Midi In And Out Cables
355 items - Midi Cable found in: ROCKCABLE FLAT PATCH MIDI CABLE - 30CM 5 PIN. ONE MK2 USB / MIDI INTERFACE + CABLE (1 IN / 1 OUT) - EDIROL.
Posted onMarch 10, 2014 by Dave EichenbergerAnyone reading through the specs of an effects processor or has ever bought a keyboard has seen the word MIDI. What is this crazy thing, and will it make my guitar sound like an 8-bit Atari game? Am I going to have to dig out my protractor and sextant to understand how MIDI works? This article will demystify this protocol and showcase how MIDI can make our guitar rig work more logically and efficiently.What does it mean, anyway?MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. Back in the 70s, if you were a keyboardist and you wanted different sounds, you needed different keyboards.
Fast forward a few years, and manufacturers came up with their own ‘language’ which would allow their own keyboards to talk to each other. In other words, with just a cable, you could play one keyboard, and hear the sound of both keyboards without having to press the keys of the second keyboard.
Problem was, it only worked if both keyboards were made by the same manufacturer.In 1982, a common language was developed that allowed devices from any manufacturer to speak to each other. This was a big deal, as most companies were very protective of their technology, but feared that incompatibility would eventually lead to less sales.
So they worked together to allow a way for different pieces of gear from different companies to speak to each other. MIDI isn’t a type of sound, it is a language. This sounds nothing like Jimi Hendrix.To explain this, it is much easier to understand if we use keyboards as an example. MIDI is a protocol which can send a message to a specific instrument. In other words, it tells the instrument what sound to use ( program change message), what key to play ( note 0n message), how hard to hit the key ( velocity message) and to add more reverb ( continuous control message).
It can also be used to back up the sounds or update the firmware ( system exclusive message). Of course, there are many more types of messages, but these are the basic ones. So, you connect them all together? In receives the messages, while out & thru sends them to the next device in the chain.Well, yes, by using a MIDI cable like one pictured at the top of the article. It is a 5-pin cable that has to be plugged in to all the device in the daisy chain. Most midi devices have three sockets: MIDI Out, In & Thru. MIDI Out is where you plug in the first cable- it sends messages from the first device to the second.
MIDI IN is where you plug the cable into the second device. It is receiving messages from the first device’s MIDI Out. A cable from one device’s midi THRU just sends whatever messages it receives from the first device THRU the second device and out to the third. This is what you would use to daisy chain devices together.So: MIDI OutMIDI InMIDI ThruMIDI InMIDI ThruMIDI Inetc.
Out is generally used only on the ‘master’ device – the first one. It’s controlling the sounds on all subsequent devices. Yeah, but, um, I play guitar.
This is a midi footcontroller which stores all of the instructions for the devices it controls.In the 80s, when giant racks full of blinking lights were pushed onto every stage, MIDI was used to switch sounds. A foot controller was at the guitarist’s feet, and when he/she pressed a button, it told the first device to turn on a chorus, the second to add a compressor, and the third to turn on a delay set for a specific time. Each device was on a unique channel, so it wouldn’t get confused by listening to instructions meant for another device.This did mean lots of programming for the guitarist, since each effect unit had to be programmed to get the right sound and the footcontroller had to be programmed to send the right message to the right device. This was before computers made programming easy – usually you had to stare at a very small LCD screen. To make matters worse, some commands used the MIDI language, which is in hexadecimal (base 16) language. Yeah, fun.Now all of this is tedious, and really the opposite of just rockin’ out.
However, it is pretty cool to step on a button and change the entire configuration of your rig. On one patch, the expression pedal controlled the wah, on another, it controlled the delay time. Those precise sounds which were only available in major studios could be had by programming those sounds into your rack effects, and programming your foot controller to select those sounds. OK, this makes me happy I didn’t grow up playing guitar thenWell today, MIDI means a few things to guitarists.
It can mean MIDI guitar, which adds a to your guitar, and tells a synth what sound to play, what note to play, and for how long. I have used a MIDI guitar system for years, and it is a blast triggering choirs and piano on guitar.However, most guitarists today are using MIDI for just a few things. Programmable amps allow you to set the knobs any way you want, and then save it. You then use a foot controller to select a specific sound ( program change message) and possible modify that sound, like raising the gain for the solo ( continuous control). In other words, program change messages select a specific patch (or program), and continuous control messages allow you to change the sound by modifying a parameter within the same program. Keep your effects off the floorFar more common in the world of guitar these days is the programmable effects switcher. While multieffects allow you to string together multiple effects in one box, the programmable effects switcher allows you to use your own stompbox collection.
Each effect gets plugged into the switcher (usually housed in a rack- the effects go on a shelf in the rack too), and pressing a button on your foot controller sends a message to the switcher to switch on specific effects. Sometimes it is difficult to stomp off a chorus, delay and compressor, then switch on two distortion boxes, a long delay, and a phaser in the time between a verse and a chorus.The switcher saves the on/off status of each effect as a program. Your foot controller uses a program change message to send the switcher a command, and it automatically plugs your stomp box into the audio path. This keeps the pedals off the ground (and safe) while taking ones that aren’t on out of the audio path until you need it.
There are no patch cables between effects that can go bad at a show, and when you aren’t using any effects, it is like you are plugging directly into your amp. MIDI can change the sounds in a virtual Guitar Rig too.With computers and iOS devices so prevalent in our lives, it has made programming the right sounds for our songs so much easier. No more decoding hexadecimal commands, and no more bending over a 2 x 24 character LCD screen. Most programming is icon-based, and logical.
Sounds are more easily shared among communities online too, and there is always. Are you the kind of guitarist who meticulously sculpts your sounds, or do you just plug in and rock? Do you use MIDI for anything in your guitar rig?
