hooking up a keyboard to a computer

[bekuze]

wuttup again, i have a roland e66 keyboard w/ midi in and outs. i was wondering how i go about hooking it up to may computer. do i just get some cables that are midi on one end and usb on the other? or are the cables supposed to be plugged into my sound card? if i do use usb does windows xp recognize it right off the bat? i appreciate the help, thanks.

 

[KENWOP]

what program you using??

 

[bekuze]

demos

i just downloaded demos for FL 5 and Live and i think i might download a Reason demo if there's one available.

 

[Fade]

You'll need one of these cables:
http://www.cablesnmor.com/midi-cable.html

Connect to your soundcard and the MIDI plugs into your keyboard.

MIDI plug Out goes into your MIDI In on your keyboard.
MIDI plug In goes into your MIDI Out on your keyboard.

Then you just have to setup your recording programs to use your soundcard's MIDI port by messing with the settings.

 

[bekuze]

i have a dell and i think the soundcard only has like a mic in, line in, and speakers out. does that mean i would obviously need a replacement soundcard? cause i dont think i can change it thats why i was hoping i could just use the usb port.

 

[Fade]

Is there any sort of joystick port in the back of your computer? That's all you need to hook up that cable. What kind of Dell is it? Is it new? What kind of soundcard?

 

[bekuze]

it's a dimension 3000 i'm not sure about the soundcard i think it's probably pretty basic. i got it about 2-3 months ago.

 

[Fade]

Yeah just try plugging it into the joystick port in the back, it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[bekuze]

i tried looking for that joystick port but im not sure if i have one. theres 2, a smaller on with i think its 9 pins and it saya something like 10101 next to it (i think it's a serial port). theres also a longer one (i think its a parallel port) like where you used to plug in the old school printers. some else told me about a midi to usb converter from m-audio.com

 

[MikeMiz]

Yeah, you'll have to go with a usb midi interface. Most new pc's no longer have the older joystick port (at least not built into the motherboard). The Dimension 3000 definitely won't have one if you didn't request a soundcard (vs onboard sound). You can also try shopping for a cheap pci card that has the 15 pin joystick port, but I recommend just going the usb route.

 

[bekuze]

alright ima look into that (usb interface). do you know if, since it's a dell, i would be able to install a soundcard in the future if i wanted to? or am i pretty much stuck with what i got? the only reason why i would ever need one would be to record vocals or live instruments, right?

 

[Formant024]

word, you can always install one later... But you can also look for a card that supports all that you need currently. So skip the usb port and get something with fixed midi ports, there's loads of em.

 

[bekuze]

right on, is there a certain one you recommend, or a certain brand, or a site where i can check them out? thanks.

 

[Agent Smith]

get an m-audio keyboard

www.m-audio.com