What are my expansion options?

[jcardana]

Hello Fellow Computer Geeks,

I have a Lowrey Marquee featuring MIDI In, Out and Thru connections. I have never used other MIDI devices before. I'm tinkering with the idea of adding a third keyboard, for reasons I have yet to determine.

So I think my first question is... Is there a good website to explore how other MIDI devices would work with the Marquee? Like a basic explanation of how MIDI interacts with various instruments. I've done some searches but I feel like I'm still missing something critical.

I think what I'm missing is how a third keyboard would interact with the organ. In my mind, the OUT connection would go IN to the keyboard and I could play the keyboards voices with the organ. Then the OUT would allow me to play the keyboard using the organ voices. Where does the THRU come into play? Does it send AUDIO back to the organ? I'm expecting to hear the keyboard through the organ.

This is Feature Page 10 showing the MIDI settings

From the Manual's Connections Section...
1. With Local set to Off the keyboards and pedals will not play any notes.
2. GM mode set to Off means MIDI In data will be applied directly to the keyboards.
3. GM mode set to On turns the Marquee into a MIDI sound source.

So for...
#1, I'm thinking anything I play on the organ, will actually play the keyboard?
#2 means If I play the keyboard, it would play itself and the organ also?
#3, the keyboard would only sound through the organ?

Next question... If I'm recording a song with the organ, would it also record the midi signals of the keyboard? Now, I'm not talking about the MP3 recording. I'm assuming that would record everything since it's pure audio.

Thank you for your time,

Joe

[abacus]

Most home organs are pretty naff when it comes to Midi (Wersi & Bohm are the exception) and the Lowrey is no different, so while you should be able to do the basics that you require, you will probably be relying more on the keyboard Midi rather than the organ Midi to get things done.

Midi and audio are completely separate, so it will not record as you suggest.

Have a good read of this Midi beginners guide http://tweakheadz.com/how-to-get-sta...ording-studio/ to get you going, (Hopefully the Lowrey has a Midi implementation chart (You may have to get it off your dealer if it is not in the manual) which will also allow you to interpret the Midi implementation chart.

Have fun

Bill

[Larrytow]

Joe,

There is a bit more that you need to consider when playing a MIDI keyboard from the organ. You need to set the keyboards MIDI to respond to the various MIDI channels that the organ transmits on. Depending on what type / model / age of the keyboard, you may be able to have it respond to each channel your organ sends with a different sound ( or sometimes multiple sounds ) . That way your upper keyboard controls one sound, the lower another, and the pedals yet another. This is done in the keyboards MIDI assignment section / menu / controls. Good tto have the owners manual for the keyboard to figure out how this is done. Various Mfgs do it differently a lot of times, so general instructions are not real easy to give.

The other thing is that you will need to run the audio out(s) of the keyboard back into the organs audio in(s). Don't know the particulars on your Lowrey, but likely it has inputs for audio that are controlled by the expression pedal. That way the audio of both instruments comes though your organ, and is controlled by the expression pedal. It's a nice way to add sounds to your organ that it does not have on-board.

Back in the "dark ages" ( before MIDI ) I used to have to set up my synths off to the right side of the console / bench, and play their sounds with my right hand only. So much easier now to get special sounds / effects when you can MIDI them to the console manuals. May not look as cool without a big side keys setup, but it is way more convenient.

[jcardana]

There is a bit more that you need to consider when playing a MIDI keyboard from the organ. You need to set the keyboards MIDI to respond to the various MIDI channels that the organ transmits on.

OK, I understand that.

Depending on what type / model / age of the keyboard, you may be able to have it respond to each channel your organ sends with a different sound ( or sometimes multiple sounds ) . That way your upper keyboard controls one sound, the lower another, and the pedals yet another. This is done in the keyboards MIDI assignment section / menu / controls. Good tto have the owners manual for the keyboard to figure out how this is done.

Makes sense.

Various Mfgs do it differently a lot of times, so general instructions are not real easy to give.

Yeah, and from what I can tell, the organ has 4 channels.

The other thing is that you will need to run the audio out(s) of the keyboard back into the organs audio in(s). Don't know the particulars on your Lowrey, but likely it has inputs for audio that are controlled by the expression pedal. That way the audio of both instruments comes though your organ, and is controlled by the expression pedal. It's a nice way to add sounds to your organ that it does not have on-board.

Yes, the organ has two Aux ins.

Back in the "dark ages" ( before MIDI ) I used to have to set up my synths off to the right side of the console / bench, and play their sounds with my right hand only. So much easier now to get special sounds / effects when you can MIDI them to the console manuals. May not look as cool without a big side keys setup, but it is way more convenient.

Yeah, that will get in the way of the back door unless I move the organ over. But I think it's the only option. Like I said, I'm just tinkering with this idea.

Thank you for your input!

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Most home organs are pretty naff when it comes to Midi (Wersi & Bohm are the exception) and the Lowrey is no different, so while you should be able to do the basics that you require, you will probably be relying more on the keyboard Midi rather than the organ Midi to get things done.

"naff" Haven't heard that term before, but I get it.

Midi and audio are completely separate...

Yes, I know

...so it will not record as you suggest.

The organ records in a "midi" format. I don't know if it's a standard midi format or Lowrey's version. I'll need to look into that. If it doesn't record the midi signal from the keyboard, this mission may be for nothing.

Have a good read of this Midi beginners guide http://tweakheadz.com/how-to-get-sta...ording-studio/ to get you going, (Hopefully the Lowrey has a Midi implementation chart (You may have to get it off your dealer if it is not in the manual) which will also allow you to interpret the Midi implementation chart.

See! That's why I came here... this site didn't come up in my searches THANK YOU!!!

[Larrytow]

Joe,

To record a performance on your organs MIDI recorder, it really does not need to record any MIDI signals FROM the external keyboard. It only needs to record that it is SENDING signals via MIDI on that song. The fact that your keyboard Can send MIDI is not really an issue with the setup you are looking at here. To have the external keyboard respond to MIDI only requires you to send MIDI TO it from the organ. It does not need to send any MIDI back to the organ. The audio from it of course still needs to come back to the organ.

It is rather a Master / Slave setup, where the organ is the Master and tells the Slave device what to do. The Slave device does not need to tell the Master anything via MIDI. The only reason you would need MIDI from the slave keyboard is if you wanted to play the organ from it. But that would be silly in my opinion.

Also, once you have everything setup to run like you want, there would be no need to keep the external keyboard in a position to be able to play it while seated at the organ.

[jcardana]

The only reason you would need MIDI from the slave keyboard is if you wanted to play the organ from it. But that would be silly in my opinion.

The only real reason I can see to play the organ from the keyboard is to shift the Lower-right split to the keyboard. My mind says I can then use the lower keyboard fully and the "split" fully with the keyboard. But I doubt Lowrey set it up that way.

[Larrytow]

Joe,

Ya, I never considered that issue I guess. The Lowery has short keyboards then ? Depending on how the keyboard is set, you could do octave shifts in its sounds to get the lower range I suppose.

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[jcardana]

Ya, I never considered that issue I guess. The Lowery has short keyboards then ?

Well, they are 61 note keyboards and when I split the lower I get 30 keys. I can move the split point to get 49 keys.

Depending on how the keyboard is set, you could do octave shifts in its sounds to get the lower range I suppose

Yeah, but so far I've not had a reason to go "out of range".