The cheapest and fastest is likely to just be having MIDI cables connected to both computers and then just plugging in a module you want to use.

Unless you are building a MIDI rack there's no reason to go with something complex and expensive involving MIDI input selectors.

MIDI patchbays are basically the only options with multiple inputs. If you don't mind full rack size, old ones like Roland A880 are cheap on yahoo auctions Japan. If you want half-rack, Edirol UM550 is wonderful, but not cheap.

SScorpio wrote on 2022-11-20, 23:00:

The cheapest and fastest is likely to just be having MIDI cables connected to both computers and then just plugging in a module you want to use.

Unless you are building a MIDI rack there's no reason to go with something complex and expensive involving MIDI input selectors.

Nope, I'm not thinking about building a MIDI rack. Last night I was searching and came across with an idea: Get one DB-15 to MIDI adapter (that has 2x MIDI) and then connect the adapter on the computer that I'd use, so I'd just need the adapter and two MIDI cables.

Thanks for the advice!!

SuperDeadite wrote on 2022-11-20, 23:39:

MIDI patchbays are basically the only options with multiple inputs. If you don't mind full rack size, old ones like Roland A880 are cheap on yahoo auctions Japan. If you want half-rack, Edirol UM550 is wonderful, but not cheap.

Yeah, but both options are far from my limited budget, unfortunately 😅
Thanks for the tip!!

AndalusianRG wrote on 2022-11-21, 12:19:

Nope, I'm not thinking about building a MIDI rack. Last night I was searching and came across with an idea: Get one DB-15 to MIDI adapter (that has 2x MIDI) and then connect the adapter on the computer that I'd use, so I'd just need the adapter and two MIDI cables.

Thanks for the advice!!

The two MIDI ports on the game port cables won't work for connecting both modules. One of them is MIDI out and the other is MIDI in.

Since you are OK with moving the cable between PCs, why don't you also just switch which MIDI module is connected? If you absolutely have to have both connected at once you'll need a regular MIDI cable to connect the two modules together. That will run $5-6.

For a super cheap setup get another MIDI cable or two and some gender changers. Then you can have an easy to access "break point" mid-cable without having to stress the ports on soundcard/modules by constantly changing their cables.

Thanks everyone for your advice!! I'll see what I'd do.

Apologies for not reading the whole thread, but I have a couple minutes to post something that worked for me.

First off, daisy chaining is by far the easiest way to start the process and I can't really think of any obvious downsides to this unless one of your devices doesn't have a "THRU" connection. I daisy changed my MIDI devices so that only one source connection is needed. The input comes from an old-school KVM keyboard switch box (basically like this) that used 5-pin DIN style connectors for the keyboard, since MIDI uses the same connector.

It's a bit tough to get them to come up in search results because technically "DIN" describes a PS/2 connector as well... but they are out there.

To explain it more visually:

PC1- MIDI Out --->Switch-box Input "1"
PC2- MIDI Out --->Switch-box Input "2"

Switch-Box "I/O" --> Roland SC55 "In"
Roland SC55 "THRU" --> Roland CM64 "In"
Roland CM64 "THRU" --> Roland MT32 "In"

I then have the three of them go into a cheap stereo mixer so I can mix them all together along with my PC sound card outputs. All of the MIDI devices play at the same time, so I just turn the volume down on the ones I'm not using.

Hope that helps!

Ozzuneoj wrote on 2022-11-28, 09:16:

Apologies for not reading the whole thread, but I have a couple minutes to post something that worked for me. […]
Show full quote

Apologies for not reading the whole thread, but I have a couple minutes to post something that worked for me.

First off, daisy chaining is by far the easiest way to start the process and I can't really think of any obvious downsides to this unless one of your devices doesn't have a "THRU" connection. I daisy changed my MIDI devices so that only one source connection is needed. The input comes from an old-school KVM keyboard switch box (basically like this) that used 5-pin DIN style connectors for the keyboard, since MIDI uses the same connector.

