Has anybody used something like this before> http://miditool.com/Applications/patch.html

OR would even something like this do what I'm looking for? http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/MIDISPORT2x2.html

I've got a lot of machines that only have 'midi in', but I want to control them all with one single master sequencer. Is that what these are designed to do?

Midi Master > Patchbay > midi slaves

* I want to use all hardware and no software/computers

the first one looks like what u need... the m audio is based off your comps midi clock which can be your master but u have to know a few tricks to get the timing right... like start 1 bar ahead of the 1.1.00 mark in order to give it time to catch up (the machines can have a delay)

an external sync would be better but u still need to allow room for error...

look at some older midi modules as well... some were better built and kept great time...

Niq - The M Audio says it has a "standalone mode". I'm assuming this is so I don't need to use a computer with it. I am not really looking to "sync" gear, I am just looking to trigger sound modules. I could see the problem if each machine had patterns playing with their own sequencer and then trying to sync it with a master.

I just want to use one machine to trigger sounds on different samplers at the same time.

aight i see what your saying... the m audio should work fine then... one thing i found sweet about the first one was the ability to keep settings of your rig...

thatd be really nice if u like to flip things every now and then... vs having to program most of your equipment every single time...

Yah the first one is dope, but I don't really got $300 bucks for it. But I think I might try to scout out an older unit of some type.

As for midi settings I think that my machine does that for me. I have a global setting for it where midi channels 1-3 control external gear and channels 4-8 control the internal sounds. Basically I'm just trying to split the signal coming out of my Groovebox (midi master) to 2 other machines. SP404 and a Zoom Sampletrak.