Turning a Rock Band 3 keyboard into a wireless MIDI controller

This is a program my son wrote a few years ago. We had converted this versatile two-octave keyboard to USB MIDI, but realised that if we could only crack the keyboard’s wireless packet format we could use it without a cable. The keyboard is a “keytar” style device that comes with a shoulder strap, and it’s light and easy to perform with in the manner of an electric guitar.

My son had some spare time so he connected the dongle and started analysing incoming signals. This is the result of his work.

You can still buy this keyboard from sellers on eBay, though prices have crept upwards. The keyboard was bundled with software for each different platform and the version we had was for Nintendo Wii. We never found out whether there were significant differences in the hardware for other platforms but it seems unlikely. Just make sure you get one with the wireless dongle, otherwise you’ll have to use the built-in MIDI socket.

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That’s a bright kid you’ve got there, @Bitnik!

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Your son looks a bit like Luke Skywalker dude. He’s got the force. Thanks for the share!

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Do let us know if you find a good use for our work.

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I’ve been using my Rock Band 3 keyboard in MIDI mode lately, using a standard MIDI cable to the Crave. Today I found the wireless dongle in a drawer so I thought I’d test this software to see if it still works under Windows 10. Thankfully the 32-bit release binary works just fine under 64-bit Windows 10 and it couldn’t be easier to use. When I plugged in the Behringer Crave and the keyboard’s wireless dongle, the keyboard automatically paired with the dongle. As soon as I started up the driver, it recognised the Crave and presented it in its menu. Then I could play the Crave wirelessly just as I did when using the MIDI cable.

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