stevep@galadriel.bt.co.uk (Steve Paine) (08/09/89)
I'VE GOT AN AMIGA 500! WOW! AMAZING! AAAAH! OK cut the cr*p, lets get down to it. I'm interested in using it as part of a mobile disco set-up, and i've got a few questions: - What sort of life expectancy can I expect from my Amiga if I subject it to a life of rough and tumble, and what can I do to increase it. (Apart from 'wrapping it in cotton wool'.) - Whats this I hear about a MIDI lighting standard. Does anyone have any info/ contacts that might help me? - Is there any soft/hardware produced specifically for Amiga/disco applications? (What about Video (titling etc), database applications, lighting, sampling.) - Are there any BPM thingies out there? (Something that will measure the beats/ min of a piece of music.) I know there's quite a lot to cover there, but at least it might stir a few discussions up. The MIDI lighting interests me a lot, it seems such a simple thing to implement, and with talk (re. a magazine i read last year) about MIDI info being put on CD's, it could be a real winner. Food for thought anyway! Thank in advance for any info. - Steve 'no signature' Paine.
dutchman@wpi.wpi.edu (the flying) (08/11/89)
In article <314@galadriel.bt.co.uk> stevep@galadriel.bt.co.uk (Steve Paine) writes: >I'VE GOT AN AMIGA 500! WOW! AMAZING! AAAAH! congratulations. they're good machines. >I'm interested in using it as part of a mobile disco set-up, and i've got a few questions: >Whats this I hear about a MIDI lighting standard. Does anyone have any info/ contacts that might help me? i don't know much about a MIDI lighting standard, but it seems that the boards use standard MIDI note on/note offs to control the lights. if anyone does have hard info, i'm interested as well. >Is there any soft/hardware produced specifically for Amiga/disco applications? i know of a couple sound programs that run on MIDI to control channels, levels, and equalization, but other than that i don't know. >Are there any BPM thingies out there? (Something that will measure the beats/ min of a piece of music.) yup. most take the bass beat (simple tunable pickup) and translate that into a BPM signal that can be sent out a variety of ways to control the lights. i'd suggest the magazine "Lighting Dimensions" to you to learn more about lighting. they do a lot of coverage of disco and rock lighting, and have lots of advertisers you can get info from. on kind of the same note, it appears to me that most MIDI boards use the standard transmission protocol. so it seems like any decent sequencing program could be used to control the lights, as well as the music, if the performer is using a sequencer. can anyone tell me yea or nay on this? jon jonathantdrummeyhimomdutchman@wpi.wpi.edu7979760box375fnordwpiworcester,ma01609
mgm@mercury.sybase.com (Michal G. McKenna) (08/12/89)
In article <314@galadriel.bt.co.uk> stevep@galadriel.bt.co.uk (Steve Paine) writes: > >- Whats this I hear about a MIDI lighting standard. Does anyone have > any info/contacts that might help me? > I'm heavily involved in multi-image (multiple projector shows synched to live or canned performances) and the only thing I'v seen is a MIDI to SMPTE converter where I can only use the clock pulses. It would be nice to have dissolve commands assigned to one channel on a MIDI line. So, I echo Steve's request for information about MIDI lighting interfaces. Thanx in advance! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Michael G. McKenna ** My opinions are always my own ** S/W Development, Sybase Inc. {mtxinu,sun,pyramid,pacbell,lll-tis}!sybase!mgm mgm@sybase.com
dts@quad.uucp (David T. Sandberg) (08/23/89)
In article <3510@wpi.wpi.edu> dutchman@wpi.wpi.edu (the flying) writes: >In article <314@galadriel.bt.co.uk> stevep@galadriel.bt.co.uk (Steve Paine) writes: >>I'm interested in using it as part of a mobile disco set-up, and i've got a few questions: >>Whats this I hear about a MIDI lighting standard. Does anyone have any info/ contacts that might help me? I'd ask my roommate to post some specifics on this kind of thing, since he's very knowledgeable about this, but right now he's on tour, doing lights for The Jets. Maybe when he gets back for a few days this next week I'll be able to convince him to post some data. >i don't know much about a MIDI lighting standard, but it seems that >the boards use standard MIDI note on/note offs to control the lights. And quite often they use velocity information to control the faders, as well, I'm told. >if anyone does have hard info, i'm interested as well. >>Is there any soft/hardware produced specifically for Amiga/disco applications? >i know of a couple sound programs that run on MIDI to control >channels, levels, and equalization, but other than that i don't know. I don't think that you need worry about Amiga-specific hardware for your lighting application. You've got the MIDI out already... any decent Amiga sequencer will do (don't ask me which are decent, I don't have an Amiga). What you need is some kind of MIDI-compatible lighting board. >>Are there any BPM thingies out there? (Something that will measure the beats/ min of a piece of music.) > >yup. most take the bass beat (simple tunable pickup) and translate >that into a BPM signal that can be sent out a variety of ways to >control the lights. "Human clocks" are notorious for their inaccuracies, though. Perhaps