Most new keyboards are equipped with a USB port. This can be helpful for installing new sounds or patches, saving recordings externally, or backing up preferences. It can also be used to transmit MIDI for low-pressure tasks like music notation when potential problems aren’t showstoppers.

However, we strongly recommend connecting your keyboard’s MIDI output with a 5-pin MIDI cable for several reasons.

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Advantages to MIDI cables

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MIDI cables are less susceptible to interference

Electrical interference can happen at any point (e.g., a bad power supply or failing USB hub) when two devices are connected. Interference can disrupt the MIDI signal and make it unreliable, leading to problems like added latency, dropped notes, or even worse: hanging notes that won’t turn off. Similarly, ground loops are caused by differences in voltage potential from one end of the cable to the other and can result in horrendous hum, buzzes, and other undesirable noises.

Unlike a USB cable, a MIDI cable has no direct electrical connection between devices (“opto-isolation”). This eliminates the possibility of ground loops and other electrical interference.

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Devices are anonymous

There’s a wide range of different USB devices and each needs a unique driver to operate correctly. When you plug in a USB device, your computer initiates a “handshake” procedure to determine the type of device so the proper drivers can be used. Most USB devices today are plug-and-play— that is, your computer will already have installed the appropriate drivers needed for most devices. However, some devices, including music keyboards, require additional drivers that must be manually installed.

MIDI is a universal standard used by all devices and is thus a much simpler, more reliable protocol that doesn’t require additional drivers. The computer really doesn’t care what kind of MIDI device it is.

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MIDI cables are mono-directional

MIDI data travels down a 5-pin MIDI cable in only one direction: from MIDI out or thru to MIDI in. This means that you can be more particular about the your rig’s signal flow. And because MIDI data travels in one direction, the signal path is more explicit and it’s much easier to troubleshoot.

If you’re running a backup computer, you can use a device to split the MIDI signal, but it still only travels in one direction.

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It’s what the professionals do

Broadway shows and national tours have eight performances per week under the most intense pressure anywhere. These multimillion-dollar productions use 5-pin MIDI cables with MainStage because it has proven to be the most reliable, consistent, and dependable method.

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Summary

If you’re using an audio interface with MIDI, using a 5-pin MIDI cable is conceptually no more complicated than using a USB cable. In fact, it’s one fewer thing requiring a USB port on your computer, which may eliminate the need for a USB hub.

All electronic equipment can unpredictably have issues. We recommend using a 5-pin MIDI cable because it avoids potential points of failure and offers more flexibility. The proper setup for your rig is to use a 5-pin MIDI cable to connect the keyboard to the audio interface.

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