kinsman@ektools.UUCP (Andrew A. Kinsman) (06/01/90)
From rochester!ames!pyramid!polyslo!rrauenza Tue May 29 08:03:58 1990
I'm replying to you message on comp.music. I also have an IBM PC (Turbo)
and I have a couple of instruments (Keyboard, Electronic Casio Sax) that
I would like to connect into my computer. I've been thinking of
buying an Atari ST as they automatically support MIDI - Anyway....
I have heard that CakeWalk is good for IBM - not that I have ever seen
it! You can anonymous FTP Cakewalk Music files from ucsd.edu - so
I would assume it is a popular program. You can also FTP from there
Delux Music Construction Set [music files]- But I believe DMCS is more for
MAC and AMIGA... I, myself, haven't been toohappy with Electronic Art's
software for IBM...
Unfortunately in San Luis Obispo no one sells MIDI - So - I would appreciate
it if you could send me a little note saying which MIDI software
and Hardware you choose... I'd like to do it for under $300 - Id like
it to work with a mouse - CGA - and be fairly standard. There are source
files (in C) at ucsd.edu - I'd like to be able to write my own software
for the hardware.
Rich Rauenzahn
rrauenza@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU
[Now that you've started posting you will never stop. Enjoy!]
From rochester!rutgers!gvgspd.gvg.tek.com!mrk Tue May 29 08:04:03 1990
Not only would one setup be usable for more than one instrument, it
is usually possible to connect all of your instruments at once, and
have them playing at the same time.
Yes, each sequencer will tend to have its own proprietary storage
format, but there is a standard format, called MIDI standard format.
Many sequncers will read and write both thier own and the standard
format. Typically, some amount of data organization is lost when
writing the standard format.
I use (and very much like) a program called Cakewalk. I bought it
bundled with an PC interface card from a company call _Computer Music
Supply_. These people sell a variety of PC related MIDI products.
Give them a call at 1-800-322-MIDI and get their current catalog.
> Do BBS's exist for exchange of music
Well, yes and no. A few BBS's do have the occasional sequence, but by
and large, the community is quite stingy with their work. Putting
together a good sequence is a very time consuming and somewhat difficult
process, and when completed, most of us aren't real anxious to just give
them away. There are also some genuine technical problems. First, unless
stored as MIDI standard files, they tend to be specific to the sequencer
upon which they were written. Then, they tend to be specific to the
synthesizer(s) for which they were written. Worse yet, they are often
specific to the timbres one has programmed on specific synths.
I always recommend that newcomers get a book titled _MIDI For Musicians_
by Craig Anderton. Most any decent music store that deals in synths
will have it.
Oh and one last thing. No matter what you read elsewhere, MIDI is an
acronym for "Money Is Definately Imperative". ;-) This can become a
very expensive hobby. One typically starts out small and comes up
against the limitations of relatively simple equipment rather quickly.
One thing leads to another, and soon one has several thousand dollars
worth of synths, effects devices, software, etc. Even the cables to
connect all this stuff can total in the hundreds of dollars.
Michael Kesti Grass Valley Group, Inc. | "Like one and one don't make two,
mrk@gvgspd.GVG.TEK.COM | one and one make one."
!tektronix!gvgpsa!gvgspd!mrk | - The Who, Bargain
From atexnet!uunet!seismo.CSS.GOV!black Wed May 30 03:38:08 1990
I'll answer part of your questions...The software compatibility with
different instruments depends on what you are doing. There is a MIDI
standard for NOTE ON, NOTE OFF, VELOCITY, VOICE SELECT, and quite a few
others. Basically, if you have a program which generates MUSIC, it will
be compatible with virtually all MIDI instruments. Then again, another
thing one wants to do is save the voice patches, edit voices, save
sequencer data (if your specific instrument does that), edit waveforms,
etc...all of which is synthesizer specific. If you look in Electronic
Musician magazine you will see adds for voice editors and such for DX7
KORG-M1 ENSONIQ-EPS, ETC. Two basic software packages are what you would
need, one for manipulating the mechanics of the synthesizer, and one
for playing music tracks. There's a few standards for the music tracks,
the newest one of which is the "MIDI FILE FORMAT" for which a lot of
new stuff is being made compatble (it seems to be becoming the industry
standard). You'll find a lot of stuff in Deluxe Music
Construction Set (DMCS) format. I believe DMCS also support MIDI FILE
FORMAT now too. So DMCS might be a good start. Find a good electronic
music store and check them out. I bought a synth about 3 years ago and
it's the best damn investment I ever made. I shopped for a piano for
11 years and finally got a synth.
Mike...
From atexnet!sun!apple!well!csz Wed May 30 09:11:06 1990
If you get a MIDI setup for your XT, it can be used with
any instrument/keyboard. The interface, sequencer, and
instrument all speak the same language: MIDI.
There is a standard file format -- the MIDI File Standard,
often called "MIDI Files". Most sequencer software can
save and read data in this format, as well as their own,
but ask to be sure.
I recommend Cakewalk or Cakewalk Professional as the best
IBM MIDI sequencer, considering price performance and support.
This program is written and distributed by Twelve Tone Systems
in Cambridge, Mass.
Andrew Kinsman rutgers!rochester!kodak!ektools!kinsman
Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, N.Y. "Little Yellow Box Factory"