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5-pin midi out and no USB, in 2024?
by jojobas 3y ago
5-pin midi out and no USB, in 2024?
- adw 3y ago5-pin MIDI out is still the best MIDI out, at least for serious applications.
- squarefoot 3y agoNot to mention a MIDI to USB interface costs just a few bucks and is supported by every common OS out there, while one can't have the opposite (that is, adding MIDI to a USB only instrument) short of going DIY, which would be neither that easy nor cheap.
- 100pctremote 3y ago5-pin DIN is still the more stable option today and doesn't introduce any noise, unlike USB which carries power.
- jojobas 3y agoNoise in midi? Seriously?
- uxp100 3y agoYeah, I’ve got devices where there is a hum on their output while using usb-midi. 5 pin midi should not have such issues (but if done badly could)
- adw 3y agoYep. It's not noise on the MIDI signal, obviously, it's crosstalk induced by USB circuitry. It gets worse when bus power is involved; USB-powered instruments are notorious for it.
- jacquesm 3y agoMIDI is galvanically isolated, USB is galvanically connected so you can have groundloops if you use USB but not if you use MIDI.
- kstrauser 3y agoI got a TE EP-133 sampler this week. The only portable MIDI keyboard I have is USB only, meaning there’s no way I can connect it to the sampler without involving a computer, or a standalone connector that’s way more expensive than just buying a different keyboard. 5-pin MIDI always works, and works without anything more complex than a little adapter cable.
- jojobas 3y agoI'd hazard a guess that all most users want is to hook a midi device up to the computer. It would cost what, a $3-5 per unit to add usb connectivity?
- diggan 3y agoI'd probably say I'm not alone with using standalone MIDI 99% of the time, both to the computer (my audio interface has MIDI in/out via din) but mostly just between instruments. Nothing in my setup requires a computer and I prefer to keep it that way.
- kstrauser 3y agoSame. Or at least, I strongly prefer having the option of using it standalone, especially when the devices involved are highly portable.