# Connecting Older MIDI keyboard to newer low-profile PC **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 10, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connecting-older-midi-keyboard-to-newer-low-profile-pc/524440 "2010-01-10T23:16:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connecting-older-midi-keyboard-to-newer-low-profile-pc/524440/1 "2010-01-10T23:16:23Z")
This deals with a musical instrument so maybe it’d do better over at Cafe Society, but since it’s mostly a technical question I figure I’ll ask it here. I’ve got an older (I think maybe late-80’s) Roland keyboard that has the big round MIDI connectors on the back. In the past, I used a cable that went from those connectors to a gameport, but I just got a new HP slimline which has no gameport and only two “low profile” PCI slots that my old soundcard won’t fit in. So what do I need to do to get this thing connected? I would just get a new sound card, but as near as I can tell none of the ones that will fit in the little slots have gameports. Googling, I’ve seen some adapters that go from gameport to USB-- is this all I need? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connecting-older-midi-keyboard-to-newer-low-profile-pc/524440/2 "2010-01-11T00:15:27Z")
Is [this](http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=224728&C=SO&U=strat15) or [this](http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=48612&C=SO&U=strat15) what you need? ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connecting-older-midi-keyboard-to-newer-low-profile-pc/524440/3 "2010-01-11T00:36:21Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Is [this](http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=224728&C=SO&U=strat15) or [this](http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=48612&C=SO&U=strat15) what you need? Well, I’m hoping all I need is something like this: [http://www.directron.com/gm168199.html?gsear=1](http://www.directron.com/gm168199.html?gsear=1) Or I see in terms of direct midi-to-usb cables there are ones that are $60 (like that one), but there’s also ones that are only a few bucks like this one on Amazon: [Amazon.com: HDE USB to MIDI Cable PC to Synthesizer Microphone Keyboard Instrument Converter Adapter for Home Music Studio : Musical Instruments](http://www.amazon.com/MIDI-Cable-Converter-Music-Keyboar/dp/B001LJUVO4) Is this just a matter of audiophiles being suckers for expensive cables, or is there actually some major functional difference in the $6 one versus the $60? Are the $6 ones just cable adapters that lack some sort of gizmo included in the $60 ones that I’ll need to make this work? ---
**Author:** ![rockypg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aeb1de/32.png) [@rockypg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockypg)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connecting-older-midi-keyboard-to-newer-low-profile-pc/524440/4 "2010-01-11T05:28:21Z")
Disclaimer: I don’t own any of these devices. That being said, I would purchase the direct midi-USB cable and get rid of the game port connector completely. yes the cheaper one. It’s virtually impossible to get a PC with a gameport nowadays, its obsolete. So the few products still supporting it seem to be selling at a premium. Can’t imagine how the $60 cable is superior in anyway to the $6 cable, and it adds the extra inconvenience of a go between port format. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connecting-older-midi-keyboard-to-newer-low-profile-pc/524440/5 "2010-01-11T05:38:01Z")
I have an old roland keyboard, and I also have the cheap cable in your last link. Works just fine. When I first played using it, the latency was quite high but this is more to do with software, sound card issues etc (which were correctable in my case), than the interface. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connecting-older-midi-keyboard-to-newer-low-profile-pc/524440/6 "2010-01-11T08:34:17Z")
First up, a USB game port adapter will not work - Creative started using unassigned pins on the game port to semi-expose the midi interface (to save space) and some other manufacturers followed suit, but a USB game port adapter will not include the midi interface hardware that a sound card might. You need a USB-Midi interface, and given that a midi interface is just a specific sort of serial interface with opto-isolation, the cheap one should work just as well as the expensive one. Si