VOGONS


First post, by kingcake

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Hi! MIDI noob here. My knowledge ends at OPL2/3 DOS games/music. Never used a physical MIDI device before.

I have some PC hardware with MIDI IN/OUT DIN ports I want to test. Are there any recommended cheap MIDI stuff I could use? I guess a small keyboard?

I can play instruments and read/write music, so I'm open to any ideas.

Also would appreciate software that's good for testing MIDI stuff with DOS And Win. Thanks!

Reply 1 of 14, by Spikey

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Hey there!

What do you mean by "PC hardware"? Like, a MIDI module or sound card? Or a soundcard with a breakout cable and MIDI ports?

Also, is this on a vintage or modern PC?

Reply 2 of 14, by kingcake

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Spikey wrote on 2024-12-23, 05:45:

Hey there!

What do you mean by "PC hardware"? Like, a MIDI module or sound card? Or a soundcard with a breakout cable and MIDI ports?

Also, is this on a vintage or modern PC?

Both. USB MIDI Controllers and USB Soundcards. Both with MIDI IN & OUT DIN connectors. Like a Soundblaster Extigy. Late 90s, early 2000s stuff. Using Win XP for most of it.
I tried looking on ebay but all I could find was USB MIDI keyboards with built in controllers. Any specific models of mini keyboards that use the actual MIDI interface?

Reply 4 of 14, by kingcake

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Pickle wrote on 2024-12-23, 13:31:

The Roland um one can let you connect a pc with usb to your midi device. It should be around $50 usd.

Guys, I have the MIDI controllers. I want to test them. I need recommendations for MIDI Instruments with DIN connectors. This is not hard.

Reply 5 of 14, by Pickle

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in that case on the other end for midi modules a mt32-pi might be the cheapest midi module using midi inputs. (cheaper if you build it yourself)
Serdashop options:
mt32 pi: https://www.serdashop.com/MP32L
chill (needs wavetable boards): https://www.serdashop.com/CHiLL
a cheaper option but limits you to specific serda wavetables: https://www.serdashop.com/DreamFace

there are older midi modules but they will be more than the options at serdashop. Although its not impossible i managed to get a Roland SC-8820 for $60, but i think thats going to be rare.
I dont know anything on the pricing of keyboards with midi, but if i were looking i think ebay is where i would start.

Reply 6 of 14, by SScorpio

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kingcake wrote on 2024-12-23, 14:45:

Guys, I have the MIDI controllers. I want to test them. I need recommendations for MIDI Instruments with DIN connectors. This is not hard.

A $20 USB MIDI cable into a PC controlling Falcosoft MIDI player or something else is the cheapest and easiest solution. Anything else is going to hit $100 or more.

You can then use the PC to play with different synth emulators and figure out what you want to target, then look into building out a set of gear.

Reply 7 of 14, by kingcake

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SScorpio wrote on 2024-12-23, 17:41:
kingcake wrote on 2024-12-23, 14:45:

Guys, I have the MIDI controllers. I want to test them. I need recommendations for MIDI Instruments with DIN connectors. This is not hard.

A $20 USB MIDI cable into a PC controlling Falcosoft MIDI player or something else is the cheapest and easiest solution. Anything else is going to hit $100 or more.

You can then use the PC to play with different synth emulators and figure out what you want to target, then look into building out a set of gear.

Are you saying to control one PC with another via MIDI? I LITERALLY HAVE THE PC WITH MIDI DIN PORTS ALREADY. I'm asking about devices like 90s midi keyboards to connect to it.

Reply 8 of 14, by SScorpio

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kingcake wrote on 2024-12-25, 00:24:

Are you saying to control one PC with another via MIDI? I LITERALLY HAVE THE PC WITH MIDI DIN PORTS ALREADY. I'm asking about devices like 90s midi keyboards to connect to it.

To start playing around and learning about MIDI, yes.

You're asking the for the wrong things showing no knowledge of MIDI. First nobody knows what you actually have, nor what your actual plans. So the suggestions to spend the least amount of money and start learning are sound.

You also mention a 90s keyboard? Again, why? MIDI is a standard, a brand new 2024 keyboard that has a MIDI DIN interface will work exactly the same, and since MIDI just triggers the actual notes being playing, but not the sound the synth creates. A 2024 keyboard will sound the same as a 90s keyboard.

