This looks awesome. I need a couple 😀

Nice MIDI Splitter 😀

If the optocoupler is sensitive enough, then it can act as a buffer for more problematic sound card outputs (like my ESS 1868) that don't always work with midi devices.

4 outputs aren't nearly enough 😁

I would probably buy one of these.

Oh well, ok i will build a few more then 😉

I would buy one, but I want one that allows me to select with output is actually receiving the data. I also prefer to not have any cabling on the front of the unit. In my case I have 3 separate modules I like to switch between when playing games. But currently I'm using the midi thru on two of them to do this. So it requires all three modules to be powered on if I want to listen to just #3 at the end of the chain. It would be nice if some essentially made a cheap replacement of the old Roland MPU-105 midi selector.

Well a midi switch won't help you much with what you describe... if games send some data to modules or setup in a certain way and you switch modules then the new module will miss that data and you will get wrong playback. What you need IMHO is a sound mixer where you can select which module to hear - they would all be powered on and received all needed data so no playback issues.

I'd love to see a DreamBlaster external USB audio box, with MIDI I/O and an internal Waveblaster header for the X2GS (or whatever) board. With PCI slots being gone from new boards, the only alternative for MIDI is external boxes and consolidation always makes things easier.

keropi wrote on 2021-11-22, 17:51:

Well a midi switch won't help you much with what you describe... if games send some data to modules or setup in a certain way and you switch modules then the new module will miss that data and you will get wrong playback. What you need IMHO is a sound mixer where you can select which module to hear - they would all be powered on and received all needed data so no playback issues.

What you have state does happen even now and I usually have to power off the module I want to use to correct for odd issues like this. With something like the old MPU-105, you can select which module is actually receiving the signal. I don't normally swap modules in the middle of playing a game. I do currently use a physical speaker selector box to control which of the modules is actually able to be heard. The volume of each of my modules is adjusted individually to essentially be at the same level so a mixer isn't needed in this case.

I do get what you are saying in that even with this device, all the signals go to everything plugged in, and so the devices I don't want to use I just leave powered off and that would work too. But again, I don't like cables coming out the front of the device and would prefer if all the cabling was just on the backside of the device.

Ah ok I get it, I kinda thought you did it at random times to hear differences on the fly... Sure what you say works fine

Started small batch of midi thru boxes (as first described).
Also thinking about various variants...

OK, available now as solder kit and fully assembled PCB : https://www.serdashop.com/MIDI-THRU-BOX