The puzzle of how to combine USB audio interface with MIDI keyboard

C

chrome86

New member
Hi,

I have a "Line6 KB37 USB MIDI keyboard" (which comes with a built in audio interface). It is a wonderful all in one unit and saves a lot of space on my desk. However during recording I get a lot of crackles and pops and i'm sure its down to the low quality in built card. Also I want to keep the KB37 to function purely as a MIDI keyboard. So.........

I've decided on getting a new USB audio interface. Got a budget between £100-£200 and decided on the stand alone "Roland Quad Capture USB audio interface" (out very recently).

Question:

1) How do I connect my keyboard to the Roland (my keyboard has no MIDI IN/OUT sockets)? SEE ATTACHMENTS


2) Do i actually need to connect it through the Roland or directly into my laptop? (so both KB37 and Roland are connected to two USB ports on my laptop)
 

Attachments

  • Roland_QUAD-CAPTURE_image.jpg
    Roland_QUAD-CAPTURE_image.jpg
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  • kb37.jpg
    kb37.jpg
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Unfortunately it doesn't look like you're going to be able to run the Line6 into your Roland since it doesn't have MIDI OUT. You're going to have to have them both plugged into separate USB sockets.

Just make sure that in your DAW you choose the correct audio driver to use. If your Roland's driver and sound card are truly better, you should see the improvement in performance.
 
Thanks for your reply.

I would have thought that plugging them both into separate USB sockets would decrease the latency when you hit a key and perceive its response in the DAW. So maybe this, as you say is the better option.

The only issues maybe that the on board audio interface on the Line6 decides to take over as soon as i plug it in and pushes the Roland out of the picture.

What are the benefits of connecting the Keyboard through the Roland sound card?
 
I use Fl Studio 9. How would I go about using the Line6 purely as a keyboard and the Roland (or similar AI) as my USB audio interface?

Thanks
 
I'm not familiar w/ FL to give you a step by step. (I use Presonus Studio One.) But essentially, you'll have to do a quick search or look in the manual. Look up how to choose your primary audio driver in FL. It's usually in the "Options" section of the DAW, where you set your buffer size and all of that stuff. You'll do the same for your midi controller... you'll have to search for how to set that up. It shouldn't be too complicated at all.
 
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