| Title: | * * Computer Music, MIDI, and Related Topics * * |
| Notice: | Conference has been write-locked. Use new version. |
| Moderator: | DYPSS1::SCHAFER |
| Created: | Thu Feb 20 1986 |
| Last Modified: | Mon Aug 29 1994 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 2852 |
| Total number of notes: | 33157 |
My techie urges won over me and I bought an ST 1040 the other
day. Where does one find software and documentation for the ST
internals and MIDI ports for these creatures? The few stores that
seem to carry anything usually just have games. Do any of the local
(southern NH/mass), music stores carry ST software?
I'm looking for an assembler (or efficient C), so I can write
a real time MIDI translator. This will allow many split regions
from my master controller (KX88), allow note # shifts and many other
little MIDI things I've always wanted. I also want to write a program
to intercept a program change message from the KX88 and send out
a number of program changes to various tone modules. Then when
I want to layer patches together, I won't have to make sure that
they are all located at the same program number. These seem like
some pretty basic things to do with an ST, but I'm not aware of
any existing software to do it. I have seen a box of some sort
that Yamaha makes to do some of these things. I assume it's fairly
expensive since its got to be fairly low volume.
I did manage to find the Dr. T "MIDI Recording Studio" software
at Lechmeres for $30. This is a stripped down version of the KCS
package with 8 tracks. For the price it's great unless you have
10 tone modules and want a 50 track sequence. It does cause stuck
notes between my KX88 and TX81Z on occasion. The guy at Dr Ts says
to slow down the ST MIDI data output rate to solve this??? I'll
have to try that trick tonight...
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1025.1 | Try Compuclub in Framingham. | MAY20::BAILEY | Steph Bailey | Tue Nov 24 1987 13:30 | 61 |
Hmm. First software and doc tools:
My prefered C compiler for the ST is Mark Williams C. The
documentation and code quality are excellent. It lists for $150.00,
but I have seen it for as low as $110 through mail order places
(I don't remember where). It does provide and assembly language
interface, but I haven't played with it enough to say if it is really
useful. With a little elbow grease, you can call separately assembled
routines. The documentation provided is completely adequate for
writing MIDI hacks.
Personally, I do most of my programming in Modula-2, but if
I had known the code generation of my compiler was going to be so
lousy, I would have started in C. I have many hours invested in
Modula routines, so I will stick with it until I figure out how
to cross the interface.
I don't know what assemblers are availible for the ST, but you
must make sure that it produces a known linker format (MWC or DRI)
if you want to integrate assembler and C.
The only other books with much information on the ST are the
Abacus series. I am boycotting them since the don't have an index
and the printing is done on an el-cheapo laser printer, and they
just generally don't seem to be worth the money.
Dr. T is promising a program with capabilities similar to the
one you are proposing to write, but for $150. If you had a specific
set of capabilities in mind, and weren't really interested in using
a GEM (menus and windows) interface, then you could whip up a program
in almost no time.
The Yamaha box is called the MEP-4 (Midi Event Processor) and is
actually quite a popular unit (so I hear). I think the price is
around $500 list.
I have two short sample fragments (written in Modula-2) which show how
to use some of the ST Midi capabilities. Get them by saying:
copy candid::"/usr/users/public/inter.mod" inter.mod
copy candid::"/usr/users/public/poler.mod" poler.mod
Canned program:
Most all of the greater-mass area music stores carry canned ST
programs--sequencers, patch editors, librarians, etc..
About your ``stuck notes''. It sounds to me like they didn't ``do
the right thing'' in their output drivers. I have a comparable
program by Passport (Midisoft Studio) which has no such problems.
Getting full bandwidth from a Midi port with a 68000 isn't trivial.
If you have any problems or questions, just let me know.
Steph
| |||||
| 1025.2 | Bit Bucket in Newton Mass | BOLT::MINOW | Je suis marxiste, tendance Groucho | Sun Apr 03 1988 17:29 | 13 |
The Bit Bucket on Washington St. in Newton Mass (less than 1 mile from the West Newton Mass Pike exit) sells midi software (and has a synthesizer connected to an Atari St in the store). The "Dr. T" company is local, and I've seen them giving demo's in the store. They're also reasonable people to do business with. Martin. Directions: Mass Pike to West Newton exit (just East of Rt. 128). Take Washington St Eastbound (you will soon be North of the Pike) for about 1/2 mile until you come to a business district. They are on the South side of the street at a complicated Y-shaped intersection. | |||||
| 1025.3 | White Mountain Computer, Nashua, NH | VIA::GLEASON | D.A.R.Y.L. | Mon Apr 04 1988 11:09 | 8 |
You might also check out White Mountain Computer on Rte. 101A in
Nashua; they're about 1.5 miles from Rte. 3's exit 7W heading toward
Amherst. They don't sell ST's anymore, but they keep a good selection
of ST software in stock (certainly a far better selection than I've
seen at Lechmere's). I bought my Dr. T's KCS there.
*** Daryl ***
| |||||