Conference napalm::commusic_v1

2197.0. "Hinton Instruments" by BAVIKI::GOOD (Michael Good) Wed Dec 06 1989 16:20

    Hinton Instruments is an English company which produces several
    interesting computer music products, but I haven't seen them discussed
    in this conference yet.  I've just received their price list and will
    summarize here.

    The box that I'm interested in is the MIDIC.  Quoting from the price
    list:

         MIDIC: The universal MIDI Processor and Intelligent Interface
         as supplied to the world's leading centres of computer
         controlled music for over five years.  Has succesfully been
         applied to provide MIDI interfacing for: Acorn CCB C, Apple
         II series, Apple Macintosh series, Apollo Domain, DEC PDP11
         series, DEC VAX series, various Hewlett Packard, IBM PC
         series and clones, Olivetti M24, RML 480Z, RML Nimbus series,
         Sinclair QL, Sun Workstation and many others.

         MIDI Processing includes, data filtering, channel filtering,
         channelising, transpoing, keyboard splits and overlays and
         preset event triggering and generation.  MIDI Interfacing
         includes buffering and timing control, tempo generation and
         synchronisation and comprehensive diagnostics.  Will
         automatically adapt to any standard RS232 baud rate up to
         38.4kBd.  Custom software may be supplied as a ROM extension.

    MIDIC V1.1 with 32K RAM costs �300, or about $468 at current exchange
    rates (I'm using �1 = $1.56).  A MIDIC V1.1 with battery backed RAM
    costs �350, or $546.  The MIDIC RS232 cable is �15, or $23.40.  There's
    also a rack mounting model available for �450 ($702).

    There's also a MIDIY high performance 3 input merger for �550 ($858),
    and a MIDIZ dual long haul converter for �330 ($514.80). They've also
    sell some Atari ST software by Hollis Research that they helped to
    develop, including the Trackman sequencer and some accessories.

    Their address:

      Hinton Instruments
      Oldford, Nr. Frome
      Somerset
      BA11 2NN
      England

    Their phone number is [44]-(0373)-51927.

    Has anybody here used their equipment?  I know that some researchers at
    Rank Xerox EuroPARC recommend them - that's how I got in touch with
    them.

    Michael

    Some of that stuff sounds *very* expensive for what it does.  What
    problem are you trying to solve?  There may be cheaper alternatives.

    After considerable research, I found out that Hinton's phone number is
    
    	44 373 51927
    
    (From the U.S., you have to dial 011 first.)
    
    MIDIC is the *only* commercial way I've heard of for hooking a simple
    RS232 to MIDI.  I'm getting one to hook up my workstation to MIDI;
    I'm sure Michael is doing something similar.
    
    - Terry

As Terry said, this is to make an RS232 to MIDI connection.
The Albuquerque group has already built a modified DHV-11
which hooks up QBUS to MIDI, but that means using a MicroVAX
II vintage machine as a peripheral to our newer 3-D graphics
workstations.  This gives us another way to  hook things together.

It's the MIDI interfacing, not the processing, that's the
key feature for us (and I suspect for most MIDIC users).

Apparently 4 different groups within DEC have ordered a
Hinton Instruments MIDIC, and all 4 have shorted Hinton
a different amount.

With shipping to the USA and RS232 cable, the MIDIC is �350.  
It should be paid by international money order, not bank draft.  
Bank draft is apparently subject to fluctuating currency 
conversions that don't affect international money orders.

One of ours has arrived in Albuquerque and another should be
coming to Spit Brook as soon as we send them the money we
shorted them in that order.  We should be starting to use them
soon.

    I've written a couple simple programs for controlling the Roland D-5
    synthesizer from a DECstation 5000 system via the Hinton Instruments
    MIDIC.  Nothing in there should be specific to the D-5 except the
    choice of timbre.
    
    I know a couple of other folks were playing with, or looking into
    getting, Hinton boxes.  If this code could be useful for folks, let me
    know via mail.  Note that the Hinton costs as much as a decent
    synthesizer, so I would expect this to be useful only for work-related
    applications which need the connection to the Unix workstation.