Recent controllers with only a USB MIDI out

[darsu]

Hi,

Nowadays there are compact MIDI controllers that don't have normal MIDI jacks, only a USB jack through which MIDI is transmitted. The AKAI MPD8 is an example. Is there any practical difference between these types of devices in terms of their usability in Linux? Do USB->MIDI adapters exist that will let me use such a controller with arbitrary non-computer MIDI hardware?

[Scary Hallo]

Is this what you have in mind?

http://www.thomann.de/gb/esi_midi_mate.htm

(edit)
I have a similar (no name) device. It works plug'n'play in Ubuntu 9.10. Never had any problems. But I must say, I don't use midi very much.

[darsu]

Thanks. Now, though, it occurs to me that there's also the problem of such devices being USB powered, and that's not quite as easily fixed, is it...

[autostatic]

Thanks. Now, though, it occurs to me that there's also the problem of such devices being USB powered, and that's not quite as easily fixed, is it...

Ah, you want to use a USB MIDI controller without a computer?

[darsu]

I want to use a MIDI controller with and without a computer in the loop and I'm out to find out if this excludes, even if only for inconvenience, devices that operate through USB MIDI.

(Oh, and thanks for recommending the Edirol UA-something over at Ubuntuforums last winter. It works perfectly.)

[autostatic]

I want to use a MIDI controller with and without a computer in the loop and I'm out to find out if this excludes, even if only for inconvenience, devices that operate through USB MIDI.

It seems to me you can't use a USB MIDI device without a computer when it doesn't have MIDI Din inputs or outputs or when it is bus powered and doesn't come with an external adapter.