Blokas Midihub

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Blokas Midihub is out! Will receive mine in jan.2020 :sunglasses:

https://blokas.io/midihub?ref=XmsqWg_fsi

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I do get it how you can plug a USB hub on this. Thereā€™s no USB input, apart from the USB-B connection towards the computer. Am I missing something ?

Yeah i think itā€™s only if you are using this as a USB midi interface to the computer. I guess itā€™s use a BomeBox as USB host for USB only midi devices.

Iā€™ve been looking through to try to compare the BomeBox Translator language capabilities with those on the Blokas MidiHub. The MidiHub processing logic has some nice features.

You can see the documents for the Blokas MidiHub Processsing Pipes here.

Edit: Clarified detail on USB host devices.

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Loopop here makes a fairly large generative sort of patch on the MidiHub.
GAS warning!

ADDED: I listened to the Loopop video ā€“ i ordered. The price is very reasonable in my opinion. Iā€™m a sucker for generative stuff.

Weā€™ll see how well Blokas holds to their schedule. Itā€™s been in development for a long time so hopefully they keep to schedule.

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A pityā€¦ My primary need for a USB MIDI hub is for USB MIDI (only) devices (looking at you, OP-1). And well, the convenience of USB over a pair of MIDI cableā€¦

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For that you want a iConnectMIDI4+

I know, I already have one :slight_smile:
Was considering getting another MIDI USB hub for live performancesā€¦
Blokas missed an opportunity by not including a USB port IMO.

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And switchable TRS type A/B sockets!

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So the USB port canĀ“t be used for MIDI?

Could this make the OT crossfader work for MIDI?

Iā€™m not 100% sure, but it looks like USB port can be used for MIDI, but with software/DAW only. So to communicate (and power) with computer (e.g. the Blokas Editor).
Standalone devices with MIDI by USB probably wonā€™t work that way.
Crossfader should work with 5DIN MIDI ports and through MIDIHUB Editor to the chosen/rest of OUTS, also USB OUTS.
Investigatingā€¦

It would be great if works with the fader and usbā€¦

Pre-ordered! Iā€™m hoping I can use Midihub to quantise Digitakt notes to a scale and send them to the FH-1 in my eurorack. I suspect Iā€™ll need my iConnectMIDI2+ to act as a middleman between Midihub and FH-1. Or upgrade to an FH-2 with MIDI breakout. Iā€™m really looking forward to experimenting.

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Relative using the MidiHub with Elektron products; built in to the MidiHub is a feature that lets you play the Octatrack (or whatever) polyphonically.


You could as easily set it up to play chords, or arpeggiate too. Actually there are plenty of other midi animations of Elektron gear that are controllable with the MidiHub as well. Add to that all the crazy animation thatā€™s already built into Elektron stuff. There should be lots of goodness with the two together.

Loopopā€™s video shows some other ideas that also would work well with a variety of Elektron products.

Strange how DIN MIDI lives on 37 years later. Thank you Dave Smith.

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Looks like this thread is going to have a few people posting while they wait for Blokas to finish this thing up. Theyā€™re already 5 times the size of their minimum goal, and theyā€™ve added another batch shipping a month later, so there is a pretty good demand for these. Good to remember too, there is always a risk with this sort of thing.

This is probably the first thing iā€™ve ever bought from Lithuania!

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Guys and girls, Iā€™m not going to lieā€¦ Iā€™m pretty excited about this one. If you havenā€™t downloaded the editor yet, I encourage you to do so. Itā€™s dead simple while being really robust.

Edit:
Iā€™m already forming a few too many use cases. One thatā€™s really itching at me is stealing from the Digitakt - creating a ā€œcontrol allā€ for the OT. Using an external Midi controller that I already have, I can set the parameters I want to control across all tracks. Hurting my brain in all the best ways.

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Ordered yesterday.

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How can you have too many? :grinning: Whatā€™s your Midi Controller?

All sorts of ideas myself ā€“ 'cuz i have all sort of midi-controllers and like using them together. This thing also should pair up nicely with the Zoia too. (i know you were interested in that too Mr_Bernard.)

I also like the Bifaco VCMC module that Loopop uses with the MidiHub in his video. OK itā€™s got sliders and buttons going to DIN MIDI, but even better is that there are all those CV and gates that you could connect up (with some simple circuitry) all sorts of homemade MIDI interface controls too. Sliders, wheels, ribbons, dials, joysticks, what-have-you.

Befaco%20VCMC_sm
Befaco VCMC

Thatā€™s another aspect of the MidiHub that i really like, it letā€™s you pretty easily take a variety of other stuff and create new things that allows it all to work together in new ways.

Hi

Ive been helping beta test midihub, so had it for about a year.

its a really great boxā€¦ I think of it as an intelligent midi hub,
for me its sits in the middle of my setup, it basic use is as a merger/splitter and usb->midi din router - but I use its ā€˜intelligenceā€™ to solve issues I have e.g. multiple midi devices that have to be on midi channel 1.

as for USBā€¦

midihub acts as a usb midi DEVICE (not host)
this means you can use it to connect to your computer (or other usb host) and send/receive midi (up to 4 virtual ports iirc) - in a standalone context I use this with my Organelle and also with my Squarp Hermod in Eurorack.
(sometimes with my mac, but not that often)

because its not a usb host, you cannot connect it to a usb device e,g, usb midi keyboard. if you want to do this, you could use one of the small usb hosts devices around (or something like the organelle/rPI that acts as a host)

overall I love it, the presets make it really handy, and its in a nice sturdy metal enclosure.

btw: you can see more of my thoughts on it, on the blokas forum under midihub reviews (along with others)
(note: these were written last year, prior to some of the newer creative effects being added)

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Very cool thetechnobear. You really know this thing well then. I contacted Blokas a year back or so, but i was a little to late to be a beta tester.

Whatā€™s your impression of the company, and the people that started it? I know they have the PiSound product too, and other stuff. Do you think itā€™s likely theyā€™ll stick by this device and perhaps continue to support it, and maybe add processing pipes?

Blokas are greatā€¦ they really support PiSound well, and are also behind Patchstorage.com and PatchBoxOSā€¦. they are building up a really interesting ā€˜portfolioā€™ of products. Iā€™ve talked to them quite a bit, whilst bringing Orac to PatchboxOS, and they really know their stuff - and I really like the direction they are going.

adding more processing modules - I would not be surprised, as they have continued development for the past year. but only they can tell you what their plans are and how much processing power is left etc, other projects they have planned etc (*)

but Iā€™ll say during the beta test they have been extremely responsive, if you check the forum and my review - youā€™ll see that last year, I could see the potential for more creative fx - from my experience with the Squarp Pyramid, and for sure they have taken that on board with gusto :slight_smile:


(*) Iā€™m a little cautious on these things, as ive seen with some products, some users get unrealistic expectationsā€¦ esp. for these more ā€˜open ended devicesā€™, no company/product can implement everything every users wants - for both technical and financial (developers need to eat :wink: ) reasons

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