Option 2 says use a different sort of Arduino. The one I suggested can use the USBMIDI libiary that can connect direct to your PC or lap top and be recognised as a HID MIDI device. This leaves pins 0 & 1 free to use in your parallel interface.
Option 2 says use a different sort of Arduino. The one I suggested can use the USBMIDI libiary that can connect direct to your PC or lap top and be recognised as a HID MIDI device. This leaves pins 0 & 1 free to use in your parallel interface.