Depends, MIDI-THRU boxes are cheap, but they only have 1 input. I like MIDI patch bays myself as they have multiple inputs and outputs, so I can send any input to any output with the buttons on the front. Personally, I use Edirol UM550. (Half rack, 5 inputs, 5 outputs, and USB.) The UM880 is full rack (8 in, 8 out, 2x USB). They are not cheap though. Old full rack patch bays (like Roland A880) are much cheaper though. Thanks to my 550, my modern pc, retro pc, x68000, msx, and fm towns all have full access to my modules without cable swaps.

For gaming/miditower reasons I would recommend a MIDI THRU box like this one: https://www.serdashop.com/MIDI-THRU-BOX
You have all your modules connected to it and you power them on on demand (one or all at once does not matter to the thru box)
You can daisy chain THRU boxes or even use DM15MIDI to connect 2 boxes to your soundcard: https://www.serdashop.com/DB15MIDI

There are also THRU boxes that have more outputs that can be found on eBay - either vintage ones or newly made
I have only used vintage ones and the Serdashop boxes - pretty sure the other new ones are good but try to avoid self-powered units and go for boxes that have dedicated power input

Simmerhead wrote on 2022-10-05, 11:02:

I'm currently using a Roland CM-300, SC-55 & SC-7, Yamaha MU50 & MU80 and a KORG AG-10. I'm also planning to get Casio and AKAI modules.

I'm curious about your choice of modules. Cm300 and SC55 are exactly the same. Sc7 is also very similar as few PC games use GS. Mu50 and Mu80 will also sound indentical in 95% of games. Nothing wrong with collecting, just curious about your choices.

SuperDeadite wrote on 2022-10-05, 11:35:

I'm curious about your choice of modules. Cm300 and SC55 are exactly the same. Sc7 is also very similar as few PC games use GS. Mu50 and Mu80 will also sound indentical in 95% of games. Nothing wrong with collecting, just curious about your choices.

You're right. The CM-300 and SC-7 are there just for the looks. They fit perfectly with the rest of the beige hardware on my desk.

I plan on hiding the other synth modules in a small cabinet alongside the midi switch.

I pick them up whenever I can. They're few and far between in Norway (and extremely expensive to import with added VAT , shipping and customs fees. And, it's old hardware, so you never know when they decide to quit on you. I keep multiple backups of most of my vintage hardware.

SuperDeadite wrote on 2022-10-05, 11:24:

Depends, MIDI-THRU boxes are cheap, but they only have 1 input. I like MIDI patch bays myself as they have multiple inputs and outputs, so I can send any input to any output with the buttons on the front. Personally, I use Edirol UM550. (Half rack, 5 inputs, 5 outputs, and USB.) The UM880 is full rack (8 in, 8 out, 2x USB). They are not cheap though. Old full rack patch bays (like Roland A880) are much cheaper though. Thanks to my 550, my modern pc, retro pc, x68000, msx, and fm towns all have full access to my modules without cable swaps.

Do you think something like this would do the same job as the Edirol?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SubZero-4x4-MIDI-Int … e/dp/B07PPSJW7V

keropi wrote on 2022-10-05, 11:26:

For gaming/miditower reasons I would recommend a MIDI THRU box like this one: https://www.serdashop.com/MIDI-THRU-BOX You have a […]
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For gaming/miditower reasons I would recommend a MIDI THRU box like this one: https://www.serdashop.com/MIDI-THRU-BOX
You have all your modules connected to it and you power them on on demand (one or all at once does not matter to the thru box)
You can daisy chain THRU boxes or even use DM15MIDI to connect 2 boxes to your soundcard: https://www.serdashop.com/DB15MIDI

There are also THRU boxes that have more outputs that can be found on eBay - either vintage ones or newly made
I have only used vintage ones and the Serdashop boxes - pretty sure the other new ones are good but try to avoid self-powered units and go for boxes that have dedicated power input

So in practice, the sound card will only choose the midi module that's powered on and don't get "confused" by the other modules?

Simmerhead wrote on 2022-10-05, 12:22:

So in practice, the sound card will only choose the midi module that's powered on and don't get "confused" by the other modules?

nope
the soundcard only sends out 1x midi-out signal
the THRU box will quadruple it and up to 4 modules will receive the exact same midi-out signal from the THRU box
then it is only a matter of which module is powered to receive the signal and start playback (or all can be powered and all will play but you will have a sound mixer to select what you want to hear)
in any way making a cable spaghetti is unavoidable for a midi tower 🤣

No idea on the SubZero. Would need to see the manual. It's advertised as an interface though, which is not a patch bay...

A THRU-BOX is basically a splitter. It just sends the one MIDI Input to every output. The computer won't even know it exists as MIDI is one-way only.

Really you need to decide if you want multiple inputs or not thats the big question.

Thanks all for your help and great advice!

For basic connections you can use a simple MIDI thru box. The one from Serdashop was mentioned. MIDI Solutions also offers these in both 4 output and 8 output options. Since you're looking to expand your MIDI setup, it might be working getting an 8 output unit: https://midisolutions.com/prodt8.htm

If you want a more complex MIDI setup down the road with both inputs and outputs, you can also look to something like a MOTU MIDI Express interface (https://motu.com/products/midi/128) which is designed to handle 8 inputs and outputs.

if you get a thru box make sure its a externally powered through box. ive used the mididtech 7 out boxes before. they work fine.

you can look for older devices like the above said A880, I have one its great. There is also the Roland MPU 104 + MPU 105 which is an input selector and output selector.

if you want to go ham, iConnectivity MioXL or an MRCC is the current dogs bollocks.

Thanks again all! Too many options... 😀

Looking into it. I also have a Roland MPU-401 MIDI processing unit, but missing the original Roland ISA card to go with it, so I'm looking into the new "Lo-tech MIF IPC B" to add to the system.

Big question is how many systems you want to hook up to those modules.

If you just want one system to have access to them, a MIDI-Thru type thing would be perfect. Roland's MPU-105 would be nice and period correct, but anything with similar functionality would be fine.
If however you have (or anticipate having) multiple systems that you want to be able to use the MIDI devices, if you don't want to keep unplugging and plugging, a patchbay is the way to go.

I started with an Edirol UM550, but ran out of ports (particularly as one output was dead), so upgraded to a Roland A880. Didn't spend eBay money on either:
- found the Edirol locally via classified ads for musicians. This is old junk to many of them and priced accordingly.
- didn't find an A880 locally for a price I was willing to pay, so bought it in Japan. They were far more common there, so less expensive now as well. Even after shipping it only cost me EUR 125. Slight issue with 110V power requirement, but avoided that by bypassing the whole transformer and powering its PCB directly via USB.