MOTU Timepiece – Great Value
Here’s one I stumbled on: the MOTU Timepiece II. The current model is the Timepiece AV, which comes with a USB interface. The Timepiece and Timepiece II have an old style Mac OS9 serial interface, one that Apple dropped in 1999. Sounds like a boat anchor? That’s what most people think, and that’s why it’s such a great value. I picked one up on eBay for $25.
The Timepiece is a very well-made 8-channel MIDI interface, and it’s almost completely programmable from the front panel. No computer needed, so the interface doesn’t really matter. The Timepiece isn’t just an interface, it’s a MIDI patchbay. This means you can route any input by cable or by channel to any output. One setup I use merges inputs 2, 3 and 4 to output 1, so I can use my windsynth plus footpedals to control a rack module. Another setup splits the wind synth output to two channels so I can control Logic Sculpture and a rack synth simultaneously.
The usual issue with the Timepiece is that the original owner has lost the manual. Not a problem! Download the Timepiece AV manual from the MOTU web site. I have been assured by MOTU tech support that the MIDI section applies to the Timepiece and Timepiece II as well as the AV model. Everything I’ve tried from the manual has worked.
The only caveat I have is that the interface is kind of wacky. There are four front panel knobs that control different levels of parameter windows. Once you get used to this, you have a very inexpensive and capable MIDI tool for your studio.