I really wish there was an international standard for the orientation of USB and MIDI sockets on the back of synths

The Lounge General Discussion
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Bugs the hell out of me.
Just sayin.

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5 pin din midi are supposed to have the keying notch at the top, but due to the way some manufacturers design the PCB sometimes they are upside down, yes it is annoying.

Also annoying that some manufacturers still are not using the 3.5mm standard midi pinout.

USB type A is a problem, USB C is at least not able to be wrong.

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Depending on on exactly what your problem is (purchasing cables with the right orientation, versus plugging them in) this might help or hinder.

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Easy solution

  1. Don’t use usb or midi
  2. Go ‘in the box’
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What does “in the box” mean ?

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Casket.

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I’m working towards buying a DN, but I was surprised to see that it uses USB-B. What is this, a printer? I know everyone was annoyed at how Apple suddenly cut over to USB-C but now we’re at this weird 50/50 place which I can’t stand. C is superior in every technical way, and no device with B ever holds onto the cable well.

This is extremely first-world problems lol

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Ever wondered why there are no USB-C hubs, that is, with more than one USB-C in and one USB-C out?

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I disagree.
In my opinion USB C is not mechanically as sound USB B, especially if you have a cable dangling from the back of your synth. Provided the manufacturer has used a proper bulkhead connector and not a PCB-mounted one.

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Do you mean in terms of tightness of physical fit? If so, I have never come across a B port which holds its cable tighter than a C port but I am willing to admit that maybe my sample size isn’t high enough.

And the higher wattage/reversible quality make it seemingly a no-brainer.

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It is a rule of the universe that it will always take you at least 3 attempts to plug in a USB cable

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I would just appreciate if the manufacturers would print the ins and outs on the faceplate so you don’t have to search for them… some do it, most don’t :smiley:

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I thought so, too, but couldn’t find it in the midi specification. You sure it’s in there?

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My two early production Pi4s beg to differ. Sure, orientation doesn’t matter for C. But more permanent mistakes can be made.

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You say that…

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My Pioneer DDJ-SX3 holds onto USB-B as if it thinks you’ll never give it back.

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I disagree.

USB 3.x and 4 have more bandwidth and more features. USB-C is (AFAIK) just the socket+plug spec. Feel free to correct me.

The socket spec is rubbish, because the cable+protocol selection is variable from device to device. It’s impossible to know which cables and devices connect to one another just by looking at either. The icons that hint at features are codified, but they’re confusing, harder to learn than washing instructions, and usually not printed on the devices or cables. Some cables don’t support some of the features; some plugs (or devices) don’t support all the features equally in both plug orientations.

USB-C is a manufacturing machine cost-cutting exercise and fairly user hostile.

IMO.

Personally, I think the fact that Apple have backtracked a little on USB-C, and that Framework laptops have their bespoke dongle thingies are signs that that USB-C is a UX failure. I wanted to like it… but then I got a USB-C only laptop and peripherals have been much more frustrating than their older cousins.

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As long as it’s not micro/mini usb it’s all good.

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Synths connected with USB-A/B cables sound warmer and more analog to me though.

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We have a winner!.. posted yeterday in the Digitakt Feature Request thread…

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