Problem w/ crumar DK61 as aux keyboard

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playsabadguitar
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Problem w/ crumar DK61 as aux keyboard

Post by playsabadguitar »

I’m using the Crumar DK61 as a midi controller/aux KB with my Stage 4 Compact.

At seemingly random points the two boards stop communicating and the Crumar goes silent. To get it back, I need to disconnect the midi cable from the Nord and plug it back in. Unplugging the Crumar’s power and plugging it back in does not fix it. Disconnecting the midi from the Crumar and plugging it back in does not work either.
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Re: Problem w/ crumar DK61 as aux keyboard

Post by FZiegler »

Communicating isn't that much of an appropriate term if we are talking about classical MIDI. As far as I understand, the Crumar is sending data (MIDI-out) and the Stage is receiving (MIDI-in). No talking to each other.

Hopefully, you haven't connected them in both directions (two cables) and created a MIDI loop? Which could explain why at some point one of them is overloaded and quits service.

You don't have a third keyboard that sends DIN-MIDI, do you? Just to swap it with the Crumar and see if the latter is the culprit.

I'm a little amazed by your description: You say that disconnecting the MIDI cable from the Crumar doesn't help, disconnecting it from the Nord does. That shouldn't happen because in both cases MIDI is disconnected between both of them. What if the cable is the problem? Or there's something totally weird inside the MIDI socket of the Nord: That's some sort of circuit to disconnect the Nord electrically from the connection line (an optocoupler).
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Eumel
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Re: Problem w/ crumar DK61 as aux keyboard

Post by Eumel »

Hi,

I‘m curious: are you - besides the described problem - happy with the DK61?

Thanks

Eumel
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maxpiano
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Re: Problem w/ crumar DK61 as aux keyboard

Post by maxpiano »

FZiegler wrote: 13 May 2026, 17:22 Communicating isn't that much of an appropriate term if we are talking about classical MIDI. As far as I understand, the Crumar is sending data (MIDI-out) and the Stage is receiving (MIDI-in). No talking to each other.

Hopefully, you haven't connected them in both directions (two cables) and created a MIDI loop? Which could explain why at some point one of them is overloaded and quits service.

You don't have a third keyboard that sends DIN-MIDI, do you? Just to swap it with the Crumar and see if the latter is the culprit.

I'm a little amazed by your description: You say that disconnecting the MIDI cable from the Crumar doesn't help, disconnecting it from the Nord does. That shouldn't happen because in both cases MIDI is disconnected between both of them. What if the cable is the problem? Or there's something totally weird inside the MIDI socket of the Nord: That's some sort of circuit to disconnect the Nord electrically from the connection line (an optocoupler).
Good analysis, I would just add that, considering that DK61 has only a MIDI OUT (DIN) I would look at the MIDI cable first (then also do a test with a different external master)

EDIT: of course unless both are also connected via USB to a computer and some MIDI routing loop happens at that level, but it doesn't seem to be the case here.
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Re: Problem w/ crumar DK61 as aux keyboard

Post by playsabadguitar »

Thanks for the responses.

I am using a single midi cable from the Crumar “midi out” port to the Nord “midi in.”

I do not have this problem when I use my electro as a midi controller/aux kb.

I do not have another keyboard to use as a master, so I can’t test that.

This problem has happened once since I made the original post. I had to disconnect the midi cable at both ends and reconnect it to get sound back.
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playsabadguitar
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Re: Problem w/ crumar DK61 as aux keyboard

Post by playsabadguitar »

Eumel wrote: 13 May 2026, 23:29 Hi,

I‘m curious: are you - besides the described problem - happy with the DK61?

Thanks

Eumel
The DK61 works fine when I have the aux KB set to an organ tone which is how I use it most of the time. But for a few songs/programs I use the aux kb for strings, EP, etc. and it does not sound right. I assume this is because the sensor tech under the keys is different from the Nord.
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Re: Problem w/ crumar DK61 as aux keyboard

Post by pianoharri »

playsabadguitar wrote: Today, 14:46
Eumel wrote: 13 May 2026, 23:29 Hi,

I‘m curious: are you - besides the described problem - happy with the DK61?

Thanks

Eumel
The DK61 works fine when I have the aux KB set to an organ tone which is how I use it most of the time. But for a few songs/programs I use the aux kb for strings, EP, etc. and it does not sound right. I assume this is because the sensor tech under the keys is different from the Nord.
See earlier discussion viewtopic.php?p=185477#p185477
So maybe you have velocity sending disabled in your Crumar settings?
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