Using Win 7, is it possible to send the MIDI signal to a Roland SoundCanvas?

If it is, how is it done?

Thanks,
teacup

It doesn't matter your Windows version as much as what hardware do you have to get midi commands into and out of the computer.

Roland Sound Canvas can have either serial RS-232, 5 pin midi or USB midi connections. Desktop computers may have serial RS-232, sound card gameport (with adaptor cable) 5 pin midi or USB midi connections. Laptops typically rely on USB midi. If one device has one type of midi hardware connection and the other device has a different type of midi hardware connection you will normally need a convertor or adaptor to switch between the two.

Many times Windows will automatically recognise USB midi to USB midi connections.

If you use a USB to 5 pin midi adaptor cable Windows may automatically recognize the cable but most of the time you will need to install a driver.

It has been a long, long time (Windows 98 maybe?) since I've used a RS232 port for midi so I don't feel comfortable advising you if that is the hardware you are using.

If you don't have an ASIO Audio/Midi interface you can use what Jim said and set BB Midi out to the USBMidi Device

Hi, Thank you for the quick replies.

The Roland is similar but mine doesn't have the switch. The USB interface device is the one I am trying to use.

There is a tiny disc to install the device but all that seems to be on it is an .ini file. No instructions, if that is to be entered in Regedit, or what.

With XP it worked just by plugging it in. Do I have to load that again? Ugh!

Maybe someone else has a suggestion.

teacup

If it has USB and you got the Model Number you can just got to the Roland website and download a driver for Win 7 64 or Win 7 32

If this unit (if we had the model number we could be more helpful) is 5 pin MIDI only then get the 5 pin to USB adapter as suggested. Go to the Roland site and download the drivers. If the latest driver is XP download it and run it in XP compatibility mode, it may work. Also it the latest driver is Vista try it as some Vista drivers work in Win 7.

Keep us posted on your progress.

I've often found Vista drivers are most successful with Win 7 if they are available. I've had USB Midi cables recognized automatically, though .. It's worthwhile looking in the Device Manager under "Sound Controller" section, and see what shows up when you plug it in... Maybe even hit "Scan for new devices" if you don't see it.

http://roland.com/support/article/index.cfm?q=downloads&p=SC-8850

Looks like Vista is as high as is supported.

The unit is a SC-55. I went to the Roland site and looked for drivers. They offered nothing for my unit.

I may have to shrink the Win 7 partition and put XP beside it. I wanted to get back into BB not get stuck in a loop installing Windows. Gurr!

Thanks for all the suggestions, keep 'em coming.

teacup

THE SC-55 doesn't even have a USB connection! The ONLY connection available from a SC-55 to a PC for MIDI IS 5 pin MIDI, so you DO NOT need any drivers, you especially don't need any Roland drivers - at least for the SC-55. HOWEVER, you DO NEED a USB to MIDI interface (like in picture above), OR

as sold here at PG http://www.pgmusic.com/rolandum-onemk2.htm ,OR

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MIDISport2AE OR,

as sold at 100 other places

or some other kind PC To MIDI interface (Firewire/1394 to MIDI - if you have FW, or PCIe to MIDI if you have a PCI slot, or PCI to MIDI if you have a PCI slot or ....)

MOST of these USB to MIDI devices, in Win 7 64, need NO DRIVER AT ALL (I have one just as pictured above and it's a simple "plug and play" in Win 7 64).

Just plug the USB to MIDI device in and it will eventually install itself and then show up in PC properties -> Device Manager -> "Sound, Video, Game controllers" as some kind of MIDI device (mine says "USB 2 MIDI" when I plug it into my Win 7 64. I actually only use the thing on my Win XP laptop) . If not there ARE GENERIC drivers for these inexpensive USB-to-MIDI cables on the web.

Then simply point that device as your MIDI port from within BIAB or RB or Sonar or any other MIDI player software you have (and it will send and receive MIDI data to and from your SC-55)

Good luck
Larry

Sorry I thought you meant the Roland had USB.
Here's a Win 7 Generic USB Midi Driver I have used that for the older USB Midi Devices.

http://www.blindskunk.com/windows7_viewcon_usb_midi_drivers.html

(Generic-driver.zip)

EDIT: I remember now you just Extract the folder, go to Device manager find the USB Midi Interface, right click update driver and point it to the Driver folder\emuxmidi.inf

I searched and read the manual and nowhere does it mention drivers. This must have been a plug n play unit. So the next question has to be how are you connecting this to the computer?

More questions; how were you using this with BiaB and XP? Are those setups the same in your Win 7?

This unit came out in 1991 so you may have to run it in Win 95 compatibility mode. I am running an old but very useful photographic program from that era successfully in Win 95 compatibility mode.

As a last resort I would not run in duel OS mode. I would scrape the SC-55 and go to Soundfonts. There are free soundfont VSTis out there that are 32 bit so they will run in BiaB/RB natively. A good GM soundfont (there are plenty of free very good ones-just search for them) that may sound as good as or better than the SC-55. With soundfonts you can replace any single instrument with another and/or have a number of soundfont banks that you can load.

But for the best sound save up some money and buy a newer sound source.

BUT I still think that you can get your SC-55 to work. We just need to figure out what is going on!

I think he meant the pic of the USB Midi Device, that's the one he's trying to use they are plug n play on XP.
The Generic Driver above should get it working on 7. I had to use that in the past.

I was just about to point him to that blindskunk site

Assuming he WAS talking about having one of those generic USB to MIDI cables like in your SECOND photo.