You also have your "controller" (not the correct term at all), but you're more than likely going to want a MIDI synth as well. The computer was generally just used to record and edit MIDI signals. And all playback was through a synth where additional effects are applied. But again without having any knowledge of what you're looking for, each synth has its own sound profile.

You really should just setup a DAW on a current computer and use emulators and Soundfonts to sample the various synths, and also learn the workflow. From there you can figure out what equipment you want to work and start hunting it down.

Reply 9 of 14, by wierd_w

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There are rPi projects that allow it to communicate over a standard midi chain, and present softsynths (like MUNT) as connected devices.

Given the cost of a single pi, and a din5 on a breadboard, (vs a real mt32), and the much larger number of devices the pi can simulate, it would make a good purchase, imo.

Reply 10 of 14, by kingcake

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kingcake wrote on 2024-12-22, 22:01:

Hi! MIDI noob here.

I literally said it in the first post.

I just want something with DIN connectors I can hook to a PC MIDI interface. Why people keep saying USB is baffling. The reading comprehension on this site has fallen to the level of it being borderline unusable.

I see why Phil left.

Reply 11 of 14, by jmarsh

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kingcake wrote on 2024-12-30, 03:52:

Why people keep saying USB is baffling.

They are recommending them because they support both midi OUT and IN. So you can test both directions of the interfaces you want to test. An instrument will only let you test midi IN, a synthesizer will only accept midi OUT, and any device (like a keyboard) that supports both will cost a lot more than a $5 USB MIDI cable.
Alternatively, just loopback DOUT to DIN...

Don't blame others for your own failure to understand something.

Reply 12 of 14, by dionb

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kingcake wrote on 2024-12-30, 03:52:
I literally said it in the first post. […]
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kingcake wrote on 2024-12-22, 22:01:

Hi! MIDI noob here.

I literally said it in the first post.

I just want something with DIN connectors I can hook to a PC MIDI interface. Why people keep saying USB is baffling. The reading comprehension on this site has fallen to the level of it being borderline unusable.

I see why Phil left.

A PC can be that thing with a PC MIDI interface. In fact it could be the same PC that your MIDI interface is on. It might even be the same MIDI interface. Or maybe not - how about disclosing what hardware you actually have to stop us guessing (and then getting offended if we guess wrong).

What you want is a synthesizer that accepts MIDI input. If you want a piece of kit, go buy a Roland SC-55 or clone thereof. Of course, that's not going to be cheap, let alone free.

But you probably already have what you need to test your interfaces without spending a single cent. What you want is a synth that talks MIDI and fundamentally that's just a bit of software. You can get that software in a separate box, but if you don't yet have that box, you can also run it on your computer. Just about every OS from Windows 98 onward comes with a built-in General MIDI synth. And that synth can accept MIDI from the MIDI in from your MIDI interface, at least, if your interface has MIDI in.

So you can do this:

MIDI playback software on PC -> output to MIDI Out interface -> wire to MIDI In interface -> tell MIDI synth to accept input from MIDI In interface -> GM MIDI music if your interface works!

If a MIDI interface only has MIDI out, you need two interfaces, one of which has MIDI In, but the same principle applies. You can also have the MIDI synth running on a different computer and put one interface (with MIDI In) in that computer and the MIDI out with the playback software on the other one.

Or again, just ignore all this and get that SC-55. Just don't complain it's not cheap.

Reply 13 of 14, by wierd_w

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I'd still suggest one of the RPi kits for running munt, like this one from serdashop.

https://www.serdashop.com/MP32L

The actual softsynth run on it is not constrained.

It could be fluidsynth, timidity++, MUNT, or any other synth you can find sourcecode for.

There's already baked software stacks for this, like this one.

https://github.com/dwhinham/mt32-pi

Gives a nice set of DIN5 connectors for vintage gear.

Reply 14 of 14, by gdjacobs

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wierd_w wrote on 2024-12-31, 14:14:
I'd still suggest one of the RPi kits for running munt, like this one from serdashop. […]
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I'd still suggest one of the RPi kits for running munt, like this one from serdashop.

https://www.serdashop.com/MP32L

The actual softsynth run on it is not constrained.

It could be fluidsynth, timidity++, MUNT, or any other synth you can find sourcecode for.

There's already baked software stacks for this, like this one.

https://github.com/dwhinham/mt32-pi

Gives a nice set of DIN5 connectors for vintage gear.

That's a good stage 2. Not necessary just to get started, though.

All hail the Great Capacitor Brand Finder