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Do I Need a MIDI Splitter or Thru Box?
Long story short: I would like to send MIDI from my DAW or iPad to multiple synths or drum machines at the same time, ideally from individual MIDI cables into the MIDI in ports as opposed to having to utilize the MIDI thru ports on the synths or drum machines.
Short story long: After watching the sets during SoundQuest Fest last weekend, an analogue sequencer started looking pretty juicy. I figured I'd get a Korg SQ-1 and play with that a bit just to dip my toe into the waters. I then thought that I could instead get a MIDI splitter or thru box and use one of the multitude of great sequencer options I already have on my iPad. Ignoring CV here, I want to send one sequence to the Moog Grandmother, one sequence to the Behringer Neutron and possibly another sequence to the Korg Monologue. I'm fine with them all being MIDI sequences. I'll probably get an analogue sequencer at some point, but for now I'm content to use AUM and some step sequencers just to see how nicely I can get all my synths to play together.
All this being said, I'm still unsure as to what exactly I'm looking for. I'm hoping someone here who has firsthand knowledge can guide me to the right purchase, as I cannot for the life of me figure out if I'm looking for a splitter or a thru box (or even what the difference is between the two.)
I hope I'm not leaving anything out here. If so let me know and I'll attempt to clarify or add whatever is necessary.
Oh, and if it makes any difference at all I have a MOTU M2 interface, which has MIDI in and out.
Thanks in advance.
Comments
If you get the Apple Lightning to USB/USB3 adapter and a USB hub, assuming it’s a lightning iPad, or get a USB C hub or something for the newer Pros, etc you can just plug anything with USB MIDI in and send individual channels to them without needing a splitter. Your synths need to have USB MIDI though. From the few you mentioned the only one I don’t know about are the Grandmother and the SQ-1, but they probably have USB MIDI as most modern things do.
Holy cats, I'd never thought of that! I'll give it a try this evening. Thanks so much for the heads up. Truly appreciate it.
If your synths don’t have thru ports, a thru box will be necessary for them to get midi from the same source.
If you want them all to get midi from 2 sources simultaneously, a midi merger will also come in handy
(eg. Sync from a multitracker and control from a keyboard at the same time into your sequencer which outputs to the thru box and then to the rest of the gang)
They all have thru ports, but I think I might (and by "think I might" I fully realize I am) doing something wrong, because I can never seem to get them to do what I want. For instance, I send a sequence via USB to the Grandmother and then an additional sequence through the Grandmother to the Neutron, but the Neutron doesn't respond to the sequence no matter what I try. This is what initially led me to ask about splitting the signal or using a box as a thru. I'd like to arrange one sequence for the Grandmother and one sequence for the Neutron and send them both directly to the synths as opposed to sending two sequences to one and having it go through the MIDI thru port, which never seems to work for me.
Are you sending to the correct 2 midi channels?
Yes, which is how I know I'm doing something wrong, and most likely overlooking something simple. I'll send a sequence to the Grandmother via USB and then out using a MIDI cable and nothing happens on the Neutron. Or to the Neutron via the same means with the same result on the Grandmother. I've also tried sending the sequences with MIDI cables with the same results, or lack thereof. Again, I'm sure this is totally be my own personal ineptitude, but I simply can't for the life of me seem to get it to work.
If I use the Grandmother as a sequencer I can get it to trigger the Neutron, as you'd assume, but what I want to do is have two separate sequences as well as the option to bypass the Grandmother's keyboard altogether sometimes.
Have you tried from the out instead of the thru and turning Local Off?
@BirdBot I suspect you're trying to mix technologies there. I believe the MIDI Thru port is simply physically wired to MIDI In. It's completely innocent of what happens at the USB port, and your synth is not a USB to MIDI converter.
Now, you said you've tried with MIDI cables as well, I guess using the MIDI converter in the MOTU. That would be more likely to work, provided all the data actually reaches the MOTU.
Get a Novation Audiohub interface for iPad.
Problem solved IMHO