EMUSIC-L Digest Volume 4, Number 1 Today's Topics: Getting Started Commodore C64 MIDI software (2 messages) Questions on MIDI protocol (3 messages) Sending files to Janet HMSL (2 messages) Request for Mac setup recommendations (3 messages) Your EMUSIC-L Digest moderator is Joe McMahon . You may subscribe to EMUSIC-L by sending mail to listserv@american.edu with the line "SUB EMUSIC-L your name" as the text. The EMUSIC-L archive is a service of SunSite (sunsite.unc.edu) at the University of North Carolina. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 7 Apr 89 10:26 EST From: "Richard S. Holmes" Subject: getting started I'm new to this discussion list, and I'm not really involved in electronic music at the moment, though in my shady past I've noodled around with instruments ranging from an ARP 2600 to a PAIA Gnome to a Commodore 64. On the acoustic side I've gone from piano lessons (2nd to 4th grade) to clarinet (5th grade to college) to recorder, harmonica, pennywhistle, and, lately, two-row melodeon -- I play none of the above particularly well, I'd say, though the melodeon and pennywhistle show some signs of progress. Anyway, I'd like to get back into electronic music, strictly as a hobby and without gargantuan monetary outlays. I have a Macintosh that I'd be more than happy to collaborate with on musical ventures. I'm not altogether sure what sort of music I'd end up making... what I listen to ranges from acoustic folk-based music to classical symphonic music to John Adams to Kate Bush to Dire Straits to Tangerine Dream to the Beatles to Blomdahl, Subotnick, Carlos ... well, almost everything except Top 40, metal, rap, Muzak, and Hawaiian Nose Music. So: what recommendations do you have regarding equipment and procedures? Sources of information (other than this list)? Sources of equipment? Any other miscellaneous prejudices? Probably best if you reply directly to me (I'm on -D, not -L) and I'll summarize for the list. Rich Holmes ------------------------------===== Richard S. Holmes Phone: (315)443-3891 or Physics Department -2701 Syracuse University BITNET: Rich@SUHEP Syracuse, NY 13244 ------------------------------===== ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 7 Apr 89 10:34:00 MDT From: Pete Klammer 303/556-3915 Subject: Commodore C64 MIDI software Anybody heard of C64 software by Sonus, name I think "Master Tracks"? A nearby dealer has one copy in his "make me an offer" rack, and he doesn't want to deal for $50 or $75 so far. /** --poko " I'm half Estonian, which makes up for the other half. " Pete Klammer/Systems Programmer/(303)556-3915 PKLAMMER@PIKES.COLORADO.EDU CU-Denver Computing Services / Campus Box 169 BITNET: PKLAMMER@CUDENVER 1200 Larimer St NC2506 / Denver CO 80204-5300 UU:!boulder!pikes!pklammer **/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 07 Apr 89 13:54:05 EDT From: Eric Harnden Subject: Re: Commodore C64 MIDI software don't pay more than $50 for it. Eric Harnden (Ronin) The American University Physics Dept. (202) 885-2758 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Apr 89 07:45:05 EDT From: "And now for something completely different..." Subject: Midi Protocol Hi everyone, I am in the process of designng a piece of Midi software for the Atari ST, and I am at about the stage where I need to start experimenting with getting the computer to talk to the keyboard. I could lay out for an expensive book on the subject, but maybe *YOU* can help. What I need is a description of the protocol that Midi uses. I understand that there are hex codes for note on, off etc, but I would like a full list. Is there a file containing a description that some kind soul could email me? thanks y'all - have a nice day... Barry Rowlingson Janet: bsr@uk.ac.lancs.ph.v1 Othernets: not.too.sure.how.ya.reply.to.me -sorry 'bout that! ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Apr 89 08:19:23 EDT From: LEE@UHCCUX Subject: Re: Midi Protocol + ... What I need is a description of the protocol that Midi uses. What you need is in the ucsd.edu ftp archive in the directory midi/doc, or I could email the stuff to you, if I knew how. If someone on bitnet or internet can send to Janet, perhaps he could forward some files? There's not that much. ... +Janet: bsr@uk.ac.lancs.ph.v1 +Othernets: not.too.sure.how.ya.reply.to.me -sorry 'bout that! Greg, lee@uhccux (Bitnet) lee@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu (Internet) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Apr 89 16:15:46 SET From: Mike McKay Subject: Re: Midi Protocol I am also interested