gmark@ihlpf.ATT.COM (Stewart) (07/07/89)
I'd like to eventually get together a MIDI interface for my PC, which happens to be a 3B1. So, first, I'd like to get a description of the pinouts of those funny little MIDI connectors on my keyboard. In other words, I'd like to get a hold of the electrical and protocol specifications of the MIDI interface. Anyone out there care to share their knowledge or experience? Horror stories welcome. If not of general interest, e-mail is preferred. Thanks in advance. - Mark G. Mark Stewart ATT_BTL, Naperville, Ill. ix1g266 ihlpq!gms (312)979-0914 (please include phone for response)
erict@flatline.UUCP (J. Eric Townsend) (07/08/89)
Out of curiosity, why is this on both u-p.g and c.o.os9? In article <8928@ihlpf.ATT.COM> gmark@ihlpf.ATT.COM (Stewart) writes: >I'd like to eventually get together a MIDI interface for my PC, which >happens to be a 3B1. So, first, I'd like to get a description of >the pinouts of those funny little MIDI connectors on my keyboard. MIDI is a serial protocol. Only two of the wires are actually used. (Ever build a unix-to-unix serial line with just two wires? That's they way MIDI works.) A recent issue of Amiga Transactor had a do-it-yourself RS232 <-> MIDI project that consisted of one correctly placed resistor. Now you just have to deal with the UNIX lack-of-precise-timing problems that are involved. "Dr. Dobbs" has a book called (I think) _C Programming for MIDI_. It's wrapped around the PC, of course, but I think you could easily munge many of the functions to unix. Also, there is a package "glib" (pronounced as one syllable: "guhlib"), that is a patch librarian/editor. It runs on a variety of platforms, and has code for several major synths (and instructions on how to write it for your own system). -- "Dope beats and lyrics -- no beepers needed." J. Eric Townsend -- uunet!sugar!flatline!erict || cosc5zz@george.uh.edu 511 Parker #2, Houston, Tx 77007 EastEnders Mailing list: eastender@flatline.UUCP
rjg@sialis.mn.org (Robert J. Granvin) (07/09/89)
>Out of curiosity, why is this on both u-p.g and c.o.os9? Lotsa MIDI software/hardware available for os9? >>I'd like to eventually get together a MIDI interface for my PC, which >>happens to be a 3B1. So, first, I'd like to get a description of >>the pinouts of those funny little MIDI connectors on my keyboard. >MIDI is a serial protocol. Only two of the wires are actually used. >(Ever build a unix-to-unix serial line with just two wires? That's >they way MIDI works.) >A recent issue of Amiga Transactor had a do-it-yourself RS232 <-> MIDI >project that consisted of one correctly placed resistor. Now you >just have to deal with the UNIX lack-of-precise-timing problems that >are involved. "Dr. Dobbs" has a book called (I think) _C Programming >for MIDI_. It's wrapped around the PC, of course, but I think you >could easily munge many of the functions to unix. Correct me if I err here, but MIDI runs at (or about) 38.4K baud. This is why it's so easy to make an RS232 <-> MIDI interface for the Amiga, since the Amiga serial ports run at 56.4K, and why you can't do this for most PC serial boards, since they only run a max of 19.2K. This problem would still exist for the 3b1, the serial ports being driven a maximum of 19.2K. You'd have to devise some special hardware modification to do the work. -- ________Robert J. Granvin________ INTERNET: rjg@sialis.mn.org ____National Computer Systems____ BITNET: rjg%sialis.mn.org@cs.umn.edu __National Information Services__ UUCP: ...amdahl!bungia!sialis!rjg "I'll just go bang my head on a wall & figure out why I abuse myself so much"