do i need a midi interface to reduce latency?

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russlia0

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ok, so I want to buy a midi controller, I see most of them just connect via usb to the computer, do I need a midi interface?

will there be less latency if I run it through a soundcard(midi interface)
 
There shouldn't be. It depends more on the actual design of the hardware and especially the software drivers, which is to say that one particularly poor USB MIDI device might be worse than some other PCI thing, but that's not really because of the type of connector. Both USB and PCI are way faster than MIDI.
 
I dabble in MIDI, I'm no expert. I've used both 5-pin MIDI cables and USB MIDI from a few different devices. I haven't noticed much difference in latency since MIDI is so lightweight. The main difference I notice is that 5-pin MIDI cables can be used in much longer runs than USB cables. USB cables are functionally limited to about 15 feet unless you use a powered repeated, and I can't find any USB cables longer than 10 feet. This becomes a limitation in where you can place your MIDI equipment, depending on your room size. It's nice to have the freedom to put your keyboard/controller/e-kit wherever you like in your room, rather than being crowded in close to your computer because your USB cable is too short.
 
russlia0 said:
ok, so I want to buy a midi controller, I see most of them just connect via usb to the computer, do I need a midi interface?

will there be less latency if I run it through a soundcard(midi interface)
Click to expand...

You don't say whether the MIDI controller is also a keyboard, and whether you want to 'play' the sounds.
However, it's fair to say that there is very little 'latency' involved with MIDI regardless of whether it's via USB or e.g. PCI.
As has been said above, the quality of the drivers does make a small difference.
Go for a controller that has it's own specific driver rather than using a generic Windows driver, assuming you're using Windows.
The one thing that does vary slightly with MIDI over USB is that it is subject to 'jitter'.
Jitter means that the performance is not completely consistent, e.g. sometimes 1 ms delay other times 1.2 ms etc.

Latency is of concern when the audio generated by the MIDI 'note on' is streamed from the computer out of the audio DAC (digital to audio converter).
Latency figures here are several orders of magnitude greater than MIDI latency.
Careful adjustment of buffer numbers and sizes is required to get best performance, and ASIO drivers are a must, again talking Windows.
Here PCI will typically win over USB, again with well written drivers.
 
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