midi hookup

How to hook up a rig.

The midi part...  (Or did you want the Audio part?)
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Midi boils down to your keyboard having...

   usb   versus   midi
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If your keyboard has a USB midi port, it is your friend.  Use it!
   
   Just a single USB cable from synth to pc
      (and some driver software from keyboard manufacturer).

   USB midi can occasionally (rarely) cause audio interference.
   If so, swap to standard midi cables.  They won't have that problem.

   Next up, midi configurations...
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   Otherwise, you're stuck with regular "old school" midi cables.
   either...
      2x  =>  midi interface


   or maybe...
      


   You'll need 2 midi cables since they send notes in only ONE direction.
      midi in to the PC let's you use a midi sequencer app.
                                               (record midi to files, etc, etc).
      midi out from the PC let's your PC play the keyboard, among other things.

   You'll also need a "midi interface" for your PC.
      It'll connect to your PC's usb port and provide for (usually)
                                              one midi in and one midi out plug.
      (and some driver software from the midi interface manufacturer).
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Midi configurations...

   The simplest midi configuration is NO midi cables.
   The midi controller and sound module are just part of the same device:
      your digital piano.  Keyboard is pressed, audio goes out.

      NOT cool enough.
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   Let's skip the "theoretical" midi configurations and get to the useful ones.

   Now we bring a PC into the rig to use a sequencer:

      [controller]out --> in[PC]out -->in[soundModule]

      A digital piano is a controller and soundmodule BOTH.
      So you've got:

         [piano]out --> in[PC]
         [piano]in <-- out[PC]

      And if your piano has a USB interface, that means a single USB cable
         between piano and PC does it all :)
         [piano] usb_cable [laptop]

      Cool, but not cool ENOUGH :)
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   Now we get to a FULL SCALE midi config :)
      2 keyboards, a sound module, PC, and PC based audio !!

      [controller1]out --> in[PC]out --> in[soundModule1]
      [controller2]out -->

      Let's say
         controller1 is a digital piano, and
         soundModule1 is it's embedded sound module.
         controller2 is a 2nd midi controller keyboard with a bunch of sliders.

      The PC will need 2 midi in ports.  One for each keyboard.
         But for USB midi, this just means 2 USB ports - a snap.
      For regular midi cables, the PC's midi interface will need two midi ins.

      The PC can send midi out to the digital piano's midi in and use it's
         onboard piano sound.

      In addition, the PC may have an Audigy card doing SoundFont audio
         generation that can be mixed with the digital piano's audio.

      This is pretty close to my setup :)
      I've also got a 3 pedal unit sending USB midi into my PC.
      That'd be controller3 !!

      THIS is good :)

      There are other methods to take the midi in from your piano and
         turn it into even more stellar audio on the PC.
         Google pianoteq, VST and ivory and hit Pianoworld.com's forums.
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Next up,
   How often should you practice piano?