Moog Music Forum

Does this mean it can transmit and receive midi messages without using the traditional midi ports at all? What are the advantages of this?

...exactly... it's just like when you plug in a USB keyboard controller... the MIDI info travels on the USB line... there is no particular advantage one over the other... You can use the LP MIDI connections for live playing with other synths for example....

...now that I think of it.. MAYBE Midi on the USB line would speed up certain data dumps... but not sure.

Midi over USB is exactly what it sounds like: MIDI information, traveling between your computer and the Little Phatty using only a USB cable.

Advantages are, you don't need a dedicated MIDI interface... All you need is your computer running any MIDI sequencer software, a USB cable, and your Phatty. For traveling musicians, it means you just need your LP and a laptop and you have a MIDI studio with a pretty full-featured controller... you can also use the LP to control your software synths and plugins, as the LP can act like a remote MIDI controller connected by USB.

Also, you can still use the traditional MIDI ports at the same time. You can merge MIDI data between the traditional MIDI ports and the USB, so the Little Phatty essentially acts like a 1x1 usb MIDI interface... send MIDI from your computer to the LP via USB, and connect another synth to the LP MIDI out (use a different MIDI channel) and you can send MIDI from your computer to the other synth... so that's two pieces of MIDI gear running from your computer with only the LP acting as your MIDI interface. If you already have a MIDI interface, the LP can act like an extra 1x1 MIDI in and out without tying up the ports on your other MIDI hardware.

Next week I'll release a Windows driver that will allow all your sequencers and MIDI programs to identify the Little Phatty by name when you plug in the USB... so you'd connect the USB cable, open Ableton Live for example, and on the MIDI setup page you'd see "Little Phatty Stage II" on your list of input and output devices. Just make a MIDI track, choose Little Phatty as your input/output channel, and you're set... no other hardware required. Mac OS already does this without any custom driver, 'cause Mac is cool like that.

Cheers,

Amos

tres cool!!!

I had a question about this same topic, just not the same question. I have the LP Stage 1, and I was planning on buying the midi over usb upgrade and installing it myself. I was wondering if I install that, and then I want to do the software upgrade to the new OS, would I be able to do that. Would the new software need to be installed in order for the LP to realize to send and receive data over USB? Or would I be able to install the USB port and then upgrade to the new OS, in that order? Amos?

GetBehindTheMule wrote:Would the new software need to be installed in order for the LP to realize to send and receive data over USB?

Yes.

GetBehindTheMule wrote:Would I be able to install the USB port and then upgrade to the new OS, in that order?

Either order should be fine. As I understand it, the software checks for the presence of USB. If not installed, the USB menu options are simply unavailable.

dada wrote:

GetBehindTheMule wrote:I have the LP Stage 1, and I was planning on buying the midi over usb upgrade and installing it myself

Ooh! I didn't know there was going to be an upgrade. Cost, other details etc?

A hardware upgrade is planned for the TE, but no details are available at present.