Just stumbled on this and admire the lack of ultra polished professionalism. You're like a type of RUclipsr that used to exist pre 2015 ish or whatever, I respect that. And I feel more informed on the nuances of keytar than I ever thought possible, so thanks for that.
I've gigged the Rock Band keytar in two different bands, using the Wii version which I got for $23 new from Amazon at the time. I set it up wirelessly with the USB dongle plugged into an ancient MacBook running MainStage and some custom Lua code. This allowed me to reassign all the controls to whatever messages I wanted.
Welcome back Pink! I still have my Wii version of the Rock Band "keytar" and I think it's handy to have around. I use it to control random things, like sound modules and eurorack (with a MIDI-CV/gate adapter). I don't think I plug it into USB-MIDI adapters very often so I had no idea there was even a compatibility issue with it not sensing MIDI mode.
Pink and her cat should be a permanent resident of Nick Batt channel. Dammit i can only imagine how cool these two would look together on camera and comliment each other with their wits. Also... i mean tf my dudes even toys-r-us keyboards have midi-out and some of the not-very-beginner midi keyboards don't have it (i'm talking to you Korg, Rloand and others). Also Pink is the best and somebody from Cosmopolitan should interview her. I'm dead serious! Marry Xmas Pink and all the cats and even a dumb dog (i found myself a dumb one too!)
I just got my 1st keytar 2 days ago at 21y! I am going to be checking out your channel!!! I am a trained musician but keytar is definitely not my territory😅
Awesome. I used one of these as a MIDI controller for a while using some jank; I had no MIDI interface at the time so I had to use this jank program to plug the actual dongle into the computer and translate *that* into MIDI, so I always assumed that was the reason for all the issues I had wrt. the pitch ribbon being extremely jank. The keys felt really nice too, almost as good as the Lucina imo. I tried to actually play the game with it; Funnily enough, in the game there's a "lesson" mode that just teaches you your scales, pentatonics, chords etc... and then famously the actual Pro Keys songs are very few in number and they kinda suck. I remember that one Slipknot song that has you playing like 4 notes across the entire thing. Great video!
the rb3 plastic midi guitar is also pretty fun (though kinda dinky because guitar is a lot harder to properly emulate). I've never tried the (midi-enabled?) real guitar because it happens to be way more expensive
final reply, I really like the pro keys mode in the game (though I find it lacking in some areas, some more fixable than others) and I've found I enjoy making charts for it now that there's a fangame that supports it (YARG's nightly build)
This MIDI keytar works great with Korg Volcas, and it's really handy to have if you're constructing a compact travel rig. I added a simple PSU mod which is useful too
16:20 Probably a midi active sense message being sent is what causes it to understand that its in MIDI mode. Roland units tend to send those messages still while most manufacturers have started to abandon that cause its generally not very useful
DIN 5 MIDI is unidirectional, so the interface cannot send messages to the keytar. I have two theories why the other interfaces do not work. 1.: The keytar measures the current of the MIDI signal and the other interfaces do not use an optoisolator as specified in the spec but read the signal directly with an I/O pin. This would lead to the current being too small for the keytar to detect. To test this, you could put a LED connecting pin 4 to pin 5 of the keytar 2.: The keytar checks for a connection between pin 2 and the shielding of the MIDI socket. This is not spec-compliant but it could be implemented this way due to misreading the spec (these pins should be connected for MIDI out and thru sockets (like in the keytar), but not for MIDI in (as in the interface). Also, MIDI cables should connect their shielding to pin 2 but not to the shielding of the plugs, so there is quite some room for misinterpretation). To check this, you can measure the resistance between pin 2 and the plug shielding of the interfaces. If it is near 0 for the working one and not connected for the non-working ones, this is likely - you could then to test try to connect pin 2 of the keytar to the shielding. Note that this is speculation on my part and I know neither of the used devices and don't want to be held liable for any damage caused ;) For the DIN 5 MIDI spec, look here: midi.org/5-pin-din-electrical-specs
I had a Cazio AZ-1 i found at Cash Converters for like $50 bux, ended up selling it for like $400 because i was broke. But i miss that thing. Now I have a CZ-101 and a CZ-1000 which aren't technically keytars, but they do have the strap knobs on both ends of the keyboard, which I think that was a thing too?
I have 4 of these lol because they were so cheap like $15. 1. Modded 1 to have internal midi usb interface and usb-c power, added octave shift buttons on the neck 2. 1 kept stock 3. 2 I was going to turn into a 4 octave poor man's SHS-200/Ax Edge but eventually ended up getting both SHS-200 and Ax Edge Allegedly there's a needed mod on the 5 pin to let it work with the Widi master, but I use the cheaper one with its own battery and it works. It seems that they did not add the 220 ohm resistor for one of the pins. Any generic momentary switch pedals work on rockband pedal inputs. Can you review the Cyber G Guitar by Enya? It's a weird keytar-ish device.
