Experimental BBS Explossion 3/Experimental BBS Explossion III.iso/gus/digestv3.zip/V3N4M.TXT

Text File | 1993-12-05 | 23KB | 520 lines

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GUS Musician's Digest       Sat, 4 Dec 93  2:29          Volume 3: Issue   4

Today's Topics:
                            Bank Switching
                                  GS
                     GUS Musician's Digest V3 #2
                             MIDI-Cables
                          MIDI cable circuit
                            Patch Banking
                   Patch Banking Treatise (2 msgs)
                             Patch stuff
                           Pins on 6N137/8
                     That pitch-bending thing...
                       X-Wing Patch replacement

Standard Info:
    - Meta-info about the GUS can be found at the end of the Digest.
    - Before you ask a question, please READ THE FAQ.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Fri, 3 Dec 93 06:15:29 PST
From: [e-mail] (Robert Lee DeRaud)
Subject: Bank Switching

The question that occurs to me reading this thread is: you mean the new GUS
driver DOESN'T support controller 0 bank switching? If so, what was the point
of implementing it?
Second question: Brain-dead though it might be, doesn't Midisoft Session
support GS-style bank switching? If so, has anyone tried it with the new
drivers?
[Note: the fact that I don't already know the answer to these (and other)
questions is a clue to what my work schedule has been like lately: the
computer at home hasn't been powered up for about two weeks except to
balance the checkbook and print some stuff the machine at work wouldn't
handle...bah humbug :-( ]

***********************************************************************
Lee DeRaud                             Will program Windows for food.
Rockwell Int. AESD                   (Hey, I'm easy but I'm not cheap!)
   DoD #985 - Fast and ugly beats slow and cute any day of the week.
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     My employers would certainly endorse my opinions if they
    could only understand them...for now, they just ignore me.
***********************************************************************

------------------------------

Date: 03 Dec 93 11:16:54 EST
From: "Eric Bell, Howling Dog Systems" <[e-mail]>
Subject: GS

Don,

> If I'm not mistaken, doesn't the new Rolund GS standard support bank
> switching and if so shouldn't all future sequencer software?  Therefore I'd
> assume that the GUS windows drivers would also have to be prepared to
> support GS, but I haven't heard whether Gravis is planning GS compatibility
> for the GUS.

I've always encouraged Gravis to support GS, simply because many sequencers
already do, and therefore would not have to make additional changes to present
add value to the user. No luck so far.

> I'm planning on getting one of the new Rolund PC200 MKII keyboards which
> were newly released and supports velocity, pitch bend, and has a slide
> controller that can be assigned for aftertouch and other effects.  This
> keyboard is labeled GS compatible in Rolund's literature.

Of course its GS compatible - its a MIDI keyboard. Maybe they've revised it so
it has some GS specific features to select the extra GS banks, but other than
that, any keyboard will work with GS modules.

GS has been around for quite some time, and I don't know of any other
manufacturers who have embraced the standard. I heard rumors of one, but don't
know who it is.

Eric

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 2 Dec 1993 17:55:36 -0800 (PST)
From: Rath <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: GUS Musician's Digest V3 #2

Regarding score printing software:  The only one I have tried out was
Encore for Windows, and that was fairly good.

However all these professional like packages usually cost a bundle..

Rath

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 03 Dec 1993 12:19:31 GMT
From: Clarke Brunt <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: MIDI-Cables

>I saw that someone asked if he could use ordinary 5-pin DIN-cables as MIDI-
>cables. No, you shouldn't, but if you're lucky they might work.

WHY?? If they MIGHT work, then presumably the wires are connected
correctly, so is the problem grounding, or shielding, or what?
I made my own cables, and every now and then the refrigerator sends
a few MIDI events when it switches on/off (usually just notes, but
I got pitch bend once - quite amusing) - is this the sort of problem
that poor cables can give?

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 3 Dec 93 14:32 MET
From: [e-mail] (Klaas Hemstra)
Subject: MIDI cable circuit

Hello James,

I have had trouble too, building the MIDI cable circuit.

In the end the problem turned out to be that i had connected one of
the unused pins of the 6N13[5678] opto-isolator to +5V.
This caused a transistor (is that the correct word ?) blowup, inside
the opto-isolator.

