I just bought the bundle all kit, very excited and curious! I am hoping that I will be able to set up Zynthian to be controlled as a synthesizer with my wife’s keytar. First, is that possible? Second, do you think it is possible to connect wirelessly through the USB wireless receiver that comes with the Alesis Vortex 2?
The Vortex 2 is class compliant so it should work fine.
Thanks for your response Baggypants! I sure hope you’re right! Is there somewhere online that explains how to 1) transform the USB input into midi and route it to the right place (or does it “just work”?), 2) set up patches that can be chosen by the vortex?
Zynthian midi-router will take care of it. Just check it’s all running on the same channel.
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I am going to jump in before @wyleu and ask for more than the obligatory sound sample. Please add a video of this in action. It would be great to see and hear Zynthian being played with this controller.
Make sure you update Zynthian to ensure USB MIDI is recognised correctly at boot and it should just work fine.
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Why thank you @riban and of course if you yourself would like to contribute a bit of guitar zynth action we need say no more about it: we 
How would I go about updating Zynthian? Does the version of the software shipped not include USB midi hosting? Hopefully, the USB MIDI device would be recognized at boot time AND when plugged in after boot time. There are other devices such as this https://kentonuk.com/product/midi-usb-host-mkii/ that can provide USB midi hosting, but I’m very much hoping that won’t be necessary because of the expense and the PITA. This is a live performance situation where we need simplicity, less things to go wrong, not to mention schlepping and setup time.
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Absolutely, more than happy to make a video if all works as hoped! I have been checking out videos from this guy, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9ytdfWNbYk which are extremely helpful.
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The zynth can be updated from the webconf interface or from the GUI or if you are feeling really adventurous via an external terminal. But the webconf is probably the easiest way to go. You need to connect your zynth to a pc or similar via an Ethernet cable and once you’ve seen an Ethernet light on the pi flicker you can type zynthian.local in chrome or Firefox and you might see a webconf page. If not you will need the ip address of the zynth which can be found via an hdmi screen attached to the zynth or perhaps from an attached router.
WiFi isn’t selected on the zynth at start up but needs to be started to use it so it needs configing and for that you Need network access… Security you know:grimacing:
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Okay, thanks @wyleu, good to know! So, you’re talking about a configuration change, not updating/reinstalling the software. My v3 kit is still probably about 2 weeks out since I’m in the US. Will definitely let you all know what I find when it arrives and I have a chance to play with it.
The update function that goes back to the zynth site to get the most recent code is also available via the admin section of the touchscreen GUI so in your case that’s the easiest way of updating the code once you have a boot able image
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No need to add USB interface. Just plug in your Vortex. There was a bug triggered by USB devices being plugged in at boot which was recently fixed hence the recommendation to update to reduce risk of problems. It updates the Zynthian firmware / software.
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Hi ! Looking forward to your experience with the Vortex and the Zynthian.
I look after a disabled person who has a Vortex + an old Roland Sound Canvas. It’s kinda limited ATM (no aftertouch, old sounds etc.) And also he has to use a MIDI cable which is not handy.
It you manage to get it to work wireless with the Zynthian, I’m sure he’ll want one.
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Hi @malen, I just received the Zynthian last night and assembled it. Surprised how fast it got to Oregon from Spain. Now I need to round up a sd card and card reader to load the software. So, things are moving along, and I will definitely let you and others know when I have something functioning!
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Yes, I lived in Eugene from '77 to '94 when I moved to Portland.
That was a Riot wasn’t it ?
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lol
So, using the keytar with the USB midi wireless just worked! Plug the USB dongle into Zynthian, select a sound and play. I’ve been exploring sounds. What I need to do now is create a set of presets that can be accessed from the 8 pads on the vortex II. Demo to come.
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