NAMM 2022: Conductive Labs MRCC µ88 MIDI Router & MRCC XpandR 4x1

NAMM 2022: Conductive Labs intros the MRCC µ88 advanced MIDI Router and XpandR 4×1 expander for their powerful MRCC MIDI hub.

MIDI goes with electronic music like tomato sauce with Spaghetti Bolognese. And if you work with a lot of MIDI gear, you also need an interface that has more than just a single port. Better to have more ports, and some handy MIDI functionalities like filtering, merging, etc.

The still young developers of Conductive Labs have shown that MIDI is a big topic for their brand. In addition to the inspirational NDLR polyphonic MIDI arpeggiator, the company recently introduced the MRCC. A MIDI control hub with lots of connectivity and features. For NAMM 2022, the developers are expanding their MRCC product range with two new additions.

NAMM 2022: Conductive Labs MRCC µ88 MIDI Router

The MRCC µ88 is an advanced MIDI router for musicians who already have a MIDI thru box or a simple 1×1 MIDI interface. It’s the compact version of the MRCC. It is basically a hub that works as a USB MIDI interface that gives you additional MIDI power for your Mac, PC, and tablet. It is compatible with hardware gear but also software like software synths or DAWs.

The developers have put a lot of focus on ease of use and DAWless operation:

“With the dedicated per port routing buttons, simply select an input, then pick which outputs to route to. It’s super quick! MIDI merging is automatic. Status and activity are displayed on per-port LEDs. More advanced features such as Filtering, Channel Split, Panic and MIDI monitoring are configured with dedicated buttons. When your performance setup is complete, save it for recall later. All without a PC/Mac/tablet for configuration.

Conductive Labs have packed tons of connectivity in this compact device with an anodized aluminum enclosure:

4x 5-Pin DIN, and 1×1 3.5mm TRS optically isolated Inputs.
4x 5-Pin DIN, and 1x 3.5mm TRS (thru) Outputs. Traditional 5V MIDI spec for maximum compatibility
with vintage gear.
1x USB 2.0 Type B device port for computer connection with 4x USB MIDI virtual Inputs and Outputs. 1 First input pair, choose one of the 2 jacks; 5-pin DIN or 3.5mm MIDI type

Clever Additions

The MRCC µ88 also comes with clever features like automatic MIDI merging, option to filter MIDI clock, and/or stop/start/continue messages or a channel split function. For the latter, you need to select an input and then the interface splits the 16 MIDI channels sequentially to the 4 DIN outputs. There is also a panic button that sends MIDI all notes off to routed ports.

NAMM 2022 Conductive Labs MRCC XpandR 4×1

The MRCC XpandR 4×1 is a new USB MIDI DIN Expander for their flagship MIDI product MRCC (MIDI Router Control Center). It expands the MRCC’s 6 routable DIN and TRS inputs by 4 additional DIN inputs (and a shared 3.5mm TRS), and 1x DIN Output (plus 3.5mm TRS thru).

It can be attached to one of the MRCC’s USB host ports and it supports up to four XpandRs. So you can massively expand the MRCC with more inputs and outputs. All this is done very quickly.

The XpandR can also be used as a 4x Input, 1x Output USB MIDI class-compliant MIDI interface for your PC, Mac, tablet. Alternatively, you can switch the XpandR in a standalone 4 into 1 USB-powered MIDI merger. Here the USB connector is used to power the unit. A two-color indicator shows Power, Merge mode, MIDI Input, and MIDI Output activity. The full specifications are:

4x 5-Pin DIN, and 1×1 3.5mm TRS optically isolated Inputs.
1x 5-Pin DIN, and 1x 3.5mm TRS (thru) Output. Traditional 5V MIDI spec for maximum compatibility with
vintage gear.
1x USB 2.0 Type B device port for MRCC or computer connection with 4x USB MIDI virtual inputs and 1x output.
1 First input pair, choose one of the 2 jacks; 5-pin DIN or 3.5mm MIDI type A Requirements
Powered by USB (2.0): 5V DC, 40mA
A 6 ft USB Type A to Type B cable included, powered by MRCC USB host. Or use a quality USB charger, or power from your computer or a USB battery.
USB MIDI class compliant so it works with most operating systems that support USB MIDI class compliant devices, including Windows 10/11, Apple OS’s, Linux and Pi OS and others.
Firmware updates via USB mass storage mode. Press the FW button then drag and drop the update.