I don't know what pin it was but all unused pins will do solving the
problem.

Maybe this is your problem too.

If the person who maintains the FAQ file is reading this, please
consider putting this information in the FAQ. Maybe some people
benefit from it.

Good luck,

Klaas

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 03 Dec 1993 12:11:50 GMT
From: Clarke Brunt <[e-mail]>
Subject: Patch Banking

> My sentiments exactly.  Patch caching has to be smart enough to look for
> Controller 0 and then cache patches from the right banks, but the driver
> would also have to respond to Controller 0 to switch banks on the fly.

I think the trouble at present is that you can only cache patches from
a single bank at any given time, although Eric said that any patches
missing from it would be loaded from the default bank 0.
It sounds like the driver only knows about the patch numbers, and
not which bank they came from.

To use more than one bank at once, firstly MidiOutCachePatches would
have to keep any patches from other banks that you had already loaded
(see my question of yesterday), and secondly, the driver would have
to remember that it had loaded (say) patch 0 from bank 0, AND patch
0 from bank 1, so that it could meaningfully respond to the controller
0 messages and switch.

------------------------------

Date: 03 Dec 93 09:40:59 EST
From: "Eric Bell, Howling Dog Systems" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Patch Banking Treatise

Phat,

> Since Powerchords supports patch caching, it would have to scan the MIDI
> file for patches to cache, right?  Why not, then, have it also scan for
> Controller 0's (the bank switching controller in GS).  That way, it can set
> the banks automatically instead of having the user do it.  Also, if the GUS
> driver can be made to respond to Controller 0 to switch banks during MIDI
> playback, each channel can have its own bank.

This scheme would work, I suppose. But my understanding of the GUS Windows
driver is that is supports one, and only one additional bank number to be
active. Any sounds called up that aren't defined in this bank, drop down to
the default bank, bank 0.

BTW, GS compatibility could not be implemented under this scenario.


> My sentiments exactly.  Patch caching has to be smart enough to look for
> Controller 0 and then cache patches from the right banks, but the driver
> would also have to respond to Controller 0 to switch banks on the fly.

This would be true, if multiple banks were supported.

It is my understanding that the original author of the drivers has turned the
source code over to Gravis and that they are now in doing development of them.

Back to the problem of shipping a MIDI file with 2 or 3 customs patches. If
the application scanned the file for controller 0 changes, it would be able to
divine which bank number was used for the extra patches (if the Windows driver
even supported controller 0 messages). But that bank might be in use by the
user for other sounds. Let's assume for now that controller 0 is not going to
be used, until someone can verify that the driver does or does not pay
attention to it.

The Custom Patch with Song File Opportunity
 ------------------------------------------

First off, I think it would be cool to create MIDI music using a few custom
patches, be the Hendrix samples, stuff from TV (ala MOD music), or specific
instruments with particular characteristics (flugelhorn, for example for that
Chuck Mangione piece you've been wanting to do).

Is there a concensus out there that users would want to create and listen to
MIDI music in this fashion? That you would download someones composition with
a few patch files that they'd created or appropriated, all zipped up together,
and that you could load onto your machine and play without much ado?

Please squack if you think this is valuable, desirable, etc.

I happen to think that it would multiply the value of the GUS by many times.
Whats the point in having a RAM based board, if everyone uses the same patches
all the time? Might as well be on ROM in that case.

We have to present a case to Gravis that will allow max flexibility with
minimum fuss for the end user. (The granny test is a good one. It should be
simple enough for your grandmother to get working).

The new drivers support banks of patches, so you can now easily replace some
or all of the patches, and have the rest stay with the default set. So far, so
good.

To install a new bank, you have to edit the ULTRASND.INI file. Not so good,
but bearable.

If I make a song up that uses three custom patches and I put them in bank 33,
and then put it all up on the net, then you've got to install the patches
somewhere, and the ULTRASND.INI file must be changed. What if you already have
a bank 33 in use with some other patches in it? Then there's a problem.

I propose an application program be created that would be able to scan the
ULTRASND.INI file and create the bank entries for the music file you are
installing, with the correct patch names, and subdirs etc.

