[sdiy] MIDI output current and MIDI-driven gadgets

[Benjamin Tremblay]

I’m sorry I’m only on my first pot of coffee. 

Benjamin Tremblay

> On Jun 4, 2026, at 10:05 AM, Benjamin Tremblay <btremblay at me.com> wrote:
> 
> Sorry I should not say hub.
> What I mean is HOST.
> 
> The host protocol is a tax on developers.
> 
> We do not need “hosts and peripherals”. We need “cables” connecting devices. 
> 
> I can’t just plug one USB C device into another with a USB C cable and expect them to talk to each other. That’s asking too much. That’s what drives me crazy. USB MIDI works great if you have a HOST, otherwise you are dead in the water. I have been adding host support to my Teensy projects but I can’t boil that ocean.
> 
> Benjamin Tremblay
> 
>>> On Jun 4, 2026, at 9:57 AM, Mike Bryant <mbryant at futurehorizons.com> wrote:
>>> 
>> 
>> Not sure where you are seeing a hub ?   Most sound generating boxes with USB can operate in either mode so you can plug a keyboard straight in, no hub, PC or anything just as you would with DIN.
>> From: Benjamin Tremblay <btremblay at me.com>
>> Sent: 04 June 2026 14:35
>> To: Mike Bryant <mbryant at futurehorizons.com>
>> Cc: Synth DIY <synth-diy at synth-diy.org>
>> Subject: Re: [sdiy] MIDI output current and MIDI-driven gadgets
>>  
>> If USB wasn’t a hub-based protocol with a built-in cost of adoption. 
>> The actual wiring for USB is just fine and getting better all the time. What’s wrong for MIDI is this 90s-era idea of a “peripheral” Zip drive that is powered by your gateway 2000 laptop. All that brilliant design thinking ruined USB for MIDI because a hub is nothing but a toll gate we already paid for and nobody wants. Does anyone really want a hub at all?
>> 
>> Benjamin Tremblay
>> 
>>> On Jun 4, 2026, at 9:30 AM, Mike Bryant <mbryant at futurehorizons.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> 
>>> You mean USB ?  🙂
>>> From: Synth-diy <synth-diy-bounces at synth-diy.org> on behalf of Benjamin Tremblay via Synth-diy <synth-diy at synth-diy.org>
>>> Sent: 04 June 2026 14:19
>>> To: Synth DIY <synth-diy at synth-diy.org>
>>> Subject: Re: [sdiy] MIDI output current and MIDI-driven gadgets
>>>  
>>> Why can’t we just develop a new protocol based on cheap UARTs and passive components that runs I dunno 25x faster and works like patch cords instead of hubs, isn’t gated by some consortium, and is backward compatible if you add a cheap adapter?
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Benjamin Tremblay
>>> 
>>> > On Jun 4, 2026, at 8:47 AM, Neil Johnson via Synth-diy <synth-diy at synth-diy.org> wrote:
>>> >
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>>> > Mike Bryant wrote:
>>> >
>>> >> Agree on the spec, but 48V would destroy many of these Chinese MIDI
>>> >> devices that omit the opto-isolator =F0=9F=98=84
>>> >>
>>> >
>>> > Yes - the bonus feature.
>>> >
>>> > Neil
>>> >
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>>> > <div dir=3D"ltr"><div dir=3D"ltr">Mike Bryant wrote:</div><div class=3D"gma=
>>> > il_quote gmail_quote_container"><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"=
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>>> >
>>> >
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>>> > <div dir=3D"ltr">
>>> > <div style=3D"font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Cali=
>>> > bri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
>>> > Agree on the spec, but 48V would destroy many of these Chinese MIDI devices=
>>> > that omit the opto-isolator
>>> > <span id=3D"m_-4663179895464832597=F0=9F=98=84">=F0=9F=98=84</span></div></=
>>> > div></div></blockquote><div><br></div><div>Yes - the bonus feature.</div><d=
>>> > iv><br></div><div>Neil</div></div></div>
>>> >
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