Most modern PCs should work without problems, although the box states that VIA Apollo BX, MVP3, and MVP4 motherboard chipsets are incompatible. Mac owners will need to be running Mac OS 8.5, 8.6, 9.x or X, and the UM880 comes with a driver CD-ROM containing drivers for both OMS and FreeMIDI (as well as an excellent printed manual), while PC owners can use Windows 98, ME, 2000 or XP. There's also a useful Setup mode that lets you select which MIDI inputs will transmit data to the USB port, specify a control port (which shows up in your computer as port nine) to transmit the current patch or a bulk dump of all patches to a sequencer, initialise one or all of them, switch between various startup modes, or return the entire unit to its factory preset condition. A Utility button provides three further functions: Cable Check is self-explanatory, Preview lets you send out MIDI note 69 (A4) to any output port to check connections, and Filter can block up to eight types of MIDI message. Up to eight patches can be loaded or saved, while pressing Load and Save together engages a Panic function. You can also merge any combination of inputs and send the results to any output(s) you choose. In Patch mode, you press an input button and then any combination of output buttons to make connections, and when a valid USB computer link is detected, clicking on the USB/MIDI button lets you connect the USB MIDI ports to the hardware MIDI outputs in the same way. Each input and output has its own illuminated button: these normally indicate MIDI data activity, but pressing an output button causes those of any input ports patched to it to illuminate. An alternative USB socket is found on the front panel, along with the remaining MIDI I/O. Six of the eight available MIDI inputs and outputs are on the back panel, where there's also an IEC socket for the internal power supply and a USB socket. Until now, Edirol's product range has focused on the 'desktop music' market, but the UM880 MIDI interface is obviously intended for those with more complex studios, providing eight MIDI inputs and eight MIDI outputs plus a built-in MIDI patcher and merger. Edirol's latest offering is a well-specified multi-port USB MIDI interface which claims to offer excellent timing.
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