"Roland A880 MIDI Patch BayThis is NOT a MIDI interface to and from a computer.
This unit is designed for those who have many MIDI controlled electronic instruments,
and want to be able to switch among which one is the master controller.
The A880 also helps to avoid the time delay,
characteristic of “daisy chaining” multiple MIDI units together.
Typically, the A880 goes in-between the computer’s MIDI interface, and the MIDI instruments.
Width: 17” @ case, 19” @ face plate (standard rack width)
Height: 1.25” (1 rack space)
Depth: 11.25 “
A-880 - This is an 8 X 8 midi patch bay w/ midi merging. The front panel is equipped with two pairs of midi inputs and outputs in addition to rear mounted midi jacks. Up to 64 routing configurations can be stored, and the panel has separate LED indicators showing current midi connection status or midi message status.
The A880 is a 8x8 version of the A220. Certain MIDI channels are often set for specific instrument Parts, such as MIDI Ch. 2 for a bass Part and Ch. 10 for a drum Part. Because of this standardization of MIDI channels, users must frequently change MIDI configurations for their sound sources. For example, when a user wants to switch sounds between sound sources during a song, or layer sounds from different sources, the user needs to change the Rx channels of the sound sources, or mute the specific Part, or change the Tx channels of the sequencing data. The A-220 (A-880) facilitates the handling of data for multiple sound sources so users don't have to change the various settings of Parts on sound sources."
