Keyboard works great when using built in sounds but not as a MIDI device

[maurerpower7]

Title says it all. Have an older Yamaha M08 keyboard. I don't like the default sounds on it so I wanted to use it as a MIDI keyboard with Addictive Keys. All the keys work fine when used with the default sounds, but when I try to send MIDI with it after playing 5 keys or so the 6th one just won't play. The 7th will play quietly and then the 8th or 9th one will be back to normal. Additionally, I have some light reverb in my DAW but the reverb sounds HUGE when using this particular keyboard as MIDI. Does anyone have any ideas as to what this could be? I've tested this set up with multiple other keyboards with no issues.

 

[Ted Nicoson]

Yea, the MO8 is an older board, but not old enough to be giving you these kind of problems. It should be able to work with all the latest technology. This is most likely some parameter in the MO8's MIDI setup. Try comparing the various parameters in its MIDI setup to the MIDI setup parameters of those boards that DO work OK, but the fact that a few key presses work OK before it acts up sounds like some kind of a buffering problem. Normally I would suspect aftertouch, as some aftertouch systems can literally swamp a MIDI stream with aftertouch messages, but while the MO8 receives and responds to aftertouch, it does not transmit aftertouch. It has no pressure sensitive aftertouch strip under the keys, but sometimes an errant mod wheel, or knob, or slider can do the same thing. If you are using a Windows based PC, I recommend downloading a shareware MIDI diagnostics utility known as MIDI-OX (www.midiox.com). Once installed, go into the MIDI-OX Options > MIDI Devices menu and select the MO8 as its MIDI Input Device. Each time you press and release a key, you should get four messages: the Key that was pressed, a Note On, a Velocity figure, and a Note Off. If that is all you see, then you are just back to something in the MO8's MIDI setup, but if MIDI-OX is showing a bunch of other garbage, then that is probably your problem. If so, it is more than likely Control Change (CC) messages. Get the CC message number and look it up in the MO8's MIDI Implementation Chart to see which physical controller (Mod Wheel, knob, slider, etc) it is assigned to, and you have your culprit.

 

[anotherscott]

Even the oldest MIDI keyboard should not do something like this.

This will sound strange, but are you using an adapter (i.e. 1/8"-to-1/4") on your audio/headphone line? Try using something that doesn't require an adapter, or try a different adapter.

 

[Ted Nicoson]

He is not using the MO8's audio output, Scott. He would either have that turned down with the MO8's volume knob or shut off with the MO8's LOCAL OFF command. He is just using the MO8 as a MIDI controller keyboard to play VST software instruments on his computer. The final audio output would come from whatever sound system he has his computer connected to. So the status of the MO8's headphone jack would not enter into this at all.

 

[Biggles]

I read it that with the Addictive Keys vst’s all play OK but when using the Yamaha’s sounds that is when he has the problems.

 

[happyrat1]

Try turning MIDI LOCAL OFF.

Gary

 

[anotherscott]

He is not using the MO8's audio output, Scott..So the status of the MO8's headphone jack would not enter into this at all.

I didn't say anything specifically about the MO8's headphone jack. I was talking about whatever audio outputs he is using. Just something to try...

 

[anotherscott]

But whatever audio outputs he is using would certainly be in common with whatever MIDI controller he is using

Not necessarily. I don't think we can assume that he didn't happen to use a different cable or different adapter or different set of headphones or whatever when he did his MO test compared to when he had done it with his other controllers. Anyway, I'm not saying it's the answer, it's just one thing to check, because I've seen that kind of thing happen, though I don't know why.

ETA: when I said I've seen things like this, I meant hearing little original sound and lots of reverb.

 

[happyrat1]

See my earlier message.

His keyboard is sending out MIDI messages to his DAW and his DAW is reflecting those messages back to his keyboard causing the type of behaviour he describes. It causes the MIDI stream to go mental and choke on itself.

The simple solution is to go into his keyboard's settings and TURN MIDI LOCAL OFF.

I've seen this behaviour before with some makes of keyboard and certain DAW softwares.

Gary

 

[happyrat1]

Well the original poster has bailed on this thread, so I guess we'll never know what the solution was.

Gary