Hi all!

I’m purchasing this IMac (24-inch: 2.66GHz) http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/imac?afid=p202|MSUSe4514659&cid=OAS-US-KWM-CPUiMac-US & Logic Studio 8 software on Saturday, but I still haven’t decided on a MIDI interface. I’m looking for a good quality MIDI interface.

All sugestions will be seriouly considered. $300-$400 range.

Thanks, John

Would this one be good?:  http://www.zzounds.com/item--MTUME128

Best, John

why would you want a motu midi interface when both the motu pre usb and firewire audio interface allow you to conect midi and chain?  just wondered

felix1 - 30 April 2009 01:37 PM

why would you want a motu midi interface when both the motu pre usb and firewire audio interface allow you to conect midi and chain?  just wondered

Yeah, I don’t have a grasp on this MIDI interface concept yet. What would you suggest Felix?

I just want to record one MIDI track into Logic at a time.  I’m looking for a very simple solution with the least problems in MIDI interface.

I’d also like to record audio tracks using the sounds of the Motif into the same project in Logic.

The whole concept is a bit confusing to me. Any help will be appreciated.

Best, John

then we are both in the same boat i have just bough a motu 828mk2 as a stop gap audio interface one of the reasons i bought it was in the price range it had 2 semi decent pre amps it has a midi clock which i think is important for recording midi though i could be slightly out on that one and it is expandable if you rattle their cages long enough there’s plenty of experts on the matter within the forum up to now have been using a edirol

felix1 - 30 April 2009 02:06 PM

then we are both in the same boat i have just bough a motu 828mk2 as a stop gap audio interface one of the reasons i bought it was in the price range it had 2 semi decent pre amps it has a midi clock which i think is important for recording midi though i could be slightly out on that one and it is expandable if you rattle their cages long enough there’s plenty of experts on the matter within the forum up to now have been using a edirol

I guess misery loves company Felix - joking.

This MIDI Interface issue is the one step that’s holding me up. It seems so complicated.

All I want to do is lay down MIDI tracks (one at a time) into Logic then change to audio and mix. I don’t understand why I can’t make the MIDI connection directly from the Motif to the IMac without the interface. Confusing…

If I need an MIDI/Audio interface then I’d love to hear suggestions. I’m willing to go $300 - $400 in an interface to get this DAW off the ground.

If I find some answers before you do, I’ll be sure and PM you Steve.

Best, John

you dont need a midi interface if you have mlan on your motif in fact you dont need an audio interface either unless you are going to record audio through it ie someone sinnging through a mike the motif has even a port for a mike but not for a condenser mike and you then need either a interface with phantom power or a means of supplying the phantom power to the mike i think you do have to have an interface if you are using the motif midi driver with an external mike i find the most confusing thing about the forum is that the information is there its just not in one place and it would be even better if it was in a sort of idiots guide covering lets say the above and all the drivers in an ordely manner i myself find that when i am following a tutorial it suddenly jumps to m lan then a ai driver etc its all fine if you know a iti about it but a struggle if your new to this kind of technologyhttp://www.tweakheadz.com/audio_interface_fw_comparison_chart.htm

felix1 - 30 April 2009 02:33 PM

you dont need a midi interface if you have mlan on your motif in fact you dont need an audio interface either unless you are going to record audio through it ie someone sinnging through a mike the motif has even a port for a mike but not for a condenser mike and you then need either a interface with phantom power or a means of supplying the phantom power to the mike i think you do have to have an interface if you are using the motif midi driver with an external mike i find the most confusing thing about the forum is that the information is there its just not in one place and it would be even better if it was in a sort of idiots guide covering lets say the above and all the drivers in an ordely manner i myself find that when i am following a tutorial it suddenly jumps to m lan then a ai driver etc its all fine if you know a iti about it but a struggle if your new to this kind of technologyhttp://www.tweakheadz.com/audio_interface_fw_comparison_chart.htm

That’s exactly as I was thinking Felix. The Motif ES8 is a high-end workstation. It should be able to go directly into an IMac and perform the necessary functions for the Logic Studio 8.

Here’s from the description of the Motif ES8:

Elegant System Integration with DAWs
If you use a computer-based sequencer or DAW as part of your music production setup, with press of a button you can turn the MOTIF ES into a full function control surface that supports the same protocols as the new 01X Digital Mixing Studio. Simply connect a USB cable between the instrument’s “TO HOST” USB port and your computer’s USB port, and you can directly access your sequencer/DAW software’s fader, pan, EQ effect send, track mute, transport, and other parameters from the MOTIF ES controllers. You can even open and close windows on your computer directly from your ES.

Is this true or isn’t it?

I’d really like to know what all this fuss about MIDI/Audio interface is all about. If I just want to use the Motif ES8 as a MIDI keyboard controller to record MIDI tracks into Logic 8 and utilize the Garritan Personal Orchestra why does it have to be so complicated?

Dang, this is confusing???

Best, John

I thought you had a xs i assume that the es has mlan and you can always load your songs on to a usb stick and then get them into logic unfortunately every thing seems geared to cubase and if motif8mine didn’t appear on this forum there would be scant information available on logic but it is all there you will just need to get some grey hair first!!! keep rattling that cage they only come out after dark!!!

felix1 - 30 April 2009 03:08 PM

I thought you had a xs i assume that the es has mlan and you can always load your songs on to a usb stick and then get them into logic unfortunately every thing seems geared to cubase and if motif8mine didn’t appear on this forum there would be scant information available on logic but it is all there you will just need to get some grey hair first!!! keep rattling that cage they only come out after dark!!!

Yeah Felix, I’m getting plenty of grey hairs. Hopefully I’ll get some answers when the sun goes down.

Best, John

Musician’s Friend just got back to me and recommended this:
http://keyboards-midi.musiciansfriend.com:80/product/MOTU-Fast-Lane-USB-Midi-Interface-?sku=706405

Seems a little questionable at $69.  I was told by several techs that a good MIDI/Audio interface would run at least $300.

I don’t want to sacrifice quality at this stage of the game.

John

I think this is more in line with what I’m looking for. Does anyone know if this will allow me to use the Motif ES8 as a contoller for IMac and the Logic Studio 8? It looks like a simple solution with top quality.

Best, John

Apogee Duet FireWire Interface

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com:80/product/Apogee-Duet-Firewire-Interface?sku=234444

Ooops sorry chaps, not frequented this section in a while.

If you only want to move MIDI data around, have you checked over at http://www.yamahasynth.com to see if there is a generic USB MIDI driver for the ES compatible with Mac OSX???

A USB cable would then provide you with all you need to get midi data in and out of your mac.
This is my preferred route of working on my PC - I set my songs up with easily programmabe MIDI bits and bobs - drums, pianos, organs strings and so on, I then track this out as audio to Cubase. The MIDI only needs the USB cable!

However, I need the MBox2 soundcard in order to record the audio. So if you need to get audio out of your ES and into Logic (or other DAW of choice) you will need either a decent soundcard or Mlan. Whilst an Mbox2 is not the only product out there, you could perhaps use it as a benchmark for price against facilities in comparison to other similar products.

Mlan works OK on PCs - is it supported on Mac and if so, that would offer you ways of miving MIDI AND Audio data in and out of your ES - make sure you purchase the correct Mlan card for your ES if you go down that route. Whilst Cubase has an edge with the Mlan and studio connections technology, nevertheless, it can still work in other DAWs.

Hope these thoughts actually address your questions.

Cheers for now

us.focusrite.com/usb-audio-interfaces/scarlett-2i4