USB SMPTE/MIDI interfaces

[AlChuck]

Hi all,

I am taking a film scoring class and pretty soon, if I really want to be able to work on stuff at home with my own DAW rather than in the school lab, I'll need to get the capability of locking to SMPTE code striped on a videotape. I currently have a simple Midiman MIDISPORT 2x2 USB MIDI interface, which has served me well. I am thinking of getting its big brother, the Midiman MIDISPORT 8x8/s. But I have read various allusions here and there to timing problems with USB MIDI interfaces... so I'm a little worried.

Anyone here use this interface? Happy with it? Any problems?

While I'm at it, does anyone here do audio-for-film/video work and know of any resources like this forum out there on the web? Recommended books, articles? Tips for learning and how to go about possibly doing some freelance side jobs in the future?

Thanks all...

-AlChuck

 

[AlChuck]

I've goitten no comments here, but in another place on the web I finally got pointed to a cogent explanation of the supposed performance issues with USB and MIDI. Here's an article from the January 2001 issue of Mix magazine: http://industryclick.com/magazinear...easeid=4750&magazinearticleid=56628&siteid=15

The timing discussion is near the end of the article. Basically, it says that MIDI is transferred asynchronously on the USB line, and as a result it has 2-3 times the timing latency of parallel/serial port interfaces (or about 8ms as opposed to 2-3 ms) and twice the jitter (or the variation in latency from moment to moment).

I wonder if I'd even care about it in my application -- I am not a great keyboardist, I typically will be sending a fairly sparse stream of data, like just MTC for synching while playing back and recording audio. I already live with greater latencies in audio, so it might not effect me at all.

Still, I'd hate to spend around $300 for a MIDISPORT 8x8s and find out I'm fighting with it to stay locked with things...