Good MIDI interface for syncing gear?

Hello!


After some years, finally I got an small hardware setup that freed me from making music on the computer (which is great and I love Ableton Live, but I work looking to a screen all day long and I´m easily distracted by the massive openess of the DAW).

So I now I want the OP-1/Octatrack/LXR Drumsynth/SP404SX/Microgranny/Dâm Drum 3/Korg R3/Doepfer Dark Energy/MPC 500/MFB-522/iPad talk with each other! :slight_smile: (not necessarily all together :P).

My audio interface is an old M-Audio Firewire 410, but I don´t want to sync the MIDI with the computer, so I´m searching a dedicated MIDI interface that can help me sync that stuff (especially the OP-1 and/or the Octatrack with some of the samplers/drum machines). What do you recommend? The iConnectMIDI4 appears to be a favorite here, but there are other ones that you suggest?

Thanks a lot! :slight_smile:

I use a Kenton USB midi host to connect my ipad or OP-1. It’s cheaper than the alternatives, but only features a single USB port and single midi port.

I also use a Midi Solutions quadra thru. It is midi powered and can divide a single input to four separate outputs. I run my octatrack into that and use the four outs to control other gear.

Kenton:
http://www.kentonuk.com/products/items/utilities/usb-host.shtml

I bought this in the us from control voltage.

Midi Solutions:

http://www.midisolutions.com/prodqth.htm

Sweetwater sells these in the us.

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@Lymtronics thanks a lot for the help! The Quadra Thru appears to be amazing, and the price is GREAT! :slight_smile: What do you use with the Octatrack? It´s stable?

Can the Kenton usb midi host power the Quadra Thru?

yes it does power thru the midi from kenton to quadra @nya

The iCM4 works great for me.Huge potential.4 inout midi;8 USB midi;3 iOS midi ,and with the audio thru (that I havnt used yet).
Filters/patch bay ,it’s endless.

iCM4 here as well, I confirm it’s a very complete solution !

yes it does power thru the midi from kenton to quadra @nya
Nice! Thanks for the info!

The “shipping now-here in 6 weeks” iConnectAUDIO4+ is supposed to do all the MIDI+USB stuff as well as be a 4in/out audio interface too.

Thanks a lot for the help!


So, thinking about it, I wanna do two things with MIDI:

1) Set the Octatrack as the Master and enslave two gears: a device with a drum pattern (can be a drum machine like the LXR, the Dâm Drum or the MFB-522, or even the OP-1, the Microgranny or another sampler running a loop) and another one with textures and/or melodies (again, can be a synth like the OP-1, the Dark Energy or the R3 or a sampler);

or

2) Set the OP-1 as a slave and control it with a step sequencer (the Octatrack or Ableton Live, for example).

I´m pretty sure that the iConnectAUDIO4+ will suffice, but isn´t exactly cheap, so the QuadraThru appears to be a good idea. However, I´ll still need the Kenton USB Midi Host for the OP-1, and the price increases again…What do you think?

Another option is a more risky one: the Pyramid Step Sequencer (www.squarp.net)! Isn´t ever released yet, but it looks great and I´m searching for a dedicated step sequencer with more complex possibilities.

Finally, I´m thinking about another solution, although I don´t know if it´s possible (I know nothing about MIDI!: :). It´s possible to do a MIDI chain? Setting the Octatrack as Master, enslaving the MPC 500 and setting the MPC as Master for another synth/sampler/drum machine?

Thanks a lot!
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u can't set something master + slave i believe. some devices have a midi thru, which u can use to pass along the midi from the master down the chain.

@aeoner means “enslave” I think.
I haven’t try, but do you know if one can use both MIDI out and MIDI thru as MIDI outs on OT ?
Never tried…

And I figure that I never tried to sequence OP-1 from OT… Not even came to my mind ! I have to try this !!

@docshermsticks hmmm, maybe I did some grammatical confusion (@LyingDalai was right!), but I mean one as the Master (the OT or another step sequencer) and the other(s) as slave. However, you helped me with the MIDI thru terminology (I just checked this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NYdDc9swYE and it´s possible!).


@LyingDalai good question! I should try the out/thru with the OT. Well, I´m mainly interested in sequencing the OP-1 with the Octatrack because of all that microtimming options and swing (however, I don´t know the extension of the P-Locks options in MIDI).

On the OT, you have P-locks for MIDI, and it’s really convenient.
I don’t know how you would record a melody without that, in fact :slight_smile:

However, there are no such thing as MIDI scene.
Guga from Elektronauts built his Morph to adress this limitation.
http://www.elektronauts.com/topics/view/7904

can this be usb powerbank powered?

your link doesn’t work

can you powerbank power the kenton? it seems it needs a wall socket?

Yes, it’s been years ^^
I have an extra one I can sell you if you want it.

What do you have to sell? Also I can’t access online banking at the moment just bitcoin and revolut app so paying you might be hard unless I do it through a shop which was possible in Sweden so possibly here to in Finland, I’m looking for polar or something similar like rk005

Oplab