Perhaps a strange question and may not be in the correct forum but I was thinking about this a little earlier today. I know when using the current ASIO standard you can only be running one audio interface at a time (but I've heard about maybe a new ASIO standard coming out which may allow for multiple devices... don't quote me on that though because I may have just dreamed/imagined it).
 
What I'm wondering though is if let's say you have an interface using ASIO drivers for audio whether you can also use something like a PCI MIDI card simultaneously (provided it is MIDI only... no audio). I know we can use MIDI USB without worry but I'm not sure about those dedicated MIDI interface thingies.
 
If yes how about if the audio interface has MIDI ports in use? Can they be used in conjunction with a second MIDI interface/card?
 
Sorry if that seems like a bizarre train of thought but I was thinking it could be a way to expand the amount of possible devices used on the system without tying up USB ports or if one was using older devices using the old DIN connections they would not be limited to what their interface has accessible (which on my interface is not much).
 
And to preemptively go down my next line of inquiry... if it is possible is it problematic? Are any of you doing stuff like this? Maybe having a card to specifically designed handle MIDI as opposed to USB is even preferable from a performance standpoint.
 
Not an emergency. Just curious.
 
Cheers.

If Windows recognizes the card, SONAR will too. I believe there is still a limit on the number of MIDI connections in Windows. ASIO has nothing to do with MIDI, it is an audio spec. The issue with ASIO is not the number of interfaces, it is the number of drivers. ASIO allows only one active driver at a time. Some manufacturers make drivers which communicate with multiple interfaces running concurrently.

Yes. I use the UCX which has two midi channels, then I plug in my alpha track and my keyboard via USB.

So, I use my midi guitar, keyboard and controller together.

You have to set the input for each midi track to limit it to specific devices or all devices will activate the synth on the track.

Cool. I figured that was the case considering my USB MIDI devices don't bork anything out but wasn't sure if there was maybe potential conflicts from a dedicate MIDI deveice's drivers or something.
 
Silly question but I like getting this stuff straight in my head. Helps me avoid plotting unnecessary schemes.
 
Kind of figured maybe a dedicated MIDI interface would be able to do an end run around Windows limitations but I guess those devices rely on whatever Windows has made available to them.
 
There was a discussion recently about some of this stuff and I think slartabartfast was saying despite internet rumors there were still MIDI port limitations (I thought they had increased with Win7/8). What is it... max 10 connected devices? But then IIRC there was talk of Win10 maybe overcoming such limitations.
 
I have no idea what that all implies but ten seems low. Maybe there are ways to set things set up within those ports so you can use multiple devices using different channels on one port... like a hub.
 
Meh, chances of me having to need more than 10 devices at once anytime soon is low but I'm a curious dood... as you all may have noticed.

@ Beepster It is actually almost plug and play. The only issue you could expect is ACT I think.
 
I used to work with a Yamaha 01x, Emu 0404 (I Think) and an Emagic MT4. All working together with several MIDI outboard gear connected to it (This was in my Logic days tho)
 

scook
 Some manufacturers make drivers which communicate with multiple interfaces running concurrently.

@Scooc
WOW you caught my attention!!!!! Please ellaborate. What cards are you talking about? This is pretty interesting functionality... Sorry for going Off Topic.

rezab,
 
you can aggregate hardware off drivers, not the drivers themselves.  So you can (theoretically - I've never done it) hang a TC Konnekt 48 and Twin off the same FW connections and have both work using the same driver.  or Moto, I believe.  But it is over the same driver, which means the company has to write it for aggregation. 
 
Some of a company's hardware will work together, other hardware from the same or from a different company with different drivers won't.  Tascam, for example, has different drivers for their UH-7000 and their new multiple interfaces so they don't play together.
 
@

Beepster,
The Windows MIDI limitation refers to "devices", meaning the hardware that plugs into a PC and provides one or more MIDI ports where you can plug in MIDI keyboards and synths. Some such "devices" might serve 8 or more ports, e.g., so not much of a limitation. Windows doesn't count anything that plugs into a midi port.
 
The usual complaint is that when people plug their one USB midi interface into a different USB jack, then it gets counted again toward the limit of ten, so they run out quicker. The workaround is to get access to the non-present device list in Windows and delete all the MIDI devices so the count starts at 0 again.

bvideo
Beepster,
The Windows MIDI limitation refers to "devices", meaning the hardware that plugs into a PC and provides one or more MIDI ports where you can plug in MIDI keyboards and synths. Some such "devices" might serve 8 or more ports, e.g., so not much of a limitation. Windows doesn't count anything that plugs into a midi port.
 
The usual complaint is that when people plug their one USB midi interface into a different USB jack, then it gets counted again toward the limit of ten, so they run out quicker. The workaround is to get access to the non-present device list in Windows and delete all the MIDI devices so the count starts at 0 again.

Okay, and I have heard of this stuff but not fully understaood the implications aside from "try not to shuffle around your devices from various USB ports".
 
But just for clarification... if I am reading your post correctly, if I install a PCI MIDI card on my system with multiple physical ports I can a) use all those physical ports at once and only use one of the Windows MIDI slots and b) it does not matter if I swap out devices on those ports (which I guess I already know because I am under the impression that DIN MIDI is different than USB MIDI as far as how the o/s sees them).
 
Hopefully that made sense.
 
But if all that is true then it certainly confirms kind of the befuddled premise I was trying to wrap my head around which was essentially by using a dedicated MIDI card I can circumvent all sorts of stupid virtual MIDI limitations imposed by the o/s.
 
Thanks.

I don't think you really need a card. MIDI's bandwidth is pretty low compared to audio, and USB can handle it with ease. I've been using the ESI MIDIMATE II USB-to-MIDI adapter cable to supplement the MIDI port in my TASCAM US-4x4. Works great.
 
FYI the monthly SONAR eZine is now starting to include product reviews of gear that complements SONAR. The one this month is the CME Xkey 25 but next month, I'm doing the MIDIMATE II. It has a couple very interesting attributes that for me, make it much more useful than other USB-to-MIDI adapters.

To clarify a post above....it has not a lot to to do with ports. It has everything to do with the number of DRIVERS installed. And yes the limit is still ten, even in W 8.1.
 
Re the OP I use the Roland UM-1sx (midi only) alongside my Profire 610, alongside my Korg Controller MIDI and topped off with USB compliant devices (ie no driver needed). All runs fine.