Roland RD-100 MIDI Notes Hang

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Hello, I have a Roland RD 100 and I'm having a MIDI issue where notes sometimes hang.

I went though the test mode defined in the service manual (reference: http://www.synfo.nl/servicemanuals/Roland/RD-100_SERVICE_NOTES.pdf) and when I get to the MIDI portion, instead of 0 _ _ I get _ _ _.

When I connect the keyboard to a Midi Inspector (Snoize) I can see MIDI notes coming in, but the problem is that when I press two notes and lift at the same time, one of the notes doesn't turn off.

Pressing A5 works:
21:20:07.786 From Port 1 Note On 1 A5 65
21:20:08.130 From Port 1 Note Off 1 A5 64

Pressing B5 works:
21:20:09.059 From Port 1 Note On 1 B5 68
21:20:09.409 From Port 1 Note Off 1 B5 64

Pressing one then the other and lifting slowly works:
21:20:11.893 From Port 1 Note On 1 A5 50
21:20:12.696 From Port 1 Note On 1 B5 68
21:20:13.609 From Port 1 Note Off 1 A5 64
21:20:14.515 From Port 1 Note Off 1 B5 64

Pressing one then the other and lifting the other way slowly works:
21:20:15.551 From Port 1 Note On 1 A5 71
21:20:16.462 From Port 1 Note On 1 B5 71
21:20:17.410 From Port 1 Note Off 1 B5 64
21:20:18.350 From Port 1 Note Off 1 A5 64

Pressing both and lifting at the same time doesn't work:
21:20:19.958 From Port 1 Note On 1 A5 59
21:20:19.959 From Port 1 Note On 1 B5 68
21:20:20.500 From Port 1 Note Off 1 B5 64
21:20:20.502 From Port 1 Note On 1 A5 64

Any ideas what this problem might be and how I can fix it? I'd really appreciate any help.
 

SeaGtGruff

I meant to play that note!
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Are the notes hanging when you play the RD-100 itself, or is it only happening in virtual instruments when you use use the RD-100 as a MIDI keyboard controller?
 
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Yes, exactly. The piano plays just great normally (without MIDI) which makes me think it's not a physical hardware issue with the contacts.
 

SeaGtGruff

I meant to play that note!
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As I see it, the problem must lie in either the keyboard or the MIDI interface, and not in the computer software, given that multiple programs (Snoize and the virtual instruments) are exhibiting symptoms.

Given the results of the MIDI check in the test mode, it might be a problem with the keyboard-- although if the results of the MIDI check are actually fine, then the keyboard might be okay after all. (What is the expected "0" supposed to mean, and what does it mean when there's an underscore instead of a "0"? I think you'll need to ask Roland whether the test results are okay or indicate a problem.)

I suggest turning off the Local Control on the RD-100, so it doesn't make any sounds when you play it. Then connect a MIDI cable from the RD-100's MIDI Out to its MIDI In, as though you're going to check the MIDI in the test mode, but don't actually go into the test mode. Instead, press and release multiple keys simultaneously to see if one of the notes hangs. If it does, there would seem to be a problem with the data either coming out of the MIDI Out port or going into the MIDI In port-- i.e., either the RD-100 is outputting the second Note Off event incorrectly, or maybe there's something not quite right with the MIDI cable (in which case, try it with other MIDI cables).

If the keyboard and MIDI cable(s) check out okay-- if none of the notes hang when sending the keyboard's MIDI to itself with Local Control turned off-- then it might be an issue with the MIDI interface. What are you using to get the keyboard's MIDI to the computer? Is it a simple USB-MIDI interface cable that converts the MIDI to USB and vice versa, or is it a USB audio interface that includes MIDI ports? From what I've heard online, the USB-MIDI interface cables can be prone to errors, especially the cheaper ones.

I would try the suggestion in the third paragraph. If you get hanging notes on the RD-100 itself then contact Roland to see what they can tell you. Otherwise, if you don't get hanging notes on the RD-100 itself, then see if you can try a different interface to convert the MIDI to USB.

Personally, I don't understand why Roland is using 8n Note Off events of velocity 64 (hex 40) to turn off the notes, since (based on its MIDI Implementation Chart) the RD-100 can't even transmit velocities other than 64 with 8n Note Off events, and simply ignores the velocities of 8n Note Off events when receiving MIDI. It's common for programmers and manufacturers to turn off notes with 9n Note On events of velocity 0, since this allows the MIDI data to be more efficiently compacted via "running status." The only sensible reason for using 8n Note Off events would be so notes can be turned off with different velocities-- if the 8n Note Off velocities are actually being used to control some parameter by the patch that's playing the notes. But if the RD-100's 8n Note Off events can only ever have a fixed velocity of 64, then why not simply use 9n Note On events of velocity 0?

Anyway, if the RD-100 and MIDI cable(s) check out okay, I wonder if it would help to insert a MIDI processor between the RD-100's MIDI Out and the interface's MIDI In? I've never used a hardware MIDI processor, so I'm not certain what their capabilities are, but I wonder if it would be possible to program one to modify any 8n Note Off events by changing their velocities to 0 velocities?
 

SeaGtGruff

I meant to play that note!
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I would first use a simple MIDI cable to connect the RD's MIDI Out to its MIDI In, to see whether the notes hang on the RD when sending MIDI to itself, in case it turns out to be an issue with the RD.

As for USB-MIDI interfaces, sometimes it's a good idea to stick with the one from the keyboard manufacturer:

https://www.amazon.com/Roland-UM-ONE-MK2-MIDI-Interface/dp/B00967UN50/

But if you have a Mac, you might check the 1-star reviews from Mac users. Another one that seems to have better reviews-- or fewer 1-star reviews, anyway-- is the mio:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CO5IRSG?psc=1
 
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I picked these two separate user reviews of the Vic Tsing USB-MIDI Adapter out of the Amazon listing for it:

I was impressed that the supplier reached out to me to offer a partial refund or replacement. I opted for a replacement that arrived quickly. Unfortunately, I could not make the second unit work with my Privia. The specific problem is that I'm getting retriggered notes on key release (there is no after touch feature on the Privia). Although the converter works with my Midiplus X8, I have neither the expertise or time to try to figure out if the problem is with the Vic Tsing or settings on my Privia PX3.

It does connect a MIDI device via USB, but the unit I got drops data. As long as you play one note at a time, all is well, but when playing chords, it only passes a "note off" message for one of the notes, leaving the others playing until you retrigger and release each note individually. I tested the same keyboard+computer setup using a different MIDI-to-USB device and experienced no such problems, so the issue is definitely with the MIDI-to-USB cable, not with the devices on either end of it.

There were many other positive reviews where the users were perfectly satisfied, so it could be more of a quality control problem than a design problem.
 

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