Just got a MD recently and I was wondering if this is possible or if I should just get a dedicated interface. Excited to try that new OS…
If possible how would I go about this? I’m pretty good with MIDI but I’ve never done upgrades or sysex or sending files through MIDI so I’m scared to mess something up… I’m on a windows computer.
It doesn’t work over USB as a MIDI Interface
oh weird I didn’t realize that… any suggestions for a super cheap interface? this is all i would really be using it for. i have a synth that has a USB-midi interface built in (Deepmind 12), is it worth trying it that way? are there any risks of doing it wrong? don’t want to brick anything
I doubt that the Behringer would be any different - usb midi compliance does not an interface make
I’d be hesitant to recommend a cheap interface as sysex is usually what trips up those cheap ones - anything branded or maybe part of a sound card would be my starting point if you can’t borrow one
if e.g. you were on Mac then a cheap one could be sent info at a slow data rate to minimise choking with sysex librarian - you can create pauses between bytes
i dont have any friends, let alone friends that would have or lend me an interface 
however now i’m realizing i don’t understand the difference between USB-midi and a MIDI interface… my understanding was that a midi interface transmits midi data to and from a computer, like the Rytm or Deepmind does… where am i going wrong here?
honestly i have been looking at getting a proper audio interface anyway, up till now i’ve used the built in audio interface on my mackie mixer which is pretty crappy and inflexible when it comes to routing. so i guess i may as well get a good all in one interface, if you have any suggestions for that? Sorry if i’m going off topic a bit here- after getting my rytm and getting Overbridge all set up in ableton, i’ve just been using my RYTM as a soundcard when i’m producing, is it recommended/possible to use this same setup except with a different audio/midi interface?
USB MIDI and DIN Midi are not connected in the RYTM (or other Elektrons) - so you can’t pipe info from USB (computer) to DIN(out on AR), not as an interface is designed to
somebody hacked something up with a DT and maybe PD, I can’t recall, but essentially it’s not a MIDI interface, it’s only capable of sending USB midi to itself, not onwards via DIN
If you look for an audio interface then you’d need to look into all the variables there, pretty much anything you’d find available will serve your basic needs, it’s a question of deciding how many ins and outs simultaneously and so on, whether the microphone preamps are an issue or not for your use cases and things like the monitoring and routing options, unbalanced/balanced etc - they’re all kinda in a similar ballpark with plusses and minuses
I am tickled by maybe getting the Tascam 2x2HR for a small scale way to get nice audio in out of a Mac and midi in a tidy package with good preamps compared to rival products - there’s a cheaper Behringer offering (204HD iirc) but I don’t know about their driver support for windows etc - then you go up to things like the MOTU M2 M4 which are going to be working well for a long time - there’s so many factors to think about but if it’s for occasional use and convenience perhaps you can cut down on feature requirements, but then you may have committed that one feature you later learn would have been handy - reading product reviews, especially on Sound On Sound will give you an insight into the benefits of some things that may appear inconsequential - if it were me I’d do research on the budget end and see if you can get by with any perceived issues discussed online, this is very well specified and covers lots of bases and comes at a good price
At the upper mid range you have these, more than twice the price for less features
https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/motu-m4-m2
If you want to keep things simple and just add MIDI then a thing like this is a simple option, just don’t go too cheap with one of these types … the $5 ebay unbranded ones would not be worth it imho a people frequently report these choking or dropping info
I have a bunch of Roland UMone, and it work 100% fine. Been doing sysex transfers with it forever from from an ios device. Its really the only one that supports sysex.
Now if you are talking one these 5$ ones…yes these are proved to be garbage, do not do sysex, and don’t even implement the correct midi hardware spec:
Oh I see what you’re saying…appreciate your in depth reply!
In that case- it looks like my synth does in fact have a midi interface; meaning it can pass thru info coming in via USB out through the DIN MIDI out port, and it can pass thru info coming into DIN MIDI In, out through the USB. At least the manual says so and I do vaguely remember using it this way once however not for sysex. Would it be safe to try it this way or is there a chance of bricking the MD? That way I can keep putting off my audio interface purchase 
Actually the MOTU M2 is the one I’ve been looking at for a bit now but the SSL2 is only a bit more so I’ve been leaning that way- unfortunately it doesn’t have MIDI and the 2+ is out of my budget at the moment… will either of those play well with Overbridge? All audio going into my computer over AR’s USB (overbridge) and audio coming back out through one of those interfaces?
@micabeza well I guess I may as well go this route. $40 isn’t too bad at all… not “cheap” but for a trustworthy brand name it’s not expensive either… I may as well go ahead and order it seems like something that will come in handy every so often.
fwiw I used one of these for a decade or so to transfer OS’s to the MD (and MnM):
https://m-audio.com/products/view/uno
should cost about $50. a USB to midi interface is a worthwhile utility to have in your studio. I believe there were times when no other midi interface I had would work to transfer OS’s to some devices (Jomox and Strymon are two I can recall). even if I was trying more expensive/featured options like the Elektron TM-1, Motu MicroLite or various sound cards. the Uno almost always worked for me.
Your sound card may also have MIDI. If so you can use that for free.
Absolutely safe to try. Either the MD will start receiving the sysex or it wont.
If it says “waiting” then its not getting anything.
It worked y’all!!! Using the Deepmind as a midi interface I was able to upgrade my MD to the new unofficial OS. IT’S AMAZING. Thanks to all 