel.

It's really not rocket science.

Gary

 

[SeaGtGruff]

One thing you might need to be aware of is that the MODX apparently doesn't let you alter or reassign the MIDI channels. You'll want to ask someone who has one to be sure, but I think that what this means is that if you've got a Performance set up on the MODX with certain sounds programmed for each of the MIDI channels, you'll need to be sure that your keyboard controller sends the Note events on whichever channel/s is/are being used for the sound/s you want to trigger.

 

[happyrat1]

Really? A $1400 USD Keyboard that won't let you reassign MIDI channels?

Yet another reason Yamaha sucks.

Gary

 

[anotherscott]

If the MIDI on the MODX is set for Single mode, an external board (the Kawai in this case) will duplicate whatever sound is set up on the MODX itself (up to 8 parts, with whatever splits/layers you want). The limitation here is that you can't play some MODX sounds on the MODX while simultaneously playing different MODX sounds from te Kawai.

If the MIDI on the MODX is set for Multi mode, you can play some MODX sounds on the MODX keys while playing different ones from the Kawai. However then the number of MODX parts you can play from the second board will be limited by the number of MIDI channels your second board can transmit on simultaneously., which in the case of the MP11 is four.

 

[anotherscott]

Correction to previous post: I said that, in Single mode, the MODX keys can't play a sound that is different from what is being triggered externally, but it can, the limitation being that the it can only be a single-part sound. (It is done by selecting a part from the MODX Performance screen, since selecting a Part always makes that Part--and only that Part-- playable from the internal keys.)

So getting back to the OP's scenario, I believe the options are:
* Single Mode: Up to 8 MODX Parts played from the MP11, with 1 other Part playable from the MODX itself (or the MODX can also merely be a duplicate of the up-to-8 parts that you're playing from the MP11)
* Multiple Mode: Up to 4 MODX Parts played from the MP11 (since MP11 has a built-in 4-zone MIDI controller function), with up to 8 other Parts playable from the MODX itself.

Though remember that as soon as you've assigned more than 4 Parts to a Performance (regardless of whether they are being played by one keyboard, the other, or some combination), you will lose the seamless sound switching.