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I'd like to start sequencing notes in DP and have them trigger hardware synths or sequencers. The problem is, my interface (and Apollo Quad Firewire) does not have a MIDI out.

I was looking at the MOTU micro lite MIDI interface, but could this be used in conjunction with my Apollo interface? A sales rep at sweetwater told me I could set up an "aggregate", but I'm worried this may complicate my setup.

Is there a different method I should be using?

I don't think you'd need to deal with aggregate devices. DP can see individual audio and MIDI interfaces and deal with each of them as they are as long as any necessary CoreAudio and CoreMIDI drivers are installed. Some other DAWs can't deal with multiple audio interfaces and need to use aggregate devices. But for MIDI devices like the Micro Lite, aggregate devices are not even relevant.

bayswater wrote:I don't think you'd need to deal with aggregate devices. DP can see individual audio and MIDI interfaces and deal with each of them as they are as long as any necessary CoreAudio and CoreMIDI drivers are installed. Some other DAWs can't deal with multiple audio interfaces and need to use aggregate devices. But for MIDI devices like the Micro Lite, aggregate devices are not even relevant.

Wow, that would be awesome. Will I then be able to select a Micro Lite channel output on a MIDI track?

MIDI and ASIO are different beasts, so the salesman at that store was leading you in the wrong thinking direction.

A MIDI interface like the Micro Lite is not an ASIO interface, and so should work just fine.

As to ASIO, you are on Windows, and that does not have an "aggregate" feature, which is a feature in Core Audio for Macs. Windows only allows one ASIO hardware device at a time. But, that is not an issue in this case.

Terry

PoliticalBonobo wrote:

bayswater wrote:I don't think you'd need to deal with aggregate devices. DP can see individual audio and MIDI interfaces and deal with each of them as they are as long as any necessary CoreAudio and CoreMIDI drivers are installed. Some other DAWs can't deal with multiple audio interfaces and need to use aggregate devices. But for MIDI devices like the Micro Lite, aggregate devices are not even relevant.

Wow, that would be awesome. Will I then be able to select a Micro Lite channel output on a MIDI track?

If you have installed the drivers for a the MIDI devices attached to the Micro Lite, you can go to the Tracks window and assign MIDI channel output to one of the 16 MIDI channels on one of the ports on the Micro Lite.

Note that Terry says -- don't confuse audio and MIDI.

Thanks, guys. To digress a little, I glanced at the Micro Express USB interface, which has SMPTE in/out. I currently use a slave computer with DP9 to stream the video that I am scoring over LAN. There's always delay when I Play/Stop the video. It's not a killer by any means, but I'm wondering if there's a better way to sync my video using this interface with SMPTE in/out. Or is that really only geared towards old analog equipment and that won't help me here?

PoliticalBonobo wrote:Thanks, guys. To digress a little, I glanced at the Micro Express USB interface, which has SMPTE in/out. I currently use a slave computer with DP9 to stream the video that I am scoring over LAN. There's always delay when I Play/Stop the video. It's not a killer by any means, but I'm wondering if there's a better way to sync my video using this interface with SMPTE in/out. Or is that really only geared towards old analog equipment and that won't help me here?

I've never seen SMPTE that didn't have that delay - not sure why. (Probably to do with "chasing".) You might see if it your DAW will send MTC or MMC instead (or also), as they might not have the delay.

Terry