8x8 midi interface with best latency

[Lemke]

Hello

I am not satisfied with performance of Motu Midi

Express XP (parallel) on my PC. Inaccurate midi

timing and latency comes to mind when i hear my

rhythmical sequences. Drivers for MExpXT was not

updated since 1999. I think that LPT interface

is also a kind of bottleneck here.

Can anyone recommend reliable 8x8 midi interface?

Please not USB, Com or parallel. Maybe something

like PCI card with breakout box?

 

TIA

Eugene

[KTempo]

I use Midiman's USB for midi so I cannot help ya any futher than what I know based on a simple search I did just a few minutes ago. Hopefully someone else can add some info. I'm guessing that you're using WinME. If so, check this out and this too. Or, just go here or here to futher your search.

 

I don't know of any other brand that has a PCI/Break out box with 8 in/out midi ports -- besides the USB types and, of course, audio interfaces with up to *four* midi ports.

 

Hope this helps.

[fv_dup1]

Hi,

 

For 8x8 MIDI Interfaces, you're going to be out of luck if you want something that is neither USB, nor COM (serial), nor Parallel. That's all we got. Why don't you want that anyhow? They aren't typically the bottleneck anyhow.

 

What sequencer are you using? Steinberg has their MidiEx-8 which has a time-stamping feature. They actually stole the idea from Emagic who have AMT on their Unitor-8 and AMT-8 interfaces which essentially does the same thing. I believe that MOTU has one as well but then again, you're not using Digital Performer if you're on a PC.

 

If you're using Cubase, I'd recommend the MidiEx-8 and if you're using Logic Audio, I'd recommend using either a Unitor-8 MkII or an AMT-8. Incidentally, the MOTU interfaces are widely known to have crap Windows drivers. Their Mac drivers are fine but not their Windows ones.

 

Don't know if this helps you but I don't think that you'll much luck in getting an 8x8 midi interface on a PCI card. Anyway, PCI slots are precious. It is a waste to have one taken up by a MIDI interface unless the card had an 8x8 midi interface as well as an audio interface built-in.

 

HTH,

fv

[freddynl]

I use an amt 8, without any latency problem!

In fact it speeds up compared to direct connections in case you use multiple devices!

I have 7 devices attached!

It's connected thru com port!

(stay away from usb)

 

And I don't use Logic Audio but Sonar XE, so it's working excellent on other sequencers as well!

(o/s win 98 se)

 

fyi;

I think there's a firewire motu recently brought on the market.

 

Fred

[jdonnici]

Originally posted by freddynl:

And I don't use Logic Audio but Sonar XE, so it's working excellent on other sequencers as well!

(o/s win 98 se)

I use the Unitor 8 MkII with Sonar XL and also have no problems. Like you, I connect it via the COM port instead of USB and this is on Windows XP Pro. I've done some timing tests by recording output via MIDI devices and overlapping that with inserted, quantized audio events and it's pretty tight. Supposedly gets tighter with Logic, but I'm not quite ready to switch sequencers just yet.

 

I hunted around for a new 8x8 interface for quite a while and I'm really quite pleased with the Unitor 8.