The Router;
1 - Yes and no, it doesn’t matter whether you use the routers front or rear IN/OUTS, they’re all the same. Yes, ANY audio or midi OUT of one device, connects to the IN of another device, so pay attention! I’ve screwed this up more than I care to admit.
2 - Yes, use 2 midi DIN cables, one out from each midi instrument into any of the routers IN’s. How you then connect the router to your computer depends on ONE MORE midi DIN cable, out from the router into your computers midi IN, OR…if using ONE USB cable from the router to computer. I use all midi DIN’s, np USB midi here.
3 - Having a router that can be used in a stand alone mode, just means you don’t even need to use a computer to use it. Very handy for anything you may need. Though you CAN hook it up to a computer. Thing is, if you don’t get one that does stand alone, you’ll likely have to get a USB model to send midi to your computer, as it will need communication from your computer to even control the routers interface. A stand alone capable unit can be adjusted from the router itself, therefore can be used with just the midi DIN’s for everything In/Out. Again, if you’re using VSTi’s (EZDrummer & the B4 was it?) then you don’t need to send midi out of your computer at all. Nor will you need to connect any audio cables to & from your edrums or keyboard.
4 - short answer YES. This may get tricky though and may need more explanations as needed depending on how much you know about how to do this routing within Cubase. Basically, assign each midi controller & Cubase to a corresponding midi track/channel. In order to ‘hear’ your VSTi’s simultaneously from each midi instrument being played, you may need to activate each midi tracks MONITOR button (the speaker icon), otherwise I think, only the midi track that is highlighted (from your mouse etc) will be the one heard.
Daisy Chaining;
5 - Yes, with only a midi out available on your edrums, start there…midi out, into your keyboards midi in, send your keyboards midi out, into your computer sound cards midi in. Again midi THRU on your keyboard, will only pass on the midi from your edrums, so what’s the point in YOUR case.
6 - Yes it can, Cubase has mind boggling midi routing capabilities.
If I can use 2 computers, connected by way of my audio/midi interfaces on each, sending midi across all 16 channels available in a single midi DIN cable from one computer, to play 16 VSTi’s set up in a 2nd computer, YOU can certainly connect a simple 2 midi instrument controller arrangment, to run VSTi’s in Cubase. In FACT, each midi instrument/controller (your edrums & your keybaord) can each play SEVERAL VSTi’s at once! This may not be as desirable for your edrums (unless you like to layer say snare drums etc, etc, etc) but for a keyboard player, they tend to like to layer sounds til the cows come home 