Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
[email protected] tshepard@rcsreg.com is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 7
Default USB Midi vs audio interface MIDI

I have a Yamaha keyboard that I connect to the computer
using a USB cable. I appears as its own MIDI device.
I could also connect it via MIDI if I desired, going
into the audio interface that I record with.

Is there any reason to prefer one method over the other?
Are the clocks that control the audio and the MIDI tied
together in some way, or is it just the same as using the
MIDI device through the USB cable?


Thanks,


Toby
  #3   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Scott Dorsey Scott Dorsey is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 16,853
Default USB Midi vs audio interface MIDI

wrote:
I have a Yamaha keyboard that I connect to the computer
using a USB cable. I appears as its own MIDI device.
I could also connect it via MIDI if I desired, going
into the audio interface that I record with.

Is there any reason to prefer one method over the other?
Are the clocks that control the audio and the MIDI tied
together in some way, or is it just the same as using the
MIDI device through the USB cable?


It's just bits. In the end, the MIDI buss is really just a fancy serial port.

However, you can use the MIDI buss to control a number of instruments with
one cable, which is frequently of benefit.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
  #5   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Mike Rivers[_2_] Mike Rivers[_2_] is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,190
Default USB Midi vs audio interface MIDI

On 11/10/2016 12:06 PM, Neil wrote:
Whether to use one or the other depends on the bigger picture of how
you're going to use them. As has been pointed out, the USB buss may have
other traffic on it that could affect timing.


Although he didn't say, his audio interface is probably also USB. It
makes no difference where MIDI data is converted to USB format - in the
keyboard itself or in the audio interface.

The one thing that might make a difference if there are a lot of USB
devices connected to the computer is whether or not using the USB output
of the keyboard will allow you to spread the MIDI data between
independent USB controllers or root hubs. If this is a Windows computer,
there's a free program called USBView that displays all of the USB
controllers and their branches. You can get a copy he

http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/...shtml#download

But honestly, it's probably a trivial issue with today's blazingly fast
CPUs. This was more of a concern with the 4.7 MHz 8088 PC than with one
with a 2.5 GHz or faster processor. Since it's simple enough to try both
configurations, do what's most convenient. Using the MIDI In on the
interface if it works without glitching (which it will probably do)
leaves you with one extra USB port on the computer that will eventually
get used for something.

--

For a good time, call http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com


  #6   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Neil[_9_] Neil[_9_] is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 196
Default USB Midi vs audio interface MIDI

On 11/10/2016 1:53 PM, Mike Rivers wrote:
On 11/10/2016 12:06 PM, Neil wrote:
Whether to use one or the other depends on the bigger picture of how
you're going to use them. As has been pointed out, the USB buss may have
other traffic on it that could affect timing.


Although he didn't say, his audio interface is probably also USB. It
makes no difference where MIDI data is converted to USB format - in the
keyboard itself or in the audio interface.

Very true...if the piano is used by itself. It may still be better to
use the interface if there is also audio feeding it, since that reduces
the load on the USB buss and may allow for better sync of the piano with
the audio.

--
best regards,

Neil
  #7   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Mike Rivers[_2_] Mike Rivers[_2_] is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,190
Default USB Midi vs audio interface MIDI

On 11/10/2016 7:04 PM, Neil wrote:
Very true...if the piano is used by itself. It may still be better to
use the interface if there is also audio feeding it, since that reduces
the load on the USB buss and may allow for better sync of the piano with
the audio.


I'm not going to study this very hard for you, so I haven't thought it
out fully, but I'm not sure that if there's anything to be gained, it
would be synchronization between the audio and MIDI. The interface acts
like a USB hub with one port fed by the audio output of the A/D
converter, and another port fed by the MIDI-to-USB converter. They both
go through the same "funnel" - the USB output port on the interface.

MIDI contains so little data that it its contribution to the USB stream
is negligible. However since it goes through the same port as the audio,
if the USB stream gets interrupted by another CPU process, the MIDI is
just as likely to glitch as the audio. As far as synchronization goes,
if the MIDI stream gets re-clocked to the same clock as the interface
uses for the audio, that, in theory, might lock them together better,
but I think that the difference would be to small to be heard.

I could make the argument that either approach (using the MIDI In on the
interface or another USB port direct from the keyboard) could be better.
If there's a difference at all, it would be dependent on the particular
computer, and maybe how the interface's driver handles MIDI.


