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I need to hook up BIAB midi output to my SD-20 and a TC Helicon Voice harmony box that requires a midi input. no midi out on the SD-20. Anyone know how to do this?????

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Never heard of an SD 20, did you mean Ketron SD2?

If so thru is out. Runs like a chain.


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John, he means Roland SD-20 Sound Canvas, which doesn't have a midi out or thru.

Davida. You can spend $40 on a little midi thru box (opposite of a midi merge box) like this: http://www.zzounds.com/item--MSLTHRU.

Or, you could buy a USB midi connector like the M-Audio UNO. Do some research.

Then, you should be able to set your midi routing in BIAB and in both your outboard machines to respond to or block whatever midi channels you want. That will take a little fiddling around and some knowledge of midi priciples, but is well worth doing.

Luck, Brad


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Brallan

Do you mean I would have 2 USB out puts one to the SD-20 and one via midi through box to the voice processor? That would mean the biab midi signal would need to feed both devices simultaneously?

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Davida:

Yes... puter out to thru box, which has two outs. One goes to Roland, the other to the Voice processor.

But, as I suggested, you have to be careful about which signal(s) go to which machine from BIAB, otherwise you will get unwanted results. Look at the BIAB help files, under "output chords...). It will give you some insight about how to set up the voice machine. This is all configurable from BIAB.

Brad


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You can make your own little box from Radio Shack parts if your handy. 3 five pin din jacks all wired together in parrellel.Yes Mac I know but it does work and I've used mine for probably 20 years.


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Thank you for your help I will give it a go. Guess I will need a usb midi interface cable to plug into the midi thru box

Will let you know how I make out

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Hold on there.

BIAB can only address one MIDI output port at a time.

Yes, you could use two USB MIDI connects, or a single USB MIDI connect that has two ports on it, like the M-Audio Duo or the like.

BUT -- you will also have to use a third party MIDI routing software, a virtual MIDI cable, to connect BIAB to the two different ports simultaneously. This can be done rather easily, although one has to remember to start up the Virtual MIDI Port software before starting up BIAB.

There are free Virtual MIDI ports available, such as "LoopBe1" or "Hubi's Loopback" or "Maple" -- do a websearch.

Once installed, you should see the Virtual MIDI port available inside the BIAB MIDI Output window. Highlight it.

Then use the Control Panel for the Virtual MIDI cable to route to the two hardware MIDi ports.

Channel assignment should be handled within BIAB.

As Silvertones has pointed out, a simple paralleled MIDI Y cable can do the trick with no software other than BIAB involved, but I've never seen one ready made for sale. Maybe there is one somewhere, dunno, it is a simple enough matter to solder or splice one together and in reality, that is what a MIDI Thru jack really is, paralleled connect to the Input. If that doesn't click for you, use the software plus two USB method or find someone handy with electronics and soldering to make you up a MIDi Y cable. Have them make TWO at the same time, so you have a spare.

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You know what?

Don't be paranoid. We all pitch in to help each other around here and all help should be welcomed.


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Davida:

Second thoughts, after reading your last post .... I assumed you already had one midi out (doesn't everybody?). If not, then you must be running the Roland via USB, so to run the voice machine, you would only need a single midi out, not a thru box at all. The M-Audio Uno should do the trick.

Brad


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Davida--

Checking the TC Helicon website for manuals, both the Voice and Voice One have MIDI Thru ports on them.

You could connect your single USB MIDI Out from computer to the Voice MIDI Input, then connect the Voice Thru jack to the SD-20 Input.

With proper channel setup inside BIAB, it should work without having to buy anything nor build anything.


--Mac

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I'm not paranoid it's just, if I recall, not per the MIDI spec. Can't use this device to merge two signals though.
I used a little plastic box from Radio Shack 1x2x3 then installed 3 Five pin din sockets and wired them in parallel.


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Well, "all the MIDI connection really does" is light up LEDs in the optoisolators, if your driving source has enough current available to reliably light two of them -- and most should and do, we're talking maybe 20mA max per LED -- then there really shouldn't be any problem in paralleling like that. Not a circuit problem anyway, but as you say, attempts to use a MIDI Y cable to merge MIDI data are another story entirely, for other reasongs.


--Mac

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I have ordered a usb to midi interface cable from musicians friend and a midi thru box. I am going to connect the usb to midi out connector to the midi thru box then run two midi cable from the midi thru to the SD-20 which only has a nmidi in connection, and one to TC helicone voice tone harmony 'M' midi in port. I will not use the usb hook up to the SD-20 just the MIDI in connection on the back of it. Widgets from musicians friend will be here late next week then I will give it a go and let you know how it worked out.

Emailed TC helicon about the thru box and they say it will work

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This sounds like something my Dad wants to do with HIS PTPA setup- would latency problems arise if:

You play a MIDI file thru an external TC box, and send the audio back into PTPA to record it? In other words, sing and record harmony to a pre-recorded MIDI file.

BTW, do NOT base your thoughts about TC Helicon's stand alone harmony boxes, on the one in BIAB and PTPA. The stand-alone boxes sound like VOICES, not like a robot being cut up by a bandsaw! I plan to get one of the new Harmony-G XT boxes. Jeff Law at Sweetwater sells them for $219. (The G is for guitar players. The M is for keyboard players, and that one costs $299.)

Another "wish"- being able to record a MIDI track AND and audio track, at the same time!

Rusty

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TC Helicon's latest, the Voice 2, is an awesome sounding box,

I don't see why you would have latency probs hooking it up to the puter at all.

With proper drivers for the soundcard, proper setup of the software for realtime monitoring at low latency, it would be no different than using a MIDI synth and keyboard in that respect.


--Mac

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