USB Midi Chipset needed

[KLOSELINE]

Hi,
I was wondering if there is a reliable USB Midi chipset available now. I dont need any fancy stuff. It should just be able to hanlde a few buttons, knobs and encoder. However I want it to send Midi notes/cc and not go through a specific software to transfer Hid to Midi, thus please dont propose U-Hid chips or any other HID stuff. It should also have a USB connector and not an old Midi connector
What chip is Ean using for the Midi Fighter??

Thanks

[Fatlimey]

We are using a Atmel AT90USB162 as our base chip, mainly due to it's availability at the time of design. There are several better chips available now from Atmel with more memory and additional capabilities for a slightly higher price (say, $3 instead of $2.50). The schematic for the Midifighter is a great starting point for a lot of similar designs. If you have the ability to make PCBs and can solder it's the most flexible way to work. Bit of a learning curve to mount first.

Rather than going for the full "DIY" route, maybe you'd be more interested in a MIDI controller board that uses USB rather than a raw chip itself, something like the Hale UMC32 USB-MIDI controller:

http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/pro...oducts_id=9108

It all depends on how much control you want to have over the eventual mapping - do you want LEDs that show you the internal state of the controller without having to control them through a software map? Then you want a programmable platform like the Midifighter. If you just want your buttons and knobs to send MIDI events, the UMC32 is fine (if a little expensive IMO).

[KLOSELINE]

hi,
The UMC32 looks perfect for my needs. Just a little bit expensive, however it covers all my needs. Is there anything similar to it but cheaper?
Also if i use a ribbon cable how do i then connect the buttons etc. I would need another pcb board that connect to the ribbon from where the buttons are then connected... find it a bit strange...