USB MIDI vs 5 Pin

Based on your experience, which is the better solution working live with GP and MIDI Rigs: connecting keyboards directly via USB cable or using 5 pin MIDI cables over a Usb-MIDI interface?

Hi Andrea,

I am using both, USB and 5 pin MIDI cable.

I did not detect any issues

Either will work. GP just receives (and sends) MIDI events. It doesn’t care whether the transport is USB, old-style DIN cable, MIDI over Ethernet and MIDI over Wifi.
In my own touring environment, I now use only USB connections from all my keyboards to a decent USB hub and MIDI over Wifi for my iPad which has sheetmusic and lyrics.

I use both with no issues. To GP, it’s all just MIDI ports. That said, I prefer USB in my rig because it means LESS cables. I do the same as David - 6 controllers connected to a USB Hub. I only use 5-pin midi to send pgm chg’s to effect pedals that do not have a USB port.

I’m falling in a little late on this subject, but I have a kind of related question.
If the controller keyboard has USB power plus aux AC power possibilities, do you find that the USB power is sufficient…or do you go ahead and use the aux AC? I know I use my little Roland A-49 all the time with just USB power. But I am thinking about replacing my Roland RD700 with something like the Arturia Keylab 88 MkII and am concerned if the additional electronics would require using the aux AC or not.

I used powered hubs and usb cables. Haven’t been near a MIDI cable in 8 years. Don’t miss them at all

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Which powered Hub are you using?

And so there is no reason to use this at all?
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I used Anker hubs – I’ve found that company’s products to be very reliable

Using gp in windows as an audio device here. Ive noticed when using mh midi pedalboard ,nektar pacer, i get crackles when shifting snapshots in helix native, but no crackles when shiftung with a mouse. Could there be some usb interrupt issues, and what might be the best debugging steps to go through? Ive done all the usb power setting steps.

Ps, just bought a midi cable, will report back if running nektar pacer through midi yields more silent results.

If you haven’t already done so, consider checking the Windows optimization and audio settings (same sampling rate everywhere, buffer size, performance power plan, etc).

Many users encounter similar problems with Helix Native in other apps (even without a midi controller) while users in GP do not seem to have this problem. :wink:

Maybe users here could help.

Thank you, but as i wrote, i have performed all the optimization steps regarding usb from the guide. Im thinking there is some interrupt of the audio stresm asim using a usb audio interface. Anyway, if the crackle goes away when plugging the same pedal through a midu cable and not usb, all will be well. Will check this later today and report.