Anyone using MIDI?

[Platypus]

Does anyone who has experience using MIDI professionally or semi-professionally care to offer advice regarding current MIDI interfaces for the PC?

I'll need to establish the MIDI setup for an advanced home studio, and wish to avoid things like messy incompatabilities with different systems of USB time stamping, or latency problems.

Would a Firewire interface be best, or something internal?

I'd welcome any suggestions.

[raindog]

I use a C-port DSP 2000 from www.staudio.com. This is a sound card and breakout box which allows for recording of 10 simultaneous tracks and has Midi I/O in 96hz/24bit as well.

If your just looking for a basic midi I/O there are a heap on the market from companies like Edirol (subsidiary of Roland) , Midiman, M-audio, Emagic etc etc. But most pro qulaity sound cards/breakout box set-ups usually have a midi option included.

Also if your interested in firewire I know that a couple of companies called Motu and Digidesign are doing devices that are supposed to be quite good (but expensive).

I geuss can find out all you need at a music orientated forum like www.audioforums.com
cheers

[Platypus]

Thanks raindog. Besides the startling prospect of 96Hz/24bit MIDI (your meaning is understood though ), you have given me some things to follow up on.

Recording is to be 24 track 96KHz/24bit, probably Mackie gear, with the PC doing MIDI sequencing and sharing stereo mastering with DAT, so the DSP24 ADAT from your link is interesting.

The audio forum is also a good suggestion, I've just started serious investigating, and posted on tech sites I frequent.

Searches have already led me to Edirol, MOTU, Digidesign etc, and there's always Audigy/Extigy I suppose.

I am leaning toward an internal interface rather than Firewire, or less satisfactory, USB.

Comments from anyone else?

[raindog]

Your an aussie right?. These are the best of the net for online purchases that I've been able to find here in australia.

www.musiclab.net.au (melbourne)
www.musiccitysydney.com.au (big warehouse sale at the moment)
www.allans.com.au (australia wide)

Of course theres pro audio at Canberra but they don't have a great website-need the catalogue

Also check out www.musiclab.com.au , here in Brisvegas if you have any midi enquiries and want to talk to a saleperson. Contact Andy as he has been involved with the whole midi thing for years and years and is has a ton of good advice. A lot of music store salesman aern't usually the best people to talk to about Hitech gear. Another guy that is worth talking to is Matthew Skinner who works for www.sound-music.com (Importers of Staudio gear). Matt works as the tech support for them and also runs his own recording business and has a site called www.pcmus.com . Basically hes a genius with sound cards/midi/computers and moderates their web forum at http://www.sound-music.com/cgi-bin/i.../ikonboard.cgi


hope some of this will be helpfull when it comes time to decide and make your purchase

cheers