Nord User Forum

[analogika]

The Stage 2 and Stage 3 have MIDI Soft Thru in the Extern section.

[maxpiano]

The Stage 2 and Stage 3 have MIDI Soft Thru in the Extern section.

True, but limited to the matching channels (from NS2 manual):

Extern MIDI Soft Thru
Incoming MIDI that matches the Global or Slot A/B channels can be re-routed on the Extern channel to the Stage 2’s MIDI OUT jack or the USB interface, if the Extern section is active on the current Program This setting determines if this re-routing should apply or not
Range: Off (Default), On

and in NS3 manual you find similar wording.

[baekgaard]

The Stage 2 and Stage 3 have MIDI Soft Thru in the Extern section.

Indeed -- but I wasn't sure whether the NS3 could use the USB MIDI and DIN MIDI interchangeably; I think the NS2 treats the DIN and USB midi channels as separate (so you select either or in the settings, unlike on the NS2).

So the issue I was wondering was whether you could transmit from the PC via USB and have the DIN MIDI Out transmit what is received via USB; i.e. would Soft Thru work across the media (DIN and USB).

But... I just tested it, and it works

If you enable reception to e.g. channel A (or globally) then MIDI Thru can transmit on the DIN MIDI Out what it receives on the USB input. You can only transmit what the panel receives on its designated channel; if you send on another channel it will not do anything with the received data. So you need to transmit on the channel that either global, panel A or B is set to receive. But then you can enable the Extern section and have it transmitted forward on the channel that the extern is set up to send to! So you could receive channel 1 on panel A via USB and send the same data on to the MIDI DIN Out on channel 14, if you want.

But what the OP wanted to do cannot in be done generally on the NS3 -- if the intention was that the two instruments (Nord and some other synth) would be playing on two different channels. Unless, of course, you dedicate an non-
sounding panel to this where only the extern section is enabled.

In other words, you can have panel A set up to (and play) channel 1 and have a non-sounding panel B on channel 2 with Extern enabled that forwards data on the same channel (or possibly changing the channel on the fly). You can of course also have the NS3 play along with the external synth. But if you intend to send on channels 1 and 2 to the NS3 and desire to send on channel 14 with the intention of having it passed on to the external device via the NS3 (USB to DIN), then it cannot be done.

[anotherscott]

jesus man, just take a minute and think, i paid a lot of money for a keyboard that doesn’t have a feature that has been standard on every synth/keyboard that has come out in the last thirty years. other keyboards from before and after this era have this function.

There are plenty of keyboards that do not have soft MIDI Thru.

I have an electro 5hp and i can send midi from my compurter usb to my nord and i can send midi from my nord to an external synth, but i cant send midi from my computer usb through my nord to my synth.

This wouldnt be such a problem if i didnt want to be able to do all three of those things, without paying out for a full midi interface to compensate for a lack of a thru channel in my electro software...i truthfully dont even know if i will even be able to do what i want if i buy a bunch more gear...

so..does anyone know a way around this?

If I understand correctly:
You already have USB connection from Computer to Nord; and 5-pin DIN MIDI from Nord to External Synth.
What you need is a way to get from your computer to your External Synth.
If your external synth has both 5-pin DIN MIDI and USB, and can recognize them both simultaneously, you should be able to do what you want by adding a USB cable from the computer to the synth. (If you're out of USB ports, you'll also need a USB hub.)
Assuming your external synth can't do that, what you'd need is (as maxpiano basically said) an inexpensive USB-to-5-pin-DIN MIDI interface cable, something like a M-Audio Uno for example. Again, you'll need a free USB port on your computer, or a hub if you don't have one. The missing piece would be that you'll also need a way to plug both MIDI cables into your external synth, a MIDI Merge box like the MIDI Solutions Merger. There are other possible solutions with different MIDI interface devices and routing options, but that would probably be the most straight-forward way.

I have spoken with nord and they dont like me now..so no help there..

In my 7 years here, your posts are the most uncivil I've seen. If you take the same attitude with Nord, I'm not surprised they don't like you now.

[dcitron]

alright scott, i like you, you seem reasonable...

if a synth doesnt have a soft thru then it has a dedicated thru port...its normal, has been standard for over 30 years, the addition of the USB shouldnt really affect its capability unless its just purposely set up inefficiently. the soft thru is a more modern addition, because the dedicated thru port is becoming obsolete.

the only way i can figure this out is if i get a usb-midi interface with multiple outs (that i assume is not only powered by the usb but can also transmit the midi data) and then run one midi cable to my electro and then another midi out of the nord into a splitter that then goes into my synth, and another cable that goes from the interface to the synth through the splitter....(buy interface, buy 3 midi cables, buy midi cable splitter, have no more usb ports on the comp or buy a powered usb hub, and i lose the ability to record midi from the nord)

or, usb into nord, midi from nord to synth..done...oh wait..nord says no.. (1 midi cable, 1 usb cable)

i know im a bit of an extremist but you must be able to see why this has led to extreme amounts of frustration? (especially since the stage and lead(or rack i cant remember) offer it..)

i thought the northern europeans were all about efficiency...

i dont mind if nord doesnt like me, its fine, in life sometimes people dont like you, the same worms will eat all of us

[cgrafx]

Fully supported Midi over USB on keyboards is a fairly recent development. Your keyboards are NOT USB interfaces.

