MIDI Thru Connections

MIDI Thru allows you to expand your MIDI system.

Let's assume you have a keyboard with its own sounds connected to a computer via MIDI connections. For simplicity let's assume you've connected MIDI Out from the keyboard to MIDI on your computer soundcard, as well as MIDI In from your keyboard to MIDI Out on the computer soundcard. This is a basic MIDI setup.

Now, let's say you want expand the MIDI system and add another sound module. Simply connect a MIDI Thru from your keyboard and plug it into the MIDI In of the sound module. If you purchase another module simply add this on by connecting a Thru from the existing module to MIDI In of the new module.

Here are the disadvantages of the above method:

Let's assume you have the keyboard and 2 sound modules connected together as above. Within your sequencer (let's just say Cubase), you have a MIDI output selector on the left side which displays the output of the recorded MIDI data.

In other words, let's say you've recorded a bass line and want it to output onto MIDI channel 1. MIDI channel 1 will now activate the keyboard and both modules simultaneously until you either turn the volume down or switch off the MIDI channel on either your keyboard or module - This is useless and very time consuming.

Wouldn't you rather have the ability to have all channels active and be available to use which would give you a very comfortable 48 MIDI channels to play with? 16 channels from your MIDI keyboard, 16 x 2 channels from both modules! Again, I'm assuming that this equipment has a standard 16 multi-timbral channels.

Well, all is possible and all you have to do is buy a MIDI Thru Box!

A MIDI Thru box will send 16 channels out seperate ports. For example, if you connected a MIDI Thru box to the above setup you would have the option of sending out 16 MIDI channels to say Port 1 of the MIDI box which would be connected to your keyboard. Port 2 would be connected to sound module 1 and Port 3 connected to sound module 2 and so on.

There are various forms of MIDI boxes but standard ones have 2 MIDI Ins and 2 or 4 MIDI outs.

After you've installed the drivers for your MIDI Thru box there are a number of possibilities you can follow to make your MIDI system more user friendly. For example, if you have a permanent setup of your equipment in a room then by renaming each output port to the name of your equipment you can allocate a MIDI channel within Cubase direct to the piece of gear you have renamed to.

MIDI Connection Diagram

The diagram above illustrates a typical MIDI setup. Switch off your musical equipment and computer before connecting MIDI cables. I don't know if this actually does any damage to your system while it's switched on but the musical manufacturers recommend this procedure.

Always connect MIDI Out to MIDI in and vice versa. If you're adding external MIDI hardware to expand the MIDI system take a MIDI Thru from your keyboard and attach it to MIDI In of other external sound modules or drum machines etc.