Digital piano to DAC?

[wgscott]

Is it possible to (via USB or whatever) to take digital output from a piano and go directly to a DAC, rather than use it as a MIDI keyboard for something like GarageBand? I'm looking at this, for example: Link to Yamaha site.

 

It has both an A and B USB port, so it has me wondering...

 

 

 

[Audio_ELF]

To quote from that web link WGScott

 

USB connectivity brings music directly to your keyboard

 

The YPG-635 has 2 USB ports on the back, USB TO HOST and USB TO DEVICE.

USB TO HOST is plug and play simple for recording and playing back MIDI files, as well as transferring data to and from your computer.

 

USB TO DEVICE is for connecting optional peripheral USB storage devices like floppy disk drives and thumb drives*. When a USB flash memory is inserted in this instrument's USB TO DEVICE terminal, user songs created on the instrument and the registered settings can be saved to or loaded from the memory medium. USB flash memory can also be used to transfer song data downloaded from the Internet to the instrument, where it can be used with the performance assistant technology and the Yamaha Education Suite features mentioned below. Furthermore, user songs saved to USB flash memory in MIDI file format can also be used with these features.

 

* The instrument does not necessarily support all commercially available USB storage devices. Yamaha cannot guarantee operation of USB storage devices that you purchase. Before purchasing USB storage devices, please consult your Yamaha dealer, or an authorized Yamaha distributor (see list at end of the Owner's Manual) for advice.

 

So the type B will be to connect to a computer and is probably seen as a HCI MIDI interface and/or Mass Storage Device; the type A will be for memory sticks for storing MIDI files.

 

[Akapod]

You cannot connect directly to your DAC, as the USB connection will not convey information in an appropriate form. The keyboard's USB connection only contains MIDI data, which tells the computer a few specific things: when to play the note, at what pitch, for what duration and at what volume.

 

All other musical information -- such as the actual timbre -- is generated by the software on the computer.

 

If you turn on monitoring in GarageBand, you can listen to the keyboard through your DAC. But you can't connect the keyboard directly to the DAC.

 

[wgscott]

That was the missing piece of information I needed in order to understand what was written on the "fucking website" I had both linked and read. I didn't know what a MIDI data file was, and wrongly assumed it was something you could play on a DAC or iPod or whatever.

 

[Akapod]

Native Instruments makes some pretty terrific and relatively affordable virtual instruments, i.e, software instruments which are controlled through MIDI files.

 

I'm a big fan of their Hammond B3 and their piano collection.

 

[wgscott]

As you probably deduced, I don't know anything about this. Our 8 year old is learning piano, so we will be faced with getting something, and if we go the digital route, I am wondering what is possible.

 

[Audio_ELF]

Sorry WG Scott...

 

My initial reply came over in a way that was not intended...

 

As was commented, a MIDI file doesn't contain any actual music only instructions: if you know about design programmes, a MIDI file could be compared to a CAD or Vector drawing programme rather than a bitmap file such as .JPEG or TIFF.

 

To quote from Wikipedia

"MIDI ( /?m?di/; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is an industry-standard protocol that enables electronic musical instruments (synthesizers, drum machines), computers and other electronic equipment (MIDI controllers, sound cards, samplers) to communicate and synchronize with each other. Unlike analog devices, MIDI does not transmit an audio signal: it sends event messages about musical notation, pitch and intensity, control signals for parameters such as volume, vibrato and panning, cues, and clock signals to set the tempo. As an electronic protocol, it is notable for its widespread adoption throughout the music industry. MIDI protocol was defined in 1982.[1]"

 

A MIDI file is a recording of that information.

 

Eloise

 

[kumakuma]

Our 8 year old is learning piano, so we will be faced with getting something, and if we go the digital route, I am wondering what is possible.

 

When our kids were learning piano, we bought a Yamaha Clavinova. Sounds great and comes with a headphone jack!