Feedback Request—MIDI on Pedals

How should pedals incorporate MIDI I/O?

  • 1/8" (BOSS)

    Votes: 11 28.2%

  • 1/4" with MIDI accessory box (Strymon, Meris)

    Votes: 4 10.3%

  • 5-pin MIDI DIN (HX One, DL4 MkII)

    Votes: 24 61.5%

  • No MIDI at all; I want my pedals dead simple

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    39
Digital Igloo

Digital Igloo

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Gear Pro
Messages
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A gear geek forum is probably the wrong place to ask about MIDI (skews "yes, gimme everything"), but screw it.

On smaller form factor pedals like HX One, what's the current consensus on the best method of implementing MIDI I/O? Assume that footprint wouldn't grow regardless. Are MIDI DIN cables too big and unwieldy? 1/8" jacks too flimsy? 1/4" jacks just right? If a pedal has MIDI at all, is it perceived to be harder to use?
 
Personally, I'd prefer the format allowing me to get angled plugs as easily as possible. Not much of an issue with 5-pin connections, no idea about the others, which is why I can't place a vote right now.

Edit: Obviously, 5-pin angled plugs are directional, which is less than ideal, so at least on paper, 1/8" might be the best choice.
 
I know it is a standard, but I personally feel like DIN connectors are too bulky for a pedalboard (versus a rack) and we need more manufacturers to encourage the 1/8" format.
 
@Digital Igloo can you add an “indifferent” choice? I don’t care how to get there (for some devices require one method of connection over the other depending on the footprint) as long as it works.
 
Gimme the 5-pin.

Most certainly because of the linear way I look at rigs/cabling. If I'm running MIDI to pedals, chances are the other pedals are going to use a 5-pin and I don't want to deal with any kind of converters on a board going from 1/8" or 1/4" to 5-pin.
 
I voted 1/8” - seems to work fine on my Novation and Korg portable synths and dongles are an option when needing to interface with different gear. That way they don’t take up so much real estate and more options for placement on the side or top of pedal too. 1/4” seems like a middle ground that is worst of both worlds.
 
DIN is huge and a pain to DIY cables for if you’re doing pedalboards.

No one has 1/8” jack cables lying around, especially not right angled ones which means it takes up just as much or more space than 1/4” jacks. And the insertion grip isn’t very strong, cable quality is usually poor dingle dangle things, etc.

Everyone’s got 1/4” cables already, can DIY cables for pedalboards, and they come in compact right angles. Several companies are trying to make it a thing like Strymon and Morningstar, it’s the way to go!
 
yeky83 said:
DIN is huge and a pain to DIY cables for if you’re doing pedalboards.

No one has 1/8” jack cables lying around, especially not right angled ones which means it takes up just as much or more space than 1/4” jacks. And the insertion grip isn’t very strong, cable quality is usually poor dingle dangle things, etc.

Everyone’s got 1/4” cables already, can DIY cables for pedalboards, and they come in compact right angles. Several companies are trying to make it a thing like Strymon and Morningstar, it’s the way to go!
Click to expand...
Good points!
 
Honestly don't care too much. On bigger pedals it's nice to have two types or at least in/through jacks.

Using multiple pedals it might save some space to go 1/8" and make it clearer which are control vs audio connections, but as said 1/8" cables are less standard in guitar gear.
 
1/8 is a great choice.

Imho all modern fully or partially digital pedals should have midi (and digital i/o) whenever is possibile to implement it.
 
I hate this move towards 1/8" jacks myself. I don't like accessory boxes much either. Straight up DIN connections please. No special cables or conversion boxes required. K.I.S.S.
 
Digital Igloo said:
I thought so too. Then Phil Miller showed me these.
Click to expand...

I've seen similar ones (a little thicker cables, though), but they're still just left or right (or up/down), nothing inbetween - which often might be the best idea on a tight pedalboard.
Anyhow, these are interesting, I'll be looking where I could get some. But otherwise, @yeky83 is spot on, 1/4" would be perfect (just not helping much as soon as you're also using other stuff but the newest equipment).
 
yeky83 said:
DIN is huge and a pain to DIY cables for if you’re doing pedalboards.

No one has 1/8” jack cables lying around, especially not right angled ones which means it takes up just as much or more space than 1/4” jacks. And the insertion grip isn’t very strong, cable quality is usually poor dingle dangle things, etc.

Everyone’s got 1/4” cables already, can DIY cables for pedalboards, and they come in compact right angles. Several companies are trying to make it a thing like Strymon and Morningstar, it’s the way to go!
Click to expand...
All of this. Also, any DIN cables that are available in a format that makes pedalboard use make sense are pricey enough that if you need two of them...you've pretty much already covered the cost-difference of "oh, but 1/4" isn't necessarily immediately plug-n-play without a dongle".
 
kartikg3 said:
yes, but the directions need to be planned properly to ensure it will fit the pedalboard after plugging it in. I see lots of reviews where they bought it and discovered that the direction is the wrong one for their pedalboard.
Click to expand...
Which kind of winds up requiring that every pedal that has MIDI DIN (not many) be planned out in the same way.
 
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