I very much appreciate your efforts to give me the full picture. I can read in how precise you try to transfer your knowledge but I have to admit I’m not sure if I follow. That is on me totally. I’m not stupid at all and have used computers proffessionally since early 90’ties BUT even if I’m a muscian as well I never really got into the world of MIDI.
I do know that a MIDI instrument (like my piano and V-drums) uses the MIDI Out to send data instructions to the MIDI In of the sound card. I also understand that those instructions had to be interpreted my the computer before any sound will come out from the Audio Line Out. The VST Plugs (my B4 Hammond and EZDrum) take care of this from separate MIDI tracks in Cubase.
My only “success” so far has been that I once mangaged to connect my instruments one at the time and create one drum track and one hammondtrack in Cubase. From the resp. instruments MIDI Out to MIDI IN on the sound card and then handled as two tracks in Cubase. I know in general that a MIDI system is more than that an the opportunities are awsome but (at least for the moment) I only have intention to be able to play both instruments “live” with help of Cubase VSTs.
I hope you perhaps can fill in my lack of knowledge. The attached pic "myMIDIsetup.jpg shows all my gear and the in- and outputs I have available. This visual view might help me to understand if you can relate any new input to my “reality” so to speak.
I describe how I understand what you’re saying, hoping you might fill in and correct.
Concerning the MIDI Router:
A MIDI Router as such is new as a concept to me (surprise ) but I know what “router” stands for. I Googled to see how it looks. Found MOTU MIDI Express XT (something like yours perhaps). On the back 8 MIDI INs and 8 MIDI OUTs. On the front a single pair of MIDI IN/OUT. DIN connectors. In additon an USB output supposed to connect to a computer.
Am I right to say that the front MIDI IN/OUT connects to the both opposite connectors on my sound card (and the USB to the computer)?
Do I use two single DIN cables to connect my two instruments from their MIDI OUTs to two avaiblable MIDI INs on the back of the router? That is: No need for some double OUT/IN from the piano to IN/OUT on the router? Made that conclusion as the drums don’t have any MIDI IN anyhow.
Even if it’s possible as you mention to use the router stand alone I guess that is the case if you play with the instruments own original MIDI maps. In my case I do have to use the VST Plugs as I’m after sounds only generated from them. So in my case I have to go through Cubase to obtain that, right?
If my suggested setup (or a similar) is correct I then just have to “tell” Cubases individual tracks what MIDI channel (as directed from the router) send the drums resp. piano and then assign the Cubase tracks to the two VST’s?
Is this the correct setup to start playing on both instruments and get the correct output?
Concerning Daisy Chain:
As well a new expression to me. The fact my piano had a DIN called Thru made me think about the possible solution I asked for in first posting. To somehow pass the signals and still have them seperated in my software. If that works (but I could read in some “warning” of one instrument dominating the other?) and I still only have a need of playing the drums and the piano simultanously it might be the cheapest solution. Perhaps overkill to buy the router? But if the router is more relaiable solution I might go for it and find some reasonable cheap one on eBay.
Anyhow, I can only see one possible chain here and I wonder if I got that right:
As the drums only has MIDI OUT I guess that it has to go to the PIANO? To me tat’s the only way to include the piano in a chain. So Drums MIDI OUT to the Pianos MIDI IN or perhaps MIDI Thru? Next guess is pianos MIDI OUT to Sound cards MIDI IN. Or is the Sound cards MIDI OUT involded somehow?
If using this chain Cubase can still interpret two different MIDI signals and be assigned to two tracks as long as I differ the channel settings of the tracks?
To end up this let’s just say that I don’t need to understand the full capabilities of a MIDI system. Would be interesting to know more but I save it for later. Right now my needs are just to obtain the quite simple task of using both my VST Plugs to both of my MIDI instruments simultanously. Follow instructions, connect and get it to work would make my day .
Sorry about all my confusion and a big thanks if you’re patient enough to enlighten me a little bit more on this.
My best
Michael