MIDIPLUS PianoEngine USB Host MIDI Sound Module

A very nice compact & versatile MIDI sound module, offer great portability, high quality audio output & is easy to operate. The only slight let down is the latency of the LCD display that doesn’t follow the Data dial selection in real time, such that there’s a tendency to over dial the required while making selection of Sound, Channel & Volume.

I wanted a small sound module so I could play with song ideas when not running my DAW on my PC. My Nektar Panorama T4 keyboard is a USB/MIDI controller with no onboard sound, and this looked plausible. It came today and I tried it out. It makes drum loop sounds so it "works" but when hooked up with USB cable to the Nektar, no MIDI signals, and no sound. I tried changing channels etc. on the keyboard, no joy. The PianoEngine is presumably "omni" (all MIDI channels) but it doesn't say this anywhere in the useless little manual and no settings I could find.I also have a small NI Komplete Kontrol M32 keyboard and that DOES produce sound from the keyboard. The sounds are thin and cheesy like a mini-Casio from the 80's (in headphones). Not promising but I continued trying to debug the Nektar keyboard I planned to use. I tried a different USB cable, and the next thing was that the PianoEngine became non-responsive to all buttons and on/off switch. Display was on but nobody home. Possibly bricked, no info on how to reset, but just terrible engineering, terrible manual, no useful support I could find online. So I will return this cute little piece of junk. If you think a MIDI sound module for this price is too good to be true, you're right.

First, I did not appreciated receiving a used item sold as new. Device has been used, was poorly packaged and fingerprints all over it. Otherwise it does work, but I have no idea how it was used.The device was exactly what I needed to use as a midi controller for another midi device that does not have a screen or controls. All changes for the Ketron SD1000 are made thru CC#. This item was a simple solution to some of those issues. I does sound great on its own.Aside from the fact the item sent was used it otherwise performs well thus far. I will send it back at the first hint of any issues.

Midi stopped working within 24hrs. Returned for a refund

Had to send it back because it was defective. I wouldn’t say I can give a full review one way or another, but our experience was a bad one.