[LAU] MIDI over firewire on Linux?

[Jonathan E Brickman]

Thanks!  Do you know of any good such devices which are not very pricey?  I
found a few out there after reading your post, but they seemed all to be in
the high-port-count and higher-cost ranges.

Cheapest Audio plus midi has got to be the old ens1370 based cards... free if you can find it. Best 16 bit sound for the price. If you don't have a pci slot, then the next price range is going to be USB devices... because most new systems don't have a FW plug, so an adaptor is required. Also, USB covers more people's systems so scale brings prices lower too. USB midi ports can be had for less than $30. And of course there are lots of USB audio solutions out there including built right into the mic stuff, again under $100. USB audio is much more picky about system tuning for low latency.

Assuming you already have a FW port, it is a better solution than USB, but even a 2+2+midi FW unit will cost more than the USB 2+2+midi unit. The Focusrite line starts with the pro 14 at $260. They call it 8in and 6 out, but I only see 6 physical inputs (and two of those are s/pdif i/o so only 4 i/o for analog) at $260... yet they sell the 2i2 for usb for $150 or so. Presonus is the same, their "Firestudio mobile" is similar features and price to the pro 14 and the price matches too. (just note that it seems to need breakout cables to get at all the ports... including MIDI) Their audiobox USB (2+2+midi) can be had for $140.

So, yes FW costs more, but works better/easier. In the end you have to decide how important moneywise these things are to you. The presonus USB has been very good and stable... except in USB3 ports on Intel USB3 ports which are... broken at least for low latency audio (Intel agrees).
That helps a lot.  Had not heard that USB3 was broken for low-latency audio, I'll have to remember that.  The reason I'm suddenly interested in Firewire though, is something I read recently:  6-pin Firewire ports are generally rated for 50,000 insertions, which is literally five times the very best of the USB1 or USB2 standards (the best USB is, interestingly, microUSB, at 10,000).  I have been wearing out USB-A ports and cable ends at a disturbing rate on this mobile rig, and on a hunch checked Firewire ratings, and remain quite shocked.  (4-pin Firewire is only 1500-insertion rated, FYI.)  For me this alone is a very good reason to convert generally to Firewire, but there is still the basic problem of keeping the whole mobile-friendly; a big heavy dongle-box isn't very mobile, USB or Firewire.

Also, I have heard that USB 3.1 has already been announced, and that it has a new micro-sized (but not micro-shaped) connector all its own, so I am planning on not investing in much USB until that happens, and only if the insertion spec is nice and high.  Partially worn out USB ports and ends, may very well be responsible for a lot of dying flash drives, dying external USB hard drives, loss of data thereon, and other things.


--
Jonathan E. Brickman
Ponderworthy Music | jeb at ponderworthy.com<mailto:jeb at ponderworthy.com> | (785)233-9977 | http://ponderworthy.com
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