Conductive Labs, creators of the NDLR, shared this epic live stream as part of Synthesthesia 2021, officially introducing their new MIDI Router Control Center (MRCC), a new device that they say reinvents the MIDI router.
The MRCC has been designed to make it easy to build flexible and powerful MIDI setups, combing controllers, instruments, your computer and more.
The MRCC has tons of MIDI connections, ranging from traditional 5-pin DIN connectors to USB interfaces and USB host ports and even the 3.5mm MIDI A/B connectors that are popular on compact devices. There’s a dedicated button for each each input and output, so you just select an input button, and then pick which outputs to route it to.
The stream covers demoing the MRCC, Q&A, demoing with the NDLR and more.
Wow, a 7 hour demo is a pretty serious product demo. Was amusing watching them going through the same things I would go through — why is it not working, oh it’s plugged into the midi out, oh it’s on the wrong midi channel, oh it’s a type A trs.
Overall it looks like a very nice piece of equipment, and if they could do a firmware update to make the 3.5mm’s do CV i/o that would be incredible.
> if they could do a firmware update to make the 3.5mm’s do CV i/o that would be incredible.
Could you post a circuit diagram of how aoptoisolated digital current loop as is used in MIDI can have dual function also as a analog CV port in a way that autoconfigures so it doesn’t damage gear and which is thus upgradable via an ON “firmware update”?
Firmware. He said firmware. 😉
So you believe that firmware updates can change the physical hardware? Interesting! Must be related to that programmable matter stuff they had in the last season of ST Discovery.
This device’s 3.5mm jacks are for MIDI input and output, in accordance with the relatively new alternate connector standard in addition to 5-pin DIN. Attached to these jacks are either a buffered digital output intended to drive a current loop or an input for a digital signal which is run through an optoisolator, also a digital input.
What changes shall we now make to the firmware in order to make these physical inputs and outputs become analog continuous signal inputs and outputs? Your statement was so confident you must surely have something specific in mind that you can share.
You know that, I know that, those two didn’t. No need to be a huge dick about it, you could’ve just informed them in a friendly manner instead of going on some angry internet rage bro rant.
PSA: anyone who can’t distinguish between midi mini jacks and cv jacks is a plebe who doesn’t deserve to share in rabid bat’s hobby. take that ish to music radar or gear news, these are the exclusive halls of synthtopia and you’re not welcome here.
That was a long day. We took some breaks 🙂 A great MIDI to CV is actually pretty challenging. We may tackle it some day, but there are already some good solutions out there. On the cheaper, less featured end of the spectrum is CV.OCD. Then there’s the very good Kenton Pro CV to MIDI. If you aren’t doing eurorack, you can still use a module in a small skiff. Check out the Polyend Poly2, or Bastl 1983.
I am super glad I backed this… NDLR is great and this can replace my aging Digital Music MX-8.
Thank you Paul! We are impatiently waiting for all of the hardware to arrive to start assembly. The last item to arrive is expected to be the enclosures, around middle of April. Then final assembly, testing, packing and ship to the fulfillment house. We can’t wait!
LOL they pull out the most frustrating MIDI Router/Patchbay in history (MOTU MIDI Timepiece),
the one I have among others LOL
I’ve been editing it from the front panel, it is TERRIBLE.
I have ordered my MRCC and cannot wait for it to arrive. I am coming from a setup using Ableton and lots of MIDI gear, but lately I have found myself moving away from the computer to a DAW-less setup with an MPC X as my main sequencer, with the intention of doing DAW-less gigs in the future. I also have an Octatrack (I don’t use it for MIDI sequencing though) and a NDLR (also by Conductive Labs and a very cool piece of gear). The MRCC will be the perfect solution to tie my studio together and allow me to recable from a DAW MIDI setup to a DAW-less MIDI setup in a heartbeat without having to actually recable anything. I am going through the lengthy video and so I’ve just heard about the possibility to control softsynths on a computer through the USB host adapter without having to run a DAW on a computer. Not really what I am looking to do but nevertheless a cool little hack that’ll be possible with the MRCC.
Thank you tr606! We are looking forward to see how MRCC makes your studio more efficient so you can focus on making music.
MRCC, MRCC Remote 7 and 2U Rack Ears are in stock and available in our web shop, and are also available at Schneidersladen.de and PerfectCircuit.com!