I’m saying it’s not my thing. If it works for you and what you play then go for it. If you have faith in your style and equipment, for most genre’s, all the tech stuff isn’t needed.
If you play in a group that tries to cover every genre of music or you typically play different styles in one show then it’s probably a great thing for you. For me, a simple rock/blues player I depend on tube amps, quality cords and a guitar with great tone no matter what it costs. I own some cheap guitars and some high end one’s, my 67 SG is the crown jewel of my collection. I am a huge Rush fan and they midi the hell outta stuff. If you are insecure about it then perhaps you shouldn’t read others opinions or talk to purists.
Sorry if I offended you, it’s just not my thing. Oh that’s coolthere is room for everyone in this ocean. I respect that it isn’t your thing, but from your comment above, it sounded like you were dissing anyone who used it- that they should just stay home. After explaining it, I see that isn’t what you mean. With just words, it is difficult to tell if you are stating your opinion or making sweeping generalizations about every type of player out there. Although, strictly speaking, ‘go natural’ would mean an unamplified acoustic guitar, and certainly dismiss your own SG and tube amps.
Midi In And Out Cables Youtube
I’ve never played guitar with any sort of MIDI in my rig, but I have wanted to try it out. I love the way my pedals sound (I have tried multieffects boards and found their sound to be too “computerized”) and would love to be able to only have to hit one button to throw my distortion and chorus on while disabling my compressor or acoustic modulator.I also like to keep it simple too though, not have to think too much and just being able to play. But I do understand wanting that sound I have in my head or just got out of my rig (that I know I wont be able to reproduce again). I see where it could be useful in both the live and recording settings. Maybe I’ll try it out some day.
'It was acceptable in the 80s'The standard MIDI DIN cable – that's the big honkin' connector you use on most of your MIDI gear – has become the bane of music hardware makers. The problem is, as gear has gotten smaller, the standard DIN connector hasn't.
And that's a big problem, literally. To add a MIDI port to a device, you need to not only have enough clearance for the connector itself, but the whole around the port and the physical assembly that contains it. Speaking as a, that takes up space you can't even see from the outside.As a result, a lot of hardware that should have had MIDI in and out doesn't, to save room. Or it's forced to be thicker than it needs to be. Or it squeezes out other useful ports.To be clear,on devices that can fit a MIDI DIN, it still makes sense.
It's a standard part, you've got the cables, you've got things to plug it into, and the connector is safe to use. But if it simply won't fit, something else is a must.
And that's why other connectors are already shipping on gear. Imagine if they were all interoperable.It doesn't have to be this way. S-Video could have become a replacement in the 90s, back when we used such things. (It's actually also a DIN connector, with a more-than-enough 4-pin arrangement, but it's smaller.)Now, you may have noticed a lot of gear includes minijacks onboard. A stereo minijack (3.5mm 'miniklinken') connector has three pins – and MIDI also has three pins. (Okay, it has five, but two are unused.) Look at the breakouts included in the box, and what you'll see is a standard 3-pin stereo minijack on one end, and then a standard 5 Pin DIN connector on the other.But here's where things get interesting. Imagine you have two pieces of gear, each with these minijack-to-DIN breakouts.
And you want to connect them together. What would happen if you skipped the little DIN dongles and ran an ordinary stereo minijack cable between them?Well, whether it worked or not would depend on how that minijack connector itself was wired. So, I asked a few manufacturers, off the record and unofficially, what they were doing. It wasn't hard to convince people to talk about it; anyone who has ever dealt with this problem dreams of ditching DIN.It turns out most of them are using the same wiring – seen below. Pin 5 – Ring (Current Sink)Pin 4 – Tip (Current Source)Pin 2 – Sleeve (Shield)So long as you have two pieces of gear wired this way, you can connect them with a standard stereo minijack audio cable (that's a single stereo minijack at both ends). It's exactly the same as using a MIDI cable.In this category:IK Multimedia (iRIG MIDI – that's the diagram at top)Novation (such as Launchpad Pro)Arturia (such as BeatStep Pro)See this discussion of the iRIG MIDI on Sound on Sound, from way back in 2011 (meaning it's time to do this, folks):Unfortunately, one other key maker is an outlier. Korg, which uses minijacks on its SQ1 sequencer and new ElecTribes, swaps Tip and Ring, unless I've got the wrong information.
As long as you're comfortable soldering your own cables, you could solve that, but it means there isn't an immediate de facto standard.Pin 5-Tip (Current Sink)Pin 4- Ring (Current Source)Pin 2 – Sleeve (Shield)On the other hand, it's already pretty terrific that a lot of the stuff you'd immediately want to use hit at the same wiring at random. (No one, to my knowledge, has ever published something like this.)So, rather than wait any longer, I think it makes sense to go public. Rather than wait for a standard, all you really need is for manufacturers to start using this same wiring. And by all means, don't eliminate MIDI from a product just because DIN won't fit. The 'post PC' age is turning out to be more reliant on MIDI than the one before it, from iPads to all-hardware live rigs.If nothing else, if you make DIY hardware, you can start doing this now. And you can plug your custom synth or whatever directly into a Launchpad Pro or BeatStep Pro (just to name two) and start playing it.That's a pretty cool accidental standard.
So maybe we should make it less accidental.from Peter Kirn at Create Digital Music. PETER KIRN is an audiovisual artist, journalist, and technologist.
Classically trained in composition and piano, he now focuses on live electronic performance. He is the founder of CDM (createdigitalmusic.com), a widely-read daily site that explores creative technology, and has contributed to Macworld, Popular Science, De:Bug, Keyboard, and others. He teaches and develops open creative tools, including co-creating the open source MeeBlip synthesizer.