I have my Roland A-800PRO keyboard connected to my WIN7 64bit computer via USB cable to input into SONAR X2.  I also have a Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 USB audio interface to input external instruments into SONAR.  Question: do I also need to connect my A800PRO to the 8i6 with a MIDI cable or does the A800PRO USB connection direct to the computer handle all of the MIDI information into SONAR?  Thank you.

You can either run USB MIDI directly into a USB port on your computer, or you can run a 5-pin DIN cable into the MIDI port on the Focusrite. There isn't much practical difference between the two methods, except that the latter might be a little simpler, since you only have the Focusrite driver to deal with.

RobWS - with only the one keyboard you're fine using either. The good news is that later if you get another MIDI device you can route that one through the Focusrite.

You can use either connection method, but don't use both at the same time. Maybe try both to see which works best.

With the A-800 connected to your PC via USB, you can still use its MIDI in and MIDI out ports as another USB MIDI interface for connecting external MIDI controllers and MIDI sound generators. See the settings info in your manual.

So you now have 2 USB MIDI interfaces!

Thank you, my friends for your knowledge. I am new to the world of computer recording.  I finally decided to retire my Roland VS-1680 and so the configuration of everything is now a bit of a learning curve.  I thought that MIDI was MIDI and USB was USB, but apparently not.

My next big hill to climb is ACT with my A-800PRO.  I don't see why that should be so confusing, but that's for another forum thread.

Thanks again.

RobWS
I thought that MIDI was MIDI and USB was USB, but apparently not.

Just FYI, MIDI data can be carried over various media (physical connections) and using various transport protocols (how the data is encoded for being transmitted), such as Firewire or USB or Ethernet, as well as the original 5-pin DIN type serial connections.


Early PC MIDI interfacing used serial (modem) and parallel (printer) port connections (neither of which are even offered on many PCs today), while Apples and Macs used other connection schemes too. As well, many audio cards offered MIDI interfaces based on Roland's MPU-401, including Sound Blasters and others which routed MIDI through a joystick (game controller) port (still found onboard some motherboards) to which a MIDI breakout cable dongle could be connected.


Very few computers have ever offered built-in MIDI ports (only the Atari 1040ST and some Japanese "music" computers come to mind). So MIDI interfacing with computers has always been an adventure (and sometimes, a headache). Welcome to the latest chapter!

One thing to consider between USB vs MIDI ports: Going MIDI (via your 8i6) requires use of the power supply for your A-800 whereas USB will power your controller as well as handle the MIDI. That makes for a cleaner setup as well. Kind regards, Living Room Rocker