I need more than 2 Midi ports on my audio interface for recording...

[Synthman4]

Hi there! Long time no sea!...
I'm remaking my sea song but need more than two midi ports on an audio interface. I'm using a MIDI pedal board for the organ track and a three manual midi organ too.
How do I use both Midi devices together for recording?
Is there a usb audio interface out there with more than two midi ports?!
Regards,
Richard Steed (Synthman)

[ajay_m]

Normally you just add a MIDI-only interface with some extra ports. They don't need to be built into your audio interface. You'll just be connecting the MIDI interface via USB and then all the MIDI ports will appear in your DAW.
Normally it's fine to use a USB hub for MIDI adaptors if you're running low on USB ports on your computer, as MIDI doesn't use a lot of bandwidth. 2 in/2 out interfaces are widely available at pretty modest cost. After that it gets more expensive if you want a lot of MIDI ports.

[zenguitar]

Sounds like you could be considering a MIDI merge box. Something like this from Kenton, who've been doing this stuff for decades.

https://kentonuk.com/product/merge-4/

Andy

[Hugh Robjohns]

MIDI has 16 different channels of data, each normally corresponding to a different instrument, drum machine or, in the case of your organ, different manual or pedal board.

Normally, the MIDI pedal board would plug into the organ's MIDI IN, and the organ's MIDI out would then go to the interface. You just need to make sure the pedalboard's MIDI channel number doesn't clash with those used by the organ.

Alternatively, there are numerous MIDI interfaces with multiple ports. I use a MOTU Midi Express 128, for example. It connects via USB and provides 8 MIDI inputs and 9 MIDI outputs.

[Synthman4]

Thanks for everyone's advice. So this MIDI express thing,Hugh...would I connect both my pedal board to it and my trio plus organ?!

[Synthman4]

MIDI has 16 different channels of data, each normally corresponding to a different instrument, drum machine or, in the case of your organ, different manual or pedal board.

Normally, the MIDI pedal board would plug into the organ's MIDI IN, and the organ's MIDI out would then go to the interface. You just need to make sure the pedalboard's MIDI channel number doesn't clash with those used by the organ.

Alternatively, there are numerous MIDI interfaces with multiple ports. I use a MOTU Midi Express 128, for example. It connects via USB and provides 8 MIDI inputs and 9 MIDI outputs.

My Roland Rubix doesn't have a MIDI USB on it. Does that matter? I wasn't been obnoxious when I asked you that, Hugh! Does the MIDI express thing you mentioned connect to my Rubix using a normal MIDI port?!
Synthman

[OneWorld]

MIDI has 16 different channels of data, each normally corresponding to a different instrument, drum machine or, in the case of your organ, different manual or pedal board.

Normally, the MIDI pedal board would plug into the organ's MIDI IN, and the organ's MIDI out would then go to the interface. You just need to make sure the pedalboard's MIDI channel number doesn't clash with those used by the organ.

Alternatively, there are numerous MIDI interfaces with multiple ports. I use a MOTU Midi Express 128, for example. It connects via USB and provides 8 MIDI inputs and 9 MIDI outputs.

I use the same and have been doing for years, has woirked flawlessly over all those years.

[Hugh Robjohns]

Details of the Motu Express can be found here:

https://motu.com/products/midi/128

...other MIDI interfaces are available, including from MOTU.

This MOTU MIDI intetface connects directly to the computer via USB. You then configure your DAW to send and receive MIDI data via the appropriate separate MIDI interface ports on the MOTU.

Audio would still come and go via your existing Roland interface, and the MIDI interface built in to your audio interface will also remain available to/from the DAW in addition to the MOTU.

However, as suggested earlier, a less expensive alternative would be a simple MIDI Merge box which would combine a couple of MIDI inputs and route them into your Roland interfaces single MIDI input.

[tacitus]

As far as I can tell online, you should be able to plug the pedalboard into the trio’s console. Most serious organs do this. Usually everything then comes out of the MIDI out socket.

If true, you’ll then have done a MIDI merge. Is one port saved enough?

[tacitus]

Or are you already using the organ’s midi in for pedals and have a second pedalboard, too?

