I used to play out in the 90s with an Ensoniq EPS and a Korg DW-8000, with a K1m and a TG-33 for more noises. I would occasionally add an old Siel Keytar. Everything ran through a MOTU Midi interface (PC midi router, model forgotten). The interface went obsolete first, no support for anything after Win-98. We got the band back together after 2016 (kids all grown), I tried to start up with the old keyboards. Nope, the EPS was pretty much dead (it made a great “main Controller”, you could set up buttons to play an external synth like any sound on the EPS, and could split/layer from there as well. Anyway, as I got new synths, and started with Cantabile, I decided the USB path was best for me. I have one bugaboo, I use a Roland Juno-DS88 and a Juno-DS61, USB could not differentiate between them (same driver). I used a little Mio USB to MIDI single unit to fix it. I’m slowly drifting to VST synths, but this rig is pretty solid, right now.
I have the same problem with a pair of identical m-audio Axiom 61’s. If Windows is restarted or coming out of sleep mode it may swap the pair so I have to go into Cantabile and reassign them. I started using an m-audio midi sport solo on one of them that has a loose USB port - it keeps the problem from happening. I will say that it seems to me that MIDI DIN ports are more robust than USB so if I was putting my rig through weekly breakdowns for gigs I might use MIDI DIN connections only. Or reinforce the USB connections somehow.
The Axiom USB port looseness must be a common problem. I’ve had to change the USB port and was able to follow a YouTube video to install a new Mouser USB port in an Axiom 25.
I gave up ever trusting usb controllers live. I run all controllers MIDI into a merger into my audio interface and that’s the only usb that plugs in. Utterly bullet-proof.
These are the dimensions that fit the Axiom (at least mine), if you go with another brand.
One last tip. There are ribbon cables running all over the place. Take plenty of pictures before disassembly and mark with a sharpy before disconnecting. I always put one dot, two dot, etc. on the female and male ends before I disconnect. Same number of dots and on the same side of the connectors. This is in the Axiom 25. USB is to the left of the DINs.
There’s another benefit too: if you do gigs where you can’t take your own controllers and you’re having backline provided for you you can plug anything into your merger and not have the worry of loading new drivers during sound check.
Just an observation about this five year old thread that I just skimmed. In 2018, it seems most of the posters in this thread were MIDI-DIN. Today, the tide maybe turning to MIDI-USB based on other threads in this forum.
Personally, I’ve had Windows rearrange the USB inputs which has caused me to make adjustments in Cantabile. All I could think of was, “What if this happens at a gig?” Because of this perceived instability, I migrated to a MIDI-DIN feeding a MIDI-to-USB interface and all has been well. But… maybe it’s time for me to revisit MIDI-USB if/when the opportunity arises.
If Windows re-arranges inputs then it’s when it fires up. A quick check after switching on is all that’s needed.
I have occasionally had Windows decide it’s found a duplicate device, but I just assign it to the same Cantabile input and it’s fixed. It’s a minor and short-lived irritation.
How are people dealing with USB-C connectors? The USB-A and USB-B’s seem pretty solid when connected, but the USB-C’s seem like they would be looser/fall out?
For me. I use USB and haven’t had much trouble, but in truth the USB jacks themselves are the culprits - on both the laptop and the devices. It’s not the USB MIDI protocol - that’s the same whether as you’re always connecting to a computer using USB.
Here’s one keyboard players opinion:
I don’t trust anything, so I always carry spares.
I use my MOXF8 as both an audio interface AND a MIDI controller, sometimes adding a second keyboard.
On the laptop side I make sure that the USB cables are not strained, so they don’t fall out. I always try to keep as much of the cable on the ground as possible, and have sheaths that bundle multiple cables together.
I used to use a piece of velcro to secure them, but the stickiness of of the velcro drove me nuts, and I haven’t had any issues with the USB cables falling out of the ports unless something falls/moves (e.g., they’re tangled and someone pulls a cable or something falls.
I have an external audio interface with MIDI that I carry with me as a backup. It takes me less than 5 minutes to failover, and (assuming this may happen at some point) I can deal with any backline keyboard using that 5-pin DIN interface.
I have my USB-C port connected to a hub (which provides standard old-style USB-A ports, HDMI, Ethernet) and then it’s ‘normal’ old USB connectors from there.
A few bits of velcro are a good idea. I have a few bits in strategic places to fasten such as my Stream Deck, personal mixer, USB hub, PSUs, etc to a safe location.
where the “single controller” is actually Jordan
great musician for young people
I am older, so stuck on Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson
anyway, my OS (MS Windows 10) still believes the max number of MIDI input is 10, and every time you move a controller from a port to another it creates one ghost controller, and when the latest ghost occupies the #10 you cannot add any controllers that are fussy about
I found that this is one of the reasons why the nanokontrol 2 was impossible to set up, because it wanted a MIDI port lower than 10
So I had to run the Windows Device Manager, set it to show hidden devices (that are greyed, but you can click on properties to check if they are really not connected), then I deleted tons of ghost like ghostbusters to have my 8 MIDI ports available again
