Conference napalm::commusic_v1

The built-in audio capability is for telephone-grade audio.  
You wouldn't want to use it for music applications.  The 
DECaudio option includes CD-quality sound in hardware, but no 
software toolkit support in the current product release.  On 
the other hand you would be able to use the DECaudio option 
with the Csound software from the MIT Media Lab.

There's lots more on the multimedia products in the 
Lpstck::Multi_Media notes conference.

Of course, as with other DEC products you should be able to
use the DECstation with an RS232-to-MIDI converter like
the Hinton Instruments MIDIC.  Unfortunately the converter
costs about as much as a halfway-decent synthesizer.

  Micheal, I've been meaning to write to you to tell you of our latest
  progress...  there is a perfectly suitable RS-232 to MIDI interface
  available in the US from Key Electronics.  (they advertise in 1 or both
  of Electronic Musician and Keybaord magazine)  The cost was only $250
  (which by the way is the limit on misc procurements - so if you can validate
  getting one to your boss - any employee can expense one!)

  It supports all standard baud rates up to 38.4, and can communicate at the 
  MIDI baud rate as well.  It has 1 MIDI in, and 2 MIDI outs, and supports
  a multiplexing scheme to get 4 independent outs - or 64 MIDI channels.
  We've been using it in our demos lately on a DECstation 3100 and a
  DECstation 5000.  It should work fine with a VAX as well.

  Although I haven't incorporated it yet, it should work fine with the MIDI
  library you created, save for the initial setup escape sequences you send
  to the MIDIator.  I started re-writing it in a generic MIDIlib for C, but
  had to put it off for now.

-Tom

 

     It is tempting.  I expect to have one of these on my desk sometime,
    maybe soon.  But having the hardware capability to do sample I/O and
    MIDI I/O is one thing, industrial grade software to DO it is another.
    
    karl
    
    p.s. I seem to recall it comes with SoftPC bundled.

> But having the hardware capability to do sample I/O and
    MIDI I/O is one thing, industrial grade software to DO it is another.

  Let us know when you're done writing it in your spare time :>

-T

  >Let us know when you're done writing it in your spare time :>
    
    Why on earth would I want to ?  I've got a nice cheap MAC at home.
    Besides, with SoftPC the DOS mavens could have a field day on this box.
    
    -karl
     
    (but I might borrow an RZ57/58)

Actually, that's something we meant to experiment with - since SoftPC will
allow you to use the hosts communication ports as if they were PC COM ports,
theoretically you should be able to run a DOS sequencer onit and use the RS-232-
to-MIDI for the MIDI interface.  The only DOS sequencer we tried was Cakewalk, 
but we couldn't find a way to tell it to use the COM port instead of the MPU-401
card.  We recently got Master Tracks Pro - so we'll give that a shot some time.

-Tom

PS - yes, I'm happy with my *cheap* Mac as well - so cheap in fact, it was free!
(Well, OK, I paid for a memory upgrade, and I suppose *someday* Dad might ask
for it back!)

    RE: .6
    >we couldn't find a way to tell it to use the COM port instead of the
    >MPU-401 card.
    
    You got to copy the appropiate driver to MIDIPORT.DRV(?) or whatever
    the name of the driver is. That's for the new version anyways.
    
    Errol

 > Errol

 Would that be a driver supplied with Cakewalk, or with the RS-232 to MIDI
 converter?  No drivers came with the converter, however the company that makes
 it does offer software products for the PC, maybe they have something that
 would work.

 Also, do you have the "Pro" version of Cakewalk or the regular version?
 We have the regualar one.

-T

    Well, a friend of mine has the Cakewalk Pro and he was having a problem
    with it, turns out he had the wrong interface driver loaded. The
    drivers are on the installation disk, howver I don't believe that there
    is a generic RS-232 driver, but I am also sure that there is one for
    the KEYEE ( or whatever the company is that makes a) RS-232 interface.
    
    This means, you have to buy the KEYEE RS-232 MIDI interface. 
    
    How are you connecting the MIDI device (synth) to the workstation?
    Did you make your own interface?
    
    Voyetra also ships a bunch of drivers for the popular MIDI interfaces,
    that's the trend of late.
    
    Errol
    

    
    
    Errorl's right.  The standard Cakewalk distribution includes a driver
    for the KEE MIDI box.  Karl, if you want to try Cakewalk and the KEE
    box on your DECstation I could loan you one for a week or so...
    
    

    Isn't it a lot easier to just use a PC in the first place?

>     Isn't it a lot easier to just use a PC in the first place?

Yes.  Next question...

This is like one of those bar trivia things, does it really matter, eh,
you decide.

-------------------

I forgot we had the Voyetra stuff too, I'll check it out.  We're not using
KEYEE, we're using Key Electronics (unless that's another name for them)
(for re: .9, is a RS-232 to MIDI converter box, that's our interface)

    I was checking the Voyetra stuff and noticed they do not provide a
    driver for the KEE interface. So it looks like you should stick with
    Cakewalk, they do have a driver fot the KEE interface.
    
    Good luck,
    
    Errol

    
    RE: Why DECstation looks good for MIDI...compared to PC
    
    The multi-tasking nature of unix make this box very interesting.
    I am aware that the Palo Alto unix folks are doing some midi work..
    including a possible driver.
    
    At AES I picked up the DSP 56001 Programming manual and I have been
    studing the hardware closlely since.  Hacking a board/software to
    fit the turbo-channel slot to run midi software should be an
    interesting project. I don't know what DSP chip that we have in
    the new DECstations....but I heard that a 16-bit audio option (industry
    standard audio) for signal processing is in the works.  I have been
    providing input to the multi-media folks.  I am even almost done with
    a scsi driver for a new 3600rpm (28ms average seek time) Ricoh optical
    read/write drive for the DECstation 5000.  It has 650 meg capacity and
    it's as small as shoebox.  Better than stacking RZ disks for multimedia
    work....and it is cheaper too.
    
    Time to line up the likes of Digidesign and Opcode to port their
    products to our platform ;-)
    
    Kris..