EMUSIC-L Digest Volume 38, Issue 04 This issue's topics: Alesis ADAT-used it? Alternate Controllers (2 messages) Atari Modifications Experience w/voice to midi interfaces (2 messages) guitar controllers I'm bying a Roland SoundCanvas, Good choice ? (2 messages) Midi Specs (3 messages) Mirage SoundProcess Nakamichi DM-100 Need Help With MIDI Setup! ProTools Sound Blaster & MIDI 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: Thu, 5 Mar 1992 21:59:21 -0800 From: "Jim T. Rusby" Subject: Alesis ADAT-used it? I am interested in hearing from anyone with firsthand experience with the new Alesis ADAT, the digital multitrack. Although the unit is not in production yet ( I think) , some of you may have done some Beta testing. Whatever the case, I would like to know of your experiences and thoughts. Jim Rusby, audio engineer University of Oregon School of Music Eugene Oregon 97403-1225 (503)346-5659 (voice mail equipped) jrusby@darkwing.uoregon.edu ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1992 08:04:00 EST From: wbf@CBEMA.ATT.COM Subject: Alternate Controllers Hi Shawn, I have a Roland GM70 guitar to MIDI converter and GK1 pickup. Basically, each string has its own pickup in the GK1 and feeds its own pitch detection circuitry in the GM70. The algorithm Roland uses to calculate pitch is unknown to me but it involves the physics of sound. It must include the measurement of the waveform's period which explains why low notes take so much more time to convert to MIDI than high notes. It probably times the period over a few cycles to get an average and/or verify that the tone is really there. If you're a trumpet player, it might be worth while for you to check out the EVI (by Akai, I think). Are you more interested in having a controller or do you wish to develope one as a learning experience? I also have a Casio DH100 which is a wind controller. No MIDI delays because the fingering defines the pitch (MIDI note number). It's a cheap playtoy but is a gas to fool with and is actually pretty functional in a basic sort of way. For around $50 (US) it beats the EWI (Akai's wind version of its EVI) or the Yamaha WX7 or WX11... in terms of price. These others have extensive MIDI implementations. Bill Fox ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1992 12:31:00 EDT From: MORGANS@MCMASTER.BITNET Subject: alternate controllers To respond to Bill: As more or less a beginner to electronics and music, I'm more interested in building my own controller for the experience. I've seen some of the controller you've mentioned (the Casio and the Akai). The problem with them is that they're not true Brass controllers. They don't allow for the user to buzz into a mouthpiece of some sort. They collect pitch and volume data from the velocity of the air he breathes in. I would like to design some sort of brass mouth piece controller that takes into account the player's buzzing as well as the velocity of the air he breathes in the instrument. How much did the GK1 pickup go for. If it's inexpensive I may pick one up just to fool around with. (excuse my bad typing grammer) Thanks, Shawn Morgan MORGANS@SSCVAX.CIS.MCMASTER.CA ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Mar 1992 17:50:39 -0800 From: Edward Osborn Subject: Atari Modifications I've got an Atari 1040-STF that came without the ability to run a regular TV as a monitor (via RF or composite out). Some of the earlier versions had this built in. I need to be able run a small monitor for performance situations (using composite) and also use my main monitor (B/W hi-res) at home for programming. I have heard that the modification that needs to be done in order to get composite is rather trivial (my local Atari place will do it in fifteen minutes for a hundred bucks), so I'd like to do it myself. Does anyone know how to do this or where to find the info on it? And while I'm thinking of monitors, does a flat-screen display unit exist that will take composite or RGB as inputs? I'd think that there would be a market for a monitor like that. Ed Osborn edosborn@mills.edu ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Mar 1992 17:02:08 CST From: "Jonathon Simon" Subject: Experience w/voice to midi interfaces I'm cross posting this question to both EMUSIC and SYNTH-L (rec.music.synth). I heard of a couple of stand-alone interfaces that do pitch to midi. Roland makes one - then there's another called the "Vocalizer" that looks more like a toy. I've heard of a Mac board used with one of the midi applications, maybe "Sound Tools"??? Comments on any of these questions would be appreciated: Has anyone had any experience with these devices? Do they really work? What happens when you slur a note with your voice? Can these units translate this to a midi pitch bend? Would a vibrato confuse it? Are any of them sensitive to the applitude of the incoming signal as well as the pitch? What's a good price for one? ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Mar 1992 16:22:04 PST From: "Matthew Rogalsky" Subject: Re: Experience w/voice to midi interfaces Hi Vocalizer: doesn't do pitch->midi, does it? It is a digital effect box designed to add harmonies to an input signal. The other item you mentioned isn't a pitch->midi interface either (what was it anyway?). One box that does do pitch->midi is the IVL Pitchrider (IVL makes the Vocalizer for Digitech by the way). The monophonic version is pretty effective at tracking a clean signal, especially in mid and upper registers. Try feeding it a complex signal and you get some less satisfying response, like "warbling" around the pitch, or some indecision on the machine's part as to what octave to play in. John Oswald (Plunderphonics) did a piece (on the Plunderphonics album, long since banned and all copies in his possession destroyed) based on a Bach piece, and it was beautiful in its simplicity: Pitchrider with a microphone, tracking a pianist playing the Bach. The inability of the monophonic pitchrider to cope with the piano's complex sounds resulted in a "variation" on the piece. The pitchrider was MIDI'd to a sampler playing piano samples. I think there are a couple of other pitch->midi devices out there but the Pitchrider is probably the most "famous." There is a guitar version which is basically six monophonic Pitchriders in a box, with a hex pickup. It works pretty well. See yer, Matt rogalsky@mailserver.sfu.ca ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1992 14:44:00 EDT From: MORGANS@MCMASTER.BITNET Subject: guitar controllers Does anyone know how the guitar MIDI controllers work? Particularly the type that entails adding its own pickup to the guitar. I am thinking about building a trumpet controller and think that this pickup method of converting vibration to MIDI would be a good way to go. Also, would anyone know of any year long job openings for an enterprising, young electrical engineering student with some interest in electronic music? It would have to be within CANADA. Thanks Shawn Morgan MORGANS@SSCVAX.CIS.MCMASTER.CA ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1992 11:24:19 +0000 From: Nick Rothwell Subject: Re: I'm bying a Roland SoundCanvas, Good choice ? >Hi, I'm going to by a sound Canvas from Roland and I want to know if it's a >good choice. Erm, good choice for what? As a provider of ready-cooked, standard, pop-music preset sounds I hear a lot of good things about it. As a synthesiser it stinks. What are you into musically? Nick. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Mar 1992 16:47:17 GMT From: SERGE DANSEREAU Subject: Re: I'm bying a Roland SoundCanvas, Good choice ? I don't if it's the IRQ problem but i noticed that on the card their no "switch"to change the IRQ. The card is an MPU-IPC from Roland bought 2 years ago brand new. Serge D. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Mar 1992 16:59:55 EST From: Keith Subject: Midi Specs Hi you'll I just rejoined this list and even though I pretty sure this has come up before, I would like to know if anyone has the specs of the midi interface. By this I mean the signals on the pins, power requirements, and possible some diagrams of how the in, out jacks are wired. So far I know that midi 1.0 is a 1 mhz, asyncronous digital connection. This is for an box I'm building Thanks in advance -Keith ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Mar 1992 20:06:21 -0800 From: "Jim T. Rusby" Subject: Re: Midi Specs On Mon, 30 Mar 1992, Keith wrote: > Hi you'll > > I just rejoined this list and even though I pretty sure this has > come up before, I would like to know if anyone has the specs of the midi > interface. By this I mean the signals on the pins, power requirements, > and possible some diagrams of how the in, out jacks are wired. So far > I know that midi 1.0 is a 1 mhz, asyncronous digital connection. > This is for an box I'm building > > > Thanks in advance > -Keith Attached is a file I got off the Yamaha computer BBS for us service types. I hope it is of use. Please do not post it as a gen distribution item. begin 5 MIDI Hardware