The DijonStock Digital Home Recording Support Forum

I've been looking into getting a USB midi interface, and I've seen them very cheap on eBay. In shops they are a lot more expensive - £25-30 as opposed to £10 or less on eBay.

My question is: is there a difference in what they do, or is it all down to branding and build quality?

From a shop:

Clicky

From eBay:

Clicky

Thanks in advance for any help and advice,

CDA.

Really depends on what you are using the interface for. USB is fine for transfering Sysex to and from devices . If you are looking for an interface between a midi controller (not a keyboard controller) USB is also fine.

Because of latency issues associated with USB , I don't recommend USB interfaces for keyboards.

Firewire is far superior.

Thats why used USB interfaces are so cheap. They just don't work that well with software DAWs.

Let me know exactly what you are trying to do and I'll recommend some hardware.

msg

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Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

Thanks for your prompt reply.

Transferring sysex is exactly what I want to do. I want to send/transmit sysex from my two JV1080s (and maybe one or two other things) to my PC for backup. I want to use Midiox if it's not to complex.

Storing sysex is all I want to do, so I won't be using a keyboard for playing into the PC or anything like that.

Thanks,

CDA.

Midiox is a very powerful and somewhat complicated to work with even for simple tasks like sysex dumps. Everybody outa have midiox in their toolbox.

This guy's stuff makes dumps much easer.
http://www.ucapps.de/howto_tools_syxloader_18f.html

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THE MUSIC IS DOWN IN HERE
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Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

Thanks for that link - looks a lot easier to use. Will be testing all this out soon, and will report back.

here's another midi dump tool I really like and use a lot.

Don't get much simpler than this.

http://www.stecrecords.com/software/DumpTool/index.php

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THE MUSIC IS DOWN IN HERE
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Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

I finally got a midi interface, set it up and tried all the apps posted above to no avail. I can't seem to be able to get a midi signal into the computer, either a midi note or sysex. I've got everything connected properly, so I'm wondering if there's something PC side that I need to change or set up, something obvious, but I can't find anything.

Any comments or ideas would be most welcome.

Thanks,

CDA.

What kinda interface is it ? What sequencer are you sending the sysex to ?

msg

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THE MUSIC IS DOWN IN HERE
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Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

What I'm trying to do is send sysex to midiox (I also tried the other apps that you kindly posted, but to no avail) from my JV1080s. I have also tried playing my keyboard into Anvil Studio and the Jazz ++ Midi Sequencer, to see if I can get a sound to trigger or a note to enter - that would show that the midi signal is getting through at least - but nothing happens, and I have followed the instructions carefully with all the apps. I'm pretty well up with midi equipment, but not so hot on the PC side of things. I'm not going to use the midi interface for real-time input, just for sysex storage, if possible.

The interface I am using is this one:

Clicky

My PC is running Vista Basic.

Thanks,

CDA.

Sorry , it all comes back to me.

Install the software BEFORE plugging in the interface for the first time. Then plug it in AFTER a fresh reboot. This prevents frickin windows from installing some stupid best guess driver that I guarantee will interfere with the new one.

Be sure the midi out of the synth is plugged into the cable labled MIDI IN and vice versa on the other one. As far as sending sysex make sure the 1080 is set up to bulk dump on channel one as well as the interface.

Then you need to set up Midiox to recieve a sysex dump. This midi message is displayed in a Midios sysex window that can be copied into a sequencer when you want to send it back or you can use midiox to do the same thing.

Midox should also allow you to save the sysex file in a .mid file format.

If it still kicks yer butt , holler back for and easier solution.

msg

msg

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THE MUSIC IS DOWN IN HERE
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Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

Thanks very much for your reply.

The USB interface didn't come with any drivers, I just plugged it in and it installed. I tried everything else you said, with a JV1080, and a midi keyboard, but nothing happens. I am well and truly flummoxed!

Thanks,

CDA.

Is the RX EXC. and TX TXW switches set properly in the 1080 ? You want them to be on , as I think default is off.

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THE MUSIC IS DOWN IN HERE
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Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

Yep - all good to go, but it doesn't work. I can transmit from the JV1080s back and forth from a Yamaha RM1x and Alesis Datadisk no problem, so I know the JVs are OK.

Hmmmmmmmmm two JV's. Did you assign different device numbers to each JV. Midi may be getting stumped on which one to communicate with whom. There is no midi handshacking on this archaic machine so if you are using the same device number on both at the same time..................

msg

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THE MUSIC IS DOWN IN HERE
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Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

I'm only using one JV to experiment with, along with a keyboard. Yes, both JVs have different device numbers. Each has different expansion boards installed so when I have sent data to them from my Datadisk or RM1x sequencer I need the sysex to go to the right machines. This way of doing things is fine apart from having to use floppy disks, many of which are crumbling to dust.

So, I'm still stumped and I'm starting to wonder if the interface simply isn't working, or there's something I've not set up properly on the computer.

I still think it's in the JV. Another way to do it is to type the JV dunp code into midiox , send it and see if that wakes it up. It's in the OM. I have the code if you can't find it.

Stupid question , but are you sure the midi out on the interface goes to the midi in ?
Vice-Versa ? Humor me and try reversing the connections anyway. I had a backwards midi connector (in-out) on my Access Virus from the factory. Liked to have never figured that one out.

msg

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THE MUSIC IS DOWN IN HERE
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Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

Yep - I have tried the connectors every which way, also different cables and USB port.

I've got the manual for the JV. You say send it a dump code. Do you mean the "One-way Transfer Procedure" RQ1 (11H)? And that I send RQ1 (11H) from MIDIOX into the JV1080?

Thanks for your continued attention in this matter.

CDA.

For some reason mine only wants to transfer short sysex messages but not the long bulk dump message.

I'll work on it more this weekend.



msg

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THE MUSIC IS DOWN IN HERE
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Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

Thanks, I appreciate any help.

I'll continue 'experimenting' my side.

CDA.

Another way to go........Sound Quest Software

_________________
THE MUSIC IS DOWN IN HERE
____________________________________________________

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.