[LAU] USB Compliant MIDI

[David Kastrup]

Bob van der Poel <bob at mellowood.ca> writes:

> I'm looking at the Casio WK 6600 keyboard and see that the old fashioned
> MIDI connectors are replaced with a USB - B connector. Can anyone answer:
>
> 1. These connections are okay to connect my linux desktop computer to the
> keyboard using a standard USB A-B cable?

Sure.

>  2. How long can the MIDI cable be? I suppose if it's too short I could
> always insert an extension cable?

USB extension cables tend to come in lengths of about 10m and have what
amounts to a 1-port hub at one end.  You get the usual hub caveats of
"it really should work without problems".

> 3. Could I use a real MIDI cable from the computer and convert that to USB?

MIDI to USB-A requires a so-called MIDI host,
i.e. <https://www.thomann.de/intl/kenton_midi_usb_host.htm>.  Expensive
and cumbersome.  If you already have a computer, squeezing MIDI
communications through a 31250bps intermediary seems like a huge
nuisance.

The one thing a hardware MIDI connection has going for it is that it is
optically separated current loop that will not introduce ground loops of
any kind (assuming the endpoints have not bungled the implementation, a
surprisingly common occurence).  Once you patch this up with USB
connections on each side, it sounds like a recipe for more rather than
less trouble.

-- 
David Kastrup