--

For a good time, call http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com
  #8   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Trevor Trevor is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,820
Default USB Midi vs audio interface MIDI

On 11/11/2016 11:44 AM, Mike Rivers wrote:
I could make the argument that either approach (using the MIDI In on the
interface or another USB port direct from the keyboard) could be better.
If there's a difference at all, it would be dependent on the particular
computer, and maybe how the interface's driver handles MIDI.


Bingo. The best person to decide which works better, if there is any
difference at all, is the OP. He can soon see if there are any driver
issues, or anything else to worry about. Not us.

Trevor.


  #9   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Neil[_9_] Neil[_9_] is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 196
Default USB Midi vs audio interface MIDI

On 11/10/2016 7:44 PM, Mike Rivers wrote:
MIDI contains so little data that it its contribution to the USB stream
is negligible.

Well, the amount of MIDI data depends on what the OP is doing. I know he
_said_ "piano", but some MIDI "pianos" play multiple instruments via
MIDI, and it can get pretty busy with 16 instruments (i.e. one MIDI
interface) plus audio. I don't know what the OP expects, so I'm hoping
that a discussion of the potential issues helps him out a bit.

--
best regards,

Neil
  #10   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Scott Dorsey Scott Dorsey is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 16,853
Default USB Midi vs audio interface MIDI

In article , Neil wrote:
On 11/10/2016 7:44 PM, Mike Rivers wrote:
MIDI contains so little data that it its contribution to the USB stream
is negligible.


Well, the amount of MIDI data depends on what the OP is doing. I know he
_said_ "piano", but some MIDI "pianos" play multiple instruments via
MIDI, and it can get pretty busy with 16 instruments (i.e. one MIDI
interface) plus audio. I don't know what the OP expects, so I'm hoping
that a discussion of the potential issues helps him out a bit.


Even a lot of MIDI data is still not very much data by modern standards.
There was a time when 31.250 kbps seemed like a lot of data but now even
slow interfaces today handle thousands of times more.

You can saturate the whole MIDI pipe without noticing any I/O load on a
modern computer. Back in the days of the Commodore 64 and the Atari ST
there were issues doing computation while driving the midi port, but we
are long past that.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."


  #11   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Mike Rivers[_2_] Mike Rivers[_2_] is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,190
Default USB Midi vs audio interface MIDI

On 11/10/2016 11:18 PM, Neil wrote:
Well, the amount of MIDI data depends on what the OP is doing. I know he
_said_ "piano", but some MIDI "pianos" play multiple instruments via
MIDI, and it can get pretty busy with 16 instruments (i.e. one MIDI
interface) plus audio.


There was a time when a full (16 channel) MIDI stream would choke up,
but that amount of data per unit time is a tiny drop in the bucket
compared to even 16-bit audio.

--

For a good time, call http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com
  #12   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
JackA JackA is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,052
Default USB Midi vs audio interface MIDI

On Thursday, November 10, 2016 at 7:04:42 PM UTC-5, Neil wrote:
On 11/10/2016 1:53 PM, Mike Rivers wrote:
On 11/10/2016 12:06 PM, Neil wrote:
Whether to use one or the other depends on the bigger picture of how
you're going to use them. As has been pointed out, the USB buss may have
other traffic on it that could affect timing.


Although he didn't say, his audio interface is probably also USB. It
makes no difference where MIDI data is converted to USB format - in the
keyboard itself or in the audio interface.

Very true...if the piano is used by itself. It may still be better to
use the interface if there is also audio feeding it, since that reduces
the load on the USB buss and may allow for better sync of the piano with
the audio.

--
best regards,

Neil


Buss? Now that's one confusing word. Some use Buss to describe a current carrying bar. Some use Bus. I always thought of Buss as a fuse manufacturer. If you look up the definition of Buss, it is a kiss.

Carry on! :-)

Jack
Reply
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules

Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Tascam US122 USB audio/midi interface finalcut Tech 6 April 20th 06 07:07 AM
Tascam US122 USB audio/midi interface finalcut General 0 April 11th 06 07:25 AM
FA: Tascam US224 audio/midi interface Matt Pro Audio 1 June 28th 05 03:40 AM
USB Audio/Midi Interface Jeff Pro Audio 6 January 19th 05 08:08 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 06:14 PM.

Powered by: vBulletin
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 AudioBanter.com.
The comments are property of their posters.
 

About Us

"It's about Audio and hi-fi"