Suggestions about midi mergers and splitters?

Hi,

I'm having problems with routing my gear, so I started to think of buying splitter and merger.
Since MPC1000 is my sequencer, and it has only two midi i/o, I have major problems connecting all my current and future gear.

I'd like to connect the gear something like this:
Edirol PCR-500 + Roland PK-6 + Sonuus B2M -> Midi In 1
Roland FC-300 + Behringer FCB-1010 -> Midi In 2
Midi Out 1 -> Roland JV-2080 + Arduinoboy/GBC + synth2
Midi Out 2 -> FX-rack + Machinedrum (both receiving current tempo of MPC, rack should receive midi CC's also)

FC & FCB combo should control FX-rack, and MPC when using looping recorder/audio tracks.
FC selecting right bank, FCB toggling fx on/off (rack) + rec/start, dub/start, stop (MPC)

Problem especially with PCR + PK-6 combo is that they are on a different sides of room.
I they weren't, I'd just buy long enough midi-cables and use midi thrus.
I guess I could live without PK-6 going to MPC, but then again it seems most logical to route all devices sending notes to one place, even if I'm playing PK mainly in band projects.

MPC is running OS1 atm, i'm getting OS2XL asap.

Any comments and advices on mergers and splitters are welcome.
My mind is fvcked everytime I try to think of routing those damn things.

Take a look at MIDI Solutions' products (http://www.midisolutions.com/products.htm). They make a variety of splitters (thru boxes) and mergers.

Or, if you're willing to do a little DIY, you could easily make your own splitter.
Mergers are more complicated, you really need a microcontroller for that, but splitters are really simple, just a few resistors, a diode, and one chip per output.




That optoisolator connected to the MIDI in jack is to keep the proper isolation.
For a splitter, you'd just need to follow that diagram, omitting the MIDI OUT section.

And for each output, you'd just need an additional one of that "Optional" THRU section of the circuit. Which would still be pretty easy, there are chips that have 6 or 8 inverters built in. (the triangles with circles on the point)

I use the Midi Solutions Thru and Quadra Merge boxes run to/from my MPC2500 to give me 4 additional Midi Ins and Outs, and they work great.

Ok, I've been cheking these out.
Seems like Midi Solutions has everything i need.
Gots to buy merger and thru boxes, and think how to connect everything.
Thanks to everybody.

Some of the older standalone midi patchbays are handy and cheap on eBay. I had an Akai ME30P II that I should really have kept, but there are similar boxes from Roland and others. No USB computer connections, these are straight midi mergers, splitters, patchbays.