[ajay_m]

One thing I find odd is that, as far as I know, din midi patchbays are expensive and in the larger sizes eg 8 in 8 out, I believe only second hand units are available at quite high cost.
I have an ensoniq kmx8 that I bought at a car boot sale many years ago for £15 and I simply cannot imagine life without it. Just press two buttons and any input can be routed to any output, or it'll merge the first two inputs if you press their buttons at the same time.
The problem with usb midi is that it's a right faff compared with DIN midi. Unless the device is turned on before you fire up the daw, it generally can't be found, devices seem to swap around and windows gets confused ,eg I have two qunexus keyboards and if I connect both via usb, sometimes they seem to get swapped around or other weird things happen.
Whereas with the old 5 pin connector it's just like an audio signal, you can route it and switch it any time. Not worrying about devices getting turned on or off or any of that malarkey.
My old kmx8 has some primeval 8 bit CPU, probably a 4MHz Z80, so even a raspberry pi Pico at £6 would easily handle 8 ins and outs, it'd be a simple open source project. Each channel is just a 5p transistor for output and an optoisolator for input, it's just a serial UART data stream at 32K bits per second as I recall. Real antique brass knobs and bakelite stuff!

[Philbo King]

One like this maybe? About $50 USD.

https://www.amazon.com/summina-Interfac ... 159&sr=8-5

I got something similar when I got a couple Roland guitar synths added to my Edrums and Alesis QSR synth, along with a midi controller for my DAW. It works ok, though I have to unplug/replug the USB occasionally when Win7 is rebooted to make it work.

[ef37a]

You could just get a cheap interface with MIDI ports such as one of the Behringers?

I know you cannot use two USB AIs for audio in Windows but I pretty sure you can run 2 MIDI interfaces.

Hmm, I have my M4 and a KA6. I could try that out sometime.

Dave.

[Arpangel]

Let's merge,

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DigitalLife-M ... 2ZZ9&psc=1

[N i g e l]

I know you cannot use two USB ASIO AIs for audio in Windows but I pretty sure you can run 2 MIDI interfaces.

Running multiple MIDI things isnt a problem as its quite reasonable to expect to use eg an interface & keyboard & knob box at the same time.

I dont know if you can use two of the same thing at the same time [same driver ?]

[Eddy Deegan]

I know you cannot use two USB AIs for audio in Windows but I pretty sure you can run 2 MIDI interfaces.

Yes, you can use multiple MIDI interfaces on Windows. I use two ESI M8U eX MIDI interfaces with 16 DIN ports on each.

I dont know if you can use two of the same thing at the same time [same driver ?]

The ESIs have a dipswitch to select from one of two different IDs so that the driver presents them as 'A' and 'B' devices of the same type. That said, the manual does say it's more for convenience than a requirement:

Using multiple units on one computer (DIP switch 1)
To make it more convenient using multiple units of M8U eX with one computer, you can designate one M8U eX to be the first (or 'A') device and another one to be the second (or 'B') device.

Your computer will then remember which device has used which ports, i.e. you never need to change the assignment between your software and the physical MIDI ports even if one M8U eX gets temporarily disconnected or you connect the devices with different USB ports or cables.

This is not really a requirement in order to use multiple units (for instance, you can use more than two M8U eX at one time even), however in complex setups that are changing from time to time, this is a nice feature. Keep DIP switch number 1 on the OFF position (i.e. down) to designate the unit as 'A' and move it up (ON position) to designate it as 'B'. When using two M8U eX, you would setup one as 'A' and one as 'B'.

[ef37a]

I know you cannot use two USB ASIO AIs for audio in Windows but I pretty sure you can run 2 MIDI interfaces.

Running multiple MIDI things isnt a problem as its quite reasonable to expect to use eg an interface & keyboard & knob box at the same time.

I dont know if you can use two of the same thing at the same time [same driver ?]

Thank you Nigel, yes should have inserted ASIO but trying to K.I.S.Sir!

