Yamaha P85 MIDI Driver won't install

[AdmiralAardvark]

I'm pretty sure this is a case of 'my keyboard is no longer supported', but the driver here https://usa.yamaha.com/support/updates/umd_win64_kbd.html does not recognize my P85 as a device it can install a driver for, and the install cancels. I feel like the driver I need is no longer supported, but it should still be available somewhere, right? Any help is appreciated!

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Looking at the Owner's Manual, it appears that the P-85 has MIDI IN/OUT ports, not a USB-MIDI port.

That means you most likely don't even need to use a USB-MIDI driver.

If you're using either a MIDI-to-USB cable or USB audio interface that has MIDI ports to connect your P-85 to your computer but the software doesn't recognize that a MIDI device is connected-- and note that it probably would not identify the device as a Yamaha P-85-- then you might indeed need to install a USB-MIDI driver.

However, in that case it would need to be the USB-MIDI driver that was written for the MIDI-to-USB cable or USB audio interface, so you wouldn't be able to install Yamaha's USB-MIDI driver unless you were using Yamaha's UX16 MIDI-to-USB cable.

Most MIDI-to-USB cables and USB audio interfaces are designed to be MIDI class compliant, so they normally work without needing a USB-MIDI driver.

What are you using to connect your P-85 to your computer?

 

[AdmiralAardvark]

Looking at the Owner's Manual, it appears that the P-85 has MIDI IN/OUT ports, not a USB-MIDI port.

That means you most likely don't even need to use a USB-MIDI driver.

If you're using either a MIDI-to-USB cable or USB audio interface that has MIDI ports to connect your P-85 to your computer but the software doesn't recognize that a MIDI device is connected-- and note that it probably would not identify the device as a Yamaha P-85-- then you might indeed need to install a USB-MIDI driver.

However, in that case it would need to be the USB-MIDI driver that was written for the MIDI-to-USB cable or USB audio interface, so you wouldn't be able to install Yamaha's USB-MIDI driver unless you were using Yamaha's UX16 MIDI-to-USB cable.

Most MIDI-to-USB cables and USB audio interfaces are designed to be MIDI class compliant, so they normally work without needing a USB-MIDI driver.

What are you using to connect your P-85 to your computer?

I'm using this cable https://www.amazon.com/ETbotu-MidiPort-Electric-Electronic-Editing/dp/B07L6B6HPM, it says it doesn't need a driver on the box. I'm trying to connect to Ableton Live 10. I've always played guitar and never messed around with midi, picked this keyboard up on the cheap for composition.

 

[SeaGtGruff]

When you look at the MIDI devices that Ableton Live says it detects, what does it say?

Note that off-brand MIDI-to-USB cables can be notoriously unreliable. I'm unfamiliar with the one you're using, so it may or may not be a problem; the proof is in the pudding, as they say-- that is, does it or doesn't it work.

If it turns out that you need to use a different cable, multiple people have verified that the iConnectivity mio works with various Yamaha keyboards that have MIDI IN/OUT ports:

Amazon.com

 

[happyrat1]

MIDI IN ALWAYS CONNECTS TO MIDI OUT AND VICE VERSA.

Gary

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Thanks, @happyrat1! I was going to add that, but forgot to.

 

[James James]

When you look at the MIDI devices that Ableton Live says it detects, what does it say?

Note that off-brand MIDI-to-USB cables can be notoriously unreliable. I'm unfamiliar with the one you're using, so it may or may not be a problem; the proof is in the pudding, as they say-- that is, does it or doesn't it work.

If it turns out that you need to use a different cable, multiple people have verified that the iConnectivity mio works with various Yamaha keyboards that have MIDI IN/OUT ports:

Amazon.com

Hi, I just purchased a new Roland UM-ONE USB-Midi interface and it won't work with my Yamaha P-85. Would you know if I would specifically need the Yamaha UX16 USB-Midi Interface, or would the iConnectivity interface work with the old Yamaha?
Thanks, James

 

[SeaGtGruff]

I have no experience with the Roland interface, but if you need to use a driver then you will need to install the Roland USB-MIDI driver, not the Yamaha USB-MIDI driver.

The iConnectivity interface should work without a driver, but I have no personal experience with it, either.