Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

> I feel your pain. I've agonized over a similar situation. I'll let
> someone with more computer savvy answer about the wired and wireless
> options, but I seem to recall that MIDI connections are okay up to
> about 50 ft., which would leave you well within range, if not exactly
> within striking distance.

I think your best bet, if it's correct according to the MIDI specifications 
(having a cable up to 50 ft away), your best bet is to go with MIDI directly, 
so that you don't have to deal with delay that's inherent in networks.  You 
have to deal with cable or media signal propagation (amount of time it takes 
a signal to travel the length of a network cable or through the air), network 
equipment delay (the time it takes for the signal to travel from one incoming  
interface to the outgoing interface in the hub), and the signal generation 
delay (amount of time it takes for a computer to take a sound or track 
information, break it down through the network stack, package it into data 
that can travel an ethernet or wireless network, and then put the signal on 
the wire).  This is not to say that ALL delay will be eliminated with direct 
MIDI connection.  But whatever the MIDI specs say for maximum cable length, 
DO NOT go over that length, as it's there for a reason.  Whatever it is, it 
was designed so that at the maximum specified length, the signal is still 
strong enough and clean enough that there's no question as to the 
interrpretation of the signal coming off the wire at the other end. 

These issues are very real when considering a WAN (wide area network that 
covers more than a city-wide area), because there's delay in many network 
components and the cabling along the path, and the fact that WAN's are 
usually done over slow serial lines, make for a decision-making headache for 
network administrators.  But your situation is very easy to resolve compared 
to these enterprise-level efforts. ;-)

Stephanie, former CCNA-prepped network administrator