midi cable question

[Shakuan]

Hey, whats the maximum range of a midi cable without having any kind of noticeable change in the sound. (attenuation, latency.. )

[AlChuck]

As long as the cable is short enough that interference doesn't corrupt the signals, either it makes it or it doesn't -- it's data, not an analog audio signal. The extra length might cause there to be a difference in nanoseconds in the time it takes the messages to stream down the cable, way way smaller than the resolution of the MIDI interface and hence negligible.

I think the MIDI spec has a maximum cable length in it, but I don't know whatit is.

[James Argo]

Just an advice, I always make sure it's shorter than 15 feet (~5 Meters). In complex MIDI routing, sometime they mess the whole system. Just IMHO.


Jaymz

[AlChuck]

From The ABC Of MIDI http://www.vanbasco.com/abc_of_midi/midi_tech_talk.html

"The MIDI cable's stated maximum length is 50 feet, but for optimal data transmission, 20 feet is the effective maximum. Most MIDI cables are 5 or 10 feet."

Just to reiterate, cable length has no affect on the sound of anything -- just whether the MIDI packets can be reliably sent from one device to the other.

[James Argo]

Very nice link, Chuck... Thanks