06-03-2025, 08:51 AM
Jesse / Steve,
The new beta firmware (facilitating the increase in possible routes) has helped a lot; however, I have still had to employ 2 Kenton MIDI merge boxes and it looks like their MIDI Through boxes are going to have to come out to play too! I just hope I don't have to press the ESi M8U eX into use as well - it's a l'il bit odd!!! This scenario is really not ideal; far from it!
Whilst it's true that the limitations originally referred to by Jesse are (now!?) buried deep in the spec - and I genuinely don't want to sound ungrateful or be accused of having impossible expectations - but I genuinely did not expect to have to compromise so heavily when investing in a unit of this (supposed) calibre. It's likely going to become a real show-stopper for me, which just means I'm left with little choice but to sell the unit. And that's a real shame given how long I waited before acquiring this box of tricks. I still like it ... but it simply doesn't do all that I need it to do. Perhaps nothing at this price point does(!)?
I waited for Kenton's own MIDI router unit for almost 3 years since its initial announcement (it's still not manifested itself!), bought gear by ESi (and more Kenton) to tide me over, lived with a MotU MIDI Express XT parallel port, no less!!!) set to Merge ALL, and even considered the iConnectivity mioXL along the way. However, I was sold on the MRCC with the MRCC Remote 7 because of the sheer number of controllers and sound devices in my studio (their location and the fact that this number will undoubtedly continue to grow) and came close to dropping some more cash on the MRCC XpandR 4×1 DIN Expander too.
LooPop's MRCC Review, alongside vids by Ranzee's MIDI Router Control Center video and Ricky Tinez MRC880 review - not forgetting the superb Conductive Labs' MRCC video manual series - coupled to CL's hyperbolic marketing rhetoric, all helped seal the deal ... and not once did I spot any serious limitations worthy of note.
I also owned CL's NDLR and rated its build quality and ease of use highly, valuing much of the support it garnered online (especially this forum) despite its limited ability to manage, store and recall 'setups' effectively - another compromise I'm finding really hard to live with in practice - all of which convinced me to part with my money quite readily!
While I recognise (and respect) that Steve and his team design devices they themselves want to use - to solve issues and problems they have experienced - once these products are being sold in the wild, then there's almost a moral obligation to more accurately reflect and account for their real-world users' requirements, not simply the whims, passions and desires of the designers. Again, I don't mean to sound harsh or unreasonable, but that's commercial reality ... and the difference between success and failure. Looking at what Chris Brown (no, not that Chris Brown) has done with the MIDICake Arp is incredibly impressive ... and that started off as a pet project too but has evolved to meet the demands of its users!
Furthermore, while I needed to be able to use any MIDI router I employed in standalone mode (i.e. without a DAW or computer) the ability to (pre-)configure it using a tablet or laptop interface would have solved a lot of head-scratching, plenty of trees(!) and much backache too! It's almost impossible to create more complex routing and filtering setups using that screen alone without a LOT of pre-planning, a LOT of paper, and a LOT of careful MIDI design. And, even then - as an ex-network designer for finance institutions (not known for their patience or tolerance of failure in their LANs!) - I'm still finding the odd loop or inappropriate filter which requires amending.
It's just too difficult to keep track of everything in anything like a medium-complexity setup without making mistakes along the way ... and, trust me, I've Excel tabs galore attempting to manage everything! The MRCC requires something akin to this, IMHO, for anything but the most basic of setups: Auracle MIDI Router Config App.
That is NOT what a MIDI router should require - IT should be doing all the heavy lifting, not demanding its users reconsider their setup complexity and placing prerequisites on the rig itself before it can be effectively deployed. All I wanted was any-to-any connectivity so I could sit down at any controller or MIDI device, anywhere in my studio - using the filters to remove MIDI Clock and MIDI loops - and to write music without having to clamber under, over and around gear to reconnect MIDI cables when that creative urge took a hold!
I'm genuinely sorry to all at Conductive Labs but, despite some of the MRCC's successes - and there are many and myriad - this device still falls short of (my) expectations for a full-featured MIDI router. I'm a mere amateur, not a demanding pro user, so I doubt I'm the only one who's frustrated - this forum's post hints likewise. It would be interesting to see just how many pro rigs this unit appears in given its manifest limitations.
So, it looks like I'm back to the drawing board ... again.
Thanks all...
PS When I talk about an any-to-any MIDI Merge, there's not that much data flying around (I understand the limitations of MIDI's 31,250kbps baud rate) so I doubt it's that which is causing the frequent lock-ups referred to in my OP; rather its a merge to achieve any port-to-port connectivity, typically with only 2 or 3 controllers being played alongside 1-3 sequencers/drum machines and/or a DAW (Cubase 14 under Win10) playing between 1 and 5 external MIDI devices receiving MIDI Note On/Off and a modicum of CC data.
