EMUSIC-L Digest Volume 40, Issue 12 This issue's topics: Powerbooks (4 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: Tue, 12 May 1992 08:49:00 EDT From: rg8 Subject: Powerbooks Would anyone elbaorate on the Powerbook's problems with MIDI? A recent call to Opcode tech support suggests that there are bugs with Sysex messages. Does this mean there would be problems running software like Galaxy with Editors on the Powerbook. Along the same lines, has anyone had any experience with Outbound Systems notebooks? On the surface they seem like more bang for the bucks. Bob Gibson ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 May 1992 14:23:48 +0000 From: Nick Rothwell Subject: Re: Powerbooks >Would anyone elbaorate on the Powerbook's problems with MIDI? A recent call >to Opcode tech support suggests that there are bugs with Sysex messages. [This time I'll save a copy of this reply for next time... :-)] The PowerBooks don't do MIDI input reliably, due to ROM code for the Power Manager which disables interrupts while polling the brightness and contrast controls. It certainly affects the PB140 and 170, which don't do SysEx input at all happily. I had the PB100 doing it, but that's a rather different machine with (essentially) the Laguna's ROMs which might mean it doesn't have the same problem. The problem isn't SysEx. (Why would a PowerBook's hardware decide not to like SysEx messages?) It's with SCC overruns. Normal MIDI messages (channel messages and the like) will *probably* be OK since each message will fit into the SCC buffer, but it's not likely to be reliable. Performer seems quite happy on a PB140; MAX doesn't. As far as I can tell, MIDI output on a PowerBook is fine and I've been using one for rehearsals (and will be doing so on stage) purely as a MIDI source with Performer. >Does this mean there would be problems running software like Galaxy with >Editors on the Powerbook. Yes. > >Along the same lines, has anyone had any experience with Outbound Systems >notebooks? On the surface they seem like more bang for the bucks. I'll take your word for it. We don't have 'em over here. Bear in mind that you're dealing with a small company, a small market share (so, will Opcode guarantee tha OMS will work on an Outboard for example?), with 1986-vintage ToolBox ROMs (which means various restrictions on heap addressing and the like) and with that bizarre trackbar instead of the PowerBooks' (IMHO) superb ergonomic design. The Outbounds have other things going for them, like bigger screens and various upgrade options. It's up to you. Nick. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 14 May 1992 20:10:00 EDT From: rg8 Subject: Re: Re: Powerbooks Thanks for your comments about the Powerbooks, Nick. Your assessment of the MIDI problems (and BTW, the virtues of Powerbooks) are reiterated in an article by Geoffrey Ryle in the June issue of Keyboard (arrived today) for those who might be interested. The bottom line seems to be that, if you use MIDI applications, the Powerbook shouldn't be your *only* computer . Bob Gibson ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 May 1992 14:27:29 +0000 From: Nick Rothwell Subject: Re: Re: Powerbooks >Thanks for your comments about the Powerbooks, Nick. Your assessment of >the MIDI problems (and BTW, the virtues of Powerbooks) are reiterated in an >article by Geoffrey Ryle in the June issue of Keyboard (arrived today) for >those who might be interested. OK. I expect I'll be seeing my June KEYBOARD sometime in August, as per usual... >The bottom line seems to be that, if you use >MIDI applications, the Powerbook shouldn't be your *only* computer . And, in my case, it isn't. Nick. ------------------------------ End of the EMUSIC-L Digest ******************************