I'm upgrading from XP to Windows 7, and I've discovered that Roland has no more driver support for my trusty Super MPU64 4x4 MIDI interface. That means I have to throw it in the trash and look for a replacement.
 
I need a 4x4 or 5x5 interface, and there don't seem to be many of these on the market anymore. Cakewalk only goes up to a 3x3.
 
My choices seem to be MOTU Micro Express, MOTU Micro Lite, and M-Audio MIDISPORT 4x4.
 
Any other suggestions?
 
Thanks.
 
Mitch I.
 
 

I'd suggest avoiding the M-Audio. I've an M-Audio Uno and a MIDISPort 2x2. Both have a horrible habit of garbling sysex and aren't very keen on nrpns either. And if I boot the PC with both connected it often blue screens, though both will run together so long as only one device is connected at boot and the other connected after login. This behaviour has persisted through two completely different PC builds and Vista and Win7. M-Audio's driver support for new versions of Windows is historically pretty poor as well.

I've not had much luck with the multiple port midi interfaces and Windows past XP. Luckily, most of my devices have a dedicated USB interface, and for the one device that doesn't, I have a cheap $20 USB MIDI cable. I hope you have better luck than I have.

the 3x3 cake one you can chain 3 together , so that supports 9 IF you can get them.

people didn't buy them, so they discontinued em more than likely.

http://www.dv247.com/computer-hardware/usb-midi-interfaces/

there is a few.. I'm not a fan of m-audio.. you could find out if the Icon one has a multi client driver (use 2 of them) or you can get the motu ones, that are 5 and 8 port...

the stuff your using , none of it you can use as USB instead ? I wish I could use my yamaha CBX stuff , but they didn't support that.

This one is rock-solid:  Roland MPU-401
Drivers may be a problem - and you'll need to find a motherboard with an ISA bus.

Sorry about that, I couldn't resist! I don't know what has happened to MIDI interfaces. In the old days, computers were barely fast enough to keep up with MIDI (forget about audio) but the sequencer timing was solid and they could handle everything imaginable. (In fact, the MPU-401 had a *coprocessor* in it, to help with "complex" MIDI tasks that may overload the CPU with some types of sequences!)
 
I've used M-Audio MIDIsport 2x2 and 4x4 with no problems (knock on wood) but I've used them for basic MIDI message I/O and Midi-OX stuff, and some occasional small sysex dumps (Yamaha DX-7 small). Good to know about them possibly choking on big sysex.
 
I found this page with some more possibilities for you.
http://www.sweetwater.com/c679--Portable_MIDI_Interfaces
I see some MOTU devices on there. I don't have direct experience with them, but MOTU has a good reputation in general, so they may be worth a try.
 
Hope you get it sorted.

Is the reason you need a 4x4 interface that you record up to 4 instruments at once, or that you have 4 instruments and it's just more convenient to have them all plugged into a common hub?

I ask because I have a bunch of MIDI sources, but record them through a standard MIDI interface via my MOTU 828. This works because I use a MIDI multiplexer, which is not under the control of the computer and therefore requires no driver. Mine's a really old one, but I think MOTU still makes one that can be used as a standalone mux.

I have a Motu 8x8 and it has worked without issues.

I use 8 because I have several external Midi devices. I don't play them all at once that often.

Having 8 is more for convenience so that I don't have to plug in a device each time I'm going to access it. 

bitflipper,
 
I have a MIDI keyboard controller/sound module plus two other input devices and five other rackmounts to receive MIDI. So with my current 4x4, I have to do some daisy-chaining. I last configured it in 2001, but I seem to remember having some issues with sysex and MIDI throughs. At that time, I occasionally had to reconfigure the cables for the PC to receive the sysex.  And yes, sometimes I layer instruments. I'm basically OK with my 4x4 but wouldn't want to work with less.
 
losguy,
 
You had me going with the MPU-401. I think that's what I started with in 1992.
 
I've ordered the M-Audio MIDISport 4x4 Anniversary Edition from Sweetwater. I'll test it for performance and sysex. I think if that doesn't work out, I'll go with MOTU. I'll report back in a few days.
 
Mitch I.

Mitch_I with all those external pieces it would seem to me you could have used an 8x8 to make your life simpler. Easier to control it all from within Sonar anyway.

lawajava


Mitch_I with all those external pieces it would seem to me you could have used an 8x8 to make your life simpler. Easier to control it all from within Sonar anyway.

I thought about that, but I'd rather not devote a whole half-rack-space to it. If the Midisport doesn't work out, I'll consider it.
 
Mitch_I