CASIO PRIVIA'S AND MIDI IN/OUT PORTS

[Billy McEvoy]

I have read on here that the Casio PX-410/555, which has MIDI in/out ports, is not a real MIDI and that it cannot be used to trigger/control another MIDI device, such as a Digitech Vocalist. I use the Digitech for harmonies on my live gigs and if the Casio doesn't work with it then I'm screwed. I've talked to tech support at Casio and they assure me it'll work. My old GEM WK-4 had no trouble doing so and it's hard to believe a newer technology offering a MIDI in/out is unable to do so. Anyone have any hands-on, working knowledge of this set up? Thanks.

[C#minor]

I don't know about the models you mentioned but I have a PX-110 and I connected it, via MIDI, to both my JV-1080 and my PC and it worked beautifully. IIRC, there is a MIDI implementation chart for the 110.

[coyote-1]

The MIDI out on Privias is real midi. You set an out channel, press a key, and it sends a MIDI note on + velocity message - and when you release the key it sends note off. In addition, selecting presets on the Privia will, if enabled on the slave device, select the corresponding preset on that slave device.

 

Dunno how anyone could describe that as "not real MIDI".

[Billy McEvoy]

Has anyone specifically used the Digitech Vocalist triggered by a Casio Privia using the MIDI in/out port? Thanks.

[BeowulfX]

 

I have read on here that the Casio PX-410/555, which has MIDI in/out ports, is not a real MIDI and that it cannot be used to trigger/control another MIDI device, such as a Digitech Vocalist. I use the Digitech for harmonies on my live gigs and if the Casio doesn't work with it then I'm screwed. I've talked to tech support at Casio and they assure me it'll work. My old GEM WK-4 had no trouble doing so and it's hard to believe a newer technology offering a MIDI in/out is unable to do so. Anyone have any hands-on, working knowledge of this set up? Thanks.

 

 

I don't exactly understand what you mean by saying "not a real MIDI".

 

The Casio Privia PX-410R as well as the other high-end models both recent and new (e.g. PX-310, PX-800, PX-200, PX-320, PX-720) are fully GENERAL MIDI-compatible (to be more specific, its GMI 1-compatible). Unless your Digitech Vocalist is only compatible to GM2 and not backward compatible to GM1, then this may be where the problem arises.

 

If you really want to know for sure, another logical thing to do aside from calling Casio's tech support staff or something, you may want to try bringing your Digitech Vocalist device to a near by music store while you try hooking it up to any of the GENERAL MIDI compatible Casio Privia Digital pianos around to verify if it actually works. Just tel 'em you're planning on buying a DP but have to make sure if the DP would work with your MIDI device first. That way, it'll save you from the hassle of buying one first without trying its compatibility with your MIDI gear and having to return it later if it turns out to be incompatible.

 

As far as I know, the Casio Privia DPs with GENERAL MIDI-compatibility can be used as controller (i.e. master device) to another GENERAL MIDI-compatible device (i.e. slave device) via the MIDI In/Out ports. A user need only to familiarize himself/herself with the MIDI Implementation Chart (usually seen in the appendix pages of the user manual). And if ever there's one particular aspect about GENERAL MIDI that the Casio Privia doesn't have, it would have to be the keyboard aftertouch feature. But IMHO, it doesn't really make your music playing suffer and many others can pretty much live and play their music without it anyways.