ESI M8U eX Reviews

very good 16 port MIDI interface

A bit confusing at first, but after configuring it with latest drivers it works perfect. I like the auto-sensing for MIDI IN/OUT as well. I use it in connected mode with USB 3.0. The powered 3 port USB hub is a bery nice addition too to connect another mini midi keyboard or drumpad controller for example.

Rackmount kit is a bit weird due to the size but I am using a rack shelve plate to put the device on instead.

It also looks beautiful and I'm very happy with it.

Top Produkt mit einem kleinen Fehler.

Das Gerät macht alles was es verspricht einwandfrei. Sehr gutes Gehäuse. Buchsen der Midiports fühlen sich sehr wertig an, da wackelt nichts rum. Ein kleiner Abzug dafür das man das Teil nicht gut in ein normales 19" Rack einbauen kann und sich dafür erstmal was einfallen lassen muss, da die Klebehalterungen nichts taugen. Sonst absolut top.

a huge disappointment

The quality of this midi interface is very questionable, mine doesn't send "note off" commands properly so notes stick and something it just sends random notes on its own, the problem wasn't very frequent out of the box but lately it's been getting worse to the point where it's unusable, I had a M4U ex that out of the box wouldn't send clock commands, I think the quality assurance of these units is very poor, I'd stay away from them although the price is tempting.

Solid MIDI Interface

I'm using it for a few hardware synths that are connected to PC / DAW (through the USB). It's a solid product, and it handles MIDI tasks very well. After a few weeks of use, I had only a few issues when it didn't recognise MIDI IN correctly, and it was overloading Behringer Odyssey: when it was off, all sequencer lights were lightened up. The solution was to turn it on and off and on again. I did some tweaks in the Cubase MIDI setup (my main DAW), and it looks like it's recognizing it correctly so far. So maybe it was a user error.

I'm using additional USB ports for Cubase Dongle (no problems here). iLok was complaining about license issues, so I had to put it dongle back to a USB port on a PC.

Rackmount is not perfect, but it's ok so far.

I can highly recommend it for anyone who needs several MIDI In/Outs

Great thing for a very good price

I own few synths and drum machines, most of them communicate via good old midi DIN (some have humming ground loops while used via midi USB, and some don't have USB at all). The unit is easy to plug and play with Ableton, and USB hub is very handy as well.

Not a whole 5 star because of the not very useful rack ears improvisation that comes with the unit. It's an external pair of ears, fits well on the sides of the unit but meant to be hold in place using double side stickers (supplied in the box). Will simply not hold... I've used some duct tape to attach to unit, and it's in the non visible side of rack so I'll live with that.

Great MIDI interface

A very sturdy MIDI interface. It does its job well! - The only downside is the rack-plate-mountings, which has to be put on via a sticky side, not screws.

Very easy to use

I have a small home studio with a MIDI mix of DIN and USB devices. The M8U makes it very easy to connect my gear and change MIDI connections very fast when needed. It helps me very much in my workflow.

Only one issue: the rack ears are attached to the device with stickers instead of screws and as they are not very precisely made, it slowly slips down if is not in an horizontal position. In my case I had to wrap some tape around the ears and the device to make them stick together. But as it's not visible in the rack I don't consider it a major issue and I'm still very happy with it.

Good MIDI router

The unit is well built and is rackable (includes rack ears).

There is no need to configure anything, at least in Mac, and everything MIDI-related works well. You can select the number of INs and OUTs.

Perfect

I recently upgraded to M1 mac. Mailed the company to know whether this interface worked on Big Sur. They answered in no time and guess what, it does and without any drivers. It's a plug and play monster with a fully functional USB 3 hub added. Perfect sync, perfect timing, automatic in-out detection. It delivers all the promised features without compromise.

Two thumbs up.

Best MIDI Interface out there

This is such a solid, useful device. The fact that all 16 ports can be INs or OUTs means that there is no wasted ports and the built in USB hub functionality means that it can cater for USB MIDI devices too.

Faultless in every regard.

Awesome Midi Interface

I really dig this interface, really well-built and offers so many functions!

Inputs and Outputs are configurable, which makes this unit extra useful, as well as the usb 3 inputs on the back make this a super convenient usb hub too!

I truly recommend this unit and i am really happy to own one.

Very happy

I have owned quite a few midi interfaces in my time and this is the best and most versatile one that I have used. Timing is good and the way it is configured is excellent.

There are 16 ports and each one can be configured as an input or an output. This is very handy.

It is also well built and sturdy.

I would like to be able to rackmount it but no biggie.

Would buy again. Highly recommended.