[LAU] Multi-port MIDI interface for PC ?

As recent PCs have no joystick port, my DA-15 adapters are not
much good any more. Guess it's purchase time again. While I'm at
it, I'd like more ports.

I gather that these days, instead of standalone MIDI matrixes, you
have multi-port boxes that have built-in MIDI matrix functionality
and a USB port so they can double as a MIDI interface for a PC. Is
that right ?

The Edirol UM-880 looked good and was supported by ALSA, but it's
not made any more and used ones don't seem to be so common. What's
still in the stores is :

- MOTU MIDI Timepiece (around 600 EUR)
- MOTU Express XT (around 400 EUR)
- MOTU MIDI Express 128 (around 200 EUR)

For the price, I'm guessing the Express 128 does just I/O, not
matrix functions. What else is there to know ?

I've heard complaints about the latency of the MOTU interfaces.
How is it under Linux ?

Is the MIDI Timepiece worth the extra money over the Express XT if
all you're doing is talking to synths and maybe a Syncman
MTC<->SMPTE ?

Are there any other 8-I/O port interfaces still being made ? Or
good ones that are out of production but available on the used
market ?

Thanks for helping me catch up with the last fifteen years.

-- 
André Majorel <URL:http://www.teaser.fr/~amajorel/>
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