Specifications The basic hardware specification of MIDI consists of either a UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter) or a microprocessor (with an internal serial communications interface) used in conjunction with a high speed opto- isolator. A MIDI equipped unit, normally, has three 5-pin DIN female connectors; one for MIDI in, one for MIDI out and one for MIDI thru. The number and type of MIDI connections on any one unit is dependent upon its MIDI applications and software support. Any key, button or other controller on a MIDI unit can be programmed to output a specific MIDI message. When such a key, button or controller is activated, the UART or microprocessor assembles the data assigned to it and transmits the data via the MIDI out jack. The MIDI codes are transmitted serially at a rate of 31,250 bits per second, asynchronously. These MIDI codes are transmitted from the MIDI Out jack of the transmitting (master) unit to the MIDI In jack of the receiving (slave) MIDI unit via a MIDI cable. (S)top,(N)onstop or [C]ontinue- The MIDI cable uses two 5-pin DIN male connectors, one on each end. A MIDI cable should not exceed 50 feet in length. A MIDI cable longer than 50 feet will result in signal loss of the transmitted MIDI signal which can cause misoperation of the receiving MIDI unit. Pins 4 and 5, of the 5-pin DIN connector, are used as transmitting/receiving pins and pin 2 is connected to the shield of the cable. Pin 2 is terminated at the ground of the transmitter (only) to prevent ground loops and noise interference. The MIDI codes transmitted by the master unit are received at the MIDI input jack of the slave unit and are then transmitted internally to the UART or microprocessor via the high speed opto-isolator for decoding. The MIDI thru jack, of the slave unit, outputs the same data that is received at the MIDI in of the slave unit. This MIDI data can then be transmitted via the MIDI thru jack, from the slave unit, to control yet another slave unit. This process of connecting several slave units to one master unit is called daisy chaining. It is recommended that only four slave units be daisy chained to reduce the risk of signal loss of the original signal transmitted from the master unit. (S)top,(N)onstop or [C]ontinue- As defined in the MIDI specification, current ON is logic "0". Thus a logic "0" will represent current flow in the transmitting/receiving circuit. This is accomplished by connecting two MIDI units (MIDI out to MIDI in) or by connecting a 220 ohm resistor between transmitting pins 4 and 5 of the MIDI out jack. A voltage drop will occur across the load resistor making it possible to read the MIDI code with an oscilloscope. The following steps are recommended when connecting an oscilloscope directly to the MIDI out jack: 1. Before connecting the scope, use a 2 prong AC adaptor(AC ground lifter) to isolate the ground if the scope has a 3 prong power cord. 2. With a volt meter, make a voltage check between ground (ref.) of the MIDI unit and the ground of the oscilloscope to assure that no dangerous level of voltage potential exists. If a voltage potential exists, reverse the polarity of the AC plug of either the scope or the MIDI unit under test, then recheck potential difference between the units with the volt meter. NOTE: FAILURE TO DO THIS COULD RESULT IN DAMAGE TO THE SCOPE AND/OR THE POWER SUPPLY OF THE MIDI UNIT. (S)top,(N)onstop or [C]ontinue- 3. Connect a 220 ohm load resistor across pins 4 and 5 of the MIDI out jack on the MIDI unit. The load resistor can be soldered to a male DIN connector so that it can be used on future MIDI units undergoing this same test. 4. Connect the ground lead of the scope probe to pin 4 (load resistor) and connect the probe to pin 5. With the scope setup in this manner the voltage changes from a 0 volt (logic "1") state to a -1.8 v (logic "0") state when a control or key is actuated on the MIDI unit. The MIDI codes can thus be read directly. Each data bit is 32 microseconds wide, therefore, the number of "0" or "1" logic levels can be counted. In order to understand the codes being transmitted, explanation of the code format and the basic operation of the UART must be covered. Remember each byte, whether status or data byte, is transmitted with one start bit (logic "0") and one stop bit (logic "1"). (S)top,(N)onstop or [C]ontinue- The UART, or microprocessor, receives the code or message, strips off the start and stop bits and transfers each byte on the data bus of the main system within