The new beta firmware (facilitating the increase in possible routes) has helped a lot; however, I have still had to employ 2 Kenton MIDI merge boxes and it looks like their MIDI Through boxes are going to have to come out to play too! I just hope I don't have to press the ESi M8U eX into use as well - it's a l'il bit odd!!! This scenario is really not ideal; far from it!
Whilst it's true that the limitations originally referred to by Jesse are (now!?) buried deep in the spec - and I genuinely don't want to sound ungrateful or be accused of having impossible expectations - but I genuinely did not expect to have to compromise so heavily when investing in a unit of this (supposed) calibre. It's likely going to become a real show-stopper for me, which just means I'm left with little choice but to sell the unit. And that's a real shame given how long I waited before acquiring this box of tricks. I still like it ... but it simply doesn't do all that I need it to do. Perhaps nothing at this price point does(!)?
I waited for Kenton's own MIDI router unit for almost 3 years since its initial announcement (it's still not manifested itself!), bought gear by ESi (and more Kenton) to tide me over, lived with a MotU MIDI Express XT parallel port, no less!!!) set to Merge ALL, and even considered the iConnectivity mioXL along the way. However, I was sold on the MRCC with the MRCC Remote 7 because of the sheer number of controllers and sound devices in my studio (their location and the fact that this number will undoubtedly continue to grow) and came close to dropping some more cash on the MRCC XpandR 4×1 DIN Expander too.
LooPop's MRCC Review, alongside vids by Ranzee's MIDI Router Control Center video and Ricky Tinez MRC880 review - not forgetting the superb Conductive Labs' MRCC video manual series - coupled to CL's hyperbolic marketing rhetoric, all helped seal the deal ... and not once did I spot any serious limitations worthy of note.
I also owned CL's NDLR and rated its build quality and ease of use highly, valuing much of the support it garnered online (especially this forum) despite its limited ability to manage, store and recall 'setups' effectively - another compromise I'm finding really hard to live with in practice - all of which convinced me to part with my money quite readily!
While I recognise (and respect) that Steve and his team design devices they themselves want to use - to solve issues and problems they have experienced - once these products are being sold in the wild, then there's almost a moral obligation to more accurately reflect and account for their real-world users' requirements, not simply the whims, passions and desires of the designers. Again, I don't mean to sound harsh or unreasonable, but that's commercial reality ... and the difference between success and failure. Looking at what Chris Brown (no, not that Chris Brown) has done with the MIDICake Arp is incredibly impressive ... and that started off as a pet project too but has evolved to meet the demands of its users!
Furthermore, while I needed to be able to use any MIDI router I employed in standalone mode (i.e. without a DAW or computer) the ability to (pre-)configure it using a tablet or laptop interface would have solved a lot of head-scratching, plenty of trees(!) and much backache too! It's almost impossible to create more complex routing and filtering setups using that screen alone without a LOT of pre-planning, a LOT of paper, and a LOT of careful MIDI design. And, even then - as an ex-network designer for finance institutions (not known for their patience or tolerance of failure in their LANs!) - I'm still finding the odd loop or inappropriate filter which requires amending.
It's just too difficult to keep track of everything in anything like a medium-complexity setup without making mistakes along the way ... and, trust me, I've Excel tabs galore attempting to manage everything! The MRCC requires something akin to this, IMHO, for anything but the most basic of setups: Auracle MIDI Router Config App.
That is NOT what a MIDI router should require - IT should be doing all the heavy lifting, not demanding its users reconsider their setup complexity and placing prerequisites on the rig itself before it can be effectively deployed. All I wanted was any-to-any connectivity so I could sit down at any controller or MIDI device, anywhere in my studio - using the filters to remove MIDI Clock and MIDI loops - and to write music without having to clamber under, over and around gear to reconnect MIDI cables when that creative urge took a hold!
I'm genuinely sorry to all at Conductive Labs but, despite some of the MRCC's successes - and there are many and myriad - this device still falls short of (my) expectations for a full-featured MIDI router. I'm a mere amateur, not a demanding pro user, so I doubt I'm the only one who's frustrated - this forum's post hints likewise. It would be interesting to see just how many pro rigs this unit appears in given its manifest limitations.
So, it looks like I'm back to the drawing board ... again.
Thanks all...
PS When I talk about an any-to-any MIDI Merge, there's not that much data flying around (I understand the limitations of MIDI's 31,250kbps baud rate) so I doubt it's that which is causing the frequent lock-ups referred to in my OP; rather its a merge to achieve any port-to-port connectivity, typically with only 2 or 3 controllers being played alongside 1-3 sequencers/drum machines and/or a DAW (Cubase 14 under Win10) playing between 1 and 5 external MIDI devices receiving MIDI Note On/Off and a modicum of CC data.