[LAU] recommendations for midi controller keyboard

[andy baxter]

Joel Roth wrote:
>  Tue, Jan 06, 2009 at 05:22:46PM +0000, andy baxter wrote:
>   
>> Is there a usb standard for midi keyboards which linux knows about? The 
>> other thing I'm looking into is a friend of mine has a Nord Electro 61 
>> which he wants to be able to play into his linux machine. It has a usb 
>> out - is there a reasonable chance that if I just plugged it in with a 
>> standard usb cable I could get it working?
>>     
>
> Hi Andy,
>
> The Nord is a great instrument, a poor man's alternative to
> a B3. At a time when I was looking for an organ to play
> with, I was thinking of a Nord, or figuring out how to get
> the beatrix B3 emulator to work for me. (Anyone corresponded
> with the developer lately?) 
>
> According to the advertising blurbs, the USB in the Nord is
> for _downloading_ new sets of instrument samples. The MIDI
> interface is an _input_ for connecting a second keyboard. So
> it seems that the only certain way for your friend to play
> into his linux machine would be via an analog out into a
> decent soundcard's line in. 
>   

It's a lovely keyboard for sure. I think things aren't quite as bad as 
you're saying - from memory it has both MIDI in and out connectors, so 
will probably play through a MIDI cable. But you're probably right about 
the usb interface - I found the manual on line and it sounds like it's 
just for loading samples.

andy