Unexpected MIDI Problems - Need some advice please

Jbmetal

Jbmetal

Inspired
Hey y'all! So I've had my Axe II and BJ Devices TB-12 MIDI controller since 2013. I'm very familiar with all of their functionalities.

Alright, so I had to make my own cables for my rig because I wanted a simplified setup; I wanted to only have to run a single cable (other than power) to my board. So I got a 50ft DB25 cable and put together TRS - MIDI adapters on a couple of the channels. Alright, so this has always worked well for me, never really had any problems. So, I just returned from a month abroad - I left my rig at home -and upon return, I CANNOT get the Axe and TB-12 to communicate coming or going.

I checked for continuity between all three connected pins on the MIDI plugs and they're all fine, so it isn't my soldering or the cables. I checked and tried changing the MIDI channels, that's not it. Tried reseating all the cables - nope. Restarting both units - nada. I just can't seem to figure out what it is. And the weird thing is that it was working perfectly right before I left, and it hasn't been turned on or touched for a month.

Any advice for troubleshooting would be great. Maybe I'm just overlooking something or not thinking to try something. Thanks so much in advance!
 
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Do you happen to have a USB to midi adapter?

You can connect the TB-12 to your computer and run a free midi monitor like Midi-OX to see if it's sending anything.

I would suggest buying a cheap midi cable on Amazon for a few bucks to confirm it's not a problem with your cable.
 
unix-guy said:
Do you happen to have a USB to midi adapter?

You can connect the TB-12 to your computer and run a free midi monitor like Midi-OX to see if it's sending anything.

I would suggest buying a cheap midi cable on Amazon for a few bucks to confirm it's not a problem with your cable.
Click to expand...

That's a good idea. I have an 18i20 I could use. I'll try it tomorrow morning. And if that doesn't work, I'll grab another cable on Amazon.

Thanks for the suggestion!
 
I finally got around to doing some troubleshooting and have discovered, to my dismay, that it was one of the cables. I found a midi cable deep in the closet and replaced the MIDI out -> Axe cable and it's now receiving and sending messages, so all is good.
I found these guys on Amazon for cheap, so I'm gonna try replacing one side of the connectors and see if it still works. 56278
 
Jbmetal said:
I finally got around to doing some troubleshooting and have discovered, to my dismay, that it was one of the cables. I found a midi cable deep in the closet and replaced the MIDI out -> Axe cable and it's now receiving and sending messages, so all is good.
I found these guys on Amazon for cheap, so I'm gonna try replacing one side of the connectors and see if it still works. View attachment 56278
Click to expand...
That looks like a midi to TRS adapter. How does that work?
 
That's what it is.

If you take apart a MIDI cable, it's just 3 wires, exactly like you'd find if you took apart a TRS connector. So, if you just take care to solder them correctly, all is good.

This is what has allowed me to run a DB25 cable for MIDI and audio to and from my pedalboard for the past 5 years.
 
Jbmetal said:
That's what it is.

If you take apart a MIDI cable, it's just 3 wires, exactly like you'd find if you took apart a TRS connector. So, if you just take care to solder them correctly, all is good.

This is what has allowed me to run a DB25 cable for MIDI and audio to and from my pedalboard for the past 5 years.
Click to expand...
I see... So you're just using it for parts instead of buying a midi connector and wiring it up?
 
unix-guy said:
I see... So you're just using it for parts instead of buying a midi connector and wiring it up?
Click to expand...

Well, I'm hoping that it'll just be plug and play. I have 8-ch TRS looms at the ends of the DB25 cable. But if not, I can take it apart, yeah.
 
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