[linux-audio-user] suggestions for USB/serial/PCMCIA MIDI interfaces ?

[Emiliano Grilli]

domenica, 03 ottobre 2004 alle 22:26:57, Pedro Lopez-Cabanillas ha scritto:
> On Sunday 03 October 2004, Emiliano Grilli wrote:
> > domenica, 03 ottobre 2004 alle 08:47:38, R Parker ha scritto:
> > > > There is also the "midisport" line from m-audio, but
> > > > if I recall correctly
> > > > they need a firmware upload to work, so I'd avoid
> > > > them:
> > >
> > > I use a USB Midisport 8x8 that requires firmware but
> > > it works great. My purchase would be based on price
> > > and not whether firmware is required.
> >
> > I have no direct experience of devices that require firmware, but I
> > recall a thread earlier this year on the agnula-user mailing list
> > discussing the
> > opportunity of distributing the firmwares, and if those firmwares were
> > "proprietary software" or not...
> 
> Can you please give me a pointer to that thread?

http://lists.agnula.org/pipermail/users/2004-June/002045.html
http://lists.agnula.org/pipermail/users/2004-July/002335.html

> 
> > As far as I can tell, agnula/demudi still doesn't distribute those
> > firmwares.
> 
> Please let me tell you a tale about these firmware issues, and a little
> bit of history.
> 
> A long, long time ago (January 2002), I bought a Midisport2x2 USB
> interface.  Here is a picture of this technological terror, side by side
> with an Edirol friend:
> http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/using-rosegarden/en/chapter-2.html#2_1_2_2_2
> 
> The Midisport2x2 needs to load firmware on it. Luckily, by that time
> there was a project conducted by Lars Dölle and aimed to build GPL
> firmware for this device. This project supports several devices using the
> EZ-USB chip: Midisport2x2, Midisport1x1,  Midisport UNO and Steinberg
> USB-2-MIDI. The sources are on SourceForge:
> http://cvs.sourceforge.net/viewcvs.py/linux-hotplug/firmware/ezusb/midi/
> http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/linux-hotplug/firmwarehotplug-0.1.tar.gz?download
> 
> This baby is distributed as a RPM package (with the name ezusbmidi) by
> CCRMA for RegHat/Fedora, and by Thac for Mandrake. Using this package is
> very easy to set up the devices. And you are using only GPL software to
> play your music. I don't use AGNULA, so don't ask me what happens with
> it. I remember that there was a browseable CVS repository long time ago
> with the ezusbmidi  sources on it, but I can't find it now. 
> 
> The problem is that there are a lot of devices out there that need a
> firmware upload. MAudio has the 4x4, 8x8 and others. Tascam has the
> 122/224/428, and Steinberg has the Midex3 and Midex8. Nobody is working
> on a GPL firmware for them. But there is another project in SourceForge
> aimed to build a ripper^H^H^H^H extractor of the firmware juice from the
> windoze drivers that can be used on Linux:
> http://usb-midi-fw.sourceforge.net
> 
> Using this program is very easy.  You only need to copy some files from
> your windows driver into the directory where you unpacked the sources,
> and run make install on it. The firmware extracted from the windows
> drivers can't be 
> redistributed without the permission of their owners. It is proprietary 
> software. There are no sources. I wash my hands. But if you don't mind to 
> burn your soul in the hell, it is the only way to use some USB MIDI
> devices on Linux.

That's why I would avoid them and buy the models that "just work" out of
the box, if I have the possibility to choose.
 
> Just my 2 euro cents.
> 
> Regards,
> Pedro

Best regards,
-- 
Emiliano Grilli
Linux user #209089 
http://www.emillo.net