Conference napalm::commusic_v1

I forgot to mention...this thing includes a complete sequencer written in C
for IBM computers.

Burns

    I have the book (and had to pay $25 extra for the software!) but
    haven't done much with it. I'm in the process of unpacking my "office"
    and will probably come across the book within a few days, if you'd like
    to borrow it. I also have its predecessor, "MIDI programming in C." The
    author is Jim Conger, if you didn't mention that already.
    
    - Hoyt

    I have a copy of both MIDI programming in C and MIDI sequencing
    in C books and the software.  I had problems getting the ready to
    run sequencer from the MIDI sequencing in C book to record or play
    sequences from my synth.  I decompressed the files and tried using 
    the sequencer and kept getting a wierd error which would hang up the 
    program.  I haven't booted up the program since I ran across this
    error.  I was wondering if anyone else who has this program was having 
    the same problem.  I am currently reading up on how to program in C.  
    I will come back to program when I have a little more experience 
    programing in C and try to correct the problem.  I also have the 
    programers tool kit from Music Quest.  I plan to some how patch in a
    MIDI record & play rountine from this kit to fix the problem if can't 
    find any other way to correct the problem.  Right now I don't know
    enough about C to fix major problems.  This programers tool kit is a 
    collection of Turbo C, QuickBasic, Turbo Pascal, Turbo Assembler
    functions and half way compiled routines which you patch (link) into a 
    home grown MIDI application that one would write.  I believe this kit
    has functions for MicroSoft C too.  It seemed to support all of the popular
    programming lanuages.  A while back when I first bought Jim Conger's
    Midi programming in C book I wanted to type in one of the programs
    to see what all it did.  Well anyway a I ran into problems compiling
    one of the assembly language programs.  It's called IO401.ASM; this
    program is used by 80% of the other programs in the book for talking
    to your MPU-401 compatible interface.  Well a co-worker and I started
    debugging the source.  My co-worker spotted a JMP command that jumped
    to a non-existant label.  And I later found two more errors in the
    source.  Here's one error that really confused me.  A PUSH command
    in source for IO401.ASM had dropped a letter in the source listing.  
    So PUSH was printed in the book as USH�  I looked up the command in all
    of my 8088-80286 assembler books.  That's when I realized that it
    was a type-o.  I have some assembly language programing experience
    for school.  And I never heard of this USH command before.  I just thought
    that I would let others know about my experience with playing with
    Jim Conger's programs.  I think it was done so that you're forced to go
    out and get the diskette.  Originally I just bought the book.  And
    later bought the disks and the other book he wrote along with the
    disks.  Well anyway I got the program to assemble before I bought  
    the diskette.  I finially decided to go buy it just to see if the
    source on the disk was the same as the source listing in the book.
    Well when I viewed the source from the disk it matched all of the
    fixes I made to the version I typed in from the book word for word.
    I just thought that I would make others aware of the problems with his 
    programs.  No sweat for the experienced programmer.  I still have
    a long way to go on learing C.  Well lets USH on to the next reply.  
    
    Calvin

    Hi,
    
    	I'm VERY interested in the toolkit you mentioned.  How can I
    contact Music Quest to purchase it, or inquire about it?
    
    	I'm most curious about the assembler stuff, as I've ran into
    a little difficulty with MY real-time recording software.  Does
    it work OK?  Can you "pack" a drum machine full of notes on every
    16th note, turn the tempo up to max (241 for me) and grab ALL
    the MIDI data without errors?  I seem to get overrun errors, and
    interrupts with no new byte in the ACIA, most reproduceable by
    moving the mouse during real-time input...
    
    	If there's a toolkit out there that does this, I WANT IT A YEAR
    AGO!
    
    Thanks in advance,
    
    _John_

I got the prebuilt sequencer from the book to work (sort of), but I kept getting
error messages when I would start to play.  It then would sometimes play and
sometimes not.  No obvious correlation with anything.

But what did you think of the book?  Was it useful/instructive/interesting?

Burns

RE: .4

	I think I've posted this before and it might not help anyway
but ...

	TLE::PPP$:[GRIEB.PUBLIC]MPU401.ARC (includes source)

contains a set of C callable routines for the MPU401. They are fully
interrupt driven so should support high data rates. The code was also
written to have hooks for multiple bufferring although if I remember
correctly (it's been a while since I wrote it) I only implemented 1
buffer.

