[DONE] MIDI Forwarding: receive MIDI Notes from USB and send them further

[Simon]

Official topic in the Potential future feature Forum: viewtopic.php?t=208

Feel free to still write here in this topic for debates or larger discussions around the feature.

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The idea is that you would be able to send MIDI Notes (or any other MIDI message) from your computer (from your DAW or from a MIDI USB Keyboard connected to your computer) over the USB cable to the Midronome, which would then be sent further to your synths on the MIDI DIN plugs, together with the MIDI Clock generated by the Midronome.

Would you like to see this feature implemented? Any thoughts?

/Simon

[atomicstack]

+1, this is a welcome feature for any device which has multiple MIDI ports.

The Faderfox EC4 is a good example: it has a USB port and MIDI in+MIDI out, and supports 6 different routing modes:

1) forwarding disabled
2) USB to MIDI
3) MIDI to MIDI
4) MIDI to USB
5) MIDI to USB + USB to MIDI
6) MIDI to MIDI + MIDI to USB

[n4Sphere]

oh yes this would be great. so it functions as a normale midi interface right? do you need the audio connection fir the tight midi clock than?

[n4Sphere]

The idea is that you would be able to send MIDI Notes (or any other MIDI message) from your computer (from your DAW or from a MIDI USB Keyboard connected to your computer) over the USB cable to the Midronome, which would then be sent further to your synths on the MIDI DIN plugs, together with the MIDI Clock generated by the Midronome.

Would you like to see this feature implemented? Any thoughts?

/Simon

i think this feature is a must. just sending a clock would be a waste of potential. just make an all in one bad ass clock interface midi superstar.

[Kovmenius]

Hi guys, I'm gonna drop here my opinion - and that's pretty much it, don't take it as official Midronome's statement.

Firstly, my knowledge about the industry is very limited (I'm in it for like what, 3 weeks now?).
I have a decent knowledge about Midronome, and decent knowledge about E-RM Midiclock and Multiclock,
because people are just being annoying with saying the Midronome is a rip-off of E-RM Midiclock

To my knowledge, E-RM Multiclock has a router implemented.
I don't know much about prices for routing hardware in the music industry, but I can imagine it will be similarly priced as routing systems in IT. Maybe even more, considering how much smaller the market for those things is.

Now, as I said, MIDI routing is definitely a dope idea, I've heard a lot of things about it and how useful it can be.
However, I'd like to say that we need to keep things real.

Midronome is planned to be 149 € retail. E-RM Multiclock is 519 €, which makes it almost 3× the price of the Midronome.
Now, my math in this industry is a little bit wobbly, still, but even if we are counting with general 50 % profits for products that are meant to work for a long time, and have limited market potential, we are still getting at manufacturing price of around 210 € without tax for Multiclock (the device costs 420 € without VAT). Even at 70 % gross profit, we are at 130 € for manufacturing costs.

Do you see where I'm pointing at?
I don't know if Simon is able to bring up some magic, but the numbers for implementing MIDI routing into Midronome just don't add up.

The way I see the Midronome is as an entry-level device that's doing most of the things its more expensive competitors do, and hell, it does them better. Wanting it to compete with devices that are at least 2,5× more expensive is IMO unfair towards Simon.

Sure, I can imagine MIDI router in something like Midronome PRO, which would be focused on musicians with higher requirements for their gear. Also, I can't imagine such a device to cost only 149 €, more like double the price at least - and that's in case if Simon decides to be poor and work for free and have 0 employees

[n4Sphere]

thanks for your insights. but to get it straight. what do you mean by midi routing. sending midi cc and notes via midi or usb or something more complex like filtering sending midi to output a and b. does the midronome transmit midi notes via the midi ports or only the clock?

[Simon]

Right now the Midronome only sends the MIDI Clock, either generated directly or based on tap tempo or audio input (sync signal from DAW f.x.).

This topic is precisely about receiving MIDI Notes on the USB port and being able to send them further using the MIDI Outputs.

[timespy]

I have enough MIDI widgets (merger boxes, filter boxes) that the current Midronome would work for me just as a clock source. But for many people they would need some MIDI in.The MIDIgal (with MidiClk or Midisync firmware) works like that: it has a MIDI in and MIDI out (but no USB, which sucks for my use case). Whatever comes at the MIDI in is passed to the MIDI out, and if there is no clock signal, an accurate clock is added. If there is a clock at the MIDI in, the MIDIgal tightens it up and improves its jitter. Worth having a look for inspiration.

[Simon]

If there is a clock at the MIDI in, the MIDIgal tightens it up and improves its jitter.

Ha ha that really triggered me, I had to take a look
I would guess it only improves jitter from really bad clocks. They use the same CPU as the papanome ( https://www.midronome.com/images/about/midro-v01.jpg ), which is basically an Arduino, and the papanome's jitter is about +/-10us, i.e. 1000 times more than the current Midronome. It's still much better than a computer (about +/- 350us).

Anyways - looks like a handy tool though, thanks for the info

The problem with most merger boxes is that they might move the clock messages as they merge. I am strongly considering making an add-on in the near future, a MIDI merger which will be MIDI powered and which will make sure the clock messages are not moved as they are merged.

[Ambient Architecture]

The problem with most merger boxes is that they might move the clock messages as they merge. I am strongly considering making an add-on in the near future, a MIDI merger which will be MIDI powered and which will make sure the clock messages are not moved as they are merged.

I was just about to start a thread with exactly this issue I think!

I have two synths connected to the Midronome (Sequential Prophet 6 and a Dave Smith Prophet 12). The Prophet 12 is receiving MIDI note data via the USB from the computer and clock sync via the DIN out on the Midronome. This with the generated sync file in Logic is tight as drum!

However, due to lack of USB cables I have used an old Philip Rees little 2M merge unit so the Prophet 6 can receive both MIDI clock and note data from Logic but it's not syncing up alongside the Prophet 12. This is where I believe the clock sync is being tampered with.

In short, I would love to see the Midronome passing note data to eradicate this very issue!

Thanks.

[Ambient Architecture]

Oh forgot to ask! If you were going to implement this feature, what kind of time scale do you think you'd have on that?

Thanks!

[Simon]

Nice to hear about your usages

Time is very hard to estimate for now - so really there is not guarantee. But I would say once the feature is approved, it will take about a month to implement, test and release a new firmware with it. Depends how much of my day I spend coding and how much I spend answering emails and messages (just kidding!! Please keep writing, communication is super important for the development of the device )

Simon

[northerntao]

I use a number of MIDI routers, so in most cases I can just dedicate a port for incoming MIDI clock. But even in small setups, using the mini RK-006 router, incoming ports can be tight, so I’d like the feature. Even the USAMO can do this and its a relatively affordable device

[Jareesson]

I would love this future so I would not need to buy any merger, in the meantime the midronome is being used for Moog Studio (DFAM, Subharmonicon and Mother-32) only, which I don't need to get midi notes at this very moment.