basic question about midi/usb keyboard

[owly jr]

I apologize in advance for this elementary question but could someone enlighten me:

I want to buy this keyboard: http://www.akaipro.com/lpk25

I have this interface: http://us.novationmusic.com/products/nio_2_4?option=2

The keyboard is a USB/MIDI plug and play keyboard - I don't understand how this works. I specifically bought an interface with MIDI i/o thinking i'd need it for a keyboard, but this keyboard plugs directly into a usb port on my laptop?

Will the interface and keyboard be compatible?
Will the keyboard plugged into usb port produce an inferior or lagging MIDI signal compared to a keyboard plugged into the MIDI IN port of the nio?

Thanks for your patient advice!

 

[BushmasterM4]

The usb keyboard will be fine. No delay with the keyboard. But the latency settings on the software/harware the keyboard is controlling can cause a delay.

 

[owly jr]

Thanks Bushmaster- how would one solve these possible software latency issues then?

Why does one even need a MIDI IN if midi controllers can just be plugged into USB?

 

[dintymoore]

... Why does one even need a MIDI IN if midi controllers can just be plugged into USB?

You need a MIDI IN if you were to hook up older, pre-USB gear.

There's no latency with MIDI. Even on my Commodore 64 in 1983 there was no latency in the MIDI signal.

 

[TimOBrien]

MIDI was designed in the '70s on 8mhz computers on a slowwwwww 9600baud serial port.
USB is far, far, far faster than that.

All you have to do is point at the proper device in your sequencer so it knows where to get or send the data.

(I use a usb keyboard, a MidisportUSB2x2 for other keyboards and the midi port in my Motu828mkII for a windsynth SIMULTANEOUSLY. Sequencers don't care, they just need to know what's going to which track.)

BTW: Latency is the interaction between your software synth and the drivers/hardware of your AUDIO soundcard. The 1's and 0's of midi data don't enter into it....

 

[BushmasterM4]

Thanks Bushmaster- how would one solve these possible software latency issues then?

Why does one even need a MIDI IN if midi controllers can just be plugged into USB?

Latency will be adjusted with your audio drivers. Each sound card or interface device differs in how you change the settings. Your manufacturers manual will explain that. In general the lower the latency, the less delay, but more strain on the cpu.