How to Connect a Yamaha PSR-172 Keyboard to a Computer

Yamaha PSR-172 has MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) in and out ports that connect to a computer. There are several other connection options, such as installing a sound card that has a MIDI port in the computer and then connecting the Yamaha PSR-172. But this is outdated, as all motherboards today come with an integrated sound card without MIDI ports. Moreover, adding an extra sound card that has a MIDI port will require an additional software driver. So a USB-to-MIDI cable is a good choice because it is a plug-and-play cable. All operating systems will have a pre-installed integrated software driver for this USB cable.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• User manual for Yamaha PSR-172 keyboard USB-to-MIDI connecting cable UX-16

1. Locate the power switch in the left top corner of the PSR-172; put the switch in "Standby" mode.

2. Connect the USB cable UX-16 USB port end to the computer's USB port.

3. The other end of the UX-16 USB cable has the MIDI port circular opening. Connect these two ports--one will connect in and other will connect out--to the MIDI ports located at the rear end left-most ports.

4. Switch on the YAMAHA PSR 172 by sliding the switch to "On" from the "Standby" position. The computer will identify the USB plug-in and will automatically install the software driver required by the musical device.

Tips & Warnings

• You can add connections to the computer from different MIDI sources by replacing the USB-to-MIDI cable with a VL70M cable.
• Never replace the batteries of the PSR-172 with the power switched to "On" and with the USB cable connected to the computer. Do not unplug the USB end from computer without activating the "safely remove" icon in the system tray.

References

• Yamaha Keyboard Guide