Blokas Midihub

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valis
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Blokas Midihub

Post by valis »

DAWman, since you have Bome's BOMEBOX, any insights on how this would compare?

Midihub - Standalone MIDI Processor & Router
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dante
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Re: Blokas Midihub

Post by dante »

That looks real cool. I'm holding off any new MIDI processing gear - I dont use that I have due to limitations. But MIDI 2 looks like it has potential. So if this new MidiHub comes out with a version supporting MIDI 2 then it could be an instabuy. Property exchange looks really exciting if the manufacturers promising they will jump on it actually do (Ableton/Cycling ’74, Art+Logic, Bome Software, Google, imitone, Native Instruments, Roland, ROLI, Steinberg, TouchKeys, and Yamaha) ....

https://djtechtools.com/2019/01/23/midi ... -underway/
MIDI 2 thingy
MIDI 2 thingy
MIDI-2.0-Environment-MIDI-CI-Overview-Diagram-9.jpg.optimal.jpg (105.58 KiB) Viewed 5469 times
David
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Re: Blokas Midihub

Post by David »

Interesting device

the midihub site suggests in relation to the midi 2 spec- "We are members of the MIDI Association, so we are aware of the new specification and its contents. We will provide software updates to Midihub as needed. No hardware changes to Midihub have to be made to accommodate the new spec."

Looks promising so far
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valis
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Re: Blokas Midihub

Post by valis »

I grabbed one.
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Re: Blokas Midihub

Post by borg »

Interesting... Though I'm quite happy with my alyseum AL88c, Copperlan feels like beta stage (messed up routing, and I have a lot of connections, scope drivers need to be activated every time, jumping UI,...).

Just like Scope, great near perfect stuff, but, well, just not.

This software seems much more professional, although with only 4 I/O, the hardware seems restrictive. Even with my 8x8 box I have to Daisy chain, which I try to avoid.
andy
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Bud Weiser
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Re: Blokas Midihub

Post by Bud Weiser »

borg wrote: Wed Sep 04, 2019 3:48 am Interesting... Though I'm quite happy with my alyseum AL88c, Copperlan feels like beta stage (messed up routing, and I have a lot of connections, scope drivers need to be activated every time, jumping UI,...).

Just like Scope, great near perfect stuff, but, well, just not.

This software seems much more professional, although with only 4 I/O, the hardware seems restrictive. Even with my 8x8 box I have to Daisy chain, which I try to avoid.
When you need 8x8, the Alyseum U388c working w/ USB3/USB2 might be an alternative.
It seems, Alyseum already distanced from Copperlan.
I also hoped for Copperlan for a long time,- but meanwhile I got the impression rtpMIDI is the more reliable solution for MIDI over network.
As a consequence, I decided for buying a IConnectivity mio10 because they officially support rtpMIDI and I need more connections than the number of DIN-MIDI connectors available on any interface,- Alyseum or iConnectivity.
Cascading iConnectivity via network switch or home-router is tempting and iConnectivity connects to host computer running MIDI management via network too, accepts 2 computers on a single interface and offers 2x USB in addition to it´s 10 physical DIN-MIDI I/O ports.

There are also smaller iConnectivity boxes available,- p.ex. 4 I/O or such running MIDI and audio over network too.

The mio10 does a lot of processing already like MIDI routing, MIDI channel remapping, MIDI filtering, MIDI Controller remapping etc.,- but it´s not a master keyboard controller offering user programmable key ranges per channel, transpose, velocity processing and such.
Download the mio10 manual here https://www.iconnectivity.com/downloads and read the relatively short (21 pages) manual,- page 10 ´til the end being the important pages.

The MIDIhub is a cool device when materialized and working flawlessly.
MIDI processing as promised is excellent at a 1st glance ...
But I´ll never be the early bird guinea pig debugging gear.

:)

Bud
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valis
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Re: Blokas Midihub

Post by valis »

I would have opted for BOME's if I wanted stability out of the gate. May still do that someday anyway, as I'm quite familiar with his desktop software version. For robust studio use, I already have a USB based MOTU Midi Timepiece AV and MicroExpress, both of which support quite a bit of filtering and midi routing internally.

This Blokas device interests me for a few other things I do. Visuals (which I make extensive use of my MIDI chops and even Ableton, to drive parameters) and tabletop/mobile devices routed to external hardware. The latter won't likely be a mainstay of my workflow, but it will be interesting to see how this box works.