It's a bit tough to get them to come up in search results because technically "DIN" describes a PS/2 connector as well... but they are out there.

To explain it more visually:

PC1- MIDI Out --->Switch-box Input "1"
PC2- MIDI Out --->Switch-box Input "2"

Switch-Box "I/O" --> Roland SC55 "In"
Roland SC55 "THRU" --> Roland CM64 "In"
Roland CM64 "THRU" --> Roland MT32 "In"

I then have the three of them go into a cheap stereo mixer so I can mix them all together along with my PC sound card outputs. All of the MIDI devices play at the same time, so I just turn the volume down on the ones I'm not using.

Hope that helps!

Don't worry!
Unfortunately none of the devices have a MIDI-Thru port😅
Thank you anyway!!

AndalusianRG wrote on 2022-11-28, 18:13:

Don't worry! Unfortunately none of the devices have a MIDI-Thru port😅 Thank you anyway!! […]
Show full quote

Ozzuneoj wrote on 2022-11-28, 09:16:

Apologies for not reading the whole thread, but I have a couple minutes to post something that worked for me. […]
Show full quote

Apologies for not reading the whole thread, but I have a couple minutes to post something that worked for me.

First off, daisy chaining is by far the easiest way to start the process and I can't really think of any obvious downsides to this unless one of your devices doesn't have a "THRU" connection. I daisy changed my MIDI devices so that only one source connection is needed. The input comes from an old-school KVM keyboard switch box (basically like this) that used 5-pin DIN style connectors for the keyboard, since MIDI uses the same connector.

It's a bit tough to get them to come up in search results because technically "DIN" describes a PS/2 connector as well... but they are out there.

To explain it more visually:

PC1- MIDI Out --->Switch-box Input "1"
PC2- MIDI Out --->Switch-box Input "2"

Switch-Box "I/O" --> Roland SC55 "In"
Roland SC55 "THRU" --> Roland CM64 "In"
Roland CM64 "THRU" --> Roland MT32 "In"

I then have the three of them go into a cheap stereo mixer so I can mix them all together along with my PC sound card outputs. All of the MIDI devices play at the same time, so I just turn the volume down on the ones I'm not using.

Hope that helps!

Don't worry!
Unfortunately none of the devices have a MIDI-Thru port😅
Thank you anyway!!

Ah, okay. I thought since you said that you were "trying not to daisy chain" that it was at least an option. I have an SC-7... I just forgot that it doesn't have a THRU port. 😮

I guess an alternative would be to get one of the switch boxes I talked about and hook up your two MIDI devices one so you can manually toggle between them. Then just manually plug in the computer you want to use. If you could find two of them for cheap you could even just stack them and have one switch between computers and one switch between MIDI modules.

Use db15midi which has 2 x midi out, and just switch on the module you want to use
https://www.serdashop.com/DB15MIDI

DB15 switchboxes are easily available on amazon and ebay. Wouldn't those work as a cheap midi device switch?

keenerb wrote on 2022-11-29, 01:21:

DB15 switchboxes are easily available on amazon and ebay. Wouldn't those work as a cheap midi device switch?

While the switch boxes themselves are pretty common, it seems like DB15 cables (that aren't mislabeled DE15 VGA cables) are much harder to find cheaply than standard MIDI cables. Maybe there's another name to search for, but I tried looking for DB15 and for 15 pin serial and they tended to be $15 each or more.

If you instead use a 5-pin DIN keyboard switch box after the gameport to midi adapter, (rather than switching the gameport cable itself), you can then use standard MIDI cables, extensions, couplers etc. to wire up all of your devices.

Though now that I look around, I see that the supply of gameport to MIDI adapters have almost dried up entirely unless you buy an expensive computer music boxed kit.

That would complicate matters a bit. If you have to pay out the nose for one of those then maybe going the DB15 switchbox route is actually cheaper, since you'd only need one DB15 to MIDI adapter.