Digidesign’s MIDI I/O is a ten channel MIDI interface that can be used with Pro Tools or in any other setting. It’s a fairly straight forward piece of gear, as for me it’s pretty self explanatory. There are ten MIDI inputs and ten MIDI outputs, with ten outputs and eight inputs in the back, with the final two inputs in the front and two repeated MIDI outputs in the front as well. It’s also got a USB port and a power jack. This all fits within a single space rack mountable casing. UTILIZATION There isn’t much at all to know about using this MIDI interface, as once you’ve made your connections you’re good to go. There aren’t any parameters or anything, as you control your MIDI signals inside of Pro Tools or whatever DAW you’re using with this (which is most likely going to be Pro Tools). I don’t own one of these, but we’ve got one of them in one of the smaller studios at the studio complex where I work. It’s perfect for when you’re working mostly with MIDI, as it gives you a lot of flexibility in what you can do with your MIDI devices. Ten channels is many more than I’ve ever had a use for, but I guess you never know when the extra ones might come in handy. The manual most likely won’t be necessary for most users, as I have never needed it. OVERALL OPINION The Digidesign MIDI I/O MIDI interface definitely does exactly as advertised, as it gives you ten MIDI channels to be transported via USB to your Pro Tools system. I definitely wouldn’t recommend it if you don’t have Pro Tools, but I believe it should be compatible with any system. My only real complaint about the MIDI I/O is the price, as if it wasn’t a Digidesign product (now strictly known as Avid), it wouldn’t be as much. You can absolutely find comparable MIDI interfaces for cheaper, but beyond the price the MIDI I/O is the perfect MIDI interface.