@@jedkronfeld6948 I haven't checked, but I've been told that the bass pedal for the drum kit worked. Someone else in the comments said that there were other pedals that work as well
Iirc the drum pedal is just a 2.5mm jack, so don't know what kind of interface you'd need to connect them; I have probably 6 of them kicking around (pun intended) for both GH and RB, as well as at least one third party pedal that connects/works the same, and they're compatible with either kit as well. The drums - at least the midi compatible ones - are far more overpriced than the keytars in any case, even with less than entry level quality, but I've been collecting since they were littering goodwills (and even curbs when people couldn't be bothered to donate them 😅)
Do you still have your Behringer MS-1? The trick with saving patches on a synth like that is to take a picture. Some people make a recording to go with it, but that seems too much like work. MIDI In and MIDI Out are wired differently - look up the MIDI Specification diagram. That's probably how it tells.
Well damn I’m glad I got mine at a Saver’s for $8 And this was after previously passing up on an $8 rockband keytar at savers - I wanna say this was 2016, or 2017?
If you don’t ever plan to use it with the game again, you can solder a resistor on that will lock it in midi mode and that will fix the issue with it not recognizing your midi device. I had to do this because I use a WIDI adapter and it wouldn’t recognize that but Keytars are really best when wireless, right? As for being designed to be a keytar, Harmonix - the publisher of the games - later came out and said that it was always meant to be a keytar but they were co-publishing with MTV when it came out and MTV thought calling it a Keytar would make it uncool. And I do use my rock back keytar with my game boy and my Elektron Sidstation - synth made out of the sound chip from the Commodore 64. I also have modified Atari paddles that I use to control settings on my synths. I’ve somehow walked face first into my entire aesthetic being video game based.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
Just stumbled on this and admire the lack of ultra polished professionalism. You're like a type of RUclipsr that used to exist pre 2015 ish or whatever, I respect that. And I feel more informed on the nuances of keytar than I ever thought possible, so thanks for that.
@@DeadWhiteButterflies Pink is perfect for that old youtube vibe, I love it
Same here. I miss those days.
Thank you Pink, you shared a goldmine worth of info with a $30 toy.
Pink, your enthusiasm for keytars is infectious :)
It's good to see you again! I hope you're enjoying the holidays so far. Happy New Year!
I knew I stayed subscribed for a reason. Welcome back. I own that midi controller and I use it loads
I've gigged the Rock Band keytar in two different bands, using the Wii version which I got for $23 new from Amazon at the time. I set it up wirelessly with the USB dongle plugged into an ancient MacBook running MainStage and some custom Lua code. This allowed me to reassign all the controls to whatever messages I wanted.
Welcome back Pink!
I still have my Wii version of the Rock Band "keytar" and I think it's handy to have around. I use it to control random things, like sound modules and eurorack (with a MIDI-CV/gate adapter). I don't think I plug it into USB-MIDI adapters very often so I had no idea there was even a compatibility issue with it not sensing MIDI mode.
YOURE BACK!
Pink and her cat should be a permanent resident of Nick Batt channel. Dammit i can only imagine how cool these two would look together on camera and comliment each other with their wits. Also... i mean tf my dudes even toys-r-us keyboards have midi-out and some of the not-very-beginner midi keyboards don't have it (i'm talking to you Korg, Rloand and others). Also Pink is the best and somebody from Cosmopolitan should interview her. I'm dead serious! Marry Xmas Pink and all the cats and even a dumb dog (i found myself a dumb one too!)
Welcome back Pink! I hope 2025 is a better year you 😊
Coolness achieved
Merry Synthmas. Much peace to you and the critters. Never considered my old rockbam controler for midi tbh 😅
This is why you're a great channel.
I'm looking for one of these now 😯
We will never forget you Pink
That is a nice christmas gift. And the question "How are they hanging?" is also answered - nicely secured where they belong :)
Merry Christmas!
I just got my 1st keytar 2 days ago at 21y! I am going to be checking out your channel!!! I am a trained musician but keytar is definitely not my territory😅
it really punches above its weight; I'm tempted to get one for myself
Awesome. I used one of these as a MIDI controller for a while using some jank; I had no MIDI interface at the time so I had to use this jank program to plug the actual dongle into the computer and translate *that* into MIDI, so I always assumed that was the reason for all the issues I had wrt. the pitch ribbon being extremely jank. The keys felt really nice too, almost as good as the Lucina imo. I tried to actually play the game with it; Funnily enough, in the game there's a "lesson" mode that just teaches you your scales, pentatonics, chords etc... and then famously the actual Pro Keys songs are very few in number and they kinda suck. I remember that one Slipknot song that has you playing like 4 notes across the entire thing. Great video!
Xmas in pyjamas is the best!!
The RB3 keytar was my first midi keyboard ever and spent my college years next to my computer for music production
It's the only battery powered keyboard I have that outputs 5 pin midi so I like to use it with my Roland module
also i wish i could play rock band in class
the rb3 plastic midi guitar is also pretty fun (though kinda dinky because guitar is a lot harder to properly emulate). I've never tried the (midi-enabled?) real guitar because it happens to be way more expensive
final reply, I really like the pro keys mode in the game (though I find it lacking in some areas, some more fixable than others) and I've found I enjoy making charts for it now that there's a fangame that supports it (YARG's nightly build)
Merry xmas !❤
This MIDI keytar works great with Korg Volcas, and it's really handy to have if you're constructing a compact travel rig. I added a simple PSU mod which is useful too
16:20 Probably a midi active sense message being sent is what causes it to understand that its in MIDI mode. Roland units tend to send those messages still while most manufacturers have started to abandon that cause its generally not very useful
DIN 5 MIDI is unidirectional, so the interface cannot send messages to the keytar. I have two theories why the other interfaces do not work.
