Connecting 350 to a Yamaha s975 usin MIDI

[cassp]

I would like to use my px350 to control my arranger keyboard. When I tried doing the 350 midi out to the arranger midi in, I didn’t get a response. What steps should I follow to do this correctly. And can I also control the arranger section from the Privia? 

[Brad Saucier]

1 hour ago, cassp said:

And can I also control the arranger section from the Privia? 

 

Do you mean control the S975 arranger from the Privia?  If so, that would be a better question for Yamaha forums. It depends on what that keyboard is capable of.  

 

The PX-350 will send data over the assigned MIDI channel, called "keyboard channel", found in the function menu, under MIDI group.  

 

 

[Jokeyman123]

Having owned both Yamaha and Casio arrangers-and in particular the PX350 still is in my keyboard rack-here is what I know.  Page E-45 describes 2 particular functions you may need to look at.....

 

1) accomp midi out and

2) midi in chord judge.   

 

Number 1 will send all the auto-arranger midi channel data to another midi keyboard-in other words, it will trigger and play the tones on the Yamaha keyboard based on whatever tones are assigned to the Yamaha, not the Casio-and on whatever midi channels the Casio sends out to the Yamaha midi channels-which are in all probability and in my experience, not the same tones and not the same midi channels-there is very little or no cross-compatibility between the Yamaha and Casio for exactly matching what goes out the Casio and into the Yamaha for auto-arranger functions-but this will send multi-midi channels all at once. I'd have to look at the PX350 manual to remember which channels specifically it uses for the auto-arranger tones. And you would have to look up which midi channels and tones the Yamaha uses for its arranger channels and tones, to see if there is ny semblance of cross-compatibility.

 

Number 2 chord judge-only allows a remote midi keyboard to trigger the arranger functions in the Casio-not what you want i think, although this will allow your Yamaha to trigger the arranger in the PX350, so might be partially what you want to do, but I would play the PX350 with the auto arranger function off-so it will only send on one midi channel out-not all the midi channels used by the arranger functions. 

 

if all you need to do is trigger the Yamaha arranger functions-the chord qualities-from the PX350-you will have to experiment to see how the Yamaha behaves. Most arrangers allow for the standard chord voicings-as played correctly on a piano-to be cross-compatible-if you set both the Casio and Yamaha to recognize the chords this way-not using the Casio or Yamaha "shortcut" key combinations. As Brad said, you wil have to look at the Yamaha docs to see how it responds to an external keyboard. Even my Yamaha QY auto-arrangers will respond to any external keyboard to trigger their arranger functions-but I have to set those to "see" the external keyboard specifically for this function-or the auto-arranger patterns will not respond. The Yamaha 975 might have a similar setting, which may be why you are not getting any arranger rhythm to trigger, otherwise the QY arrangers act as a straight "tone module"-I can play individual tones based on using one midi channel out and one tone at a time.  And i have to use the external keyboard as a "straight" midi keyboard-not in arranger mode-but set to play as a midi piano sending on one channel-and all across the keys without turning on the auto-arranger function. Sorry for the long reply, just trying to cover the entire infield and outfield, plus the umpires and coaches. I leave the general manager and front office to Brad Mike, Chandler and Joe!