MIDI port not working?

[SDS93]

Okay, without going on a "wild goose chase" to find answers that may already exist in this vast ocean of information that is out on the Internet, I thought I'd just try and get a direct(ish) answer here. :-)

(I think this is an appropriate place to put this topic?)

I have an Allen MDS-5 digital organ. Everything works on the instrument itself, except when I went to plug the organ via MIDI-to-USB into my desktop computer tower for use with the free version of Hauptwerk, I could not get Hauptwerk to auto-detect the Allen organ. It was as if there was no MIDI signal coming out from the organ. (I have the OUT 5 pin connection in the OUT 5 pin socket in the organ. The USB end is connected directly into my computer. The device manager said it recognized the MIDI-to-USB cable and that it was working properly. Am I missing something? I played the keys the program asked (i.e. high, low, soft, hard), but the "Done" box never is able to be clicked on. Does this sound like the MIDI device on my organ is out of order? To me it does, but I wanted to see what others thought.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot! I DID in fact have the MIDI tabs pushed down on the organ. So that is not the issue, I wouldn't think anyway.
Thanks!:-)

--Stephen

[John Kinkennon]

Don't hesitate to try connecting the OUT port on the console to the IN cable on the USB-MIDI adapter. It won't do any damage. OUT and IN for MIDI is a lot like TX and RX labels in that you can never be sure what is meant by the label on a cable. OUT of the console and IN to the adapter is one way to think of things. OUT to OUT seems more sensible to me but don't bet on it. Does the adapter have and LEDs that should flash if MIDI traffic is present?

[you795a]

If I recall correctly with MIDI OUT goes to IN and IN goes to OUT. That's the way we used to set the Smart Recorder up on the newer Allen models.

[KC9UDX]

I've never encountered any MIDI device that was intended to be connected OUT to OUT. MIDI is meant to be Daisy-chained, IN-OUT, OUT-IN, IN-OUT, OUT-IN. It was never meant to be single-controller to single-device. That's the only context where OUT-OUT seems to make sense.

[Admin]

I've seen cheap no-name MIDI adapters that reversed labelled with the OUT port meaning "plug the cable from the OUT port of the external device here."

You cannot daisy chain devices with the IN/OUT ports The MIDI OUT port messages have only the MIDI stream generated by the device and does not include in MIDI IN messages. Some controllers do have a setting that merges IN and OUT but that's not the rule. The misconceptions about MIDI message distribution are common. https://organforum.com/forums/forum/...di-help-please

[Momboc]

Are you using one of these cheap MIDI to USB cables? If so, chuck it in the bin and buy a Roland UM1

[KC9UDX]

Or just try another. I have quite a few that work. Not that they work well. Although most of the trouble I have with them is due to software, and inherent latency of the Wintel architecture.

[SDS93]

Okay! Thank you all for your help. The organ's MIDI is fine. I would have never thought to use the IN pin on the OUT socket. Shows how much I know about MIDI. Thank you! The organ sounds wonderful. I am using the Allen's voices through two HR-100 speakers on one and of the room, and at the other, the Hauptwerk voices through two large stereo speakers. It has a surround sound effect that is wonderful. This newly expanded organ is a joy to play. Thanks again to all of you!
:->
--Stephen