28 thoughts on “MeeBlip Intros cubit duo USB MIDI Interface”

1. Can this also be midi powered like the cheaper solution called MIDI Solutions Quadra Thru V2?

   1. this doubles as a USB midi interface, so it functions in ways the less expensive quadra thru does not.

      I’ve been thinking about using a computer to control all my hardware over investing in something like a pioneer squid, so this might be right up my alley.

      also, I imagine you could use this thing with the quadra thru and get 7 thrus with very little latency.

   2. I would assume if it COULD be MIDI powered, they would have listed that as a feature. Perhaps there’s not enough juice in the MIDI power to run this thingy.

      1. If you take power from a MIDI current loop, you cannot opto-isolate the device according to the MIDI spec.

   3. hijacking the power from midi is not ideal

2. sold

3. so it’s not a 4 port usb midi interface. with usb mode there is only one midi port, mirrored to 4 outputs…

   1. Yea, thanks for emphasizing that.

      For noobs, that’s what “1 X 1” means. (1 in, 1 out) — even if that 1 out is “multed” 4 times.

   2. True, but each port has 16 channels, so assuming each connected instrument is listening on its own channel only, the thru approach can work. EG. OP-Z could sequence Sub 37 on channel 1, DSI Rev2 on ch 7, Gentle Wham ch 10, Korg Keys on ch 3 or whatever your setup is. Not ideal, but maybe good enough. A little undecided myself TBH

   3. But you know how MIDI works? You choose the channel and this gives the ability to control individual synths

      1. So just to be clear (and again sorry but I am a ver very old fart so I’m still continue learning) if I.e. I play a C on my master keyboard this will transmit the same C into all 4 synths connected to this device? If they are monophonic try?….what will happen if I play a C minor and the attached devices are mono does will send the first C ato the first mono synth the E to the next and so and so?….thanks in advance…and if for some reason this question sounds “dumb” it is because I am really dumb I have design 4 exacts monosynths that they have exactly the sound that I he’s been looking for the past decade ( as they they say if you want thing to do well,,,,,you have to tool up yout…)…well anyway DOES a this is a solution for my need. If not. You crazy smart people on synthopia. Can point me in the right direction to have one device on which I can connect on master keyboard that allows four outputs for me to play chords with four notes (one for base, remaining for regular 3 chord notes) that is out there and it is affordable…have been working amost 20 years on this album….and in would love to press it before I die!….thanks again
         Sincerely
         Sid

         1. -Sid, midi thru just divide the same signal, but each midi port have 16 channels so even if all the instruments will get the same midi signals they will only react to a note directed to the channel you chooses on the individual instruments.
            so you can have up to 16 different parts sent to up to 16 instruments with one midi cable.

            1. Thanks for the time replying man…you are a good pal!…seriously thanks

               1. you welcome 🙂 check MrMidi replay about the polychain, If you want to play polyphoniclly with 4x mono’s, you can also do that with expert sleepers or bitwig.

         2. It sounds to me that you are asking about polychaining. Then you could look at Mutable Instraments Yarns or Future Retro Mondovox.

      2. the comment about the usb mode should be your first hint

      3. midi thru boxes are ideal for midi clock but not for midi notes triggering.
         If you will only send midi clock from the usb, you will still have some jitter but all the machine will get the exact same clock with the same jitter so it should sound “musical”.
         but if you send individual notes to each connected synth/drum machines, midi usb interface with multiple ports is a better solution. midi is serial protocol so if you for example send “10 notes” at once (using multiple poly synths and midi notes to trigger drum machines) the last note will have a delay of about 7ms (0.7ms for each note) plus the interface jitter.
         if you will use this interface to send midi clock and notes at the same time the midi clock will suffer from this midi limitation. with multiple ports interface you can avoid that

4. If I understand right, the MIDI THRU port on old fashioned MIDI synths has no latency, there’s no reason not to use it. So I guess this sort of thing is for people with synths without MIDI THRU ports?

   1. midi is a serial protocol so the more notes you will send from one port to multiple synths at once the greater the latency/jitter. with a usb midi device with multiple output ports you can avoid this limitation.

      1. You’re right, but this one doesn’t have multiple different output ports — the same thing is sent on all four outputs. As far as I can tell. So it seems just as good as just using MIDI THRU ports if you have them.

         1. except there will still be the latency of going through a device when daisy chaining. as all signals are transmitted from the source out they theoretically all have the same general hardware between them (unless you say use a 100 ft midi cable on one and like a 3 foot midi cable on the other) so they shouldn’t have as much latency as going into one device thru to another and then into another device thru to another etc.

            1. I don’t think there is usually latency on a thru port. That’s what I meant. The standard MIDI circuit just has an optocoupler between the MIDI IN and the THRU, nothing else, so the latency is nanoseconds or possibly microseconds.

               1. latency of the midi thru on instruments will be in microseconds, If you can change the behaviour of the thru output to midi out or din sync (like with some elektrons) maybe more.
                  Another reason to use midi thru box is because the recommendation not to daisy chain the thru outputs more than twice (signal degradation).
                  You will also must turn on the instrument you use with the thru output, even if you don’t use it…

5. I wish they had included a Dyn Sync output

   1. like a cv sync? that would be awesome maybe make one with a usb midi host as well – would be more expensive but cool as hell. I still grabbed this since it is on sale because it should be an easy cheap solution for a lot of things

6. It makes no sense – it duplicates all midi data to all out channels? This is absurd!

   If your midi data is already on the limit that you start feeling the latency, because you send tons of CC and NRPN to all 16 channels and whatnot sysex data for different things you want an interface that gives you the ability to reduce that amount of data for each physical port by splitting it up to e.g. four *different* midi ports – this way you can still afford to not think too much about data-oeconomix while using real-time controllers like a cat familiy walking your equipment.

   From this POV this product does not makes sense at all – there is nothing good with quadrupeling lots of midi data. This is like a first-time-into-midi-electronics-make-my-own-thing project by a person that has not really thought about it.

   I do not get it.

   1. “– there is nothing good with quadrupeling lots of midi data”

      you missed the point of midi thru boxes.
      if you send midi clock to all outputs the instruments will receive the exact same clock. even if you will have jitter from the computer/daw it will be the exact same jitter for all instruments.
      with multiple ports interface you will have larger jitter between the the different output ports and they will drift from each other.
      so at least for midi clock only this is a better solution than a “multi port usb midi interface”

   2. James from Meeblip here. “there is nothing good with quadrupeling lots of midi data…” and yet there are tens of thousands of MIDI Thru boxes in the wild. cubit duo is designed for a small desktop rig where the user wants the ability to operate without a computer (in MIDI Thru mode) *or* with a computer (in USB MIDI interface mode). A 1×1 MIDI interface with 4 outputs is easier to patch into a system than a traditional 1×1 design.

      If you want a device with more inputs and outputs, check out a couple of other devices that I worked on — the iConnectivity mioXM (4×4 with USB Host and Ethernet) or mioXL (8 x 12 with USB Host and Ethernet).