You don't need a splitter, get a 2 port midi interface with some routing on it and you can wire each keyboard independently.

There are lots of interfaces that will do this. I've had pretty good experiences with the iConnectivity iConnectMIDI2+, and pretty much anything from MIDI Solutions.

One USB port, One USB cable and 4 MIDI cables will get you into and out of both keyboards and allow you to do anything you'd like to do between your computer and your keyboards.

[anotherscott]

if a synth doesnt have a soft thru then it has a dedicated thru port...its normal, has been standard for over 30 years, the addition of the USB shouldnt really affect its capability unless its just purposely set up inefficiently. the soft thru is a more modern addition, because the dedicated thru port is becoming obsolete.

You're half right, that soft thru became a "thing" when mfrs started leaving off the dedicated thru ports. But there have been many thru-less boards with no soft-thru. In fact, in my experience, it's possible that more boards lack it than have it! Some that I know of that appear to lack soft thru include...
Korg: SV1, Kross, Krome, M50, Grandstage, KingKorg (off-hand I actually don't know of any Korg without a MIDI Thru that implements soft thru, do you?)
Yamaha: MX, MOX, MOXF (actually same as Korg, I don't know any that have it, do you?)
Roland: VR-09/VR-730 (but the FA series half has it... it offers it through USB, but not with data that comes in over the 5-pin DIN MIDI IN)

Even if a board has it, I wouldn't assume it would do what you're looking for, which is not the traditional soft thru (echo the DIN MIDI In to the DIN MIDI Out), but something newer, echoing he USB MIDI in to the DIN MIDI Out. Some boards actually do not even let you use the DIN and the USB MIDI connections at the same time!

the only way i can figure this out...

There are multiple ways to do it. I gave you an alternate approach, as, I believe, did cgrafx.

[Johannes]

I cannot believe what I have read....
If there will need of any proof of "great community" here, the proof is just there:
People being insulted and still giving answers to the guy....

[baekgaard]

... especially since the stage and lead(or rack i cant remember) offer it..)...

I'm not sure if you read my mail above, but I tested for you whether this works on the Stage 3.

It doesn't.

At least not the way I think you want to use it.

The Stage 3 allow you to set up two Panel MIDI channels. What you send on a channel goes to all instruments on that Panel. This includes the External section. The External section is the only place where you can enable Soft Thru. You can also remap the channel here, but it doesn't really help you: The External section only receives (and thus can forward) on the channel that the rest of the instruments on the Panel also uses.

So in other words: If you want to have your external synth play the same notes as one or both panels of the Nord, you're good. So you can layer strings on top of pianos, if you want. Also, if you are satisfied with only using half of your Nords instruments, you can mute e.g. Panel B and then play Panel A and your external synth independently through Panel B Extern. But you cannot play all instruments on the Nord independently from the external synth.

Using a global MIDI channel doesn't help here either.

i thought the northern europeans were all about efficiency...

Oh, we are We're generally also polite and want to help others. Many others here have tried that too.

BTW: If you think all other instruments support MIDI Thru the way you want to use it, why don't you just put your synth first in the chain and then let it forward to your Nord? That should work, eh?

[dcitron]

The Stage 2 and Stage 3 have MIDI Soft Thru in the Extern section.

Indeed -- but I wasn't sure whether the NS3 could use the USB MIDI and DIN MIDI interchangeably; I think the NS2 treats the DIN and USB midi channels as separate (so you select either or in the settings, unlike on the NS2).

So the issue I was wondering was whether you could transmit from the PC via USB and have the DIN MIDI Out transmit what is received via USB; i.e. would Soft Thru work across the media (DIN and USB).

But... I just tested it, and it works

thought you said it works on the stage? ive found other forums where people say that the soft through works on the stage?

i think at some point people have become confused as to what im trying to do, im a visual person so i drew a picture, first set-up is what i want, second is what i think will almost give me what i want(but is possible)

to clarify, i want to be able to send midi info out of my computer into my nord, i would like that same information to be able to be sent to my synth, i would also like to be able to send midi info played on the nord to the synth.

its an analogue modular synth so it has no capability of being 'played', hence why it would make sense to use the electro (which as someone pointed out somewhere is geared towards piano touch and play-ability, which, for a pianist, makes it perfect as a controller for playing a synth..)

and fair do's scott, there are synths that dont have midi thru, but realistically people dont really buy them unless they dont want to chain anything together, or they have cash to burn. And while USB as a MIDI substitute is a more modern design addition the fundamentals of how USB works should really make it more user friendly rather than less, any company that chooses not to set their software up to make the USB and MIDI function in harmony are dropping the ball pretty severely as far as im concerned.