ESI M4U eX

The build quality seems excelent, also it looks good.
It has a lot of ports so I am quite happy there.

I will be using the standalone feature most of the time.
It has 3 modes that you can cycle through with the button.
1/7 mode makes sense (1 IN to 7 OUTs).
7/1 mode is also fine (7 INs to 1 OUT).

But what the hell is "pass-through"?
4 INs to 4 OUTs? Well, not quite :-(
The manual says it will route 1 to 3, 2 to 4, 5 to 7 and 6 to 8.
How is this different to just plugging the cable directly where you want it.

Or is this like a MIDI patchbay feature? Except that ports 1-4 are on the front of the unit so you'll have 2 IN and 2 OUT on each side.
I thought that this would be like a hybrid between 1/7 and 7/1. Not exacly sure if that would be somehow hard to implement or whatever, but having a patchbay feature seems useless to me.

I mainly wanted a MIDI merge device so this will be fine I guess.

UPDATE: I ended up returning the unit and bought a Blokas MIDIHub instead and it's all I ever wanted and more ❤ (google it - it's awesome).

Very happy with this unit, it enables me to use my MIDI gear within one DAW (currently MPC Beats), without fuss, without hassle, just the way I like it. Within MPC Beats you can rename the ESI MIDI INS and OUTS to the instruments they're attached to, so you can select for example "Minilogue Out", or "TR8-S IN". Perfect and simple.

The standalone modus is also very handy, for when you want one MIDI instrument to trigger up to 7 others, without using a DAW.

I haven't tested Sysex yet, though, but I'll update this review as soon as I have.

Thanks again Thomann for the quick answers to my questions and fast delivery, and for not making a issue of all the gear I've returned so far :-) This one is a keeper though!

This is an interesting device which provides more functionality than most midi interfaces. But there are a few flaws which stop it from achieving what it is trying to be.

PRO:

- Very well built.
- Great price, although I would have preferred it to be a little bit more expensive if it meant it could have included what I note below.
- The function that each port can be an input or an output makes it really flexible in most setups. This should be implemented in all midi interfaces.

CON:

- The USB ports at the back can only be used when the device is plugged into a computer - and then only as a standard USB hub. There is no option to route MIDI between the DIN ports and the USB ports internally. This is a missed opportunity.
- The three options in standalone mode are fine if they cover what you need, but it would be better if there was an internal MIDI routing and filtering system. Then the user could decide themselves how the device is used. Again, missed opportunity.
- The lack of a power button is annoying. You need to unplug the device for the LEDs to switch off.

So overall, some good ideas, but it feels this device could have been a lot more. After trying to fit it in my setup for a few weeks, I have decided to sell mine and buy an iConnectivity mioXM instead.

Works great as a MIDI interface, very flexible due to each port being configurable as either an input or output when connected to the PC.

Before buying, I e-mailed them to check if the ports are powered when set to MIDI OUT, and they replied quickly (confirming that they are indeed powered).

When not connected (or when the PC is shut off), it works as a standalone MIDI mixer with 3 different modes, one of which suits my needs perfectly (merging all 7 inputs into 1 output).

The USB 3.0 hub functionality is a nice bonus that I'm also using without any problems.

I'm glad to see companies still building dedicated MIDI hardware and even adding some innovations (the configurable ports in this case).