Error when using my Yamaha PSR-292 with MIDI-USB cable

[Faver]

Hi there.

I recently got a yamaha PSR-292 controller, complete with MIDI-USB cable.
The keyboard works wonderfully, the problem is when when you want to use it for ableton live, it recognizes the controller but you don't hear anything. the sound bars don't even flinch and it's like I'm not playing anything.
I tried to download the drivers to see if the error was due to that, but after following several steps of the installation, at one point I get an error that says 'Yamaha USB-MIDI driver error, there is no device connected'.
I already checked if the device was well connected, even in the 'connected devices' of windows.

Does anyone have an idea what I can do so that I can use the keyboard with MIDI-USB in Ableton live? Thank you so much

 

[SeaGtGruff]

If I'm understanding everything correctly, the short answer is that you can't use the USB-MIDI interface cable to record the keyboard's audio output in your DAW. Instead, you must use a TRS stereo cable to connect from the keyboard's PHONES/OUTPUT jack to the computer's AUX IN jack.

If the USB-MIDI interface cable isn't problematic, you can use it to connect the keyboard to the computer for recording the keyboard's MIDI output in your DAW, or to use the keyboard as a MIDI controller for playing virtual instruments on your computer.

Most USB-MIDI interface cables don't require a USB-MIDI driver, but if the one you're using does require a driver then it must be the driver that was written for the interface cable, not for the MIDI keyboard. In other words, the Yamaha driver is almost certainly not going to work, unless the cable happens to be the one that Yamaha used to make (which has been discontinued for several years now).

What brand is the interface cable?

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Just to expand a bit on my previous post while waiting for your response...

You can transmit two different kinds of signals from your PSR-292 keyboard to your computer-- audio and MIDI.

The USB-MIDI cable lets you transmit MIDI messages from the keyboard to the computer, or vice versa, but it can't transmit the keyboard's audio. By transmitting MIDI you can record MIDI tracks in Ableton Live. MIDI data has no sound per se, so the tracks will be silent unless they are output back to the keyboard for sounding (i.e., what is usually called "sequencing") or are output to one or more virtual instruments in Ableton Live.

If you want to record the keyboard's sounds in Ableton Live, you'll need to use an audio cable. The simplest solution would be to use something like the following cable:

https://www.amazon.com/JSAUX-Bidirectional-Theater-Devices-Amplifiers-Red/dp/B081H317LH/

Another solution would be to use an inexpensive USB audio interface, such as the following:

https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-U-Control-UCA222-Ultra-Low-Interface/dp/B0023BYDHK/

https://www.amazon.com/TISINO-Gold-Plated-6-35mm-Stereo-Splitter/dp/B07HFBWP87/

You would use the cable to go from the keyboard's PHONES/OUTPUT jack to the Behringer's RCA jacks, then the Behringer would connect to the computer via USB. This would be a separate connection from the USB-MIDI you are currently using, so you'd be connecting to two different USB ports on your computer-- one for audio, and one for MIDI. The Behringer should give you a cleaner signal than if you were to connect using just a TRS cable. I've actually got this same Behringer interface myself, which I use with some of my Yamaha keyboards.

 

[Rayblewit]

Just to expand a bit on my previous post while waiting for your response...

You always go above and beyond @SeaGtGruff
I for one find your explanations and advice quite valuable.
Even if the OP doesn't respond.
If I was the OP I would have been checking for answers regularly. Seems like this guy may have moved on.
We will see.
R

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Nah, it's just that some people have lives. I'm not one of them, but I'm not sure if that means I'm fortunate or unfortunate.

 

[Pseudalkitry]

I found this very helpful, even if OP did not respond, so thank you for your response. I am considering acquiring a PSR 292, just like OP, from a relative for the purpose of using it as a MIDI controller for DAWs and/or music notation software, but am unsure what other items I'd need. I only really care about inserting MIDI data from the keyboard to the computer, which my software would of course then convert to sound via whatever audio sample plugins I have. In other words, I don't care about the sound of my keyboard being exactly what is put into the DAW, but just the MIDI data that a DAW can read.

Would someone in my situation still need a MIDI interface, or would a MIDI to USB suffice?

Let it be noted that I am a relative newcomer to DAW stuff and using MIDI, so feel free to explain it to me like I'm five

Thank you

 

[SeaGtGruff]

I have no personal experience with the PSR-292 or similar models, but based on what I've read from other users you'll need to take care to get a decent USB-MIDI interface cable. There are a lot of cheap cables on the market which often turn out to be faulty or exhibit problems of one type or another, so it's best to go with a more expensive cable from a reputable company whose cables have been verified as working as advertised.

One such would be the mio USB-MIDI cable from iConnectivity, which a few users have used with their older keyboard models and have reported success.

You could also go with a more sophisticated USB audio/MIDI interface, but that would cost more and shouldn't be necessary unless you're needing to record audio devices over USB as well as MIDI devices.

 

[Rayblewit]

The psr 292 is a very outdated CHEAP keyboard. If one intends to spent good money on quality cables and USB interface and the like, then that makes no sense.
The psr 295 does not have a USB port for starters. (if I remember correctly).
So why not consolidate the peripheral funds and consider buying a later model being new as well and not nuch more than a second hand 295 which would be well and truly used.