midiplus USB MIDI Host Controller

It is easy to use right out of the box & works exactly as it should. It really doesn’t bother me that it doesn’t me that it doesn’t send power over USB, just midi. I read other reviews about how the inputs seemed loose/flimsy, which they were. So I removed the two screws and took off the panel on the midi in/out side to see why. Because my worry was that they might be loose at the soldering joints on the circuit board. However, that is not the case. The circuit board just slides in and is held in place by the front and back panels. The circuit board moves around slightly inside the outer housing when you plug/unplug stuff. So I just secured the circuit board with some hot glue to the main outer housing and then put the panel back on with the two screws. It feels really solid now. The whole thing took less than five minutes. The longest part was waiting for the hot glue gun to heat up. I just love it. Now I can use my Casio XW-PD1 as a controller/sequencer, or I can control the internal sounds with a different piece of gear like my Yamaha Qy-70 or RM1X or any of my other midi keyboards/sequencers. I’m a hardware guy and the majority of my workflow is DAW-less. I primarily make industrial metal stuff. I try to avoid the computer as much as possible in that I prefer to use real instruments vs plugins, and daisy chain as much as possible (synths,drum machines, samplers etc.). The Casio XW-PD1 didn’t really have a place in my setup due to it only having midi over USB. Which was unfortunate because this thing is strange and weird. And strange and weird really inspire me for some reason. The midiplus really opens up a lot of possibilities for me to incorporate different gear, that I wouldn’t be able to do otherwise. The build isn’t super solid but for the price, and the easy fix, I’m super happy with it!! Fix recap: 1.) Remove either panel by taking out the two screws with an allen wrench.2.) Apply hot glue on the sides and under the circuit board to secure it in place.3.) Screw the panel back on.“OR” 4.) Spend two to three times as much on a fancier USB/midi host. I hope this helps someone out there!

Thought I was going to have problems connecting my Nektar LX25+ to my older synth modules via 5 pin DIN plug but, it worked without issue. This is day one. Will update if anything changes. Quick delivery and decent quality box. Good value for the money so far. Beats spending $100+ on similar boxes unless you need more MIDI ports.

Purchased this item in an attempt to connect a newer, inexpensive MIDI controller that only came with USB out to synthesizer modules with the older MIDI DIN in. The idea was to NOT use a computer in my setup. I researched these boxes thoroughly and this one was quite a bit LESS expensive than the Kenton box. It's important to understand that the USB device must be "USB Class Compliant." The Nektar Midi controller I was trying to connect to the synth modules claims to be "USB Class Compliant" but did not work with this box. I initially didn't know if this box was faulty or if I was doing something wrong. The instructions are minimal. After scratching my head for a while, I decided to try connecting the box to my Casio digital piano going to the synth modules and IT WORKED! After more research, I discovered that the problem lies with the midi controller. There's something weird about it's ability to be "USB Class Compliant." In summary, this box converts USB to MIDI DIN with stipulations. Another important note - this item took a month to get to me. I'm guessing that means it is drop shipped from China.

It works with many of my MIDI-controllable synths with a USB MIDI keyboard. But I also wanted it to send clock data into my Arturia BeatStep (which only accepts MIDI IN via USB) but that didn't work. I am pretty sure that this device does not transfer clock data at all. I also was hoping that the device would pass through any MIDI data received via MIDI IN to the MIDI OUT port (as many USB MIDI keyboards probably have no use for MIDI IN anyways) but this is not the case. This would have been great for chaining a USB MIDI keyboard into a series of chained MIDI devices but as it stands, the hosted USB MIDI keyboard would need to be at the very beginning of your chain. Haven't had any issues with USB devices not working but I don't have much USB MIDI gear from the last 5-10 years.

After going to the Taiwanese website listed in the instruction manual I came to find that the light on the front should turn green when everything is working. Well it powered my MIDI keyboard but no MIDI data was passed through at all. I made sure that the MIDI channels were synced between the synth that was receiving MIDI and the controller sending it and it still didn't work.The thing was built cheaply and there's some instructions about a firmware upgrade but there's nothing on their website indicating that it even exists or how to do it.The whole thing is a mess. You get this cheap black box that should be really basic to set up and use without instructions. You plug everything in and it doesn't work. So then you go looking for manuals and you have to hunt down translations from the Taiwanese internet that basically confirms what you already know which was that you hook up your USB MIDI keyboard controller to the USB slot, connect a MIDI cable from the MIDI out port of the host to the MIDI in port on your second device, and that's it.Also, mine came used and I did not ask for the Amazon Warehouse version. So try your luck. It might work. Might not. Be prepared to return it and buy a Kenton and just be done fussing with crap electronics.

First, a little background. Bought 2 Nektar Impact GX61 midi controller keyboards. Was told by everyone (including Nektar) that these were made for use with a DAW ONLY, and could NOT be used 'freestanding'. Also, kbds only had "'printer cable'" USB midi outs and were not powered. Did my homework and found these MIDIPLUS USB midi hosts. Not only did they convert 'printer cable' USB to 5 pin DIN midi, but, using an ordinary cell phone charger, they provided power to kbds too. Would reccomend them to anyone needing midi protocol conversion and peripheral power !

Usé un Casiotone LK-S250 para usar los sonidos de un Roland JV-2080. Sin problemas. Sí lo recomiendo.

Up front I will say, this is NOT a USB Midi interface for your computer. The whole point of this box is that it stands in place of a computer.Here is my use case.I have a rack mount synth that I want to control with one of my midi keyboards. But I don‘t want to plug in a computer.So, I plug this box into power via the supplied AC adapter, then plug my midi controller into the front of this box with a standard USB cable. Then use a cable from the Midi out of the USB host to the Midi in of the synth.Works like a charm. Usb midi controller playing my rack synth without a computer in sight.Also, I powered the Midi host wih a USB powerbank from Anker and it worked that way too.

Great unit fit for purpose

I got this so that I could control my Yamaha QY100 with iRig Pads drum pads. I haven't tested it thoroughly, but so far it works well. It powers up the drum pads, and in the manual it states that is is for low-power devices only. Look up "MIDIPLUS USB MIDI HOST manual" in your favourite search engine for specs.

En mi caso toco un pedalier (con los pies) como controlador para el sonido de bajo, y tiene midi out de 5 pins, y el sonido lo robo de mi piano qué ejecuto simultáneamente, sólo que tiene midi usb, y éste dispositivo resuelve el problema de convertir entrada o salida midi a usb... El único contra que le veo es que los conectores midi de 5 pin son delicados y hay que tratarlos con mucho cuidado para que no se dañen. Conclusión resuelve lo del keneton pero a mucho menor precio.