MIDI/SOUNDCARDS/CONNECTIONS

[DaftFader]

what's the best connection for your sound card to have to use midi?

DA-15 (joystick plug) or phono -> MIDI? .. or are there any others that are better?

:hopeless:

[Raj]

depends on your soundcard - what do you have?

[DaftFader]

i am looking to buy a new one

[joshd96320]

i thought midi was data so phono wouldnt really do the job?

[DaftFader]

i thought midi was data so phono wouldnt really do the job?well fundimentaly anything can carry on or off data ... and be on and off at the same time as well lol

[Raj]

midi= musical instrument digital interface

mainly used to trigger sequencers and other instruments { some groove boxes can have limited audio transmitted to them in midi and then played back as music because it uses the midi information to control the synths etc }

din plugs are the usual kind of port but joysticks can also be used at a pinch; if you want to sequence instruments the din plug is the industry standard.

[DaftFader]

so neither has a better responce time? ... exactly the same otehr than shape and compatibility?

[!sinner69!]

DIN = Deutsche Institut für Normung

Deutsches Institut für Normung - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsches_Institut_f%C3%BCr_Normung)

[DaftFader]

DIN = Deutsche Institut für Normung

Deutsches Institut für Normung - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsches_Institut_f%C3%BCr_Normung)
interesting .. thanks for that! ... i thought it refered to the noise the music made through the din connectors :P ... so i shouldn't worry about it effecting responce time or anything? essentualy it's just a cabel .. there's no better or worce .. like you get with metal wired and fiber optics as they both gonna be metal it's just about compatability ... so what i need to focas on is the quality of the sound card ... the wire doesn't matter too much as it's not carring raw waves it's just on and off data telling what parts of my stuff to do what .. kinda what i thought n e way ... just wanted to make sure ... ta for the help ... any one got any sugestions for soundcards that are cheep? .. audiofile or soundblaster? .. what's better? audiofile i would say .. alltho soundblaster have newer tech atm ...

[Raj]

I am unclear as to what you mean DF - for maximum compatibility you will need the DIN plug as thats what you will find on the back of almost all MIDI triggered instruments because thats the industry standard.

The response time is a bit of a red herring here I think. Phono is analogue so is useless for MIDI data - phono is for transmitting audio. You can buy separate MIDI controllers {separate from your sound card} if the soundcard doesnt support MIDI.

E-MU Systems - 1212M PCI - PCI Digital Audio System (http://www.emu.com/products/product.asp?product=9872) is a soundcard with MIDI support; we have the EMU 0404 in our PC and can recommend that too

[Raj]

The geeks sitting in the room with me suggest looking at:

event layla or an event gina for audiophile soundcards or
M audio if you want something cheaper :wink:

The EMU are old at this point but I love my one

[General Lighting]

MIDI has a 5-PIN 180 degree DIN connector (there are two other kinds of 5-pin DIN, rarely found today).

whether it all works or not depends entirely soundcard. All soundcards will however use some sort of multi-way connector to bring the MIDI signals to another set of full size DIN connectors due to basic physics, you cannot fit anything other than D-subs or mini-dins on the back of a PC expansion card...

you don't need to spend loads on MIDI leads as they carry relatively low speed (by todays standard) data - but make sure they are robust.

[DaftFader]

yeah all i was really asking was (as i am buying a new sound card) what would be the better midi input/output on the sound card ... i know some are old joystic ports DA-15 (to din) and i have seen phono (to din) (must have had a convertor somewhere) i just wondered if there was any diferance other than shape of connector .. and it doesn't seem like it by what every one has said .. raaa

[Raj]

Din is what you want then :p

[DaftFader]

so it would be a mini din and then a connector that does mini din to big din? ... cos the sound cards i looked at don't have din on the back .. they have some thing else that converts to din with a wire (as long as i can make it din in the end .. it doesn't matter what i have on my sound card right?)

[Raj]

yeah - what you want to end up with is a DIN {how you get there is via a digital connection of some kind} GL is right abou8t the wee ones getting bigger via converters

I am off to be less sensible now as we are celebrating a birthday here raaa

[DaftFader]

have fun :) and ta for the help