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If I have a synth with USB midi and a controller with USB midi, I can't connect them to each other, which is idiotic and frustrating. Is there a universal MIDI

If I have a synth with USB midi and a controller with USB midi, I can't connect them to each other, which is idiotic and frustrating. Is there a universal MIDI router/multiplexer box with a whole bunch of USB and MIDI ports on it? If not, would there be a market for such a thing?

kennywinker 5y ago
That’d be a midi host box. There are a few, tho mostly you run into issues of complexity - they require too much configuration to be useful / fun.
- romwell 5y ago
  Yeah, and they don't work for the problem I stated: All the MIDI host boxes I've seen only have one USB port, so can't be used to connect two UDB-midi devices to each other.
  - kall 5y ago
    Retrokits RK-006 may solve all your problems but its pretty pricy. I assume based on that price that it‘s also not a simple device.
    - romwell 5y ago
      Thank you! It does solve all the problems I mentioned, and yes, it's not the simplest device (and sadly, I can't say the high cost is unjustified).
romwell 5y ago
>Is there a universal MIDI router/multiplexer box with a whole bunch of USB and MIDI ports on it? Nope. You can do this by plugging a USB hub into a computer/tablet/phone, and running several MIDI interfaces into the hub, so it's not an unsolvable problem for the musician, just a very clunky setup. Didn't find a single device with multiple USB and MIDI in/out ports after an extensive search. And the devices that I did find cost more than the synths that they would connect. >If not, would there be a market for such a thing? There is a market for a compact device like that, especially if it can be battery-powered for live gigs, remembers the settings, and doesn't need a screen/external device to set up the routing. Even something as simple as "Merge all IN ports, and send to all OUT ports" would be great, and there isn't such a thing. Seems like most musicians who care about this simply don't buy gear without 5-pin ports to begin with. But yes, I've been thinking about making this for years now, and if you need a startup/kickstarter idea - go ahead, I'll chip in.
dmoreno 5y ago
Not exactly what you are looking for, but I created a web interface for ALSA sequencer, which effectively makes any raspberry pi what you are looking for. For old MIDI DIN you would need a MIDI adapter or use the raspberry pi serial ports and some circuitry. Can be powered by an USB powerbank for example. https://github.com/davidmoreno/aseqrc https://github.com/davidmoreno/aseqrc I also added to the mix rtpmidi (https://github.com/davidmoreno/rtpmidid https://github.com/davidmoreno/rtpmidid), and USB MIDI gadget (https://github.com/davidmoreno/midiconfigfs https://github.com/davidmoreno/midiconfigfs) on the PI, so then I can use the pi itself from one or several computers via Ethernet and USB.

kennywinker 5y ago

That’d be a midi host box. There are a few, tho mostly you run into issues of complexity - they require too much configuration to be useful / fun.

romwell 5y ago
Yeah, and they don't work for the problem I stated: All the MIDI host boxes I've seen only have one USB port, so can't be used to connect two UDB-midi devices to each other.
- kall 5y ago
  Retrokits RK-006 may solve all your problems but its pretty pricy. I assume based on that price that it‘s also not a simple device.
  - romwell 5y ago
    Thank you! It does solve all the problems I mentioned, and yes, it's not the simplest device (and sadly, I can't say the high cost is unjustified).

romwell 5y ago

>Is there a universal MIDI router/multiplexer box with a whole bunch of USB and MIDI ports on it? Nope. You can do this by plugging a USB hub into a computer/tablet/phone, and running several MIDI interfaces into the hub, so it's not an unsolvable problem for the musician, just a very clunky setup. Didn't find a single device with multiple USB and MIDI in/out ports after an extensive search. And the devices that I did find cost more than the synths that they would connect. >If not, would there be a market for such a thing? There is a market for a compact device like that, especially if it can be battery-powered for live gigs, remembers the settings, and doesn't need a screen/external device to set up the routing. Even something as simple as "Merge all IN ports, and send to all OUT ports" would be great, and there isn't such a thing. Seems like most musicians who care about this simply don't buy gear without 5-pin ports to begin with. But yes, I've been thinking about making this for years now, and if you need a startup/kickstarter idea - go ahead, I'll chip in.

dmoreno 5y ago

Not exactly what you are looking for, but I created a web interface for ALSA sequencer, which effectively makes any raspberry pi what you are looking for. For old MIDI DIN you would need a MIDI adapter or use the raspberry pi serial ports and some circuitry. Can be powered by an USB powerbank for example. https://github.com/davidmoreno/aseqrc https://github.com/davidmoreno/aseqrc I also added to the mix rtpmidi (https://github.com/davidmoreno/rtpmidid https://github.com/davidmoreno/rtpmidid), and USB MIDI gadget (https://github.com/davidmoreno/midiconfigfs https://github.com/davidmoreno/midiconfigfs) on the PI, so then I can use the pi itself from one or several computers via Ethernet and USB.