1.: The keytar measures the current of the MIDI signal and the other interfaces do not use an optoisolator as specified in the spec but read the signal directly with an I/O pin. This would lead to the current being too small for the keytar to detect. To test this, you could put a LED connecting pin 4 to pin 5 of the keytar
2.: The keytar checks for a connection between pin 2 and the shielding of the MIDI socket. This is not spec-compliant but it could be implemented this way due to misreading the spec (these pins should be connected for MIDI out and thru sockets (like in the keytar), but not for MIDI in (as in the interface). Also, MIDI cables should connect their shielding to pin 2 but not to the shielding of the plugs, so there is quite some room for misinterpretation). To check this, you can measure the resistance between pin 2 and the plug shielding of the interfaces. If it is near 0 for the working one and not connected for the non-working ones, this is likely - you could then to test try to connect pin 2 of the keytar to the shielding.
Note that this is speculation on my part and I know neither of the used devices and don't want to be held liable for any damage caused ;)
For the DIN 5 MIDI spec, look here: midi.org/5-pin-din-electrical-specs
@jonasgh545 Ahhh correct, I forgot it wouldnt receive anything, oops, youre correct
I found one of these at Goodwill and was surprised how well it worked with my pro keyboards (Korg Kross and Minilogue)
I had a Cazio AZ-1 i found at Cash Converters for like $50 bux, ended up selling it for like $400 because i was broke. But i miss that thing. Now I have a CZ-101 and a CZ-1000 which aren't technically keytars, but they do have the strap knobs on both ends of the keyboard, which I think that was a thing too?
I got a Korg rk100s2, I love it!
What a coincidence! Me too. Just less then a month ago.
@@evilblade666 Awesome! I love the touchstrips! Have you tried the vocoder yet? 🤖
Hairs were raised when MadCatz was mentioned
I have 4 of these lol because they were so cheap like $15.
1. Modded 1 to have internal midi usb interface and usb-c power, added octave shift buttons on the neck
2. 1 kept stock
3. 2 I was going to turn into a 4 octave poor man's SHS-200/Ax Edge but eventually ended up getting both SHS-200 and Ax Edge
Allegedly there's a needed mod on the 5 pin to let it work with the Widi master, but I use the cheaper one with its own battery and it works. It seems that they did not add the 220 ohm resistor for one of the pins.
Any generic momentary switch pedals work on rockband pedal inputs.
Can you review the Cyber G Guitar by Enya? It's a weird keytar-ish device.
Have you tried the rock band midi guitar? i've always been curious but haven't run into on in the wild
great video! jsyk though there was never a pedal that was released to go along with this controller
@@jedkronfeld6948 I haven't checked, but I've been told that the bass pedal for the drum kit worked. Someone else in the comments said that there were other pedals that work as well
Iirc the drum pedal is just a 2.5mm jack, so don't know what kind of interface you'd need to connect them; I have probably 6 of them kicking around (pun intended) for both GH and RB, as well as at least one third party pedal that connects/works the same, and they're compatible with either kit as well. The drums - at least the midi compatible ones - are far more overpriced than the keytars in any case, even with less than entry level quality, but I've been collecting since they were littering goodwills (and even curbs when people couldn't be bothered to donate them 😅)
Do you still have your Behringer MS-1? The trick with saving patches on a synth like that is to take a picture. Some people make a recording to go with it, but that seems too much like work.
MIDI In and MIDI Out are wired differently - look up the MIDI Specification diagram. That's probably how it tells.
Well damn I’m glad I got mine at a Saver’s for $8
And this was after previously passing up on an $8 rockband keytar at savers - I wanna say this was 2016, or 2017?
If you don’t ever plan to use it with the game again, you can solder a resistor on that will lock it in midi mode and that will fix the issue with it not recognizing your midi device. I had to do this because I use a WIDI adapter and it wouldn’t recognize that but Keytars are really best when wireless, right?
As for being designed to be a keytar, Harmonix - the publisher of the games - later came out and said that it was always meant to be a keytar but they were co-publishing with MTV when it came out and MTV thought calling it a Keytar would make it uncool.
And I do use my rock back keytar with my game boy and my Elektron Sidstation - synth made out of the sound chip from the Commodore 64. I also have modified Atari paddles that I use to control settings on my synths. I’ve somehow walked face first into my entire aesthetic being video game based.
Would the Roland UM-ONE-MK2 One in Two Out Midi Cable work as well?
@@zachawav that's the one I use!
a keytarist? you wanna do a solo sometime?
midi came out in the 70s
It did not, actually. 💜
I'm fkn n luv with u