First of all, I only paid for this adaptor a couple of days ago, but the supplier (Streamline Audio Video) appears to have run out. List price is a little steep.

Some basic info:

o The overall length is about 6 feet five inches.

o The in/out midi cables are clearly marked, as in “connect to midi in” and “connect to midi out”. Other cables are confusing because they consider themselves to be a midi device. I think of this cable as more of an adaptor, and so the non-ambiguity of the labeling is much appreciated.

o The software comes on a CD and it up to date as of this writing (1/2/13). It is version 1.0.0. I checked the download site for updates, and 1.0.0 is the latest.
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I used the CD to load the driver, rebooted the mac, and hooked the cable up. It worked first time.

I tested it with the “Audio MIDI Setup” app which is in the “Utilities” folder under Applications on the mac. Make sure you select the MIDI window and expand the window in case the new device shows up off the main page (it happened to me).

Try testing both channels by selecting the UM-ONE device, clicking on “Test Setup”, and then clicking on the UP/DOWN arrows. You should hear the synthesizer in your piano make some noise when you send to it, and you should observe the arrows flash on the mac when you send from the piano keyboard .

After that, I used “MIDI Monitor” (free from […]) to verify that the interface was sending data from the yamaha DGX-500.

Then I started using it with GarageBand 09 and everything worked fine.

If you carefully read the reviews for other products of this type, as I did, you will find a large range of experience, both good and bad. I was scared off enough from all the other alternatives to try the Roland device, based on their reputation for quality gear.

I also have a MIDI-Sport 2×2 from M-Audio, and I wasted a lot of time trying to get it to work with the DGX-500. The problem turned out to be insufficient USB power – i.e., after hooking up the midi-sport to a powered USB hub, it finally started to send from the piano (also make sure you pull the latest drivers). I never could get it to send from the mac to the piano, however.

I think some of the problems with other devices may be due to how much power they draw from the USB bus. If you can’t get yours to work, try a powered hub.

I didn’t want to deal with a powered hub, which is why I purchased the UM-ONE, and I’m glad I did.

I tried installing the driver that came in the box on Windows 8.1, but no go. I went to Roland’s website, downloaded the newest driver, 1.0.2, and it installed without a problem.

Purchased: June 25, 2014 Arrived July 3, 2014
Seller: Music123

Application: Home studio recording
System: MacBook Pro 2.3 GHz i7; 4GB 1600MHz DDR3; OS X 10.8.5
Software: GarageBand ʻ11 Version 6.0.5 (428.5); Studio One (Free)
Instrument(s)/Hardware: Roland A90 EX
Use: MIDI to USB interface for using keyboard as MIDI controller for recording on MacBook Pro

So far, so good! I chose this partly because i suspected that within-brand compatibility would help prevent any interface issues. Start up was seamless.

MIDI plugs are labeled in English, with clear instructions “Connect to MIDI In” and “Connect to MIDI Out”, so physical hook-up is pretty much error-free. So far, only used to convey Note-On, Note-Off, Sustain, Velocity, and Volume info to GarageBandʻs Software Instruments – seems to be working fine in these ultimo-basic functions. Have not tried any other controller commands or system commands yet. Just installed Presonusʻ Studio One (Free), and so i havenʻt had a chance to experiment.

As of now, no problems. Iʻll try to update if anything comes up.