[LAU] USB Compliant MIDI

Len Ovens len at ovenwerks.net
Thu Jun 16 01:26:57 CEST 2022


On Wed, 15 Jun 2022, Bob van der Poel wrote:

> 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?

That is the intention. It should look like a midi port on your computer.

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

Assuming you really mean USB cable and not MIDI cable, Yes. Maximum cable 
length USB-IF Standard is 5m (16.4 feet) though there are some passive 
cables made (Newnex for one) good for up to 10m. Beyond that you need an 
active USB cable... depending on what they put in there, this will work 
fine or it will give problems.

My personal thought would be to keep things as short as needed remembering 
that you want real time, accurate (no dropouts) data transfer. A missed 
note is annoying, a wrong note, or garbled cc/program change is more 
annoying and a missed note off could be really annoying. I don't know if 
flaky USB would show up that way or if the USB connection shows a broken 
more easily.

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

First thought is "don't go there" The keyboard is a client not a host and 
you would need a small computer to act as that host and use it's serial 
i/o as MIDI. The MIDI data would have to be stored and resent, collecting 
latency along the way.


--
Len Ovens
www.ovenwerks.net


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