Wireless Midi, How to disconnect mac from synthesizer Options

[camcrosby]

I have a very simple desire: disconnect my computer from my synthesizer. Currently, I feel tethered to my synthesizer. To run my synthesizer using my computer, I have to have a USB cable hooked from the computer to the synthesizer.

I want to move around with my laptop, yet still run my synthesizer. I'm dreaming of a wireless USB connection or some other method. Anyone know of any possible solutions?

[swilder]

Wireless MIDI has one gigantic problem: what do you do if data doesn't make it from the controller to the slave?

In the networking world this is easy. When a data packet is lost or dropped it gets resent. So it wasn't that hard to make networking wireless. The only barrier there was speed.

But since MIDI is real time data, if the data doesn't get recieved you get all sorts of glitches (note on/off commands don't work, etc)

Even though speed is no longer in an issue, there's no point in resending the MIDI data because it would no longer be in sync.

[camcrosby]

Hmmm. interesting issue. so it sounds like no one has gotten around the problem? I wonder how big these glitches could be. Would it cause the synthesizer to skip or hold notes or does it shut down the playback all together? A missed note here and there for my use may not be a showstopper. Thanks for your input - let me know if you have any other ideas.

[Richard Trier]

Use one of these...

http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/


.

[camcrosby]

not sure I understand your solution. My synthesizer plugs in using a usb midi cable. The only usb port on the airportexpress is for a printer. Not sure how I would send midi through the airportexpress without a port on the airportexpress that could be used by the synthesizer. I'm hoping you know something I don't. Thanks for your input.

[volxs]

I found a couple of freeware apps that let you send midi data via tcp/ip. Maybe using one of these apps with an airport enabled mac and one of the new airport express units (which are pretty reasonably priced and also have the brilliant new airtunes capability) you might be able to rig up a way of sending midi data to your synth.

It's just a hypothesis at the moment I'm not definite that it would work, I've got an airport express unit coming when they hit the uk so I'll give it a go. Although I reckon it would be pretty flaky at best.

It's a start though.

How about a hardware developer working on some kind of midi over blue tooth? Now that would be pretty cool.

oh yeah the apps are imidi and midi clock if you're interested. check on version tracker

[volxs]

Well here we go.

Kenton have just released a wireless midi solution called midi stream. I've only read a small write up about it but it sounds like the realisation of your dreams.

Although it's not pretty (just a couple of utilitarian black boxes and some nasty rubber aerials) and it's not that cheap (£399 in the uk), although I guess thats realative to how much you want wireless midi and how usefull it would be to you.

Check it out here.

[camcrosby]

I've seen this device on the web before, but I don't believe it's available in the US at this time. However, I had a little time over the 3 day weekend (US 4th of July) and I found and installed a working solution!!!!

I was at Fry's electronics and was browsing through their USB section and ran across a USB server manufactured by Keyspan (Click Here for Product Info) you plug into a LAN via an ethernet connection. It costs around $149 US and works like a charm on either Mac or PC.

I hooked the server to a wireless bridge and voila, I can now talk to my sound module completely wirelessly. All I can say is it's a wonderful freedom. The device and the software appear to be solid. Thanks again for your time and help

This post has been edited by camcrosby: Wed 7 Jul 2004, 03:10

[dolawren]

Well it's not a completely wireless solution...But it would be less wires,
Let's put it that way, You could just simply get a small sound module that you
can carry around with you wherever you want to go.

The Edirol SD-20 is fairly portable but it may need a/c power beyond a desktop,
(Although it says it is usb bus powered)
You may want to check out the spec's yourself to see if it's what you
are looking for, It has some syth sounds on it.

D

This post has been edited by dolawren: Sat 24 Jul 2004, 21:31