I just got a K49. It works great using only a 9V adapter (neg tip) and a MIDI-to-USB converter’s MIDI-IN plug inserted in the 5-pin jack. It kinda works using only the USB cable. That is, it gets power and the cursor works but the keyboard keys don’t work, they don’t make a sound (either they don’t generate MIDI commands or, if they do, they aren’t “read” by Cantabile; the Monitor option is gray). I downloaded the K49 driver but that didn’t help or hurt. Any idea what might be the problem? Is there an option in Cantabile or Windows 10 that I may need to set?
Could be that the USB only connection is providing enough amps to power it on but not enough for the keybed to function. Do you by any chance have a powered USB hub around?
EDIT: Looked up K49 power adapter - as it’s nine volts I’m pretty sure you have to use it - USB is 5 volts.
Thanks, dsteinschneider, I also downloaded the manual and it hinted at that too, so I plugged in the 9v adapter to help the USB out, but nothing changed. I don’t have a powered USB hub (first time I have heard of one); I do have a regular 1-to-4 USB HUB. It may be that that circuitry is damaged, I don’t know, again I just got it (second hand), from a guy leaving the area.
Good to know this, Corky. Based on that I turned everything off, disconnected all USB devices (a mouse and a keyboard), plugged in only the Korg K49 set to Standby, restarted the computer, switched the K49 from Standby to USB. No improvement. I’m guessing that part of the keyboard is dead. Regardless, the workaround – using the 9v adapter and the 5-pin DIN to USB converter – essentially amounts to the same thing as getting a powered USB hub. I was just hoping that I had not turned on some feature in Windows or Cantabile.
The K49 is probably a “non-compliant” USB device (like my Editor PCR-800). When Roland decided to not providing Windows 10 drivers, the controller became non-functional over USB (although, I can use it with “general” driver and power it with the 5v that the USB port provides). If Korg doesn’t have a workable driver for your OS, you’ll have to use the DIN/MIDI route.
Not sure how to do that, Rich Colbert. In Tools > Options > Midi Ports, the first 3 of the following 5 (Name Settings) are checked:
in: Korg K49 K49 1 KBD/KNOB, Onscreen Keyboard
in: Main Keyboard Onscreen Keyboard, USB2.0-MIDI
in: Onscreen Keyboard Onscreen Keyboard
out: External Synth (disabled)
out: Onscreen Keyboard (disabled)
I’m running Cantabile Solo (paid version)
Version 3.0 build 3558(x64)
on Windows 10
[ just read Doug’s (dhsherberts) take on W10. We need a way to avoid MS)
Ah, I just clicked on this line and it shows a MIDI Input Port screen with only the first and third lines (both checked) but the first line has “(disconnected)” instead of “, Onscreen Keyboard”, and neither starts with “in:”.
I could have sworn I had downloaded this driver before, humphrey, apparently not. We’re getting closer. The 2nd screen no longer says “(disabled)” but still no signal seem to be sent or caught. Thanks anyway.
Thanks, Rich. I started to doze off too about midway. Messing around with regedit is something I’m going to pass on. I do have the keyboard working with external power and a midi-to-usb cable. It just would have been nice to go strictly usb cable alone.
I started my 39 year programming career in 1960. It was the rage. Seems like programming is not something that these lengthy procedures should fear. Imagine if everything was done manually like this!
Not for this time because I agree if it’s working with external power and a midt-to-usb cable to be happy you got that far.
But…registry editing isn’t really that hard. First, you can right click on the registry key you’re going to modify and back it up. The backup is just a text file so it’s easy to see what will happen when you restore it. To find the key in the first place hit F3 while at the top and type in some of the key you’re looking for and then just keep hitting F3 until you get to it. You can also make that location a favorite so you can get back to it.
Why am I telling this to a programmer of 39 years You probably just have had enough of it
Thanks, Doug. My programming was business related, not hardware. So thank you for the details, I may give it a try first with an old XP machine I have. Just wished a program existed that would do all that.
Again, I’m concerned about Microsoft’s ticking time bomb scenario. Every time MS comes up with a new version of its Operating System, the user is forced to leave behind something that worked fine. I tried finding an old release of the driver (just in case that would do something, probably not), but they are no longer available.
I don’t think Microsoft currently has any OS plans that will be as disruptive as 95-XP or XP-Win7 or Win7-Win10 (Notice Vista and Win8 missing - most people stayed on Win7). The biggest jump was actually the release of Vista. That’s why it was such a disaster.
I’ve been able to get a surprising amount of old hardware and software to work with Win10 one way or another. Microsoft put a big effort into fairly broad legacy software compatibility for Win10.
I’m trying to install an old version, 3236, on an old XP machine. So far, I’ve had to load .Net 4 and get a Cantabile offline license key (XP can’t do internet anymore). I may have screwed up my Cantabile password, as I had to log in using my email account to post this. This is all too confusing, having username, email address, password, and license key doesn’t help, plus my account shows two Solo 3s. After a while you forgot what you started out to do.
Anyways, if I ever get it going (I may have to load ASIO4ALL), I’ll try the Korg K49 on that machine. On this W10 computer, I can see the Korg’s cursor moving, so I know it is communicating just not via any knobs or keys.
I even researched how to build a software driver, no luck.
I give up (trying to test the Korg K49 keyboard on an old XP machine). It’s working okay with external power and a midi-to-usb converter, so that’s good enough.
You probably just have had enough of it 
