Best reliable super cheap audio/midi interface for notebook computer?

November 1, 2007 9:44 PM

LaptopMidiGeniusFilter: I need the cheapest but truly reliable MIDI (possibly audio) interface for my Dell laptop - so that I can use softsynths live without it wrecking in a cacophonous jam of death.

First, lemme say that I have been doing pc (and not so recently mac) midi since computer sequencing with midi has existed, so I'm used to periodic sw weirdnesses. I normally run protools with a digi 002 firewired to my athlon xp box with no problem, and I've also got one o them ridiculous fancy Unitor 8 guys with the 8 midi ports on it that runs to the serial port, I believe.

However, though I tried to hook up a super cheap $40 usb interface to my new Dell 1501 dual core turion X2 - because people have been usb-ing with laptops and controllers for at least a couple years now, right? - I did not expect to have random, periodic midi? audio? jams. I figure this could be due to using that free ASIO4ALL driver that's out there, that lets you use your laptop's cheap audio card to do fancy stuff...

but 'm not even playing anything super fast or complicated, or anything with a ton of polyphony. Mostly pads. The same thing happens whether I use a vst manager (like the Steinberg V-Stack or Kore), or if I run say, the NI b4 plugin in standalone mode. Far as I can tell, everything is running great. There's not even any noticeable latency! But after a couple minutes of playing, regardless of the sw, at some point....midi/audio jam. Wham.

So I'm thinking either the problem is with the cheap-ass usb interface, either 'cause this one I got is defective (hm) or just sucks, or is a side-effect of attempting to use the jury-rigged asio driver for my audio card.

Do I just need a better midi interface? Must I resort to having to pay for something besides just a midi interface to stop the audio from wigging out? It's really tough to tell, here....

thanks mefites.

posted by bitterkitten to Computers & Internet (5 answers total)

I saw this last night, but was too tired to comment.

I think it's the ASIO4ALL. I have no proof other than the fact that I've been using cheap as hell usb-midi in a laptop rig for a few years, and the only bottleneck was the audio card.

At the time, I solved it by picking up an M-Audio Sonica usb audio adapter(4 years ago, but it's still good). No more latency issues.

Now, I just use an M-Audio Quattro (I don't think they make it anymore), so I have good midi and audio processing in one package.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 8:22 AM on November 2, 2007

got to be bad drivers.

fwiw, i've ran for hours with a midiman 4x4 (and they're built like a tank), but i think any problems you're having are probably related to software.

unless of course you're trying to sync up MIDI with existing dig audio tracks, at which point it's possible the cack you're hearing is caused by bad latency on the audio going in and then playing back 'out of sync' with your other midi tracks.
posted by fishfucker at 8:55 AM on November 2, 2007

Response by poster: Thanks for the answer, Cat and Fish (heh).

thing is, i don't even HAVE any tracks playing back! Not even using a sequencer. I'm just going to play vst plugins in some kind of vst-plugin-holding thing.

I realllllllllllly appreciate the advice tho. Thank you.
posted by bitterkitten at 9:21 AM on November 2, 2007

you're using a controller that's going direct in to your midi device?

I mean, there's 4 options there:

1. bad controller OR controller sending out more data than necessary (which could be possible -- maybe it's sending out a tick or a drum pattern or something without your knowledge). Also, if it has 'soft keys' to switch patch, you could be sending off-notes incorrectly if you switch both a patch and midi channel simultaneously. IE,
1. you're holding down a C key, which is sending ON C on midi channel 1,
2.you hit button Y, which switches patches on the VST but unbeknownst to you switches channels as well,
3. you release C, which sends a note off on channel 2, but the VST still thinks you're holding down C on channel one.

OR

possibly the reverse -- your controller is sending to ALL midi channels and therefore triggering patches it shouldn't be -- ie, you hit a key and you get like, a drum kick, a bell tone, and a drone, all in one.

of course, both of these situations would be pretty obvious, so that's probably not it.

2. bad midi cable (which would be unusual -- i *have* had bad midi cables, but they send NO data, not too much data)

3. bad midi interface. Haven't really had a bad exp. with any usb midi interfaces myself, but this is possible.

4. bad software. i've had tons of trouble caused by bad software. best bet.
posted by fishfucker at 3:35 PM on November 2, 2007

Response by poster: Per your comments, I bought a new midi/audio interface - the NI Kore. It works great, but in the new version they are about to release, has no audio card, only midi, so if you need this, look for the previous iteration.

Maybe there's a notebook sold that does come with a kick-ass integrated audio card.....
posted by bitterkitten at 11:46 AM on November 21, 2007