sseidman@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (The MIDIman) (10/02/90)
I am writing a paper about communications this quarter, and I have chosen
to talk about the MIDI protocol. My teacher has refined it a bit to cover
new topics he hasn't received before. Sooooo, does anyone have any info on how
MIDI and ISDN may someday work together? How does ISDN accomodate MIDI?
How closely does MIDI fit into ISDN? What needs to be done to change MIDI
to fit ISDN? Any articles, magazines, people, or even speculation will be
welcome. Thanks.
--
sseidman@polyslo.calpoly.edu Steven R. Seidman "The MIDIman"
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"When I had first heard electronic music, it had affected me so strongly
I just knew I had to play it." - Steve Roachrlw@ttardis.UUCP (Ron Wilson) (10/04/90)
In article <2707b24b.3dd1@petunia.CalPoly.EDU>, sseidman@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (The MIDIman) writes: >I am writing a paper about communications this quarter, and I have chosen >to talk about the MIDI protocol. My teacher has refined it a bit to cover >new topics he hasn't received before. Sooooo, does anyone have any info on how >MIDI and ISDN may someday work together? How does ISDN accomodate MIDI? >How closely does MIDI fit into ISDN? What needs to be done to change MIDI >to fit ISDN? Any articles, magazines, people, or even speculation will be >welcome. Thanks. Please excuse the technical language - I will try to explain as cleary as I can. The MIDI standard is a 2 layer specifation: The physical transmission, and the data protocol itself. As far as ISDN, OSI, TCP/IP, SNA, and other communication protocols suites are concerned, the MIDI data protocol is "just another application protocol" - ie, ISDN et al will treat the MIDI messages as data. As such, MIDI messages can be presented as data to ANY communication protocol at the sending end, and will be delivered to the receiver as MIDI data. Examples: 1. Two programs could send MIDI data to each other via ISDN or other data com protocol and not even be "aware" that they are using this other protocol. 2. Two MIDI devices could talk to each other other an ISDN or other network by means of MIDI<->Network servers. 3. A program could talk to a MIDI device in a like manner. In short, a communications server program (which could be running in a computer or in a dedicated "box" (similar to dedicated sequencers like the MC-500)) would provide a "front end" that acts like a MIDI interface - ie: it accepts data bytes from the program or "real" MIDI interface, and delivers data bytes to the program or "real" MIDI interface. The communications servers are responsible for the details of the network protocols - nothing need be done to the MIDI data protocol. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- About MS-DOS: "... an OS originally designed for a microprocessor that modern kitchen appliances would sneer at...." - Dave Trowbridge, _Computer Technology Review_, Aug 90 iwblsys\ rlw@ttardis uunet!rel.mi.org!cfctech!ttardis!rlw sharkey.cc.umich.edu/ rel.mi.org is currently sick - back in 2 weeks.
