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From: jeq@laidbak.UUCP (Jonathan E. Quist)
Newsgroups: net.music.synth,net.analog
Subject: Re: 'State of the art' questions
Message-ID: <153@laidbak.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 12-Aug-85 20:47:33 EDT
Article-I.D.: laidbak.153
Posted: Mon Aug 12 20:47:33 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 18-Aug-85 22:21:02 EDT
References: <772@cadovax.UUCP>
Reply-To: jeq@laidbak.UUCP (Jonathan E. Quist)
Organization: LAI Chicago
Lines: 40
Keywords: MIDI
Xref: linus net.music.synth:399 net.analog:415

>  3. MIDI would seem to be a move towards modular synthesizer products.
...
>     Can I go out and by a keyboard (JUST a keyboard)
>     to hook up to some sound generation hardware via MIDI?  Can I go out
>     and by sound generating hardware (sans keyboard) to hook up to existing
>     keyboard equipment via MIDI?

Yamaha has a fairly extensive line of MIDI products,
including a standalone keyboard (the KX-1, I think) with
pressure and velocity sensitive keys.  It's basically
the same keyboard used in the DX-7 synth.

Yamaha's TX-816 is a small rack mount box containing
the sound production hardware equivalent to slightly more
than 8 DX-7's.

>  4. What is the importance (in the studio) of SMPTE time coding, where
>     related to synthesizers.  I would think that perhaps videos of
>     commercials would find it useful to be able to drive your 'sampling'
>     effects box or vice versa to provide accurate synching of the sound
>     and video.

Roland has a sync box (the SBX-1?) which will convert MIDI to SMPTE,
and vice verse.  It also allows the operator to "conduct"; tapping
on a keboard switch controls the rate at which the box sends out
MIDI tempo information.  A friend recently used it to add a soundtrack
to a video.  To avoid verbosity, I'll simply say that he
described the use of SMPTE as indispensable in serious studio work.

DAC Caveat:
If you are using digital synthesis, the algorithm you use
can potentially introduce enough noise to make the best DAC's sound
like a crystal radio in a thunderstorm.  The noise floor
of the Yamaha TX-816 varies drastically between voices.
Just one more thing to keep in mind.

Jonathan E. Quist
ihnp4!laidbak!jeq

``I deny that this is a disclaimer.''