Cheap USB to MSC options??

[Cestm0i64]

About once or twice a year I have the desire to use Qlab to trigger a show on a Jester 24/48.

 

I have a nice rack mount sound card that would give me full msc but don’t want to have to cart it and everything else in the rack around for one function when otherwise I’m taking a laptop with me.

 

I tried following a guide and spending £3-4 on a cheap cable and adding the missing chip but that failed.

 

So, my question is: does anyone know of a reasonably priced usb to midi converter that’s a reasonable price. >£25 (for an M-audio that doesn’t say it supports MSC) isn’t an appealing price for a one function device that I might use. (and neither is £60 for the Motu fast lane (recommended by Zero88 for precisely this purpose certainly doesn’t)

 

Thanks in advance

[TomHoward]

Any old midi to USB class complaint cable should be able to pass MSC, it isn’t specific.

 

We’ve used the £3 eBay cables but find they fail after a few days, so we now use the Miditech Midilink Mini (about £15 from Thomann) as the cheapest branded cable.

 

Note that you have to enable Midi MSC control in the Super User menu, set the device ID for MSC in that menu too and you can’t use a USB keyboard at the same time as Midi control as it uses the same hardware chip.

 

Note also to test both connectors on the cable, I’ve had some midi - usb marked “in” and “out” as in midi in and out of the computer, and others marked “in” and “out” according to what port on the keyboard they ought to be connected to, to help the novice user - ie midi In to the computer was marked “out” and midi output of the computer was marked “in”.

[dbuckley]

Avoid those el-cheapo in-line soap-in-a-string-of-unknown-Chinese-origin type converters, they are very variable with their support for anything MIDI at all.

 

I'm a massive fan of the iConnectivity products, and would heartily recommend the mio2, which is one of their products I have and which I know will do what you want, but it's over your budget, so I'd recommend you try their one port soap-on-a-string tool, the mio, which as these "cheap" type interfaces go is expensive (£28 on Amazon) but if it's half as good as the mio2 it'll sort you out fine.