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Old 02-28-2021, 07:34 PM   #1
lightnb
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Default Physical MIDI output device that works alongside an audio interface?

I'm using an Audient iD44 as my interface with Jack on Debian 11. I have a few outboard devices that can be controlled via (physical) MIDI. It's not USB MIDI like the keyboards, but the old school DIN connectors.

I'd like to be able to fire MIDI control commands out of reaper tracks with MIDI items. Is this possible?

1. Is there a hardware device that is a USB to MIDI (DIN) converter that is Linux compatible?

2. Can such a device be used alongside the iD44 without a lot of pain?

3. Does it need world clock sync with the Audient?

Is there anybody doing this that can confirm it works and recommend a device?
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Old 02-28-2021, 07:52 PM   #2
Glennbo
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I gave my kid a cheap no name USB to 5-Pin MIDI in/out and it worked fine on Arch. I use a Behringer UMC1820 audio interface and it has 5-Pin MIDI that I use from a MIDI keyboard. I also have an Akai MPD26 pad controller which has 5-Pin MIDI, and I feed the input on it from my V-Drums. I also use it's 6 sliders and 6 knobs to control things like the drawbars on the Native Instruments B4 Organ.

I have not however tried sending any MIDI control messages out, if you mean stuff like SysEx messages specific to a brand and model of hardware synth.
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Old 03-01-2021, 11:02 AM   #3
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ESI Midi Mate II works great with Linux.
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Old 03-01-2021, 12:20 PM   #4
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If it works as a generic usb audio device, it should usually work pretty well with Linux out of the box. And there's lots of audio devices that have both USB and five pin midi connectors. I have a Behringer USB midi controller myself that I've used in the past as an intermediary to play an old midi synth from Reaper. (My current audio interface also has midi connectors, but I haven't tried them out yet.)

I think multiple USB audio devices should work just fine together. I know my midi controller and my audio device work fine, when I use the controller to play software synths. I haven't actually tried *sending* midi through the controller since I started using a USB audio interface, but a brief look in Reaper tells me I can enable my controller and interface independently as midi output devices, so I imagine it should work fine...

Edit: just to be clear, all my experience is with alsa. I don't know if using Jack would affect anything here.

Last edited by elcalen; 03-01-2021 at 12:26 PM.
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Old 03-01-2021, 12:33 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elcalen View Post
Edit: just to be clear, all my experience is with alsa. I don't know if using Jack would affect anything here.
I used to use JACK with my old M-Audio soundcards, and I needed to use a2jmidid to get midi from ALSA to JACK.
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Old 03-01-2021, 01:07 PM   #6
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Quote:
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I have not however tried sending any MIDI control messages out, if you mean stuff like SysEx messages specific to a brand and model of hardware synth.
That's what I was asking about, because there's certain devices like outboard FX processors that have MIDI controllable parameters that can be automated. But I'm not sure what level of "sync" (world clock) it needs to have with the audio interface, when used alongside an audio interface that doesn't have it's own MIDI out.
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Old 03-01-2021, 01:52 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lightnb View Post
That's what I was asking about, because there's certain devices like outboard FX processors that have MIDI controllable parameters that can be automated. But I'm not sure what level of "sync" (world clock) it needs to have with the audio interface, when used alongside an audio interface that doesn't have it's own MIDI out.
If your outboard FX processors are already setup with ReaInset so they have good timing with ping tests and offsets, I would expect any USB Class Compliant midi interface would be real close timing wise at tweaking parameters on the FX. I haven't used outboard midi hardware with REAPER since around 2010 when I got rid of a rack full of midi synths.
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Old 03-01-2021, 07:40 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lightnb View Post
That's what I was asking about, because there's certain devices like outboard FX processors that have MIDI controllable parameters that can be automated. But I'm not sure what level of "sync" (world clock) it needs to have with the audio interface, when used alongside an audio interface that doesn't have it's own MIDI out.
I'm new to REAPER so please forgive me if I'm missing something, but if you have 'recorded' the automation of your MIDI controllable parameters in REAPER alongside your audio tracks, then why would there need to be any sort of synchronisation between the MIDI interface and the audio interface?
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Old 03-01-2021, 08:11 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by ontologist View Post
I'm new to REAPER so please forgive me if I'm missing something, but if you have 'recorded' the automation of your MIDI controllable parameters in REAPER alongside your audio tracks, then why would there need to be any sort of synchronisation between the MIDI interface and the audio interface?
Right. REAPER is going to spit the midi out along with the audio, even if on two interfaces.