a few years down the line the technology will be mastered, but not yet. If you have the wherewithal to do so, you're better off using a multiple track tape playback with MIDI or SMPTE time code laid down alongside the music, and slave your lighting sequencer off of that. >i'd suggest the magazine "Lighting Dimensions" to you to learn more >about lighting. they do a lot of coverage of disco and rock lighting, >and have lots of advertisers you can get info from. I second that suggestion... it's a good source of information. Also, it won't hurt to talk to companies which manufacture and sell lighting equipment... most of them should be able to provide you with specifics about any MIDI equipment they sell. >on kind of the same note, it appears to me that most MIDI boards use >the standard transmission protocol. so it seems like any decent >sequencing program could be used to control the lights, as well as the >music, if the performer is using a sequencer. can anyone tell me yea >or nay on this? Generally, yes. If the lighting board is delivered MIDI-capable, it's really a very simple manner, by everything I've seen about it. The main thing to consider is that your sequencer has the tracks available to separate your lighting data in a sensible fashion. -- David Sandberg - Quadric Systems "Strike Hard, Strike Sure" PSEUDO: dts@quad.uucp Bomber Command, R.A.F. ACTUAL: ..uunet!rosevax!sialis!quad!dts
mwallace@zaphod.axion.bt.co.uk (Malcolm Wallace) (08/25/89)
From article <240@quad.uucp>, by dts@quad.uucp (David T. Sandberg): > In article <3510@wpi.wpi.edu> dutchman@wpi.wpi.edu (the flying) writes: >>In article <314@galadriel.bt.co.uk> stevep@galadriel.bt.co.uk (Steve Paine) writes: >>>I'm interested in using it as part of a mobile disco set-up, and i've got a few questions: >>>Whats this I hear about a MIDI lighting standard. Does anyone have any info/ contacts that might help me? > >>i don't know much about a MIDI lighting standard, but it seems that >>the boards use standard MIDI note on/note offs to control the lights. > >>if anyone does have hard info, i'm interested as well. > I came across an advert for just this kind of application. The product is called `MIDI LITE'. Quote: Trigger lights under MIDI control from a spare sequencer channel or MIDI keyboard. 8/16 channels at 390Watts per channel. Variable `ON' time and sequenced patterns under MIDI clock or note control. From: Groove Electronics Unit 30A Barnack Industrial Centre Kingsway Trading Estate Wilton Wiltshire SP2 6AW United Kingdom + 44 722 743712 Disclaimer: I have no connection with Groove electronics, and nor does the company I work for. Hope this information is some help. -Malc. ///-- Malcolm Wallace \\\\\\ ///^ ^\\\ RT3121 British Telecom Research > \\\\\\ /// L \\ Martlesham Heath, IPSWICH IP5 7RE C U\\\\ /// \_~_/ ||\ (0473) 642690 "= " \|||| ||| "|||" ||| """ //\\\ /// " \\\ mwallace@uk.co.bt.axion ||\\\\
bear@bucsb.UUCP (Blair M. Burtan) (08/28/89)
If you have access to a projection TV, you may want to get the Visual Aurals Mindlight 7. This is a k-scope type device that does things on the screen to audio inputs. It's quite complex in the amount of features, one of which is MIDI imbedded software. It's expensive but people like it. I've used it in a fashion show and people were impressed. - Bear -- ----------- Signature Version 0.5 (aka Fine, be that way. )----------------- bear@bucsb.bu.edu bear@bucsf.bu.edu bear@buengf.bu.edu bear@bu-pub.bu.edu enge05c@buacca.bu.edu (Short enough for you?)
patrick@hpmcaa.mcm.hp.com (Patrick Hawke) (09/01/89)
Regarding MIDI to Light Conversion/Control:
Look in the Aug. '87 issue of Keyboard Magazine. Page 34 Contains an
article on a MIDI Input Adapter for the Casio SK1. This can be used success-
fully to control Lights via MIDI. Granted, that it can only supply note
on - note off capability, but it's cheap. For the homebrew hack this is
a nice periphial to build on. Datastream the company that built the
adapter has changed the design shortly after the article was published.
They have changed from the 8751 microcontroller to an 8031 and 2732A eprom
configuration, for reduced cost.
AS OF 1-6-88: Letter from Datastream
2555 Cumberland Parkway
Suite 280
Atlanta, Gerogia 30339
(404) 432-2002
.... The MIDI modification kit for the Casio Sk-1 is priced at $59.95 plus
$3.00 shipping and handling. At this time this kit is our only product ..
-End of Letter-
Another Idea: This could be used in combination with this or any other
MIDI to Light Controller. In the August '89 issue of STart magazine, there
was a review of an interesting product called MIDI MAGIC. "MIDI MAGICtm will
turn virtually any tape recorder into a device that will save, load, and play
MIDI Sequenes in real time." I called the company and requested a catalog
and found out that they also had several other products and MIDI "music" that
can be played on several computers or the MIDI MAGIC interface. This was
kind of like a Player Piano Scroll. I don't have this product so I can't
give any feedback on it's performance.
Info: Micro-W Distributing Inc.
1342B Route #23 MIDI MAGIC Cat. No. 97000 $149.95
Butler, NJ 07405
(201) 838-9027
I hope there is some valuable information here for some of you. If anybody
else has some Wild & Crazy Ideas for the DJ world I'd like to here from YOU.
-PjH
patrick@hpmcaa.mcm.hp.com