in a complete list of MIDI codes. If you send them to me I will pass them on to JANET. Thanks in advance, Mike McKay (ESC1156@ESOC) *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ** ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Apr 89 09:19:00 EST From: Chris Iverson Subject: Re: Files to Janet Greg, I think I can get through to Janet. I just sent a test message, and though I have not received a reply, the message did not get kicked back at me. If you would like to send me the MIDI files, I will send them on through. Chris Iverson BITNET%"CHRIS@FANDM" ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 7 Apr 89 13:38:03 SET From: Mike McKay Subject: Re: HMSL A silly question, I know, but what is HMSL ? Can someone throw a little light for the totally ignorant ? Thanks in advance, Mike McKay ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 5 Apr 89 22:40 EST From: GUEST4@YUSol Subject: HMSL HMSL is available from Frog Peak Music, Box 9911, Oakland, CA 94613. It is available either in an Amiga version, which is bundled with a commercial Amiga Forth package that supports objects to some extent, or in a Macintosh version, bundled with Mach2 Forth. The price is reasonable, there is good user support (and a struggle to keep some hold on the language itself for fear of too many idiosyncratic "improvements"), and the developers Phil Burk, Larry Polansky, David Rosenboom, are continuing to refine and improve the interface and tools HMSL provides for composition. How come this is newes to so many of your readers, I wonder? I have an email address for Phil Burk, if you would like it. Sterling Beckwith York University North York, Ontario, Canada *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ** ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 7 Apr 89 05:22:00 EST From: C78KCK@IRISHMVS Subject: Best setup for midi New monitor here, hello! Can someone tell me what sort of Macintosh enviroment is best for midi interface? Can you get by on 512k or do you need the speed and size of a Mac II? thanks r.allen Jervis ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 7 Apr 89 09:52:00 EST From: Chris Iverson Subject: Mac Midi setup What is the 'best' midi setup depends on what you want to do. If you are only interested in using your mac as a sequencer and librarian, you can probably squeak by with a 512K, but you will have a hard time finding decent software that will run on it. Most of the commercial software coming out now for the Mac requires a minimum of a megabyte of RAM, whether it be music software or otherwise, so you probably ought to figure on no less than a Mac Plus (which I just heard yesterday is going to go down in price by 5-10% soon). If you want to do some real heavy-duty manipulations with applications like Turbo-Synth, I would suggest an SE without the overhead of the monitor power and speed of the Mac II line, without the overhead of the monitor requirements (external monitor and video card), but lacks the Nu-Bus slots. If you want to go whole-hog and get a Mac IIx or IIcx, and have lots of money you don't need anymore, then you can buy the Digi-Design package which gives digital signal processing capabilities, as well as allowing you to record direct to hard Truly a dream machine, just perfect for hooking each minute of music). Truly a dream machine, just perfect for hooking up to your Fairlight. sync (SMPTE or MTC) box so you can use your sequencer with a tape recorder. You should get a Midi interface for your Mac with multiple outs, so you can control more than one synth at a time and don't have to keep swapping cables around. There's lots more, maybe someone else on the net will chime in to fill in the blanks I've left... Chris Iverson F&M Tech Support ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 7 Apr 89 10:08:00 EST From: Chris Iverson Subject: My last garbled transmission... Sorry about that confusing mess I just sent. This VMS editor does strange things to a file. Two clarifications I need to make...1) I was referring to the SE/30, not the SE. The SE is basically a Plus with a different suit on. It's main advantage to the Plus is that it is upgradable, and for that you pay around a thousand bucks more. 2) The Digi-design direct to hard disk recording scheme eats 10 megabytes of hard disk for each minute of recording time. I hope that makes things a little more understandable, and I promise not to use VMS edit when composing mail messages ever again... Sincerely, Chris Iverson ---------------------- End of EMUSIC-L Digest **********************