My midi keyboard is connected to my audio interface's 5-pin midi, but when I record drawbar organ I use the sliders on my Akai MDP26 connected over USB to record riding the drawbars at the same time.

So REAPER gets midi from two separate inputs and records both so that keypresses on the midi keyboard and drawbar movements from the Akai playback just like they were recorded, even though they came from two different midi sources controlling in this case a virtual instrument.

In the case of controlling external hardware, there might be some slack such that an offset to midi or audio is needed. If ReaInsert has been properly setup with ping testing so it's offsets are correct, then the midi stuff ought to be real close and may need no additional tweaking I would think.
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Old 03-06-2021, 12:55 PM   #10
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Just because I'm not convinced the question has been properly answered yet:

* Any class-compliant USB MIDI device will be supported by Reaper. This will be most of them out there - I've used Reaper successfully with Behringer, MOTU, and Edirol MIDI interfaces.

* Any number of MIDI interfaces is supported. In Options>Settings>MIDI you should see a list of all the MIDI devices attached to the system. They are all 'disabled' by default but you can right-click -> Enable on any of them for input, output, or both.

* Once the device has been enabled, it can be assigned as a MIDI input or output for a track, in the same way one might assign an audio input or output.
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Old 03-10-2021, 12:00 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by sthompson View Post
Just because I'm not convinced the question has been properly answered yet:

* Any class-compliant USB MIDI device will be supported by Reaper. This will be most of them out there - I've used Reaper successfully with Behringer, MOTU, and Edirol MIDI interfaces.

* Any number of MIDI interfaces is supported. In Options>Settings>MIDI you should see a list of all the MIDI devices attached to the system. They are all 'disabled' by default but you can right-click -> Enable on any of them for input, output, or both.

* Once the device has been enabled, it can be assigned as a MIDI input or output for a track, in the same way one might assign an audio input or output.
Thank you. One other thing: Does the MIDI interface need to be synced to the audio interface somehow (ie. a World Clock sync), if it's triggering things that should be played back in time with the project (ie. a modular synth)?

I was looking at a MOTU the other day (an 8/8 rack mount) and reviews said it wasn't class compliant, and didn't even work on newer Windows because the drivers were never updated. So I'm trying to do due diligence and get confirmation on a specific device working with Linux.

I'm open to suggestions. I'm interested in triggering outboard synths, and also possibly controlling devices that accept MIDI control commands.
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Old 03-11-2021, 06:10 PM   #12
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e-mu XMIDI 2x2, I use it along with maudio pci card sometimes.
reverb.com has some @ $50

https://reverb.com/marketplace?make=...ry=XMIDI%202X2
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Old 05-12-2021, 01:42 AM   #13
hughbarnard
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Default Native Linux for Behringer UMC1820?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Glennbo View Post
I gave my kid a cheap no name USB to 5-Pin MIDI in/out and it worked fine on Arch. I use a Behringer UMC1820 audio interface and it has 5-Pin MIDI that I use from a MIDI keyboard. I also have an Akai MPD26 pad controller which has 5-Pin MIDI, and I feed the input on it from my V-Drums. I also use it's 6 sliders and 6 knobs to control things like the drawbars on the Native Instruments B4 Organ.

I have not however tried sending any MIDI control messages out, if you mean stuff like SysEx messages specific to a brand and model of hardware synth.
Sorry slightly off-topic. I'm new and trying to switch totally from Pro Tools/Windows to (if possible) native Reaper/(Ubuntu) Linux and also swap out my ancient Mbox (I think it has sampling problems, anyway). So will this work out of the box (or nearly) for Linux, no Wine, Reaper? TIA>
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Old 05-12-2021, 07:37 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hughbarnard View Post
Sorry slightly off-topic. I'm new and trying to switch totally from Pro Tools/Windows to (if possible) native Reaper/(Ubuntu) Linux and also swap out my ancient Mbox (I think it has sampling problems, anyway). So will this work out of the box (or nearly) for Linux, no Wine, Reaper? TIA>
The UMC1820 worked out of the box with REAPER for Linux.

Both my Raspberry Pi 3 B+ and Pi 4 also see it just fine out of the box. I recorded this sooper sloppy proof of concept jam using just a Pi 4, REAPER, and the UMC1820.

https://www.soundclick.com/music/son...ongID=14216922

.
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