EDWARD.STAUFF@OFFICE.WANG.COM (Edward L. Stauff) (11/13/90)
Score Editors
I am looking for a score editor for the IBM PC that has a lot of power
and flexibility but doesn't cost an arm and a leg. (Dream on, right?) After
much searching it appears that the "Note Processor" delivers the best
bang for the buck. It seems to be not too inferior to the high-end products
like Score and Finale, but only costs around $240. Has anyone had any
experience with Note Processor, or seen any reviews?
PF-85 Bug
I'm looking for help with a programming-related problem. I have a PC
clone with an MPU-401 clone and a Yamaha PF-85. As a programming exercise
(and the first step towards a real-time MIDI filter program) I am writing
a simple program to echo MIDI in to MIDI out, polled (not interrupt driven
(yet)), using the '401 in UART mode. I seem to have all the handshaking
right, 'cause I can reliably read and write MIDI data, but when I try to
echo in real time, I can only get a maximum of 8 simultaneous notes. If
I press one note after another, holding each one down as I press the next,
when I get eight notes held down I don't receive any incoming data for any
additional notes. I thought that the '401 might have some kind of internal
limit, but a call to Voyetra eliminated this possibility. Now it looks like
the PF-85 is the culprit. It IS 16-note polyphonic, but it looks like it's
reserving one of its notes when a key is struck, <* even when "local" mode
is turned off (i.e. its tone generator doesn't listen to the keyboard) *>.
Has anyone out there heard of this problem?
Pedalboards
I've noticed some postings lately from people interested in organs and
pedalboards. I have just completed interfacing a 30-note pedalboard (not
quite AGO spec but close enough) to my PC so I can scan the keys and generate
MIDI data. WHAT A BLAST!!! Another evening of soldering and I'll have
velocity, too! The interface board is very trivial; I'll post details on
request. The next step is a new interface board with on-board microprocessor
and MIDI ports so I'm not tied to the PC.
I have heard about a number of MIDI retrofit kits for keyboards, but
nobody seems to offer velocity on pedalboards (which is why I rolled
my own rather than buying one - I do software, not hardware). Doesn't
anyone else see the advantages of having a pedalboard with velocity? And
aftertouch as well for that matter, though that involves "real" hardware
(not just TTL).
My eventual goal here is to either produce a MIDI pedalboard product or
induce someone else (with the resources) to do it. If you'll pardon me
while I step onto this soapbox... Over the 20 years that I have been an
organist, I have read countless articles about the decline in the numbers of
new organists. The organ, the "King of Instruments", is dying. I have two
pet theories on its cause: (a) The organ is possibly the most expensive
instrument there is. The cheapest electronic instrument (with at a pedal-
board of at least 25 notes, the minimum needed to practice "the literature")
is many thousands of dollars, and even used instruments are much more
expensive than, say, used pianos. (b) Traditional organ tone is unsuitable
for pop music. How many people would rather hear pop music on the organ
than on, say, the piano? Not many, and I have asked lots of people this
question. Young people are going to be more interested in studying an
instrument that can be used for pop music than one that cannot. Thus, I see
the availability of an inexpensive (less than $1K) MIDI pedalboard as
attacking this problem on both fronts: providing a relatively inexpensive
practice instrument (in conjunction with any MIDI keyboard), while making
the organ pedalboard a controller for something besides traditional organ
tone. (-: Having stepped off my soapbox, you may now applaud. :-)
Seriously, I am interested in starting a dialogue with other pedalboard
enthusiasts. Especially any hardware people. One final question: I have
posted this to rec.music.synth and comp.music. Any suggestions on whether
I should post follow-ups to one, the other, or both?
-- Ed Stauff Edward.Stauff@OFFICE.Wang.com