Hi Everyone.

I am playing with CDP-100 from last 9 months and happy with it. But recently i purchased a midi cable worth ( 1250INR or 25$ )
with MIDI IN/OUT terminals and a Hub in between.
Since then there is a delay in sounding of each note through computer speakers. My specifications are -:
1 ) 32 bit Xp Professional Windows sp3
2 ) Intel(r) Core(Tm) i5 CPU ( M560 @2.67 GHz )
3 ) IDT Sound Driver ( ASIO Driver could not solve the delay prob as well )
Is it a Cable Issue because Casio says " Buy a MK-5 Midi Cable " or its my computer??
Regards

Just to clarify... the thing in the middle isn't a hub, and the device you have is a MIDI interface rather than a MIDI cable.

What is it you're trying to do? That is, for what purpose are you connecting it to the computer, and what exactly are you trying to do when you're hearing the delay?

hi there.. Its a midi cable or interface if u call like that.. yes sry its not hub but its a electronic chip with LED display. ( Below is the picture of that )

I am trying to hear my key sound in laptop speakers keeping the piano speakers OFF.But the playing is not smooth, each note suffers a delay thus creating a mess when i play a series of notes.
Do u know something that can help ??

Here is a Picture of cable i use -:
https://plus.google.com/photos/108387541089799311335/albums/5738342681964419745

Hi, Abhileo. This is almost certainly a problem with the computer. I'm not sure how to resolve it - there should be not delay whatever (except a few milliseconds, maybe). I've had the same problem with both midi and audio, with and without ASIO.

Looks like you are using an IBM Thinkpad. You probably need an audio interface to help with the latency problems you are having. The delay is caused by the computer lagging to process the sound after you strike notes. Might also be the midi settings in whatever software you are using. If you have an i5 processor that is plenty fast. However, most laptops have subpar sound cards.

Just to be clear...

A MIDI cable is a simple cable with a 5-pin MIDI connector at each end. It contains no electronics. It is used to directly connect various MIDI devices to each other.

A MIDI interface is a device that translates between MIDI and USB. It has electronics (in the box you called the hub) to do the processing, and of course, it also includes the connectors that allow you to attach it to the MIDI device as well as to the USB port of your computer.

Hi Toddy..
Thanks for the reply, but i am somewhat sure that its not laptop problem because the same laptop does not give any delay with a Yamaha PSR-333 keyboard. So, its either the cable or the Piano which cause problem..

Hi anotherscott.
THanks for that. Does Interface play a role in latency.. Should i change it may be causing problem.
I used the same Laptop with Yamaha-PSR 300 and a Straight MIDI Cable with no electronics in between. There was no delay there..

Hi galaxy4t

Thanks for opinion.. i shall see if that is the problem... i think its cable issue..
But Thankyou

@galaxy4t..
Its Dell Latitude E6410

Abhileo,
The computer is plenty fast with an i5 processor. It is either a configuration problem or a sound card problem or both. Latency is a common problem on PC's and sound cards on laptops are not very good for recording midi. An audio interface will probably help.

Since your Yamaha keyboard works fine with its direct USB connection, I would suspect the MIDI interface, and yes, I believe that the interface can create latency issues.

I'd look at something like a Roland UM-One which goes for about $40. http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.php?ProductId=1157 - I think people generally have good experiences with the Rolands.

The cheapest name-brand interface is probably the E-mu Xmidi - http://www.creative.com/emu/products/product.aspx?pid=19089 -

there are off-brand ones that go for about $5, and they work fine for some people, but lots of people have reported problems with them too.

I had lots of issues with MIDI/latency/USB/audio interface. This is something I wrote at Keyboard blog. LatencyMon utility was able to pinpoint my issues. I'm now very happy my VST/PC.

I came here to get help fixing my pops/cracks/latency issues I've been experiencing with my VST - Free Kontakt Player using Galaxy Vintage D VST.

Considering I assumed that most people who responded have been there before and have insight into my issues I must say that using a USB interface does work fine. My cheap interface was fine. It's the NI Traktor Audio 2. It's sold as a Virtual DJ interface but it works fine for my application.

Here's where I must say that I found other blogs who really helped me pinpoint the tools I needed to figure out my issues which were how my computer automated it processes and used valuable CPU resources.

Now it's my turn to give out information that I hope will help anyone in a similar situation.

These two utilities is where you start.

http://download.cnet.com/LatencyMon/3000-2086_4-75300293.html

http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml

The most important one is LatencyMon. I couldn't download at their site but the link I posted will work.

This program gives you the information to tweak your computer for those processes that are stealing your resources.

Before I used these I went to the manufacturer of my computer and updated everything I could - BIOS, drivers, etc.

After I ran LantencyMon I realized the biggest user was my NVidia driver for my dedicated video card. As it turns out there are some issues with latest driver so I rolled back latest update to a previous version and turned off some of its quality controls. Since I'm not playing video games I don't even notice the changes. I also disabled the ACPI battery control in device manager.

That's all it took to fine tune my computer. I didn't have to even turn off wireless, internal speakers or other devices. Those two tweaks allows me to run 64 samples and 1ms USB buffer with a latency of 5.4ms. I probably can go even lower but haven't tried yet.

I hope this helps anyone avoid all the time it took me researching and trying different combinations.

Lastly here's my shout out to Galaxy Vintage D and Neo Soul Keys for giving me some great updates to my live gigging gear. I run this from my FP4. I run computer to input of piano which allows me to use internal speakers as well as my stereo GK system.

I hope all this works at next gig. I am hoping for the best.

THanks galaxy4t, anotherscott and 36251..
I will post once i am done with the solution... Will let you know the root cause then...