Using a Yamaha Keyboard as a MIDI controller - possible?

Question

I have a Yamaha PSR-GX76 keyboard that I would like to use for some midi work. The only inputs/outputs are two of the 5-pin midi plugs on the back, one in one out. Is there a way I can hook this up to the computer so that I can use it to write music in a music notation software such as Finale Notepad or something else? What kind of equipment will I need?

Answer 1

You need to purchase a USB midi cable, or if you have an older computer with a sound card that has a game controller port on the back of it, you can purchase a midi cable that plugs in that. I have one like this, and I have search eBay for the USB ones, and know they are available, but I have not purchased one yet.

Once you get your hardware hooked up, you need to purchase software that can record the input from your midi instrument. Setting this up can be interesting. Once you install the software, you need to still change your audio settings to output midi to the midi device intead of the default set in the Windows Sounds applet. Here also there are options for setting up your midi device.

There are plenty of documentations regarding setting this stuff up, and the application you purchase will also explain how to do it.

I use Midisoft' Studio. It's an extremely old application, but it works just fine for me, and the interface is very familiar. I do notice that Studio 6 simply wants to crash all the time when trying to hook up to midi, so I have to use Studio 4. But Studio 6 will print out the sheet music and gives me options that I really like for lyric placement, ect.

Then of course you need to set your keyboard to output via midi as well. So you will need to read the documentation that gets that going for your specific keyboard.