Setting up MIDI Keyboard, Audio Interface, Laptop and Speakers

[Libertine Lush]

Hi everyone,


I’m making my first attempt in digital instruments/production. My initial setup will consist of a Komplete Kontrol S25 (MIDI controller with MIDI I/O and USB), an Audio Interface (haven’t chosen one yet), a Mac laptop (with 2 USB ports) and Hi-Fi speakers. The following are a few questions about the very first step of the process: setting it all up.

1) What are the various ways I can connect these devices together?

From what I’ve googled it seems there’s 2 options: a) Connect a MIDI cable from the keyboard to the audio interface, and then a USB from the audio interface to the laptop (but then, it seems, I’d need to buy an additional power adapter to power the keyboard), or b) connect the keyboard to the laptop via USB and the audio interface to the laptop via USB too.

As for the Hi-Fi speakers, do I connect their input to the output on the audio interface?

2) Of the possible setups, which is ideal and why?
3) My Hi-Fi amplifier’s inputs are a pair of RCA jacks and a 3.5mm stereo socket. Which one do I use for my setup and how are they different?
4) Do I need an Audio Interface for this setup? My understanding is that I can connect a MIDI keyboard to a laptop via USB, but without an audio interface there may be latency and the sound quality will always suffer? If so, how significant is the sound quality difference?


Thank you so much for any help!

 

[Wallengard]

Spontaneously, I would say (without anything to really back it up), go with the midi cable to the audio interface since it has one. Don't know why, it just sounds reasonable but you probably won't experience any difference by using USB, other than the fact that you just used up a USB slot that you might want later on.

Yes you connect the speakers from the audio interface output to the speakers inputs. Which connectors you use depend entirely on what audio interface you are going to buy and which connections are available. As for bypassing the use of an audio interface, I would use a 1/8 to dual 1/8 or Rca, cable to plug into the laptops output, not really sure what difference it makes. I wouldn't recommend not having an audio interface when working with audio production to anyone.

The sound quality difference can differ a lot to some, and nothing at all to others. It's a bit of a subjective matter at lower budgets but there certainly isn't any downsides.

 

[Libertine Lush]

Yes you connect the speakers from the audio interface output to the speakers inputs. Which connectors you use depend entirely on what audio interface you are going to buy and which connections are available. As for bypassing the use of an audio interface, I would use a 1/8 to dual 1/8 or Rca, cable to plug into the laptops output, not really sure what difference it makes.

1/8in and 3.5mm connectors are referring to the same thing, is that right?

Is there any meaningful qualitative variation amongst the many USB, MIDI and 1/8 cables? Or is it much like Monster cables, in that it's just marketing--it's all the same. Though I understand that if the connectors are gold plated, they're less likely to corrode.

Thank you for your reply!

 

[Wallengard]

As far as USB and midi cables are concerned, I suppose anything that isn't made out of sand should be good enough.

But for audio cables.. Hmm, Well that's a whole new world, with prices ranging from 50 cent to 1000 euro per meter (this probably isn't true for the 1/8 cables, but the many other ones used for speakers etc) . It's venturing a little bit outside my knowledge.. So maybe just do some research online or wait for someone with better knowledge of it comes along here to tell you in more detail whats up.


Edit ; oh yeah, it's the same thing.

 

[Libertine Lush]

Thanks again for the info, Wallengard!

 

[Wallengard]

Any time!

 

[krushing]

I personally think the audio cable world is full of snake oil salesmen. There are some physical aspects to putting together a nice cable, but it isn't exactly expensive to do it right.

Btw, unless you live in a rain forest or prefer to store your equipment underwater, cables corroding isn't really bound to happen very easily.

 

[B Side Producer]

I personally think the audio cable world is full of snake oil salesmen. There are some physical aspects to putting together a nice cable, but it isn't exactly expensive to do it right.

Btw, unless you live in a rain forest or prefer to store your equipment underwater, cables corroding isn't really bound to happen very easily.

I fully agree. It's more the density of the cable that will determine the quality of the signal. Depending on the length it'll get, you'll need higher density cables. I got a 30 meter cable of 4 square mm copper.


There's a lot of websites of nerdy technicians going deeply into the whole speaker wire quality and length discussion.