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Comment by jojobas | Hacker News Reader

5-pin midi out and no USB, in 2024?

I got a TE EP-133 sampler this week. The only portable MIDI keyboard I have is USB only, meaning there’s no way I can connect it to the sampler without involving a computer, or a standalone connector that’s way more expensive than just buying a different keyboard.

5-pin MIDI always works, and works without anything more complex than a little adapter cable.

I'd hazard a guess that all most users want is to hook a midi device up to the computer. It would cost what, a $3-5 per unit to add usb connectivity?

I'd probably say I'm not alone with using standalone MIDI 99% of the time, both to the computer (my audio interface has MIDI in/out via din) but mostly just between instruments. Nothing in my setup requires a computer and I prefer to keep it that way.

Same. Or at least, I strongly prefer having the option of using it standalone, especially when the devices involved are highly portable.

5-pin MIDI out is still the best MIDI out, at least for serious applications.

Not to mention a MIDI to USB interface costs just a few bucks and is supported by every common OS out there, while one can't have the opposite (that is, adding MIDI to a USB only instrument) short of going DIY, which would be neither that easy nor cheap.

5-pin DIN is still the more stable option today and doesn't introduce any noise, unlike USB which carries power.

Noise in midi? Seriously?

Yeah, I’ve got devices where there is a hum on their output while using usb-midi. 5 pin midi should not have such issues (but if done badly could)

Yep. It's not noise on the MIDI signal, obviously, it's crosstalk induced by USB circuitry. It gets worse when bus power is involved; USB-powered instruments are notorious for it.

MIDI is galvanically isolated, USB is galvanically connected so you can have groundloops if you use USB but not if you use MIDI.

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