Son and I messing about some years ago found we could run an MA 2496 card, a Behringer BCA2000 and an MA Fast track pro to get 6 inputs running Samplitude. That was with MME drivers. Downside is that the tracks drift relative to each other and don't start at exactly the same time but the slippage is tiny over the 3 minutes or so we needed to run and Sam make its it easy to slide a track to sample accuracy at startup.

Dave.

[James Perrett]

Son and I messing about some years ago found we could run an MA 2496 card, a Behringer BCA2000 and an MA Fast track pro to get 6 inputs running Samplitude. That was with MME drivers. Downside is that the tracks drift relative to each other and don't start at exactly the same time but the slippage is tiny over the 3 minutes or so we needed to run and Sam make its it easy to slide a track to sample accuracy at startup.

I think we need to be careful not to confuse Richard too much here. The original question was about Midi. For some reason Dave decided to start talking about audio which is totally unrelated to the original question. Richard, if you are still reading this then you can safely ignore Dave(ef37a)'s posts in this thread as they are not relevant to your question.

[ef37a]

Son and I messing about some years ago found we could run an MA 2496 card, a Behringer BCA2000 and an MA Fast track pro to get 6 inputs running Samplitude. That was with MME drivers. Downside is that the tracks drift relative to each other and don't start at exactly the same time but the slippage is tiny over the 3 minutes or so we needed to run and Sam make its it easy to slide a track to sample accuracy at startup.

I think we need to be careful not to confuse Richard too much here. The original question was about Midi. For some reason Dave decided to start talking about audio which is totally unrelated to the original question. Richard, if you are still reading this then you can safely ignore Dave(ef37a)'s posts in this thread as they are not relevant to your question.

Fairy nuff but I was actually replying more to Nigel.

Dave.

[Aled Hughes]

Son and I messing about some years ago found we could run an MA 2496 card, a Behringer BCA2000 and an MA Fast track pro to get 6 inputs running Samplitude. That was with MME drivers. Downside is that the tracks drift relative to each other and don't start at exactly the same time but the slippage is tiny over the 3 minutes or so we needed to run and Sam make its it easy to slide a track to sample accuracy at startup.

I think we need to be careful not to confuse Richard too much here. The original question was about Midi. For some reason Dave decided to start talking about audio which is totally unrelated to the original question. Richard, if you are still reading this then you can safely ignore Dave(ef37a)'s posts in this thread as they are not relevant to your question.

To be fair, Dave's point about using a second interface just for the MIDI was relevant (and perfectly possible too, should the OP have one lying around)

[Synthman4]

Details of the Motu Express can be found here:

https://motu.com/products/midi/128

...other MIDI interfaces are available, including from MOTU.

This MOTU MIDI intetface connects directly to the computer via USB. You then configure your DAW to send and receive MIDI data via the appropriate separate MIDI interface ports on the MOTU.

Audio would still come and go via your existing Roland interface, and the MIDI interface built in to your audio interface will also remain available to/from the DAW in addition to the MOTU.

However, as suggested earlier, a less expensive alternative would be a simple MIDI Merge box which would combine a couple of MIDI inputs and route them into your Roland interfaces single MIDI input.

Is there a more modern version of that now? I've got a great new pc now with 24 core processor and two 8tb ssd drives and windows 11 pro.
Regards,
Synthman

[ef37a]

Not wishing of course to confuse anyone but can I ask if MIDI 2.0 is still being developed?
The idea seems to have sunk with little trace since Nick Rothwell's article March 2020?

Oh and Synthman4? With that "Deep Thought" rig why not treat it to a MOTU M4? A very good little AI is always handy!

Dave.

[BWC]

Not wishing of course to confuse anyone but can I ask if MIDI 2.0 is still being developed?
The idea seems to have sunk with little trace since Nick Rothwell's article March 2020?

As I understand it, everyone's basically in a holding pattern until computer operating systems add support for it.

[ef37a]

Not wishing of course to confuse anyone but can I ask if MIDI 2.0 is still being developed?
The idea seems to have sunk with little trace since Nick Rothwell's article March 2020?

As I understand it, everyone's basically in a holding pattern until computer operating systems add support for it.

Is that a big job? I mean, we read of apps that can do all sorts these days short of teleportation!

Dave.

[BWC]

Probably more of a low-priority job.