Students often ask our teachers at Do Re Mi Studios for recommendations on inexpensive interfaces. There are many brands in the entry-level market and the right interface really come down to what you want to do. The Roland UM-One USB Midi interface is a one-in/one-out USB bus powered interface that could be just what you need. Its high performance FTP processing makes it a low latency interface. It is compatible with Mac and PC, reliable and easy to use. In this article we will look at its features and I will describe how I have used it.
The Parts of the Roland UM-One USB Midi Interface
From the photo above, you can see that this interface is very compact. It features on one side a USB which you connect to a computer [1]. The USB indicator lights up when the interface connects to a computer and the computer recognises the USB [2]. It also features a MIDI IN indicator [3] which lights when MIDI messages are received from the device connected to the MIDI IN cable. The MIDI OUT indicator [4] lights when Midi messages are sent from the computer. The MIDI IN cable [5] connects to the MIDI OUT of the MIDI device that will be used for MIDI recording. The MIDI OUT cable [6] connects to the MIDI IN of a device like a keyboard.
The interface also features a switch on the side which gives you 2 options. Use the COMP option if you are connecting the interface from your hardware (e.g. a keyboard) directly to a computer. Please note that you will need to install the driver in your computer for this to be possible. The other switch option (called TAB) is for connecting the interface to an iPad. For this option you do not need to install drivers.
Using the Roland UM-One USB Midi interface
I have only so far used the interface attaching it to my Roland keyboard and my laptop and using Logic 9 as the DAW. Installation of the software was easy. However the instructions on the manual were rather confusing. Having said that, I have always found Roland manual instructions rather poor. Once you have installed the software it is simply a matter of attaching the equipment.
There are a couple of important points to be aware of: 1) Before using the UM-ONE with your software, connect the UM-ONE to the computer; 2) do not disconnect the UM-ONE from the computer while the software is running.
Summary
The Roland UM-One Midi Interface is highly recommended by us at Do Re Mi Studios. It is compact, user-friendly, and the results produced are of a very high quality.
In Australia, this interface retails around $75 which makes it a very affordable interface. It gets a 5 star rating from us at Do Re Mi Studios.
How about you? Have you tried the Roland UM-One Midi Interface? If so, how have you found it? Please leave us a comment about your experience with it. For more gear reviews by us, click here
