Question about MIDI cables

[spooky130u@gmail.com]

I've tried two different types of MIDI cables so far, the cheap one that cam with my M-AUDIO HAMMER 88 keyboard, and another one with ferrite cores on each end to block noise. The first was 6' and the second 10'. Both had the connection between LMMS and the keyboard failing constantly at random intervals (sometimes days, sometimes hours or less). When it fails, and I restart LMMS after unplugging both ends for about a minute, it sometimes still fails and I have to repeat the process several times.

Is the cheap USB to the old printer type USB just a basically bad cable for MIDI? Should I instead go to one of those MIDI cords with the 5 pin DIN connectors at one end, a converter close to the USB side, and then a USB C connector after that? The keyboard MIDI controller only has the pin MIDI OUT, so one of those would just be left dangling.

I have read a bit, but the more I read, the less I understood. First, the minimum I can use is 6', and that's running the cable across my computer desk to get to my laptop's USB ports.

Suggestions, anyone?

Thanks

[Gps]

I fear we need somebody who knows slackware.

I have this controller and it works fine in LMMS on openSUSE.
Keystation Mini 32

https://m-audio.com/keystation-mini32-mk3

Its hooked up with a simple usb cable, not a true midi cable with din plugs.

The forum I link, can help you better with a question like this.
https://linuxmusicians.com/index.php

There people there who know a lot more about Linux, then musikbear and me.

I do wonder if you would not be better of by using a different distro.
You seem to run into a lot of issues you would not have on certain other distro's.

To be clear I have nothing against slackware, but not many people use it as far as I know, what means less good support / help.

Maybe this page can help?
https://alien.slackbook.org/blog/config ... -as-a-daw/

[spooky130u@gmail.com]

I don't like the other distributions. If I had had any success at mirroring my 32" external monitor / TV with Slackware / X11, I'd be running it with ctwm (twm with multiple desktops and a window showing a preview of each (not much of a preview, just an outline). I used to run ctwm with X11 on my custom built BSD 4/2 :Linux, back when sunsite.org was around. I also ran it on FreeBSD. The only problem I ran into was the ancient 586 that my BSD 4.2 Linux was running on. It worked a LOT better when I used it on a better PC at work (ca 1994)..

I cut my teeth on Unix starting in college. When it came time where I had to use whatever M$ Word was called back then (1984), I had to have my roommate show me how to load it on M$ Dos (a super powerful XT with a huge 64k of RAM). But when I needed to get work done, I'd either use one of the Vaxes with BSD 4.2 IF a terminal was available, otherwise Vax/VMS, and I'd use TeX instead of that word processor garbage...much simpler. I also had classes where we used AT&T SYSTEM V on old 3B2 systems. Yeah, I've been a Unix (and UNIX on the 3B2s) user since then. That's why I chose Slackware. I don't need or want anyone dumbing Unix down for me.

But Slackware IS new to me, and I've NEVER used WINE (why would I want to? Yes, I used a Dosbox to run Larry Bond's naval combat simulation called HARPOON (Commander/s Edition). Sadly, I lost the disks for it. But WINE? I just, once again made my escape from CrashOS. Thinking about running a CrashOS environment is counterintuitive for me.

So, yes, I need running VST DLLs in WINE for LMMS running on Slackware explained to me in lots of detail. In this regard, think of me as a beginner.

Oh, and a lot of the past issues turned out to be the thumb drive I was installing Slackware with. I had a few more bad installs after a screen capture app, VokoscreenNG, as I was uninstalling it, asked to remove its directory. Sure, I said, not knowing that "its directory" was set by someone to be /usr/bin ... yes, it removed /usr/bin. So I tried to re-install from it, and got errors during the install that I'd never seen before. New USB stick, filesystem errors...can't proceed. Repeat. Installed the exact same iso file on a blank DVD/R. Perfect clean install, past issues ancient history. Other issues that I'm seeing now are things I've never worked with before, or things that I'm told do NOT happen on Slackware, like pulse audio screwing with MY volume levels (but SOMETHING is...it's only one song that I start my sleep music with, Memory by Epica (symphonic power metal), and only when I'm about to go to bed. As soon as Simone (prn See Mon Eh) starts singing, the volume jumps from 45 to about 80--85. It doesn't do that for anything else, anywhere, nor does it do that for that song any other time. You can hopefully see why this is a big mystery. I have never encountered such a strange event, repeated every night, before.