tjr@cbnewsc.att.com (thomas.j.roberts) (10/05/90)
From article <2637@ttardis.UUCP>, by rlw@ttardis.UUCP (Ron Wilson): > In article <2707b24b.3dd1@petunia.CalPoly.EDU>, sseidman@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (The MIDIman) writes: >> [...] Sooooo, does anyone have any info on how >>MIDI and ISDN may someday work together? How does ISDN accomodate MIDI? > [...] > The MIDI standard is a 2 layer specifation: The physical transmission, and the > data protocol itself. > > As far as ISDN, OSI, TCP/IP, SNA, and other communication protocols suites are > concerned, the MIDI data protocol is "just another application protocol" - ie, > ISDN et al will treat the MIDI messages as data. [...] BUT, and that is a very BIG BUT, MIDI is inherently a real-time protocol - the time between messages is preserved to very high accuracy. ISDN is not a real-time protocol, and will not preserve the time between messages (buffering can occur at any node - I am assuming packet-switched data on ISDN). ISDN can also introduce excessively large delays (compared to typical MIDI implementations). If you consider ISDN circuit-switched data, then ISDN is essentially acting only as a physical layer, which could preserve the real-time nature of MIDI data, except for overall delay (which is inherent in the typically wide-area implementation of ISDN - a typical ISDN connection between two phones in the same room is routed to a telephone office several miles away). Typical delays for packet-switched ISDN data are 100 milliseconds (one way, both terminals in the same room), much too large for an integrated MIDI performance. Also, ISDN is a NETWORK ACCESS protocol only, MIDI is essentially a network protocol. What this means in practice is that the performance of MIDI systems is pretty much the same (from a network standpoint). The performance of different ISDN systems varies a lot. ISDN is intended for wide-area networking; its typical use is from building to building, to across the country. MIDI is intended for localized performance. I have trouble imagining a nationwide MIDI performance. As a user of both ISDN and MIDI, I seriously doubt that anyone will ever implement a network interface product to connect them. Tom Roberts att!ihlpl!tjrob
kjj@varese.UUCP (Kevin Johnson) (10/07/90)
In article <1990Oct5.144334.1196@cbnewsc.att.com> tjr@cbnewsc.att.com (thomas.j.roberts) writes: >As a user of both ISDN and MIDI, I seriously doubt that anyone will >ever implement a network interface product to connect them. With the possible exception of using ISDN (or whatever) as a gateway between MIDI nets for sending some of the non-'real-time' (sysex) data from one midi device to another. For example: downloading my sequencer (the one with no floppy drive) from my remote computer (the one with mondo capacitatis) #include <standard_disclaimer> .-----------------------------------------------------------------------------. | Kevin Johnson ...!mcdphx!QIS1!kjj | | QIS System Administrator Motorola MCD kjj@phx.mcd.mot.com |
nange@eb4ts2.EBay.Sun.COM (John Giannangeli) (10/09/90)
>>> [...] Sooooo, does anyone have any info on how >>>MIDI and ISDN may someday work together? How does ISDN accomodate MIDI? >> [...] >> The MIDI standard is a 2 layer specifation: The physical transmission, and the >> data protocol itself. >> >> As far as ISDN, OSI, TCP/IP, SNA, and other communication protocols suites are >> concerned, the MIDI data protocol is "just another application protocol" - ie, >> ISDN et al will treat the MIDI messages as data. [...] >As a user of both ISDN and MIDI, I seriously doubt that anyone will >ever implement a network interface product to connect them. > >Tom Roberts >att!ihlpl!tjrob Oh Contraire!! As a user of MIDI and networking, I can see an application for such a beast. But instead, lets use Ethernet and MIDI as an example. Say you're Steven Spielberg and you have a gazillion dollars to buy a Sun 4/490 server and a bunch of SLC's or IPC's. Your server stores samples (MIDI standard sample dump format) and standard sequences for video post production (sequence of footsteps walking down street, applause, auto racing, other standard movie sound effects, etc.) Your SLC's are located in several different audio for film or video studios working on completely different projects, but with the need to access the same MIDI sample standards, and sequences. Ethernet is not a real time protocol either, but the need is to network the information, not distribute it in real time. Same applies for ISDN. You could concievably retrieve sequences or samples from your L.A. studio via the telephone lines to New York. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------- ~@@@@@~ & ___ John Giannangeli | | | _ _ | ~@@~@~@@~ |||| Product Technician | | |_| | | |_ |_/\ /\ _ /\~(* *)~/\ **** Sun Microsystems | | | |_| | \/ \/ \} W {/ | Milpitas, California | | |________..| ~@\ /@~ * | | | _____|______|_____ @~@\ W /@~@ o . nange@eb4ts2 | | |~~~ --- | ~@@~\_/~@@~ Mailstop: M4-57 | | |__________________| x33809, x33847, x35631| |MISSION: MERGING MUSIC AND TECHNOLOGY FOR ALL MANKIND | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------