Topic: Feature request: MIDI Out or MIDI Thru port

In some situations it's very handy to be able to route the MIDI from Pianoteq-standalone elsewhere.
As explained by groovy in this thread: http://www.forum-pianoteq.com/viewtopic.php?id=6823 Pianoteq is already capable of passing the MIDI-input to a file.

Case at hand: I'm playing in a trio, Unheard Music Concepts, when we make recordings on location, we're recording the audio of the bass and sax, and the MIDI of the piano into a DAW.
My portable piano only has 1 MIDI out (USB). The cleanest solution to making connections we found would be: FP30->laptop Windows 10 with Pianoteq -->laptop MIDI over USB out --> USBMIDI-interface -->MIDIcable--> another USBMIDIinterface --->laptop running the DAW.
On a Mac, or on LINUX it would be pretty easy to split/route the MIDI elsewhere, but on W10 I failed to find a solution, it seems Pianoteq is only accepting MIDI-input from an actual hardware-port, not from a virtual MIDIport.

The workaround we're using is FP30 ->laptop running DAW, from the DAW MIDI-through -> USBMIDI-interface -->MIDIcable--> another USBMIDIinterface --->laptop running Pianoteq. This seems just as straightforward, but in practice it's not. When we we're trying to do this with Reaper as DAW there was a lot of MIDI-latency when the MIDI arrived at Pianoteq, in the end there wasn't with Protools.

Of course another workaround would be just to use Pianoteq as a plugin inside a DAW, but for reasons of simplicity, and because of auto MIDI-recording I prefer to use the standalone version.

Anyway, it would also be very cool to have a MIDI-output port ;-)

Of course I'm totally open for suggestions, or if you got Pianoteq accpeting input from a virtual MIDI port on Windows: please let me know, in that case there must be something wrong with my W10.

Last edited by Marc Verhoeven (25-09-2019 20:20)
MP11SE, FP30; Pianoteq on Mac, Windows, Linux
Unheard Music Concepts

Re: Feature request: MIDI Out or MIDI Thru port

Heya Marc,

Interesting setup, would something like a MIDI splitter box work? (they also make 5 way, 20 way boxes etc.) Maybe some appropriate MIDI converter (USB to pins) cables would be required too.

Keyboard MIDI out to it, then run one output back to your machine, then the other to the other machine, no need for virtual port (maybe with less latency?).

Not that I have done anything like this, and unless I'm missing something it just seems worth posting in reply, in case it's good to go.

Pianoteq Studio Bundle (Pro plus all instruments)  - Kawai MP11 digital piano - Yamaha HS8 monitors

Re: Feature request: MIDI Out or MIDI Thru port

The MIDI Solutions Thru comes to my mind.

1 MIDI-Input
2 MIDI-Outputs

Re: Feature request: MIDI Out or MIDI Thru port

Thanks Qexl and groovy for the idea and links!
Didn't think of this solution, probably too much out of thinking about MIDI-cabling ;-)
It would probably work, especially with the multi-voltage box.
I'm still a bit hesitant about going this way, because of the amount of conversion between USB and MIDI. I will need 4 USB-MIDI interfaces if I go this way.
Ideal hardware solution, now I'm thinking about this, would be an USB-splitter-box. Don't know if they exist, and if so, if they work reliable..

MP11SE, FP30; Pianoteq on Mac, Windows, Linux
Unheard Music Concepts

Re: Feature request: MIDI Out or MIDI Thru port

After some messing around I found a software-solution that's working for me. Seems that Pianoteq does accept virtual MIDI-ports, but apparently not all..
The combination that works for me is:
Virtual MIDI port:
http://www.tobias-erichsen.de/software/loopmidi.html
and as patchbay:
midiPatchbay from https://www.yofiel.com/yofiel/reaktor-instruments
Both are free software.

I still feel a MIDI Thru port inside Pianoteq would be more reliable, but this has become a lot less urgent for me.

I also looked at USB-splitters, but that seems or costly, or doubtfull. For instance, most simple USB-splitter-cables are only transferring data over 1 USB-out.
I did found these very promising gadgets:
https://www.iconnectivity.com/products/midi/mio2 and it's bigger brothers: https://www.iconnectivity.com/midi-interfaces-1

What I didn't try but could also be an option: MIDI over WIFI. In Mac OS X this build in, for Windows there is https://www.nerds.de/en/ipmidi.html and maybe more.

MP11SE, FP30; Pianoteq on Mac, Windows, Linux
Unheard Music Concepts