![]() The unit has the MIDI In earths connected by small jumpers with instructions to disconnect them if MIDI data is audible due to bad equipment earthing - they also advise that as few earths as possible should be disconnected. For the sceptics, a +5V socket is provided on the rear panel and DACS will provide a power pack at a small additional cost. The unit is active because each MIDI In has to be "decoded" by a small electronic circuit. The instruction leaflet mentions that, as long as there are as many MIDI Ins as Outs, the power to drive the unit can be derived from the MIDI lines. Also, the solder side of the printed circuit boards is completely unprotected, which could lead to shorts from other rack-mounted equipment if this unit is racked. Bearing in mind that this panel has the holes for fastening onto a 19" rack and that these small inserts effectively have to take the weight of the patchbay (just under 1kg), this particular design fault needs immediate attention. MIDI In, Thru and two MIDI Outs are provided for each channel in the form of standard ¼" jack connectors.Ĭircuit board and component quality is very good with no obvious skimping, except for the way in which the front panel is fastened onto the body - two out of four of the fixings on the review model had pulled away by the time I received the unit, leaving the front panel actually hanging off. The rear panel consists of the relevant MIDI sockets while the front reveals the surprise of this piece of equipment - jack sockets. The DACS MIDI patchbay is a 1U-high rack-mounted 10-channel unit. DACS, a British-based company, have now entered the market place with a MIDI patchbay with a difference. What's been needed for some time is a relatively cheap unit which can handle a large number of controllers. MIDI Merge facilities add further to the cost. A cheap solution lies in the use of MIDI Thru boxes, but the cost of a programmable MIDI patchbay increases in proportion to its size (eight input/output being the largest under £200). And incorporating a sequencer in the studio makes things much worse. Particularly the problem of reconfiguring MIDI cables to suit a particular playing situation. ANYONE WITH A studio setup containing more than one MIDI sound source will have encountered problems with MIDI leads.
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