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If you look at the Casio WK-3200 keyboard, at the back there are the usual dual MIDI input for the cables. However on the newer model, the Casio WK-3300 keyboard, if you look at the back, there are no MIDI inputs but there is a USB input.
MIDI cables can allow 16 instruments or 16 channels to play at the same time and one can record these on a computer via a MIDI to USB adapter perhaps.
I read somewhere that a single USB cable [no MIDI] can support 16 sets of 16 channels or something like that.
My question is, can USB actually support multi MIDI channels? I mean, on new workstations keyboards/synthesizers and on even MIDI controller keyboards, I often see USB inputs alone and no MIDI inputs.
Therefore do you think I would have no issues when I connect the USB from the WK-3300 to the computer software - do you think I would be able to split the 16 channels of my compositions without issue?
Also, the type of cable I would need is a USB A-B cable. A goes into the computer and B plugs into the keyboard. In terms of this cable, do I need to buy a special kind? I mean, that cable is identical to my printer cable and I want to use that cable but I read somewhere about some USB cables that contain a wire that transmits electricity which may be harmful to some equipment.
Please advise on the questions above. Thanks!
Posted : 22/12/2022 6:59 pm
Page E103 of the user manual shows the MIDI messages that it can and can not send and receive.
You can use any USB A to B cable, so the one from your printer will work.
The biggest question is if Windows 10 (making an assumption here) will have a driver for it. The manual mentions Win 98, ME, 2000, and XP.
Posted : 22/12/2022 10:16 pm
Topic starter
Thank you Jason. So I see on that page that Basic Channel 1-16 is supported. So - what if I selected a rhythm (style) on the keyboard and hit the play button, can the DAW be setup to receive each instrument as a separate MIDI channel/track to the computer via the USB cable plugged into the keyboard?
I will have to see what operating system is supported and look for drivers.
Posted : 22/12/2022 11:04 pm
Please note that USB connectors merely carry the MIDI date between devices. If you are to make use of the extra options (i.e. multiple PORTS, where each port can carry 16 channels of midi data) then you need to ensure that everything in the setup can deal with this.
For example, I have two sound modules that have alternative USB connectors, so they can cope with 32 channels (i.e. 2 times 16). But nothing else that I use currently can do this, everything else can use ONLY one set of 16 channels. So that is all that the whole system can use. You will be restrained by the weakest link, as it were.
I don't know if such technology exists yet, but it is possible that a system could be set up with a hub of some sort, such that a computer that supported multiple ports could split the signal to drive a number of sound modules, each of which supported one port ONLY.
Geoff
Posted : 23/12/2022 9:59 am
Topic starter
Geoff, thank you for the detailed reply!
Posted : 23/12/2022 11:26 pm
