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Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!chinet!dag
From: dag@chinet.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Amiga and MIDI
Message-ID: <1939@chinet.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 3-Dec-87 01:57:55 EST
Article-I.D.: chinet.1939
Posted: Thu Dec  3 01:57:55 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 9-Dec-87 22:20:49 EST
References: <447@nuchat.UUCP> <32160@auc.UUCP> <528@otto.COM> <4567@pyr.gatech.EDU> <1931@chinet.UUCP> <35179@sun.uucp>
Reply-To: dag@chinet.UUCP (Daniel A. Glasser)
Organization: Chinet - Public Access Unix
Lines: 85
Keywords: MIDI Amiga Atari ST
Xref: utgpu comp.sys.amiga:11117 comp.sys.atari.st:6193

In article <35179@sun.uucp> cmcmanis@sun.UUCP (Chuck McManis) writes:
+[I wish people wouldn't comment when they don't have the facts.]

I stated quite clearly that my Amiga knowlege is not extensive.
I have plenty of facts, and don't claim to know anything that I don't know.

+In article <1931@chinet.UUCP> dag@chinet.UUCP (Daniel A. Glasser) writes:
+>I'm not sure how the Amiga printer port is configured, and how the MIDI
+>devices are accessed from the program, but there are MIDI interfaces on
+>the market with different features, and this would seem to indicate that
+>not all Amiga MIDI adaptors are created equal from a programming standpoint.
+
+Every MIDI interface that I know of on the market for the Amiga uses 
+the serial port. Some programs like SoundScape, provide their own device 
+drivers to get the speed up, but the MIDI 'Interface' is nothing more than a
+EIA <-> CurrentLoop converter circuit. All of the programs and their 
+drivers talk to the serial port hardware which is in the same place, and
+has the same flag bits as every other Amiga. Thus every MIDI 'Interface'
+works with *every* MIDI capable program. There are conflicts when you 
+multitask two MIDI programs but that is to be expected, one of them can't
+get the serial port because the other one has it. This won't be a problem
+for a while on the Mac or the ST (or even the IBM-PC for that matter.)

The main point of my article, on the technical side, was pointing out
that the op-amp was not being used for protection, but as an EIA to
current loop converter.  I have sitting in front of me right now ads
for two different MIDI adaptors for the Amiga, one has four separate
MIDI out's, one has one.  For my money, these are different!
Mind you, the same can be said for the ST -- there is only one built-in
MIDI out, and it is harder to add OS support for another serial device.

Multi-tasking?  The ST hardware can support some, just not the ST ROM
operating system.  I've seen a UNIX V7-like system working just fine.

+>Does the Amiga OS support MIDI devices?  The ST OS does.
+
+The Amiga OS supports any device that has a device driver in
+the DEVS: directory. Is there a standardized software layer interface
+to a generic midi device (something the Amiga calls a handler), No.

I was, and am, not attacking the Amiga OS.  I was asking a question.

+>A question that must be asked before buying either machine to be part of
+>a MIDI set-up:  Does the software that I want exist for this machine?
+>If the answer is no, you need to look into whys and whens.  Don't let
+>a bunch of people from either fan club badmouthing the other machine
+>influence you too much.  In most cases, neither party knows of what they
+>speak.
+
+This is certainly a true statement, with an example no less!

I WAS NOT BADMOUTING ANYBODY OR ANYTHING!!!!  Fully two thirds of the
articles on this topic have been from Amiga fans badmouthing the ST.
I have a full MIDI set up, including an Atari, DX-100, TX81Z,
Midi guitar and some other stuff, and I am under contract to produce
MIDI software for a major music software company.  I know about the
Atari.  I've read the Amiga manuals and some of the OS source code.
I have not the time or forum to flame the OS on either the Atari
or the Amiga, but suffice it to say that I've used and written
multi-tasking systems with better performance and real-time interprocess
communication and resource management than the Amiga OS in less than
half the space that either machine's OS takes up.

I was giving general advice.  If a musician buys a computer for
MIDI and the software is unavailable at the time, he or she must
either wait or write.  There are fine packages available on the
ST and PC and Amiga and Mac.  Each has its plusses and minuses.
I was advising that what software is available should enter into
the decision, not attacking your precious Amiga!!!!!!!!!!!

If you want to attack my qualifications or motivations, post to alt.flame
or send me mail -- I do not like being attacked in any other newsgroup.
I've not attacked you or your machine.  I like the Amiga.  I don't
like it enough to buy one, but I like it.

+--Chuck McManis
+uucp: {anywhere}!sun!cmcmanis   BIX: cmcmanis  ARPAnet: cmcmanis@sun.com
+These opinions are my own and no one elses, but you knew that didn't you.

-- 
					Daniel A. Glasser
					...!ihnp4!chinet!dag
					...!ihnp4!mwc!dag
					...!ihnp4!mwc!gorgon!dag
	One of those things that goes "BUMP!!! (ouch!)" in the night.