So yes, there are problems ... problems like VLC doing that, for Epica;s song, Memory (Simone, a part of Epica's symphonic choral group, and piano). I would think that if anything, it might reduce the volume when Frozen Crown starts up, but it doesn't. And I'm also trying to figure out why Mutt (with ssl, tls, start_tls, and SMTP won't authorize a connection with the correct username/passwd. Fails every time, but fetchmail, same configuration, connects every time (And yes, I did the usual .configure with all of those (well, not tls---it's got to be included with, probably ssl, because there wasn't an option for it specifically.

Anyways, my two cats, one of which is a very large Norwegian Forest Cat, are swarming around me wanting their dinners, and I'm ready for mine, too, so thanks for any detailed (start WINE, run the VSTs in WINE, access them from LMMS (is there a specific path to get from native Linux to those VSTs running in WINE? And so on.

Thanks

[Gps]

No need to think about anything in general.

Install wine, open up LMMS, open Vestige, and browse to the .dll file.

The .dll can be in any folder on Linux. Downloads for example.

I made a folder called VST, just in home, not in wine.
I put all the vst I have in this folder.

It becomes complicated if vst come as an exe. Not all work, some do.
I right click those, then choose install with wine.

Then to find the dll, you have go to into wine.

If wine is installed right, you will see in your home directory, a hidden folder .wine.
You can just browse and you should see a small windows environment.
So a C:\ drive windows folders like program files. The .dll file wil be there some were.

But still from LMMS it is simple you just browse to the .dll file.

[spooky130u@gmail.com]

Ok, so if WINE is running, accessing a DLL, no matter where it is, will run under Wine (tired of making/seeing that in all caps...sorry). That makes more sense. OR I'll find them under Program\ Files.

Thanks for the much clearer explanation. That's exactly what I was asking for. Like I said, the only Wine I've ever used is Thai cooking wine, and the only kind I've had is the kind usually made from grapes (but definitely not always).

Again, thanks. Now back to MIDI cables (and I don't think my lack of knowledge there means I need to move down to a dumbed down Linux). So I'll be repeating the above questions in the Linux Musicians group. Good call on that one. Thanks.

[Gps]

We agree, You will learn a lot more from getting it to work on slackware.

I am on openSUSE and one the reason I am not that good with Linux, is that on openSUSE I don't have too.

I have even been considering to install Arch, just to get a better understanding of Linux.
Fun fact, some Arch users jump to openSUSE tumbleweed because its more user friendly.

Under our desktops, its still the same Linux kernel.

[spooky130u@gmail.com]

Gps: that's a great thing about Linux---there's something for people with all Unix (and UNIX(tm)) experience levels. The first computer I used ran BSD 4.2. The next semester, add AT&T System V on some old AT&T 3B2 systems. (No, I don't like SYS V.)

[Gps]

The good old days in my book, when microsoft had not yet won, on the desktop.

At work I have worked on UNIX, a cad program called cadam. Very expensive IBM hardware with a 19" monitor.
Our keyboards were also special, they had some characters on certain keys, you used in the cad program.

I think they were RS6000 systems, like this.
Only years later these programs also got an windows version.

[ChomleyHR]

As for using USB cables from an old printer, it's not the most suitable option for MIDI connection. MIDI and USB have different protocols. Right now, I have another issue. I'm working on a university assignment and using narrative story examples which is described on https://goodmenproject.com/education-2/ ... versities/, which, in my opinion, is a good service with a lot of examples. If you've used it, could you share your thoughts? I didn't receive education in my time, and now I'm working on it because I consider it important.