Need help with midi connections please! Im a newb!

[GoblinProphet]

I have an mmt-8 sequencer (in/out/thru), an Alesis hr-16 drum machine (in/out), a microkorg (in/out/thru), and a prophet 5 rev 4 (in/out/thru). I want the mmt-8 to be master clock and everything else slave. I want to control the prophet with the microkorg but I do not want to control anything else with the microkorg. Prophet has no arpeggiator so I want to arpeggiate the prophet with the microkorg, which I have some understanding and success with doing this. Note: mmt-8 and hr-16 both have midi echo function but it is unclear to me exactly what this function does and in what case you would use it and how to apply it. I would be incredibly grateful to someone who could give me step by step detailed instruction as to how to get this rig going. I have tried nearly every combo I can think of and cannot get this rig going. I have success with parts of the rig but it always ends with the mmt-8 not being able to record the midi and play it back. I’ve tested mmt-8 with one synth and it does work, it will record and spit back midi info. Please if anyone could step in and help me out I’d be very appreciative. I understand I may need a merger for the prophet/microkorg setup and possibly even a thru box, but where in the chain do I put these? Step by step, detailed instruction is what I need, with as much information as possible, I get lost easily, haha. Thank you to anyone who can help me with this!

 

[happyrat1]

Are you hooked thru a PC or Mac or are you trying to do this all standalone?

Basically you need a MIDI Router software.

 

[GoblinProphet]

This is a standalone, hardware rig. No computers. I’ll be recording all the audio outs to a tascam dp-32.

 

[happyrat1]

You'd have to blow big bux on a MIDI Router like Sipario.

Lab4Music

Sipario - Advanced MIDI Router

www.lab4music.it

 

[GoblinProphet]

You'd have to blow big bux on a MIDI Router like Sipario.

Lab4Music

Sipario - Advanced MIDI Router

www.lab4music.it

Yah looks like that would do the trick. I just figured with both of my synths having a thru and the midi echo function on my mmt-8 I could somehow manage with a daisy chain. Surprisingly there aren’t many great midi tutorial videos on YouTube aimed at the sort of the thing I’m trying to do. That’s why I came here, haha.

 

[happyrat1]

Creating a MIDI only network requires careful diagramming, proper configuration of individual devices and MIDI channels, and more than a little luck in getting everything to speak properly with each other.

Using a computer or a device like the Sipario is a shortcut in the programming and routing department, hence, it is called a MIDI Router.

You could take a whack at stringing up a dozen MIDI cables or simply plug in a few USB lines and let a computer do what it was meant to do.

It might be doable, but it's not an approach I would take.

 

[ca.88fingers]

Yep, a midi router.
There's a few older and less sophisticated options instead of the Sicario, but they will be harder to program.

 

[Ian69]

Alesis MMT-8 MIDI Recorder (Sound On Sound, Jan 1988)

In an age when most MIDI sequencers seem to come on floppy disk, Alesis hits the market with their new hardware sequencer, the MMT-8. It doesn't boast a video monitor or multi-mega tracks, so can it compete with the omnipresent beige box? David Mellor yearns to learn.

www.muzines.co.uk

Midi echo seems to be midi thru, via midi out

 

[GoblinProphet]

Yep, a midi router.
There's a few older and less sophisticated options instead of the Sicario, but they will be harder to program.

I went with conductive labs MRCC 880. No software required to get it up and running. Should just be able to plug stuff in go from there.

 

[GoblinProphet]

Alesis MMT-8 MIDI Recorder (Sound On Sound, Jan 1988)

In an age when most MIDI sequencers seem to come on floppy disk, Alesis hits the market with their new hardware sequencer, the MMT-8. It doesn't boast a video monitor or multi-mega tracks, so can it compete with the omnipresent beige box? David Mellor yearns to learn.

www.muzines.co.uk

Midi echo seems to be midi thru, via midi out

That’s what I was thinking too, so it’s just an out/thru when’s it’s engaged and the record button also has to be on for it to work.

