RolandUM-ONE-MK2 One in Two Out Midi Cable

After some research I bought this Midi Interface Cable because it was the cable of choice for my needs. I am using it to interface my Korg Volca FM2 with my Macbook Pro and Arturia Keystep 32 Keyboard. This allows me to connect the Volca FM2 to my MacBook Pro in order to us the DEXED and SYNTHMATA Applications (and some others) to edit the Volca FM2 sounds and also to Upload Sysex Files into the Volca FM2. At the same time I can use my Keystep 32 to play the Volca FM2.Part of this review is to help others as the included instructions were useless.It's important to first download the Drivers for the MacBook Pro (or what ever computer you are using, such as Windows), install them and then Restart youy computer. Once you do this the Roland UM-ONE-MK2 should be recognized by your computer. Also there is a little switch on the side that needs to be in the COMP position. It's TAB (Tablet) to the left and COMP (Computer) to the right as you face the unit. Make sure you set this before you connect it to your Computer (or Tablet). The switch is recessed and a bit tricky to see and move, I needed a thin paperclip to set it and was not sure at first if the switch even moved so I tried it a few times just to be sure and it did. Roland could have designed this a little better.One of the important points about the Roland UM-ONE-MK2 is it handles Sysex File Transfer perfectly. Many of the off brand Midi Interface cables do not, they either drop parts of the file, corrupt it or won't transmit them at all.Pros:It works for my needs and has been 100% reliableCables lengths are long enough for most applications.LED lights let you know it's functioningCons:A bit Pricey but hey if it works it's worth itMode Switch could be easier to see and useIncluded Instructions are uselessNot really a big deal but I would have preferred they used the newer USB C Connector instead of the older USB A, so I am using an adaptor.

The product works just fine. I am using it hooked to a midi keyboard, USB to a laptop, using with East West Symphonic Orchestra software to do music for an independent film. Roland makes good products. Plug and play. Drivers are automatically installed. Connection doesn't get any easier than that.designed to work with computer, or iPad according to manual. I'm not sure if that works or not, I don't have an iPad 🤷 it's worth the money to me. I had to have something that worked, I trust Roland products.

This connector cable still works like a champ. To me it has been an A+ item.

The Roland UM-1 is a great little USB-MIDI interface for connecting your older MIDI gear to modern devices. It’s easy to use, compact, and works smoothly with most apps. While you might run into occasional hiccups, it’s dependable and gets the job done without breaking the bank.

UPDATE: The 64 bit MacOS 10.15 Catalina driver is now available on the Roland support website.Summary: The cable works as needed, but as others have said, all paper instructions in the box are in Japanese, plus the included CD didn't include the latest drivers (latest for Win10, I didn't check for MacOS). So I gave it 4 stars. Otherwise, if you want hassle free MIDI to USB, this is the one to get. In the case of a MIDI cable, you get what you pay for.The Details:The CD does include multi-language instructions in PDF. As for drivers, we should all be in the habit of downloading the latest drivers from the manufacturer website anyway. Roland should have included a single page multi-language instruction sheet to point people to their website for the latest instructions and drivers. Then I would have given them 5 stars.If you go to the website to get the Win10 drivers, it will just tell you to plug the cable in because Windows will download the correct driver for you. For MacOS, I didn't load the CD to see what drivers it has, but again just go to the website. They seem to have different drivers (and/or different instructions) for every Mac OS release from 10.4 through 10.14. Given that track record (and because it is Roland), I assume they will continue to support future versions of MacOS.Some people said it isn't supported on Mac OS or had troubles. It is supported and worked great for me (OS 10.13), just as well as it did for Windows 10. But for MacOS, there is potential installation confusion due to driver signing, and also, setting up MIDI might reqiure going to the Audio MIDI Setup app under Applications/Utilities (true of all MIDI devices in MacOS). But it is important to read the instructions both for driver installation procedure and how to plug the cable in and use it. They say that such things as pulling the cable while your DAW or music program is running or trying to use it, will mess things up and require a reboot. Bad, yes, but this is probably more a MIDI standard issue, not a Roland issue.Another issue people have mentioned is the IN/OUT cables are backwards. To be clear, MIDI standard is IN goes to OUT, OUT goes to IN. (EDIT) The cable is marked correctly but it says "Connect to IN" and "Connect to OUT". I missed this originally and thought it was mislabeled. The text is hard to see in less than ideal lighting and the IN and OUT stand out, but not the "connect to" text. Hence the confusion. If your cable isn't working, then 1) check the IN/OUT LEDs and make sure data is transferring. If not, maybe the IN/OUT are backwards. If the LEDs are doing something, it might be a software issue. Go back and follow the instructions carefully. This was the only issue I had getting the cable to work.Lastly, why spend nearly 3x to 4x the cost for this cable vs. the cheap ones? Because it works, including such important features as SYSEX (higher data transfer rates for moving large amounts of data to/from your equipment). If all you care about is making your keyboard play notes on your computer's software, maybe that doesn't matter.I did not get a chance to try it out on an iPad, but from all I've seen, this works fine. Just switch the switch from COMP (used with a normal computer) to TAB to make it work with the Apple Camera Connection cable and your iPad software. I don't know if it works with Android, though.