M-Audio Midi connection to PC

[meyrick]

Hi All
Can anyone tell me if an M-Audio Midi connection to the PC will work if plugged into the 'B' in and out Midi ports on the Tyros 4. Sorry if it is an obvious, but I am dumb as far as Midi is concerned.
My grand-daughter want to learn to play, but teachers are few and far between where we live in the sticks. I have 2 DVD + CD Tutorial midi interface programs which will at least get her started. Although I play myself, I am by no means a teacher, but I help in some ways.
Any suggestions or advice would be much appreciated.

Many Thanks
meyrick

[SeaGtGruff]

If both keyboards are plugged into the computer, it will work-- you can use software to route the MIDI from one to the other.

[meyrick]

Thanks for that Michael.
As you rightly assume, there are two keyboards, but as one, that is, the NP31, is plugged into the 'A' in on the Tyros. This only leaves the two 'B' IN & OUT on  the Tyros free, with the IN on the NP31. This means both keyboards cannot be connected to the PC as you suggest.

I don't see any damage being done if I do connect the Tyros, which is what I am worried about. So, I think it is a case of plug it in and try.
If you see a big cloud of smoke, its not the little rocket man this time around

Many thanks
Graham

[SeaGtGruff]

Actually, when I said "both keyboards" I meant the M-Audio and the Tyros; I didn't realize there was a third keyboard involved.

If the M-Audio has USB-MIDI but no MIDI DIN ports, then you can connect both the M-Audio and the Tyros to the computer and route the MIDI from the M-Audio to the Tyros. If I'm not mistaken, the Tyros has a USB connection, so you should be able to connect the Tyros to the computer via USB-MIDI.

What operating system is the computer, and what MIDI software are you using?

[meyrick]

I think we are at cross purposes, Michael. Just to be clear, there are not three keyboards. I'm not even sure the Tyros 4 would drive two other keyboards.
However, as I said, me and Midi are poles apart. The M-Audio I refer to consists of 2 Midi plugs, one in, one our and a USB connection to the computer, I think its called a Midiport.
The computer is an ancient Microsoft 16 bit, on which I was intent on running the 'Musicalis Interactive Piano course' CD
This is essentially why I am worried about the connection to the Tyros. I don't think it will be a problem, but I don't want to do costly damage.

Regards
Graham

[SeaGtGruff]

Ah, I see now! I thought you meant an M-Audio keyboard controller, but you meant one of these:

http://www.m-audio.com/products/view/midisport-1x1

Actually, you might not need to use the M-Audio interface at all, because you might be able to connect the Tyros4 directly to the computer via USB-- just plug a standard USB cable (often called a "printer cable") into the USB TO HOST terminal of the Tyros4, then plug the other end into the computer. The only possible drawback to doing this is that you'll need to install an old 16-bit Windows version of the Yamaha USB-MIDI driver on the computer. I don't know whether Yamaha even has that old version available on their web site anymore, but I happen to have a ZIP file of version 1.2.2 that was for Windows ME/98/98SE. I also have a ZIP file that includes version 2.3.3 that was for Windows 2000. What version of 16-bit Windows are you using?

If you do use the M-Audio interface, I'm not sure whether or not you'll need to install a driver. The MIDISPORT 1x1 Quick Start Guide says it will work without a driver on a Windows XP computer, but if you have an earlier version of Windows then I'm not sure whether it will work-- you'll just have to try it and see.

[meyrick]

Hi Michael. I hadn't given the USB to Host a thought, but yes, I guess it will work.
The 16 bit driver is not a problem for Windows 95, as you say, the problem may be the with a Yamaha Driver.
All I can do is give it a try.
I will do this tomorrow and post the results A.S.A.P
Regards
Graham

[meyrick]

I have now tried to complete the connection for the 16 bit Mudicalis Piano lesson CD on a windows 95 computer and my Tyros 4. Sad to say there is obviously something missing. The USB connection just didn't register, which may be a driver issue. The MidiSport registered the connection of the Midi to USB but would not communicate information to and from the Tyros to the computer.
Thanks to Michael for his input, and my apologies for the lack of correct info at the start of the thread.

Kind Regards
Graham

[Arnak]

Hi Meyrick,

I have my Tyros 4 connected to a Windows XP pc so try using this driver.

http://download.yamaha.com/usb_midi/

Then use it in compatibility mode for windows 95 and see if that helps.

    Right-click on the link to the program that you want to fix.
    Click on Properties.
    Click on the Compatibility tab.
    Click on Run this program in compatibility mode and select one of the options.

See if that helps.

Martin

[SeaGtGruff]

Graham, I'm attaching a ZIP file that contains the old version 1.2.2 of Yamaha's USB-MIDI driver. It says it's for Windows 98 and Windows ME, but doesn't say it works with Windows 95, so I don't whether it will work or not. There are installation instructions in the readme.txt file in the folder.

Note that whenever you use a MIDI interface to connect from a keyboard's MIDI ports to a computer's USB port, you must use the driver that goes with the MIDI interface, not the driver that goes with the keyboard. For instance, for the M-Audio MIDISPORT you would need to use whatever driver M-Audio made for the MIDISPORT, regardless of whether you're using the MIDISPORT to connect a Yamaha, Casio, Roland, Korg, Moog, Nord, or other keyboard with MIDI ports. M-Audio did make a driver, but they say it isn't needed unless you're trying to use the MIDISPORT with more than one program simultaneously. Also, I don't know if they made a version of the driver that worked with Windows 95.

So to recap, do not try to use the Yamaha driver with the MIDISPORT. If you do want to try using the attached Yamaha driver, just connect the keyboard directly to the computer using a USB cable and the USB TO HOST port.

I just had a thought. Do you know what kind of USB port is on the computer-- i.e., is it USB 1 or USB 2? It's possible that the connection problem is due to using a USB 2 cable when the computer has a USB 1 port. If that's the case, you might need to see if you can find an old USB 1 cable to try.

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[meyrick]

Hi Gents.
I very much appreciate your help with this. It has been a bit of an uphill struggle but I still cannot get the computer to open the files from the disc.
In all honesty I am not sure what is causing the problem and have therefore decided to abandon the attempt.
As its the grand daughters birthday very soon, I have decided to buy a lifetime subscription to 'Playground Sessions' rather than trying to rely on an old system.
I wish to express my gratitude for your help. It is a pleasure to know there are people who will put themselves out to help others with problems.
Thank you Michael for your driver download, I shall store it away as it may possible be of some use at a later date.
Thanks also to Martin for your link for the Yamaha driver.
All very much appreciated
Kind Regards
Graham M
P.S. My apologies for the delay in answering. The necessities of life can sometimes get in the way of one's pass times

[SeaGtGruff]

That's probably a good idea to go with Playground Sessions instead. I'm sure your granddaughter will appreciate that very much!