I use a Yamaha MX49 synth in my home setup and I’d like to change to MIDI connections from it rather than its USB in order to avoid the intrusive noises I’m getting as a result of a ground loop (MIDI is protected from this problem by its design). How can I do this? I have the following:
- Yamaha CLP130 piano with MIDI In/Out/Thru
- MX49 with MIDI In/Out
- Steinberg UR22 MkII USB audio interface with MIDI In/Out
- Windows 10 laptop with Cubase Ai 9.5
I’m struggling to find a way to make this work so that I can use the piano as a MIDI input keyboard, plus the MX49 as a sound source and a MIDI input device (it has a useful arpeggiator and some MIDI CC hardware controls). It works fine now, if noisily, with the MX and the UR22 connected to the laptop via separate USB cables but I want to get rid of the MX’s USB connection and use MIDI instead and thereby eliminate the ground loop whistles and buzzes. Any ideas?

One question: does the MIDI our of your MX49 also work as a MIDI through? TO be precise....if you’d connect your piano with the MX49 via simple MIDI out / IN, would those signals leave the MIDI out of the MX49?

I think only if that’s the case, then we can get where you want to........

I’ve thought a bit more about this problem which seems to be widespread in home studios. The best solution could be to get a USB isolator, which should make the USB connection like MIDI and not subject to ground loops, although the cheap ones (on eBay for about £8) are only USB low speed so might cause glitches.

You can DIY it too, as long as you don’t intend to power it via USB.
There are a number of threads on this forum and the net in general, this one is in itself linking to a few here.

Best of luck in reaching your silent Nirvana. ;-)