[dave brum]

Hello. I seem to be having a bit of difficulty here, and I wonder whether another YDP131 owner, or a technical boffin (which I most definitely ain't) could give me some tips.

I connected both MIDI sockets to a spare USB port, switched on the piano, and checked that my 'Found New Hardware' wizard had picked up the Midilink leads, which it has done. I then install Yamaha Musicsoft.

The problem is that when I open Musicsoft, it isn't recognising the YDP, even though it is turned on. The connection check on Musicsoft always comes up as 'Failed'.

Where am I going wrong? All help and advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thank You.

[markymark]

Are you turning the digital piano on after or before the computer has been turned on. Sometimes having the keyboard on first and connected will get a better response from your computer.

I have had similar problems in the past but that was owing to my computer hardware. Has you computer been upgraded recently?

[dave brum]

I have just this minute tried turning the piano on and then booting up the computer - Still absolutely no joy even after a connection check.

I think it's very strange that this particular MIDI lead set, purchased at M*pl*n Electronics does not require a driver! No driver CD came with the leads, and according to some research I did these leads are unique as in they don't need drivers to operate them. There was not even a web address on the packaging for the manufacturers. I had to use Google.

Still, if the computer is recognising the leads as new hardware, one wonders if there's something I should be doing to the actual piano that I'm not doing?

[markymark]

I was going to suggest software for your MIDI cable! Make sure that you have the most up-to-date version of Musicsoft.

Something else that I've done in the past is muddle up the connections. Have you made sure that your IN jack is going into the OUT socket on the keyboard and that the OUT jack is going into the IN socket?

I can't really understand any other reason that would explain a connectivity issue with the computer.

[Grenache]

Does the software have an option to select which MIDI devices it will use? I've never used that one, but I did use Cakewalk a few years ago to connect to a PSR keyboard.

For example, on my PC, I could select output to the software MIDI generator, the MIDI in my soundcard or the MIDI port. For inputs I had a couple of choices too. I got the PC to play through the keyboard first, to confirm my cables were the right way round, then tackled the input to the PC from the keyboard.

I also used the MIDI leads which terminated on a game port DIN connector which plugged into my soundcard rather than USB, so you will need to identify in your list of ports & sound devices the correct name for your cable's "device".

Some other settings which I had to consider: my keyboard had an option to enable/disable the MIDI in/out, and also I had to select an option to do with timing (I can't remember what it was now), but it definitely prevented the keyboard receiving MIDI from the PC.

To eliminate problems which might be due to the software, you might want to try simply playing a MIDI sound on the PC (a .MID file) with Windows media player, and trying to get the YDP131 to play it. This eliminates settings inthe Yamaha software and verifies the hardware works.

To configure the PC (assuming you have Windows XP), go to Control Panel / Sound & Audio Devices / select the Audio tab, then look at MIDI Output Devices. If your cable is being recognised, it will be listed there. If it's not, time to call the aforementioned electronics retailer!

[dave brum]

Hello!

Tried absolutely everything, no luck. Swapped the leads over, looked at MIDI devices, no problems with the leads, and the drivers are recognised too.

The YDP owners manual is absolutely no help whatsoever. I'm still unaware of whether there's a MIDI on/off control on there because the manual isn't written in English but hi-tec computer jargon which they (Yamaha) assume every single English-speaker automatically understands. The offside rule in football comes to mind.

I'm gonna look at other, less complex ways of recording music, such as connecting my YDP's headphone socket to the record socket on my PCs sound module (via the good old fashioned 3.5mm jack) and see if I can't record my playing that way.

Or using an analogue mike. At the end of the day, best stick with those old fashioned tried and trusted methods that you know.

Thanks anyway to yous Marky and Grenache for trying to help me dig myself outta this big 'ole.