Digitakt + usb midikeyboard?

Has anyone tried connecting a usb midikeyboard to the Digitakt usb-port? I saw that you can make the digitakt listen for midi via the usb-port, but I don’t know if the port can power a small passive midikeyboard?

Would be an awesome little mini-rig :slight_smile:

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DT is a USB midi slave not a USB midi host.

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You can use one of these cuties if you want to use a USB-only midi controller: http://www.kentonuk.com/products/items/utilities/usb-host.shtml

I use it to drive and be driven by my OP-1.

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Thanks!

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This looks like something I would need for my USB keyboards!

How about an iPad/iPhone connected to the Midi Host Mk2? Does it act like a din midi in/out for iOS?

You know, I tried that, and I couldn’t make it work. I used TouchOSC, which supports CoreMIDI as well as OSC, so i thought there might be a chance, but … maybe someone else can help us both out :slight_smile:

Edit: I have just sent a message to Kenton Support to ask them; I will keep you posted.

Heck, they replied almost immediately, on a Sunday, with a perfectly clear answer ^^

According to Kenton support: as the iPad itself is a USB host in this context, it doesn’t want to talk to the Kenton USB Host, because hosts don’t like talking to hosts.

The easy and relatively cheap answer is to get a lightning to USB adapter, and connect that to a USB to MIDI cable.

iConnect make those all in one, lightning to MIDI DIN, if you don’t mind paying a little extra. The cheapest (and probably dodgiest) option is an off brand adapter from Amazon or eBay.

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Thanks for the information, I really appreciate it.

I’ve just bought the little Akai LPK25 to send notes to the Digitakt.
I’m just setting it up and I’m using Ableton as the inbetween. Just routing the LPK out to the Digitakt in via Komplete 6 soundcard.

The Digitakt is controlling a bunch of VSTs in Ableton which just sits dormant as a midi router and audio mixer…No sequencing is done in Ableton.

Just acquired a Digitakt and came here to find out why there is no usb connection to my Mac … but to jump into the original context, the Retrokits RK-005 is a USB standalone host and a USB client in one.

I am also coming here because I was thinking of buying a smaller MIDI controller, but most of them (I was thinking of: Akai MPK mini Mk2, or ARTURIA MINILAB MK2) have only USB connection, so I guess they are USB “Slaves” and DT is not a USB “Host”, right? So it means that I can’t use them? From this Topic I see that you can buy this Kenton MIDI USB Host MkII, wchich might make that possible, but it looks so expensive that maybe it’s better to buy something like Arturia Keystep? which has MIDI in/out ??? I’d lose the drumpads, though :-/

You are correct on your assumption that those devices are usb slaves and cannot be directly connected to the digitakt as it is not a host but aslo a usb slave device. If you want to use a midi controller with the dt the easiest way is to find a controller with din midi in/out. The keystep is a good one, as are the mpd controllers.
If you are trying to get a device that like the Kenton midi host there are other options in that area as well. A lot of people utilize the iconnect midi boxes for this purpose I believe.

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another cool one for being able to use usb midi is https://www.retrokits.com/shop/rk005/ which nicely can be powered by usb also.

I’m using the Cerebel usb-to-midi converter from Mode Machines to connect an Akai Midimix and an Alesis keyboard to control the Digitakt. Works very well. Only 2 controllers can be used at a time though.

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I gave this method a test drive and it worked well. Edit: needs you to be a little computer literate…

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Thanks for this! Just bought one for €59,- to use it with my Korg Nanokey Studio.

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Found out this resource on this topic, with PICTURES (finally got how things work)
https://doc.crudebyte.com/iOS/External_MIDI_devices/