Keep MIDI on USB ports or get a MIDI USB Interface?

K

Kibosh

New member
Keep MIDI on USB ports or MIDI USB Interface? (Motu express 128)

Hey all. My first post here.

I have a question about MIDI interfaces. I recently got myself some hardware synths and a mixer because I got tired off the mouse. All off them have the old MIDI ports and also USB MIDI is possible. At this stage everything is hooked up to my PC with the USB ports.

But having everything hooked up on USB, isn't that asking for trouble? All those drivers running in the background? And yes, sometimes things go weird? For example adjusting the frequency off a synth through MIDI going in steps instead off smooth.

So I started to look for a MIDI interface but quicly discovered there aren't that many? I only could find 2 USB MIDI interfaces with 8x8 MIDI ports being the "MOTU MIDI Express 128" and the "ESI M8U XL". That's it! Huh :bigeyes:

Discovering that their are only two interfaces left, makes me think that an interface like that isn't all good either? Why their are only two brands that still make those things?

So what is your opinion? Let's say you have 10 hardware synths and you have to connect them to a Windows 7 64bit PC. How to proceed? Get one off those two MIDI interfaces, get a USB Hub? Or are there still other MIDI interfaces that I didn't see which work stable on a Windows 7 PC?
 
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interfaces are still useful imo.

If I were to buy today, I would be getting a MOTU 128XT so that I also have some MIDI routing features that are not tied to my daw.
 
The thing is: I swore never to buy MOTU again. I had an audio interface that never got stable. And the tech support was zero! It was 3 months off frustrations untill I returned it to get a Steinberg UR824 which worked great. Now I have a Behringer X32 wich audio driver is also very good on Windows 7.

So how is that MOTU Midi Express 128 doing under Windows 7 64bit these days (the XT is to expensive)? I found articles from 2012 that say the unit disappears each 4 days or so. They need to turn it off and on again.
 
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no interface is completely perfect, there will always be issues, including hanging MIDI notes and other messages which require a restart

the xt is going for $349 (at both sweetwater and amazon) which is very cheap in comparison to what you paid for such a beast in the 80's

the m8xl is priced at $279 which is about halfway between the above and the normal motu 128 @ $239

if you are dead serious you might consider pairing something like these

http://www.amazon.com/MIDI-Solution...al-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1410707947&sr=1-71

MIDI Solutions T8 | Sweetwater.com

but either one are out of your price range apparently

the full range of midi solutions products as held by sweetwater
MIDI Solutions | Sweetwater.com
 
Those MIDI Solution racks aren't USB interfaces. So not for me.

You might have a point about nothing being perfect, but for tech as old as MIDI, it should be. For example the Steinberg UR824 worked perfect for me as an audio interface. Really, not a single hickup. The MOTU 828mk3 Hybrid was a pain from the start up.

That said, it's not like I have much choise. I could afford the XT, but it's also from MOTU...
 
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