Hi,
I'm trying to get my 7yr old daughter up and running with an old midi
keyboard on her PC.

I've seen the post below and downloaded Midiox, but can't understand how to
get the keyboard to function.

The keyboard is an old 'Reveal - Musicstar' 37 key unit with one midi port,
pwr switch , and 4 function buttons. The sound/mpu port is onboard (
cmedia97 codec?)


All I'm hoping to do is get this keyboard to function with some simple
childrens tuition software, and make it into a toy synthesiser that does
silly noises....just something to inspire a young mind.

Can anyone suggest a suitable piece of freebie software and lead me through
setting up the keyboard/soundcard.

Thx

The midi port on this keyboard is a 15 pin connector like the joystick 
connector on your computer.  So you need a cable with these connectors 
on each end.  This cable carries both the Midi In and Midi Out signals.

On the computer side you need to set the midi In and Out to go through 
the mpu-401 instead of to the internal synthesis.  You usually set 
this in the application software.

For software try http://www.hitsquad.com  
This site has tons of free and demo software.

I saw this keyboard at Computergeeks.com for $19.95 with midi cable, 
power supply and software, You'll probably have to pay that much for 
just the cable at a computer or music store.

Voyetra's Teach Me Piano is a nice package.

Thanks,
Jeff Sandys 

Ebodski wrote:
....
> The keyboard is an old 'Reveal - Musicstar' 37 key unit with one midi 
> port, pwr switch , and 4 function buttons. The sound/mpu port is onboard
....
> All I'm hoping to do is get this keyboard to function with some simple
> childrens tuition software, and make it into a toy synthesiser that does
> silly noises....just something to inspire a young mind.
> 
> Can anyone suggest a suitable piece of freebie software and lead me 
> through setting up the keyboard/soundcard.

Thanks for the response.
I've had this keyboard since the days on the 486 PCs. I just never gave it
any time.

The cable is a joystick 15pin at one end for the PC, but the other end is an
old round pin connector which I assumed was called a midi connector.
I get mixed up trying to establish thr correct midi in or out settings, i.e.
whther the keyboard is considered midi-in or the sound card....

You'll have to elaborate in real idiot-proof detail....internal synthesis
means nothing to me.

Thanks




"Jeff Sandys" <sandysj@juno.com> wrote in message
news:40193735.B1264E3C@juno.com...
> The midi port on this keyboard is a 15 pin connector like the joystick
> connector on your computer.  So you need a cable with these connectors
> on each end.  This cable carries both the Midi In and Midi Out signals.
>
> On the computer side you need to set the midi In and Out to go through
> the mpu-401 instead of to the internal synthesis.  You usually set
> this in the application software.
>
> For software try http://www.hitsquad.com
> This site has tons of free and demo software.
>
> I saw this keyboard at Computergeeks.com for $19.95 with midi cable,
> power supply and software, You'll probably have to pay that much for
> just the cable at a computer or music store.
>
> Voyetra's Teach Me Piano is a nice package.
>
> Thanks,
> Jeff Sandys
>
> Ebodski wrote:
> ...
> > The keyboard is an old 'Reveal - Musicstar' 37 key unit with one midi
> > port, pwr switch , and 4 function buttons. The sound/mpu port is onboard
> ...
> > All I'm hoping to do is get this keyboard to function with some simple
> > childrens tuition software, and make it into a toy synthesiser that does
> > silly noises....just something to inspire a young mind.
> >
> > Can anyone suggest a suitable piece of freebie software and lead me
> > through setting up the keyboard/soundcard.

OK, assuming you have a sound card like sound blaster with drivers installad,
the keyboard connected with the 15 pin/Midi cable and speakers connect to audio
out.
1) start midi-ox
2) open the Options/Midi Devices ... menu (or click the midi connector icon)
   a) in the Midi Inputs panel select "<sound card> Midi in" (not Synth in or
Driver)
        where <sound card> is the name of your card.
   b) in the Midi Outputs panel select "<sound card> Synth Out (not Midi out or
driver)
   c) in the Presets panel enter a name, like Musicstar, and click the disk
icon
        this will save your setting so that you can recall them next time
   d) you can close this dialog
3) open the View/Instrument menu (or click the guitar icon)
   a) in INS File select GM.INS
   b) in Instr select "General Midi" (not General Midi drums)
   c) set the bank select to "General Midi" (this usually occurs automatically)

   d) in Patch select the Voice that you want to hear.
4) jam on, change patch for different voices, jam on some more.

Ebodski wrote:

> Thanks for the response.
> I've had this keyboard since the days on the 486 PCs. I just never gave it
> any time.
>
> The cable is a joystick 15pin at one end for the PC, but the other end is an
> old round pin connector which I assumed was called a midi connector.
> I get mixed up trying to establish thr correct midi in or out settings, i.e.
> whther the keyboard is considered midi-in or the sound card....
>
> You'll have to elaborate in real idiot-proof detail....internal synthesis
> means nothing to me.
>
> Thanks
>
> "Jeff Sandys" <sandysj@juno.com> wrote in message
> news:40193735.B1264E3C@juno.com...
> > The midi port on this keyboard is a 15 pin connector like the joystick
> > connector on your computer.  So you need a cable with these connectors
> > on each end.  This cable carries both the Midi In and Midi Out signals.
> >
> > On the computer side you need to set the midi In and Out to go through
> > the mpu-401 instead of to the internal synthesis.  You usually set
> > this in the application software.
> >
> > For software try http://www.hitsquad.com
> > This site has tons of free and demo software.
> >
> > I saw this keyboard at Computergeeks.com for $19.95 with midi cable,
> > power supply and software, You'll probably have to pay that much for
> > just the cable at a computer or music store.
> >
> > Voyetra's Teach Me Piano is a nice package.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Jeff Sandys
> >
> > Ebodski wrote:
> > ...
> > > The keyboard is an old 'Reveal - Musicstar' 37 key unit with one midi
> > > port, pwr switch , and 4 function buttons. The sound/mpu port is onboard
> > ...
> > > All I'm hoping to do is get this keyboard to function with some simple
> > > childrens tuition software, and make it into a toy synthesiser that does
> > > silly noises....just something to inspire a young mind.
> > >
> > > Can anyone suggest a suitable piece of freebie software and lead me
> > > through setting up the keyboard/soundcard.