czei@osupyr.UUCP (09/11/87)
I recently posted a message saying that small timing errors in MIDI sequencers could reak havok on the feel of the recorded music. Looking back in my magazine collect, after several hours, I found a couple of articles which mention the Amiga specifically. The second is probably where I got the ideas which prompted the aforementioned posting. Here's a partial list of the Amiga MIDI rumors; I don't know if quoting the article is against the copywrite. (It probably is under the banner of 'Fair Use') Magazine: Keyboard, July 1987 Address:20085 Stevens Creek Cupertino, CA 95014 Author: Peter Gotcher President, Digidesign Inc. 920 Commercial Palo Alto, CA 94303 (415) 494-8811 Title: "Choosing a Computer for Music Part II" "I have heard reliable reports that the Amiga does not have a consistent high-speed timing chip. Software developers are working on various ways around this problem, but if you expect good timing resolution from a sequencer, I'd recommend asking exactly what timing reference is being used before you buy the software." Magazine: Keyboard, April 1987 Author: Peter Gotcher Title: "Groovular and Non-groovular Clock Resolutions" "Some Computers even have inherent timing problems. Take, for example, the Commodore Amiga. I have spoken to several developers writing software for the amiga who have been unable to use the amiga's high-speed clock to time-stamp incoming MIDI events (the clock starts and stops unpredictably when it is interrupted by other processing tasks). The only alternative is to use the Amiga's 60hz video retrace to time events, resulting in a timing accuracy of 16ms. This produces some pretty spastic playback unless you quantize everything. Perhaps the solution of the Amiga's timing problems is the use of an intelligent interface (such as the Roland MPU-401) that can time-stamp incoming MIDI data with greater precision." He goes on to list the accuracy of several other computers: Most Mac Programs: ~1/480 QX5: 1/384 Hybrid Arts MIDI ST: 1/192 Michael S. Czeiszperger | Disclaimer: "Sorry, I'm all out of pith" Sound Synthesis Studios | Snail: Room 406 Baker Phone: (614) College of the Arts Computer Lab | 1971 Neil Avenue 292- The Ohio State University | Columbus, OH 43210 0895 UUCP : {decvax,ucbvax}!cbosgd!osupyr!czei