DINsync / MIDI question

OK, so I am not using my x0x boxes enough so I'm setting them up in a dedicated computerless "studio"

However I'm going a bit nuts trying to figure out the best way to hook up the drum machines to the sequencer. I know you guys have done this before so advice much appreciated.

Just talking about control paths here, not audio...

Here's the gear I want to hook up:

So I need to be able to drive the 606 and the 727 from the 707

Also I need the 707 to be either a timing slave or timing master for the MMT8

I remember theres some gay limitations on the 707 not being able to do DIN and MIDI at the same time or some shit but I cant remember exactly what they are.

I found a guy on eBay who sells DINsync split, DINsync merge, MIDI split and MIDI merge boxes, but I can probably only afford one.

So.. which box do I buy and where do i put it? - I just want to be able to hit play and have all these boxes do their thing

i've been doing a lot of this type of daisy chained stuff lately so here is my advice:

727 the master clock---> midi out to 707----> din sync out to 606 (end)

midi out of 707 to controller keyboard---->thru out keyboard to MMt8--->thru out to mks-7

Or if the 707 has this limitation as you say you can switch up the order of the 727 & 707 in the chain, it says on this website im looking at that both machines have din & midi out/in ports. Hopefully both of them don't have the limitation of having to make a choice between din sync or midi.

If both of the machines have that limitation (worst case scenario) all you really need is a midi thru box, something that can take the output of the 727 and duplicate it via 2 midi cables, then you take one send it to the 707, then take the other and send it to the controller keyboard (and out the thru, sending cloick to the mmt8)

I had to buy a Midi Solutions T8 box for my setup. I have a bunch of clock ready midi external gea, even stuff like the nanoloop which doesnt have the option of a midi through after ive hooked into it. it really helps make a setup like yours easier

Almost there - controller keyboard has an out only

- that means your option would work if i plugged the 707 out and the controller out into a merge box. i've heard bad things about midi merge and clock signals though...

yeah 707 and 727 are identical except for the screenprinting and the ROM afaik

hilariously you do get a completely different manual with the 727 though

Well, I have setup pretty much the same gear before and yes it won't work with the 707/727 like awepittance described due to its limitations. Do it like this:

MMT8->midiout->synths and a midi-to-dinsync converter->dasiychained x0xes.

For instance the novation drumstation has midi-in and dinsync-out so you get the tempo sync. You can also just buy a midi->dinsync converter of course, but I use the drumstation for some added functionality(extra set of drum-machines ftw).

thtere is a white box buy roland or korg which i forget the name of, 4 midi in.out 4 dinsync in.out

very good box. but totally forget what its called.

glad i could help :D

impakt, where would the controller go in that setup. Go into to the mmt8? if the mmt8 has an internal way to reroute midi input to it's midi out (as opposed to the thru) it should work

Yes, it does. You run a keyboard into the midi-in on the mmt8 that you use to write the sequences, then it sends it out to whatever you hook it up to.

Korg KMS 30: http://matrixsynth.blogspot.com/2007/01/korg-kms-30-midi-syncronizer.html

thanks guys!

i did some esperiments last night and found the following

* 707s can be din and midi master at the same time, but as soon as they are slave on 1 they stop sending on the other

* My 606 booted up with a last step of 12 and scared the shit out of me by synching 3/ against 4/4 lol i forgot they have random shit in them after you take the batteries out

* Im pretty sure I need like impakr said, a midi-din at the end of my midi daisy chain

* this looks promising:

midi - 3 x dinsync box

* my 727, which worked fine about a month ago, is booting to some non responsive gltched out state. the lights go on, and it shows an "all on" pattern but no buttons do anything

anyone know of a good online troubleshooting/repair guide for 707/727???

midi y cable from the din sync of the 707 to the 606 and 727?

midi cable from the midi out of the 707 to the sequencer?

my 727 had that same fault. after unscrewing the screws and looking inside i noticed that one of the four long black plastic stands inside had snapped, and a black wire with a grounding washer on the end of it was loose in the box. so i unscrewed a random screw and connected the washer to the screw then screwed the screw back in. that grounded the circuit and the 727 worked again after that. although the din sync is a bit is unreliable because i didnt screw the case back up properly. there's no guarantee that this solution will fix your one, but "opening the case, looking around, then closing the case again" has fixed loads of my equipment in the past and I recommend doing that before paying anyone any dosh.

apparently all these diff boxes have different start times so even if you sync with din it can be out of phase cause they don't start at the same time

  On 10/17/2009 at 4:56 AM, chunky said:

midi y cable from the din sync of the 707 to the 606 and 727?

midi cable from the midi out of the 707 to the sequencer?

 

my 727 had that same fault. after unscrewing the screws and looking inside i noticed that one of the four long black plastic stands inside had snapped, and a black wire with a grounding washer on the end of it was loose in the box. so i unscrewed a random screw and connected the washer to the screw then screwed the screw back in. that grounded the circuit and the 727 worked again after that. although the din sync is a bit is unreliable because i didnt screw the case back up properly. there's no guarantee that this solution will fix your one, but "opening the case, looking around, then closing the case again" has fixed loads of my equipment in the past and I recommend doing that before paying anyone any dosh.

thanks man. yeah it booted up just fine yesterday and actually played a pattern before gaying out so i'm thinking dry join / loose wire / overheating chip something like that...

  On 10/17/2009 at 9:21 PM, marf said:

apparently all these diff boxes have different start times so even if you sync with din it can be out of phase cause they don't start at the same time

next you'll be telling me analogue synths cant conviningly recreate real instruments

  On 10/16/2009 at 11:27 AM, Awepittance said:

impakt, where would the controller go in that setup. Go into to the mmt8? if the mmt8 has an internal way to reroute midi input to it's midi out (as opposed to the thru) it should work

yeah it has a "midi echo" button right there on the front pabel (not buried under 20 menus). just one of the thousand little ways in which mmt8s are awesome

thought this would be a funny thread for this..

ok c u later

Not surprising it's a single bed really! I would quite like that pillow though

those old Garfield boxes are very handy too

Well my mate just GAVE me an old Opcode 4x4 MIDI patchbay (original retail £270) so I guess I'm sorted there

Same guy is good with a soldering iron so I'll get him to look over the 727 when he comes by to deliver the Opcode...