Logic Studio apps MIDI to controller from side of stage.

[orcasound]

Decided to give mainstage a run this year. I step outside of the studio about 8 times a year to do several shows -apprx 7 - // 5 piece band - we've been using some backing tracks the old way - mp3/wav / L=click to my drummer / R= music to mains - this year I have added a tech to run our in our monitor board - and my macbook pro, tracks- we are going to be sending 5 stems via playback to a MOTU 828.
I just need some advice on the keyboard portion - I was looking forward to having mainstage change my patches for me -so that I can leave the massive RD-700sx and the VR-760 in the control room this year - but With my laptop and mainstage being off with the monitor guy .... what is the best way to get my keyboard controller connected to macbook pro ...distance will be anywhere from 10-50 feet to side of stage, where we'll be setting up the tech's position. -
USB / with long MIDI cable ?? - can I go that long ??? - any other advice.

rds
kj
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[Doug Zangar]

MIDI specs seem to say 50 feet max, with 20 ft recommended. That seems to be for MIDI cables and MIDI through USB. Chaining is possible, increasing overall distance. So it could work, if you can control the distance

Why can't you have the laptop on stage with you and send an audio feed? Audio can travel 50 feet......

 

[orcasound]

Doug thanks for reply ... Years with a laptop next to me on stage. I'm fronting the band now so I'm moving to stage center .. Just don't want the monitor board and laptop around me...
Kj

 

[Atlas]

I don't recommend MIDI or USB cables more than 20' long especially on harsh or hazardous condition such as stage or live venues, this would definitely be looking for trouble...
I don't understand your use of MainStage here, if it is not used for what it is intended (direct visual feedback and centralized control of your musical performance). Let's hope that your tech guys know when to change the patches and nothing goes berserk...

 

[Peter Ostry]

You may consider wireless MIDI. I recommend the CME WIDI X-8 system which consists of two identical boxes, one acting as sender and one as receiver. According to the specifications it works up to 80 meters. I didn't test over this distance but played a wind controller about 50 meters outside of a location and the signal vanished around a building's corner. Very reliable and fast and a pair of AA batteries should last about 50 hours if the signal is good. From my experience the batteries last a little less but I can rely on 30-40 hours.

Each box has a MIDI In, a MIDI out and an USB jacket. It can run on batteries or with an external power supply. The radio channel is selected by dip switches for each pair, no software necessary. The connection is bidirectional (duplex) and you can use it in various configurations, basically MIDI<->MIDI or MIDI<->USB.

The X-8 is a point-to-point system, you need a pair of boxes for one connection. The second system, called X-U, is an USB stick and can work as a receiver for multiple X-8 boxes or for a CME keyboard with built-in wireless MIDI. You need to configure the radio channel and some other parameters of the stick via SysEx.

Personally I prefer the X-8 version and use two pairs of boxes, the receivers are connected to a MIDI interface. I find this more flexible and easier to handle than the USB-only X-U stick.