Next I was going to have him double check that mini CD he has to double check to see if that file was a indeed a .ini or really a .inf (which IS a windows device driver installer)

If he didn't have that "USB to MIDI cable" I was trying to figure out how he ever got the SC-55 to plug directly into ANY PC without some kind of a MIDI port interface? The 5 pin MIDI cable was sure not plugged into any USB port directly!



========
Related but off a little: Why does everyone need, or panic, over having/not having specific driver for ANY external MIDI gear? As far as I know all (99.99%) MIDI synths and FX come with 5 pin connections? What folks REALLY need are good PC to MIDI port devices. NOW those devices might need current drivers (especially if they are multi-port devices, or perform other functions - like audio, word/sync clocks, etc. ), more than specific mfg. drivers for this or that synth or FX.

Yes, it is convenient for proprietary purpose-built editors, and yes you lose (POSSIBLY) digital audio I/O (my Motif doesn't use audio over USB anyway). but I'm still running MIDI gear that was built BEFORE WINDOWS 3.1, let alone 64 bit windows. So, I run all my MIDI HW over 5 pin DIN MIDI cables via multiple MIDI patch bays and I don't care what version or bit count the OS is now at.

Larry

I have several of the Roland UM-one units
They have never missed a beat.

+1 for that

I think I had every Sound Canvas made. Though I have a HUGE selection of Soundfonts, I have found the Ketron boxes to have the best acoustics (especially saxes.) My fav is the SD4 because it is USB powered, and you can "stack" three instruments together and tune them individually to play chords.

My SD1000 is sitting it its box, as it is NOT USB powered (go figure?.) It DOES have a few killer sounds, Even the SD-20 (if you can find one used) is a nice box, but all software-controlled. I like the option of hardware patch changes when playing live, as it is pretty cumbersome with BIAB.

I have both the E-Mu XMIDI 1x1 interface (which supports one input and output), as well as the E-Mu XMIDI 2x2 interface (which supports two inputs and outputs). Both devices have been successfully used in Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and now Windows 10 without a glitch.

Others have been mentioned and will work well, but I've been happy with the XMIDI's. But in web searching just now, unfortunately, I don't think you can buy either anymore, except from someplace like eBay.

I plug the SC-55 into the MIDI out on the soundcard. In XP never an issue. Win 7 is now toast. Removed it and reinstalled XP. I am too old to waste time getting aggravated with Windows. What time there is left I want to spend making music.

That sounds fair enough to me ! XP will work fine.

Agree XP will work just fine - I'm still running a XP laptop and as a dual boot with Win 7

However, we just now get the missing critical piece of info from teacup that we needed to help teacup. It was simply his PC's soundcard, and its MIDI port, that needed an updated driver!

Lsrry

Larry, Thank You for your input. Sadly the soundcard we used before passed on and the one we replaced it with did not have a Game Port. Perhaps we need to search out another soundcard.

With that last thought in mind, can anyone recommend one that they know will work. Who knows, we might some day re-install Windoze. With computer stuff, I have found, there are no absolutes.

I will follow this thread, just in case.

According to references cited in the Wikipedia article link below, midi standards were offically modified in 2014 to no longer support sound card gameports. Gameports read analog signals based around the use of 5 Vdc while computer are evolving around digital (USB) ports and 3.3 Vdc power supplies. So midi through gameports was officially replaced with midi through USB in 2014.

++ Wilkapedia Game port article ++

That kind of agrees with real world experience of you can't find sound cards with game ports but Windows 7, 8, 8.1 typically don't need drivers for USB to midi adaptors but you still need a device driver for Windows XP.

As others have indicated, I have the Roland USB to midi cable and it is well built and reliable.

Teacup

I know you put I Win 7 to bed for now, but for the record: what exactly IS your CURRENT WORKING MIDI port device that is successfully used by you in Win XP?



Jim

Regardless why Win 7 no longer supports game ports, Teacup stated above that the original sound card with game port (used as MIDI port) broke at some point in the past, it sounds like it occurred pre-Win 7 (the pre-Win 7 is pure speculation on my part since timeline is unclear) and the replacement sound card, again pre-Win 7 (?), did not have a game port anyway.

So unless I haven't unraveled Teacup's posts pertinent facts correctly, and in the correct chronological order, it begs the question to Teacup above:

Exactly which MIDI port device is Teacup running in Win XP, that apparently works in Win XP, but did not work in Win 7?


Larry

Larry,

Creative soundcard game ports rely on an emulation of Roland's MPU-401 midi interface standard. My Creative Windows XP sound card driver recognizes the sound card game port AND onboard midi instruments. I move the card to a computer running Windows Vista and I loose use of the game port and onboard midi instruments.

I have two of these Creative sound cards (Soundblaster Audigy 2). I bought them on clearance from BestBuy for $10 each. Love them!

Jim

I, along with probably the vast majority of all us BIAB'ers, have had and used a few Creative SB cards as well.

However, that is immaterial to my question: What MIDI interface does Teacup have that works in Win XP but doesn’t work in Win 7. IT cannot be SB or any other brand of sound card WITH a game port since, Teacup claims above that the replacement sound card "... did not have a Game Port" anyway.

This lack of MIDI interface to the SC-55 in Win 7 actually caused Teacup sufficient frustration to wipe out Win 7 and reinstall/recover Win XP.

Larry

Larry,

Reread Teacup's last posting and better understand your question now.