Multiple controllers

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Leslie Hammond

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Is there a way to connect a midi keyboard AND another midi controller to an android tablet? My tablet only has one connection which works with my keyboard but I would like to add another controller with faders to control the drawbars on my organ app. Thank you
 
Is this a Bluetooth midi connection?
If it is a real hardware connection, with 5-pin midi connectors, you coud use a midi merger box to combine the keyboard and faders midi sources into one stream.
I use a merger to combine two keyboards to control different voices in a Roland Integra 7.
 
Hi, no it's not bluetooth. My keyboard is a Yamaha ew310 with a USB printer? connection that ends into a USB type A which is connected to my tablet via a micro usb OTG. I'm not sure how to handle that one in order to connect another controller...
 
Does the keyboard have MIDI in, out and thru? or the other device - depending on what it is, the MIDI input can often be send straight out into the MIDI stream? Hubs are usually an output device. SO the pad can talk to multiple devices, not listen to multiples - for that you normally need a MIDI merge box.
 
Sorry for the delay in replying Rob but I'm kinda on vacation like up in northern Maine and didn't always have wifi anyway...No, I do not have MIDI in, out and thru if you mean those five pin connectors. It is a usb connection that is square-like and I believe it combines the in/out on the same connecting cable. The other end is a type A usb that connects into a common usb on the computer or something else with that input. Now I have bought an OTG connector that terminates into a micro usb to fit into my android tablet. The usb from the keyboard connects into the female type A end of the OTG connector. So I'm guessing a merge box is the solution? If so does a merge box introduce a latency? Right now, going straight into my tablet and into my virtual instrument has almost zilch latency. Now a last question. Would a powered MIDI hub or merge box allow me to plug in another controller so that I wil be able to use both controller and keyboard to control my VI? I'm sorry if this sounds confusing but this is the only way I can describe my situation. Thanks.
 
I think the biggest issue is going to be the Software being able to see/use both MIDI devices at the same time. I'm not aware of a USB MIDI merge box... and I assume that even if your Software can see both of your USB MIDI devices connected to a powered Hub, that you'll only be able to choose one or the other... which I think will be a per Software issue.
 
Ujn Hunter I agree. I cannot see how to be able to make the instrument installed on my tablet see both controllers. How are keyboard players able to connect to a virtual instrument installed on a computer and have a slider controller(such as the Korg) connected also and mapped to the drawbars to the VI? Why one and not the other? What is the difference in connections?
 
Again, it depends on the Software. Reaper (on my PC) for example shows all MIDI devices connected to my Computer or allows me to add a Joystick as MIDI device for instance and also allows me to add multiple "control surfaces", so I've got my FaderPort & Nektar Panorama P1, etc... those aren't MIDI per se, but can be used to control MIDI if need be... but that's all handled in the Software. I believe on my iPad (assuming Android would be similar) I have to actually choose a MIDI Device (in my Synth App). However if the OS (Google?) can see all the Devices itself (I don't know how Android/Google handle this stuff, but it wasn't made with Audio/MIDI in mind...) then it's possible you just need to select the MIDI Channel that you want to "listen" for in your Software (App) of choice... perhaps you can find a DAW for Android (N-Track? Cubasis?) that will be able to see both MIDI devices, but I don't think it's like iOS where you can insert a separate Synth App for instance into your DAW... so you're still stuck with whatever your Synth App can see and use for MIDI, which you might need to choose one or the other in the settings of that particular App.

Edit: Which App are you trying to use? Perhaps it's possible to reach out to the Developers and explain what you're trying to do. Either they can help you configure it to work, or perhaps they can Update the App to allow multiple MIDI devices to be used at once.
 
Leslie Hammond said:
Is there a way to connect a midi keyboard AND another midi controller to an android tablet? My tablet only has one connection which works with my keyboard but I would like to add another controller with faders to control the drawbars on my organ app. Thank you
Click to expand...
From what I understand, there is no way to accomplish this with just the one connection. However, you might want to consider using a USB hub, which will allow you to connect multiple devices through it to just one port on your device. Be ready to spend around $100 for a worthwhile hub though.

Hope this helps!
 
First you get this dongle: So you can Charge you phone at the same time
you are using the USB.
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Then you get this hub:
shopping


Then you plug both keyboards in - it should work - but it is dependent on your DAW software that you are using.
 
But are we not talking about merging two USB streams going in. The app on the pad needs to be able to read two incoming MIDI streams, via USB at the same time. If you can get the two MIDI inputs to be recognised at the same time in the app, these gizmos are fine, but it's not the adapters, it's the software that will say yes/no.
 
Just so I understand. Yes getting my app to recognize two different midi controller inputs at the same time seems to be a problem. Yet will a midi merger or midi hub merge two midi input sources and merge them into one midi out put to the input of my tablet I guess is my bigger question? If that has been answered and I missed it, sorry for that.
 
Leslie Hammond said:
Just so I understand. Yes getting my app to recognize two different midi controller inputs at the same time seems to be a problem. Yet will a midi merger or midi hub merge two midi input sources and merge them into one midi out put to the input of my tablet I guess is my bigger question? If that has been answered and I missed it, sorry for that.
Click to expand...

I suppose if there is some sort of "MIDI Device" that somehow accepts multiple USB connections for their MIDI In/Out that itself plugs into your Tablet as a USB MIDI Device that your App would see as "the" MIDI In/Out Device... then yes, I suppose that would work, but I'm not sure such a device exists.
 
Everything would be fine if both of your sources had 5-pin Din midi connectors. Then you could just set the two sources on different midi channels,
and combine them with a Kenton midi merger box.
The problem is the stupid manufacturers who have ditched 5-pin midi connectors, in favour of usb to save money, and inconvenience customers like you.
It doesn't help that you're using an android device, which only has usb.
Maybe ditching android, and using a computer with a good interface, is your way forward.
 
Just to be clear if I haven't been but both my keyboard AND other controller are both usb midi connected devices, not 5-pin as my tablet is also usb. The main reason I want to use a tablet is for it's touch control to move drawbars, leslie on/off etc without having to resort to using a mouse on a computer screen without going into too much expense..
 
Leslie Hammond said:
Just to be clear if I haven't been but both my keyboard AND other controller are both usb midi connected devices, not 5-pin as my tablet is also usb. The main reason I want to use a tablet is for it's touch control to move drawbars, leslie on/off etc without having to resort to using a mouse on a computer screen without going into too much expense..
Click to expand...

Yes. Sadly, in order for you to do what you want to do, you'll most likely need to sell both of your USB MIDI controllers and replace them with 1 USB MIDI controller that does everything you want it to do in that case.
 
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