Q&A MIDI
Here you will find various questions and answers that are covering the relation between CopperLan and MIDI and their practical integration.
The CopperLan Manager installed on a computer is offering a bridge to MIDI applications and physical MIDI interfaces. The translation is transparent so that linking MIDI to MIDI via CopperLan works as if it were a direct connection.
For setups without computer, there are two options:
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CopperLan equipment may sport MIDI connections, allowing MIDI devices to take part in the CopperLan network
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There might be dedicated CopperLan-MIDI interface boxes, with Ethernet on one side and one or more sets of MIDI DIN connectors on the other side.
Yes, of course; CopperLan is conceived to communicate with MIDI applications.
The data generated by MIDI applications, albeit restricted in resolution and scope, will play just fine on CopperLan target applications and equipment.
Data issued from CopperLan applications will as well play on MIDI applications, however sometimes truncated subject to the boundaries inherent in the MIDI protocol.
In CopperLan, an incoming MIDI flow is split into its 16 channels. Each channel becomes a CopperLan flow that can be routed to one or more targets.
Each target can be a CopperLan destination including those that are re-translating the flow in the MIDI format. This MIDI flow ultimately reaches computer-based MIDI applications or physical MIDI connectors (via existing MIDI interfaces).
It is allowed to send any number of flows to any target, which in the case of MIDI targets implicitly offers a MIDI merging capability.
There is a difference between "talking CopperLan" and "talking with CopperLan".
Unless having its firmware being rewritten specifically for CopperLan, the MIDI equipment cannot talk CopperLan.
The most likely way to achieve communication would be through using existing MIDI interfaces (e.g. MIDI-USB) which, once connected to the CopperLan Service in the computer, offer a complete interaction between CopperLan and MIDI.
On the other side, dedicated CopperLan products can easily integrate the MIDI connectivity since the necessary building blocks are provided as part of CopperLan's turnkey solution.