 

[Stampanator]

I have an mmt-8 sequencer (in/out/thru), an Alesis hr-16 drum machine (in/out), a microkorg (in/out/thru), and a prophet 5 rev 4 (in/out/thru). I want the mmt-8 to be master clock and everything else slave. I want to control the prophet with the microkorg but I do not want to control anything else with the microkorg. Prophet has no arpeggiator so I want to arpeggiate the prophet with the microkorg, which I have some understanding and success with doing this. Note: mmt-8 and hr-16 both have midi echo function but it is unclear to me exactly what this function does and in what case you would use it and how to apply it. I would be incredibly grateful to someone who could give me step by step detailed instruction as to how to get this rig going. I have tried nearly every combo I can think of and cannot get this rig going. I have success with parts of the rig but it always ends with the mmt-8 not being able to record the midi and play it back. I’ve tested mmt-8 with one synth and it does work, it will record and spit back midi info. Please if anyone could step in and help me out I’d be very appreciative. I understand I may need a merger for the prophet/microkorg setup and possibly even a thru box, but where in the chain do I put these? Step by step, detailed instruction is what I need, with as much information as possible, I get lost easily, haha. Thank you to anyone who can help me with this!

 

[Stampanator]

I have found using an ipad as the router is the simplest and cheapest way around.
I use wireless bluetooth adaptors for all peripherals that have din plugs. Then use a usb3 powered hub for all that use a usb connector. This hub is connected to ipad via apple camera connection kit (the one that allows power to be applied too)

I use midittr (free) util and after powering up i will see all usb cabled and din wireless devices in midittr. One frustrating complexity is how these networked devices behave. One can see a flow model and a star model in the logic and this can cause issues because tou wannt to isolate midi signals from each other. You actually want a flow model in my opinion. I have found the solution to be to have all midi off in midittr. (The devices are still available)
Then I use midifire software to decide what gets sent to what but do not use a midifire port anywhere as this will lead to the “star model” a situation where everything talks to everything all the time.

In midifire one starts with simple diagramatic connections apple mac stylrle but invariably you will want more flexibility and I got my hands dirty with the streambyter module included in midifire. This is incredibly powerful stuff!! A bit geeky at first but after a while you get the knack. Also the midifire eventviewer is very useful to see what is going where.

So far i have connected the following usung this system :
3 x reface keyboards (sysex use for transpose)
Yamaha cp4 weighted keyboard
Yamaha ck61
Hammond sk1 (uses NRPN)
Boss fs1 wl 3 button foot controller
Korg nano wireless studio controller
Rc300 loop pedal (wants to be master clock)
Old drum
Machine (sync to rc300)
Zoom l12 mixer (usb audio)

Software on ipad : korg module, sampletank, ispark bx-3 egdr808 beathawk loopy pro funkdrummer koala thumbjam sunrizer vb3m, Cubasis3 camelot keystage

Its a fun journey of exploration at the very least and if one keeps things simple the stuff works really well.

 

[GoblinProphet]

Sounds like a solid setup. iPad probably works out nicely, seems like it’d be quick and easy to make adjustments, and just all around convenient. If I’m ever finding the need/desire to expand beyond more than just a few pieces of gear I would certainly look into a computer based setup such as yours. Midifire looks great, will have to keep that one in mind for the future.

 

[happyrat1]

When I'm recording with old school hardware sequencing I can not say enough about the Arturia Keystep Pro.

I records and plays back 4 tracks on 4 different channels (3 synth tracks and 1 drum track). without skipping a beat and has wonderful built in editing and groove box style features.

This thing is a workhorse.

 

[GoblinProphet]

I finally got my rig going. It’s been a very steep learning curve and a lot of trial and error. My setup seems like it’s overly complicated and if I understood more about midi I could probably simplify it but I’m just glad to have the mmt-8 recording the midi from the two synths and playing it back. I will try to post a diagram of my setup later and see if anyone wants to put there two cents in on it. I ended up using the MRCC 880 router. I’ve got my 2 synths going to the midi in of the router and the mmt-8 is on the midi out. I merged the two synths to the mmt-8 via the router. I then had to go out of the mmt-8 into the first synth and then thru from the first synth to the in of the second synth. I thought the router would make it so I didn’t have to use any thru connections but it seems I’m still doing sort of a daisy chain. It’s working though and that’s all that really matters I guess.

 

[happyrat1]

One more vote for MIDIfire. I've been using it since I first got the Mac.

Here's a screenshot of how I've set mine up.