I am interested in the iConnect stuff as well btw. I thought about picking up either their 2-port or 4-port devices, but had heard mixed things about using them in tandem with some of my other hardware. You're saying they have a 10 port device now?
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Bud Weiser
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Re: Blokas Midihub

Post by Bud Weiser »

valis wrote: Wed Sep 04, 2019 4:39 pm
I am interested in the iConnect stuff as well btw. I thought about picking up either their 2-port or 4-port devices, but had heard mixed things about using them in tandem with some of my other hardware. You're saying they have a 10 port device now?
Yep.
The iC mio10 ... (quote from manual)

"... full support for two Macs or PCs - at the same time!
... connect it to your router (or a network switch) and access four more computer devices over Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet.

... extremely flexible MIDI routing between everything connected:

... computers, plus the MIDI hardware plugged into its ten in/out pairs of 5-pin MIDI and its USB
MIDI Hosting Port. (There's a USB MIDI Class-Compliant Hosting Port on the rear of the
interface, which you can expand with a powered USB hub to access up to ten USB MIDI
devices.)

Between all those external and internal connections, your mio10™ has a total of 56
configurable 16-channel MIDI ports !
All those data streams let you use a substantial number of modern and vintage MIDI devices,-
get them all talking to each other and also bring in "guest" equipment and computers very quickly when you collaborate with other musicians on stage or in the studio.

Because of your mio10's built-in MIDI filtering/routing/merging, stand-alone hardware units
aren't needed for those functions.
MIDI can also be routed to multiple destinations, for example if you want to layer sounds on different instruments, and each destination can have its own MIDI processing.

All the MIDI routing and processing is simple to set up in the included iConfig software for Mac
and PC (www.iConnectivity.com/support/downloads), and your complete configuration can be
saved in non-volatile flash memory on the device.
It remembers it all when you power up the next time.

There are no Mac or PC software drivers to install, because the interface is USB Class-
Compliant, and it can be powered over the USB bus without a power adapter.

...

mio10 requires no driver software to operate on either Mac OS X or Windows.
(The exception is that Network MIDI on Windows computers requires the rtpMIDI driver:

http://www.tobias-erichsen.de/software/rtpmidi.html

end of quote


download full manual,- it´s interesting ...
https://www.iconnectivity.com/downloads
scroll down to "mio10" (2nd column, 3rd entry).

I´ll need many physical MIDI ports always and even w/ shrinked hardware rig.
I want this box in a rack together w/ (netgear ?) networkswitch, XITE-1, S|C blackface A16U, Mutec SmartClock (once BNC WC for XITE is fixed) and 4U rackmount PC and power conditioner.
Not too much portable but still a mobile "centerpiece" for keyboard rig AND studio.

Actually, I don´t have too much time for continuous work on this rig, but the PC is still in the works and when running flawlessly,- I´ll order the iCmio10 which is the most promising for me.
I don´t want to have too many smaller boxes cluttering room(s) and when I´m in need for much deeper MIDI processing, there´s still my Miditemp PMM88E doing it all and can be easily connected to the physical DinMIDI ports of the mio10 on demand.

For the mio10, I haven´t found any negative review or user report on the web, except 1 user @Thomann complained about running it´s driver/management software on his Win7 machine.
But meanwhile there were 2 or 3 updates and seems to run perfect on Win10.
So, I don´t think there´s actually any real issue w/ Win7 and maybe it was user error or his system or whatever.

:)

Bud
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Re: Blokas Midihub

Post by David »

Has the blokas arrived yet, valis?
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valis
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Re: Blokas Midihub

Post by valis »

February I believe. I haven't inquired in a few months how they're going on delivery, but will be sure to report back when I get the unit.
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valis
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Re: Blokas Midihub

Post by valis »

Finally recieved my unit, they had some supply issues due to Covid which were communicated very well, and apparently mine was sent back for incorrect shipping info and then resent, and finally arrived this morning. While I put it through its paces, I thought it might be prudent to mention that Midihub is now available on their website for direct order:

https://blokas.io/midihub
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dante
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Re: Blokas Midihub

Post by dante »

Looks like a versatile peice of kit. Whats your first project for it ?
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Re: Blokas Midihub

Post by David »

Bagged myself one too
Looks like it lives up to the hype
I'll see for myself in a few days
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Re: Blokas Midihub

Post by valis »

dante wrote: Tue Jun 23, 2020 3:53 pm Looks like a versatile peice of kit. Whats your first project for it ?
Busy with getting income streams going during this bizarre era we're experiencing. Will report back on this unit soon :wink:
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