I have the great but pretty basic digital piano by Roland called F-20. It has no midi ports, only a USB port. Now, I would like to connect this piano to my Blokas Midihub, so that I can use it to send midi to my other gear. I’ve been checking out some USB to midi adapters, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to use these without involving a computer somehow (for example, I don’t know if they require a certain amount of power).
Anyone having any experience with this who could inform me on the matter and maybe even come with a specific recommendation of what to buy?
I’m quite sure that the USB port on the F-20 is just an USB client port. So you need an USB host on the other side for communications.
Normal USB to midi cables won’t work in this case (they are meant to connect an USB host to a midi client). You need an USB-to-midi host like Miditech USB MIDI Host.
There are inexpensive USB MIDI Host devices that are one way, usually with a DIN MIDI out. One brand i’ve seen is Rio.
There are others that have both in and out DIN MIDI connections. They will be more expensive. Popular choice around for a long time is the Kenton.
Then there are others, even more expensive that are hubs, with multiple connections. Examples are Conductive Labs MRCC, the Bome Box, iConnectivity mioXM and mioXL, and a new one being developed by Kenton, the Interchanger.
Some people rig their own using a Raspberry Pi.
Not endorsing any of these options, just making a list.
That makes sense. In that case, maybe I can use my Raspberry Pi, that just lays around the house anyway, and use it as an intermediary, that is, connecting both the Blokas Midihub and the F-20 to the Raspberry Pi via USB.