[sdiy] MIDI hardware platform with both classic and USB-MIDI?

[rsdio at audiobanshee.com]

For some reason, I’m not finding anything.

A friend wants to try creating a MIDI controller. He doesn’t need audio at all, so the Axoloti probably isn’t a good choice. I remember a poorly-supported MIDI hardware platform that people complained had poorly-organized source code, but buying an existing platform is still easier than designing a platform, especially for a beginner, even if you have to write all the firmware.

I would recommend the Livid Builder Brain that I designed, but Livid Instruments aren’t exactly an active company since the founder contracted ALS. Actually, I don’t quite know their status, but I recall that the Builder Brain wasn’t the cheapest platform.

I know you can buy both an Arduino ~and~ a MIDI shield, but there seem to be plenty of all-in-one 8-bit MIDI platforms - I just can’t seem to find any at the moment. Also, I don’t really want to suggest that my friend start out learning the bad coding techniques associated with Arduino and Processing.

Any other MIDI platforms to recommend? Preferably supporting both classic MIDI and USB-MIDI.

If there happens to be a Bluetooth platform with MIDI support already available for DIY folks, that might be really handy. All things considered, though, Bluetooth MIDI is probably a very advanced platform.

Suggestions welcome,

Brian Willoughby