Members Michael Mage Posted May 26, 2004 Members Share Posted May 26, 2004 I am contemplating buying a bunch of rack synths. If possible I would like to buy 1 midi controller. Is there some sort of switch box to switch one controller between several rack synths? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members protues9 Posted May 26, 2004 Members Share Posted May 26, 2004 yea, it's called a midi patch bay very handy item. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Michael Mage Posted May 26, 2004 Author Members Share Posted May 26, 2004 i am searching around to find the price on them and can't seem to find midi patchbays, only audio who makes them and where are they sold? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members protues9 Posted May 26, 2004 Members Share Posted May 26, 2004 I think it's called a midi patcher.. http://www.zzounds.com/prodsearch?form=prodsearch&q=midi+patcher This is probabaly what you need, but you can keep looking if you want. Why not just set a midi channel on each piece of gear than adjust your controllers midi channel when you want to change? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Michael Mage Posted May 26, 2004 Author Members Share Posted May 26, 2004 "Why not just set a midi channel on each piece of gear than adjust your controllers midi channel when you want to change?" Ok, but how would I connect them all together? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Michael Mage Posted May 26, 2004 Author Members Share Posted May 26, 2004 caould i use like the MidiSport 4x4 or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GlassPrisoner Posted May 26, 2004 Members Share Posted May 26, 2004 Mid out from master, midi in to key1. Midi through from Key1 to Midi in Key2....etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Michael Mage Posted May 26, 2004 Author Members Share Posted May 26, 2004 uhhh You're going over my head there....LOL I have a Radium 49. It has MIDI out to usb and MIDI out to Keyboard. If I had say 3 rack synths, I would like to have them all connected....oh wait. YOu mean, run from radium to synth1, then the thru to synth2, then the tru to synth 3, making synth1 = midi channel1 and synth2=midi channel2, etc??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members protues9 Posted May 26, 2004 Members Share Posted May 26, 2004 controller out -> module 1 in -> module 1 thru -> module 2 in -> module 2 thru -> module 3 in - > module 3 thru -> ect. Just set module one to midi channel 1 and on down... but .. is this studio or live? Like do you need to connect to a pC as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GlassPrisoner Posted May 26, 2004 Members Share Posted May 26, 2004 YOu mean, run from radium to synth1, then the thru to synth2, then the tru to synth 3, making synth1 = midi channel1 and synth2=midi channel2, etc??? There 'ya go !!!! Exactly ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Michael Mage Posted May 26, 2004 Author Members Share Posted May 26, 2004 Thanx Proteus9 and GlasPrisoner!!!!! This Keyboard would be dedicated to synths only. This so I could take it live, then have a 2nd MIDI kb going to my PB. Right on....the 300 I was thinking I would have to spend on a patchbay can be used for more synths or something! wooohooooo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grumphh Posted May 26, 2004 Members Share Posted May 26, 2004 Wouldn't a chain like that cause some delay in the last units connected? (For some reason i believe that the synth actually processes the incoming midi, before sending it on...) In any case IMO it would be difficult to add a PC or sequencer to that unless you put it at the top of the chain... Not a flexible setup from my viewpoint - but then, i'm a midi novice I got a Unitor8 8x8 midi interface fairly cheap and it does what i need it to do - namely let me run everything in parallel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gobojacobs Posted May 26, 2004 Members Share Posted May 26, 2004 Originally posted by grumphh Wouldn't a chain like that cause some delay in the last units connected? (For some reason i believe that the synth actually processes the incoming midi, before sending it on...) The idea of the through port being that it doesn't get processed... but this is often not the case (ie. it's not just passed through hardware, interfaces with software somewhere). I remember reading somewhere about only wanting to daisy chain 3-4 devices deep in a thru-chain, and only over like 15 feet of cable. That might have just been midi-patchbay-company-propaganda though. Or something that the voices told me. I'm sure there's a spec somewhere out there that tells you what the maximum distance is before signal degradation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TDman Posted May 27, 2004 Members Share Posted May 27, 2004 MIDI patchbays don't cost $300, more like 100-150...(if that) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Michael Mage Posted May 27, 2004 Author Members Share Posted May 27, 2004 Originally posted by TDman MIDI patchbays don't cost $300, more like 100-150...(if that) where? what brands are decent? what makes a good patchbay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members keanu reeves Posted May 27, 2004 Members Share Posted May 27, 2004 i would run midi cables from one synth to another just like described above. then as i needed a synth from a certian module i would just turn that modules volume up and turn the rest of the volumes down. that way youre only using one channel of the 16 MIDI channels available in one chord. no patch bay needed. or am i misunderstanding your Q. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Michael Mage Posted May 27, 2004 Author Members Share Posted May 27, 2004 I would only be using one synth at a time, not sure. I will prolly run them in series first, if that works ok,,,if not I will get a patch bay i guess.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TDman Posted May 27, 2004 Members Share Posted May 27, 2004 I personally use the JL Cooper MSB+ (Rev2). It's an 8X8 patchbay/MIDI data processor. It's brilliant and I don't even use half of its features! To give you an idea, I'll now quote form the manual: 'Using the data filters: Set up a good pad or wash sound on a module, and a bright lead sound on your keyboard controller. Use a filter to remove program change commands from the data stream. This will enable you to change your lead in the middle of a solo, while the background sound stays constant. Filter out note commands from a sequencer so that a drum machine only receives real-time clock. This way only the drum machine's internal song will play, and the keyborrd parts in the sequencer will not accidentally fire the drums'. 'Using the processors: Program the processors to ppresent two different transpositions of the same part and listen to the results'. 'Using the merger: Combine the output of a drum machine (for timing) with a keyboard part and send the data to a sequencer. Filter out the note data from the drum machine. Now you have "two inputs" on your sequencer, so you can record a keyboard part while it is externally synced'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Midiguy Posted May 27, 2004 Members Share Posted May 27, 2004 Originally posted by Michael Mage where? what brands are decent? what makes a good patchbay? Look for Mark of the Unicorn (MOTU) - they make excellent MIDI patchbays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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