   RE .4 
    
      Hi                           
    
      Sorry it took me so long to reply.  It's been pretty busy at our
    plant.  So I usually wait until I'm at home to reply.  
    
      The information on how to contact MUSIC QUEST is pretty easy
    to answer.  About turning sequencer into power house for your MIDI
    drum set; I don't have enough in experiencing programming to help
    there.  I'm pretty sure it could be done.  If you research it; the
    time you spend figuring out how you can achieve your goal of more notes
    and faster rates will help in solving other MIDI program problems
    in the future.  I can however stear you in the right direction to
    finding MIDI programming kit stuff.   Oh! I did find out that 
    MICROSOFT C is supported for sure by MUSIC QUEST and also Turbo C++,
    and Quick C.  
    
      
      Here's MUSIC QUEST'S address and phone:
    
      MUSIC QUEST, INC
      2504 Avenue K
      Suite 500-492
      Plano, TX, 75074
      (214)-881-7408
    
      I forgot to mention that I also bought one of their cards.  I have
    the MQX-16 with some sort of smart FSK.  I am still new MIDI and
    Synthing.  So it will be a while before I begin to utilize the card's
    full capacity.  Also I bought their technical reference.  Which is
    the just as the name suggests.  It gives things like block diagrams
    of the circutry and explains how the card works and then goes on
    to explaining how to talk to the card with Assembler.  In the back
    of the reference there's more source code.  Basically functions for
    EX.)  Sending and receiving a command from the board.  And in one
    of the appedixes  COMMAND SUMMARY.  EX.) 0x01 - Send MIDI stop to
    MIDI out and much, much more.  So I have this tech reference, their
    programers tool kit, and there board.  They have recently come out with
    a new programmers tool kit.  I've see it advertized in Electronic
    Musician a few times.  They also have advertisments for all
    three of their boards.  I have the MQX-16 as stated above, but there's
    another MQX-16(s) which supports SMPTE.  I didn't think I would
    need the SMPTE so I just got the regular 16 board.  The programer's
    tool kit is $39.95.  I checked this in there advertisement.  Oh!
    there's another program that I will eventually purchase down the
    road for assembler.  MASTER KEY which is a DISASSEMBLER.  I will take
    any program, overlays (.OVL's) etc. and convert them back to re-compliable
    source code.  Useful for removing annoying parts of code in programs.
    All these goodies encourge me to learn more about assembler language.
    	             
    RE: .5
    
    I also had the MIDI SEQUENCING IN C program playing sometimes when
    ever it felt like working.  I was thinking about addressing a question
    to Jim Conger in Electronic Musician about this bug.  I was supprized
    at the time that no one else reported having this problem.  I sunk
    in some $$ dollars for both books and software.  I will some day
    try to get them working by using some of the routines in the programers
    took kit.  I know theses routines work because they give you a compiled
    program using the routines and the source.  I compiled the source
    for one of their programs a got it to work.  It was only a one track
    sequencer but it's record and playback rountines worked.  All I
    need to know is how Jim's program runs.  I will probaly spend
    some time when available researching a way to patch in the record and
    playback routines from this tool kit.  At present I don't have to
    time or all of the knowledge to take on this job.  It will be a weekend
    hobbie as soon as I get the time.  Right now I'm collecting as many
    books on Assembler, Turbo C, QuickBasic as I can and reading them
    when I have time.  I believe that with these kits you can chose
    which ever langauge you want to use to write programs.  Once the
    programs are in .OBJ form they can be liked with other code you
    write.  So you can mix Turbo C stuff with assembler.
    
    Calvin 

    Has anything more happened on this question?
    
    I bought the book with a disk and tried it.  I have a board from 
    Merrimack Systems which is supposed to be "better than a 401".  When
    I tried the M&T code I got an error message saying that it could not
    reset the MIDI board (MIDI reset code $FF). 
    
    Anyone else see this error?  Or should I send the board back?  I bought
    it from Basement Ink at one of the Ken Gordon computer shows.
    
    -john (who wishes he knew more about MIDI stuff)

    We are officially prohibited from indicting vendors in notes
    conference. For that reason, I have absolutely nothing to say about
    Basement Ink except that I have some very strong, unexpressable
    opinions.
    
    - Hoyt