the MIDI unit. When the UART or microprocessor transmits the codes or messages, it receives the information from the data bus of the main system and adds the start and stop bits. The first bit transmitted after the start bit is the LSB (Least Significant Bit). The next more significant bit is then transmitted and so on until the MSB (Most Significant Bit) is transmitted, followed by a stop bit. A start bit is then transmitted when additional data transmitted. Due to the way the data is transmitted, when viewed with an oscilloscope, write down the logic levels of the whole transmission and then divide it into 10 bit sections. Now these 10 bit sections must be assembled as if the UART or microprocessor were decoding the message or messages. (S)top,(N)onstop or [C]ontinue- rder so it will correspond to the listings of the MIDI codes of the unit under test. (S)top,(N)onstop or [C]ontinue- BASIC MIDI HARDWARE CONFIGURATION. MIDI UART JACKS or Microprocessor |---- |THRU <-----------------------+ +------+ |---- | | | | | | |---- +----+ | | | | IN -------------->| |---+--->|RX | |---- +----+ | | HIGH SPEED | | OPTO-ISOLATOR | | | | |---- | | | OUT <----------------------------|TX | |---- +------+ have fun ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jim Rusby University Of Oregon School Of Music Eugene Oregon 97403-1225 503-346-5659 voice jrusby@darkwing.uoregon.edu Audio Engineer ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 31 Mar 1992 03:23:54 GMT From: "Joseph J. Kubicky" Subject: Re: Midi Specs Keith writes: >and possible some diagrams of how the in, out jacks are wired. So far >I know that midi 1.0 is a 1 mhz, asyncronous digital connection. >This is for an box I'm building MIDI is not 1 MHz or anything close to it. Physically, it's a 31.25Kbit/s current-loop interface. I don't have all of the specs handy right now, but the drivers are just current drivers and the receivers are typically opto- isolators (I've used the HP 6N138 with good results, but anything that can handle 31.25Kbaud should work). MIDI IS asynchronous, though: 8 data, 1 stop, no parity. Check out last month's Radio Electronics or June '86 Byte for more. Jay Kubicky jkubicky@cco.caltech.edu ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 21 Mar 1992 13:44:23 -0500 From: Robert Doyle Subject: Mirage SoundProcess Are there any users of the SoundProcess OS for the Mirage out there? If anyone has any experience with this I'ld like to talk with you. I've had the mirage for years, I'm happy with it and just found this other OS that looks interesting. rdoyle@brock1p.bitnet ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 1 Mar 1992 11:24:50 CST From: "t.m.doc hamilton" Subject: Re: Nakamichi DM-100 Thnks to Tom Erbe for the info on the Nakamichi A/D converter. That's one of the nice things about this net, and I do appreciate it. Doc Hamilton. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Mar 1992 15:40:40 EDT From: Timothy Kaufman Subject: Re: Need Help With MIDI Setup! Sean writes: >>This should work. >> >> >> DX-7 EPS PROTEUS >>----------- ------------ MIDI Merger ----------- >> IN : .-->:IN IN : .-.-------->:IN : >> OUT :---' : OUT OUT :--' | :OUT : >> THRU: : THRU THRU:----' :THRU : >>---------- ------------ ----------- >But I think he wanted the EPS to control the Proteus as well. >Seems to me a merge box is needed (so both the out and thru of >the EPS can go to the in of the Proteus). >-Tim K I should have read the question more carefully. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 5 Mar 1992 07:07:16 CST From: "t.m.doc hamilton" Subject: ProTools I'd like to hear from anyone on the net with experience on Digidesign's ProTools. We're looking at the upgrade in post mixing here and I'm on on of the committees, and I don't want to take Digidesign's word for it. Any help would be very much appreciated. Doc Hamilton. Univ. of Texas. internet: docham@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1992 16:08:36 COL From: Rafael Jose Barros Subject: Sound Blaster & MIDI Hello all, I am new in the list. I have the Sound Blaster Pro card and the YAMAHA PSS-795 Keyboard so I tried to connect them via MIDI. I'm using the Voyetra Software that comes with the SB card, but I don't have any results yet. I'm asking for some ideas about what is the problem or some other software that may helps. Thanks in advance Rafael Jose Barros Universidad de los Andes Santa Fe de Bogota, Colombia ------------------------------ End of the EMUSIC-L Digest ******************************