Extreme delay from MIDI keyboard

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jtgd
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Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2018 11:41 am

Extreme delay from MIDI keyboard

Post by jtgd »

I am new to LMMS and I am connecting keyboard to computer for the first time.
Running LMMS on Arch Linux, connecting Roland PC-200 MIDI keyboard to M-Audio MIDISPORT 4x4 Anniversary with USB.

The MIDI events arrive between 4 to 60 seconds late, and seem spread out in time. When I monitor with kmidimon I also see the events arrive late and correspond with the notes from LMMS. I am reading direct from hw:2,0,0 rather than ALSA Sequencer. The light on the MIDISPORT blinks immediately with the keypress. Clicking on the on-screen keyboard in LMMS voices immediately so it's not an audio delay.

I hope someone can shed some light and what could cause this. It seems pretty odd to me.
DavidHill
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Joined: Wed Nov 28, 2018 4:36 am

Re: Extreme delay from MIDI keyboard

Post by DavidHill »

A MIDI keyboard is an electrical device. It is more similar to a piano. Sometimes it contains wheels or buttons. They help to send command easily.
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raboof
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Re: Extreme delay from MIDI keyboard

Post by raboof »

jtgd wrote:When I monitor with kmidimon I also see the events arrive late and correspond with the notes from LMMS. The light on the MIDISPORT blinks immediately with the keypress.
This may sound weird, but have you tried plugging the midisport into other USB ports? Perhaps the USB port you are using is using the same interrupt as some very heavy process... though even then 4-60 seconds is excessive.
Shadow_7
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Re: Extreme delay from MIDI keyboard

Post by Shadow_7 »

Some of the midisport devices have firmware needs. You might be lacking.

I've had similar issues with a midi drum kit. Although the midimon (not sure if it was kmidimon) showed that midi events from the device were delayed. That device having it's own effects, soundfonts, and such. I imagine that it was setup and mod'd mod'd mod'd until so much was going on it was no longer realtime or live capable. Resetting it to factory defaults might help, or unplugging it and removing batteries if applicable to get it to reset. It wasn't my kit so I couldn't fiddle, only tried a laptop solution to see if it would help with latency. It didn't. Trying to play 4 to 60 seconds ahead of the conductor is hell as a performer in a group.
fred90
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Joined: Tue Sep 03, 2019 8:59 pm

Re: Extreme delay from MIDI keyboard

Post by fred90 »

I'm having the same problem, using a Midisport 2x2 Anniversary edition.

The suggested solutions don't seem to be relevant here: in Windows and MacOs the same hardware setup works good.
The systems usual audio delay, tested with a virtual MIDI keyboard, is much better.
Installing the midisport-firmware did not help, neither did switching from ALSA to JACK or using different USB ports. I even tried a different keyboard, which made no difference.
Tested on UbuntuStudio 18.04 and KXStudio with a variety of software tools.

I'd be greatful for any new info or ideas regarding issue!
Best Regards
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