I was recently forced to use the Yamaha usb midi driver for my motif due to the purchase of the Steinberg MR816CSX audio interface which has no midi built in to it. I previously was using an Emu1616m with a laptop and i must say while i’m here, the MR816CSX is without a doubt an impressive package. Back on the subject the Yamaha usb midi device is over the top noisy, when it’s not active the steinberg is almost deadly silent at maximum volume, activate the usb midi controller (which makes the motif acts as a multi midi interface) and a wall of noise emanates from the moniters, unplug the usb cable from the motif and its back to near silence.
Is there a work around to this scenario while still using the said device as i like what it gives or will i have to get a proper midi interface..........Here’s what i found with a 2 minute search on the internet.

* From: “Nate Najar”
* Date: 22 Nov 2005 15:13:55 -0800

“One trick that might work is to get another MIDI interface and use
that
to connect to the MIDI IN and OUT ports on the Motif. Maybe that will
provide the isolation that the Motif by itself doesn’t (but should). “

Motif has its own power supply- everything in the room is on the same
circuit at the panel so technically it should all be on the same
ground. Noise goes away by disconnecting the motif from the mackie.
Or by disconnecting the usb from the motif. The advantage to the usb
is it allows multiple midi ports, not just one- so you get more than 16
channels. I can also then have my controller hooked directly up to the
motif’s midi in and play it without the computer on. Obviously none of
that means anything if it’s noisy. Unless I can find a way to fix the
noise issue, the only way to get rid of it is to use the midi in and
out on my fw interface, be stuck with 16 channels and turn on pro tools
every time I want to edit sounds on the sound module. Oh well, at
least the noise was found. Thanks again for your help.

Nate

Re: Noisy Yamaha USB midi on Motif ES6

Hi Nate,
Since I can’t be there to go over your system (you seem to be quite aware of what is going on though yourself) it’s hard to say why the USB connection is supposedly creating noise in your system. It could be any of a dozen things. I also understand your desire to take advantage of the benefits offered by that type of connection, but on the other hand, unless you can find out why the connection is noisy, I suggest that you’ve already described a suitable workaround ("One trick that might work is to get another MIDI interface and use that to connect to the MIDI IN and OUT ports on the Motif. Maybe that will provide the isolation that the Motif by itself doesn’t (but should).) “ And, IMHO, 16 MIDI channels often should be more than sufficient if typical recording procedures are followed.

Re. the ‘grounding of your Motif etc., how have you got things grounded? Does everything connect to one central point ("starfield") and is not connected in series? Have you tried any isolation transformers? Sounds more like a hardware problem or a difference in potential to me rather than the driver, which we know is solid. I assume too that you’ve tried various combinations of connections and another MIDI cable etc.??................frank

Re: Noisy Yamaha USB midi on Motif ES6

Thanks Frank, i’m not going to mess about anymore as i’m convinced it’s the usb device that’s the problem.every piece of hardware in my studio does’nt suffer with this problem. the Motif is silent when i use just the midi in and out 5pin din fitted to the back plate, as i have said before its only when i plug in the usb lead that the noise appear’s. i’m a skilled electrician and know how to track down a fault but i’ve tried every option and it just keeps pointing back to the usb device i also removed and reloaded the driver software a few times to no avail, so i’ve decided to buy a dedicated midi interface.

Re: Noisy Yamaha USB midi on Motif ES6

Just like to add that there was an article in sound on sound explaining the exact same issue with ground problems with laptops in the december 2008 issue. Looks like i need a universal double insulated transformer supply to solve my problem. Funny that was the only thing i did’nt try, as in unplugging the power supply to the laptop and running it of the battery, when i did the noise vanished with the usb cable still plugged in between the motif and laptop....HAPPY DAYS.

Re: Noisy Yamaha USB midi on Motif ES6

Only problem with running your laptop on battery is many reduce the speed at which they operate. Get yourself one of the dashboards that give you a readout of your CPU speed. You may find that you cannot run nearly as many functions when you operate via battery, as many laptops reduce CPU speed (severely) to save energy.

I’m glad you discovered that it is not true that “the Yamaha usb midi device is over the top noisy” but, in fact, the noise is actually soemthing that almost any USB connection can fall victim to… I get tired of sounding defensive about this… I guess it is only natural to blame your gear.

But ground noise gets into the best places - no where on the planet are you totally immune. The thing is to know what to do and get it taken care of… Thanks again to Sound-on-Sound for their many resources are articles on the subject...!!!
And, thank you, for posting that you found out about it!
/forums/images/icons/smile.gif alt=

Re: Noisy Yamaha USB midi on Motif ES6

Ah-ha! Glad you found a solution, Nate. Hope “the ‘grounding of your Motif etc., how have you got things grounded? Does everything connect to one central point ("starfield") and is not connected in series? Have you tried any isolation transformers? Sounds more like a hardware problem or a difference in potential to me” was also helpful in pointing you in the right direction? /forums/images/icons/smile.gif alt=

That article you mentioned is not the first one in SOS that dealt with these types of problems, but laptops seem more susceptible to them than desktops for obvious reasons. We’ve also had other forum members report here that various types of transformers solved their problems which were similar. Well done, and I’m pleased the problem has been resolved. Thanks for letting us know.................frank

Re: Noisy Yamaha USB midi on Motif ES6

Yeah guy’s i could’nt leave people thinking the yamaha usb device was dodgy. All my yamaha gear has worked straight out the box and performed to a high standard and are all still working without ever developing a fault. Back to the laptop, i’m in the middle of getting a power supply recommended by sound on sound here in the UK, as i’ve mentioned in my previous post that’s where my ground problem lies. As in regards to Frank’s question about how all my supplies are fed, i’ve got two extension leads one 6-way and one 4-way both with anti surge protection plugged into a twin socket outlet, so yes i do have a star configeration.

Re: Noisy Yamaha USB midi on Motif ES6

I’d just like to add that i replaced the factory fit mains power supply to my laptop with this version (http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=217916) and my recording setup is now back running in near silence. Anybody with the same problem just make sure the power lead to the transformer for the laptop only has two cores (live + neutral) no earth although it will proberbly have a UK three pin plug attached to it here in the UK.

Re: Noisy Yamaha USB midi on Motif ES6

Good tip, Nate. It’s also fortunate that you have the ability to complete some of those modifications yourself; others may not be that talented.....and might be better off getting some assistance instead. /forums/images/icons/smile.gif alt= Anyway, glad that your problem has now been solved and thanks for posting the solution..............frank