If the bank used in the music file is already in use, the application would
suggest a different one, or present you with a list of available ones. Then it
would install the bank in the ULTRASND.INI file, and change the music file
accordingly to reflect the new bank number. Naturally this program could
handle .MID files as well as Power Chords Pro files in their native state. :)

So now the user only has to download the file, make a subdir and install the
file in it, uncompress it, run the installer app, and then play it. We've only
added one extra step, the installer app.

A record length message for me, now what do you guys think?

Also, Gravis, John, Alan, et all, are you guys listing to the digest? Or do I
have to start sending this stuff directly?

Eric

------------------------------

Date: 03 Dec 93 09:43:46 EST
From: "Eric Bell, Howling Dog Systems" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Patch Banking Treatise

Phat,

> Since Powerchords supports patch caching, it would have to scan the MIDI
> file for patches to cache, right?  Why not, then, have it also scan for
> Controller 0's (the bank switching controller in GS).  That way, it can set
> the banks automatically instead of having the user do it.  Also, if the GUS
> driver can be made to respond to Controller 0 to switch banks during MIDI
> playback, each channel can have its own bank.

This scheme would work, I suppose. But my understanding of the GUS Windows
driver is that is supports one, and only one additional bank number to be
active. Any sounds called up that aren't defined in this bank, drop down to
the default bank, bank 0.

BTW, GS compatibility could not be implemented under this scenario.


> My sentiments exactly.  Patch caching has to be smart enough to look for
> Controller 0 and then cache patches from the right banks, but the driver
> would also have to respond to Controller 0 to switch banks on the fly.

This would be true, if multiple banks were supported.

It is my understanding that the original author of the drivers has turned the
source code over to Gravis and that they are now in doing development of them.

Back to the problem of shipping a MIDI file with 2 or 3 customs patches. If
the application scanned the file for controller 0 changes, it would be able to
divine which bank number was used for the extra patches (if the Windows driver
even supported controller 0 messages). But that bank might be in use by the
user for other sounds. Let's assume for now that controller 0 is not going to
be used, until someone can verify that the driver does or does not pay
attention to it.

The Custom Patch with Song File Opportunity
 ------------------------------------------

First off, I think it would be cool to create MIDI music using a few custom
patches, be the Hendrix samples, stuff from TV (ala MOD music), or specific
instruments with particular characteristics (flugelhorn, for example for that
Chuck Mangione piece you've been wanting to do).

Is there a concensus out there that users would want to create and listen to
MIDI music in this fashion? That you would download someones composition with
a few patch files that they'd created or appropriated, all zipped up together,
and that you could load onto your machine and play without much ado?

Please squack if you think this is valuable, desirable, etc.

I happen to think that it would multiply the value of the GUS by many times.
Whats the point in having a RAM based board, if everyone uses the same patches
all the time? Might as well be on ROM in that case.

We have to present a case to Gravis that will allow max flexibility with
minimum fuss for the end user. (The granny test is a good one. It should be
simple enough for your grandmother to get working).

The new drivers support banks of patches, so you can now easily replace some
or all of the patches, and have the rest stay with the default set. So far, so
good.

To install a new bank, you have to edit the ULTRASND.INI file. Not so good,
but bearable.

If I make a song up that uses three custom patches and I put them in bank 33,
and then put it all up on the net, then you've got to install the patches
somewhere, and the ULTRASND.INI file must be changed. What if you already have
a bank 33 in use with some other patches in it? Then there's a problem.

I propose an application program be created that would be able to scan the
ULTRASND.INI file and create the bank entries for the music file you are
installing, with the correct patch names, and subdirs etc.

If the bank used in the music file is already in use, the application would
suggest a different one, or present you with a list of available ones. Then it
would install the bank in the ULTRASND.INI file, and change the music file
accordingly to reflect the new bank number. Naturally this program could
handle .MID files as well as Power Chords Pro files in their native state. :)

So now the user only has to download the file, make a subdir and install the
file in it, uncompress it, run the installer app, and then play it. We've only
added one extra step, the installer app.

A record length message for me, now what do you guys think?

Also, Gravis, John, Alan, et all, are you guys listing to the digest? Or do I
have to start sending this stuff directly?

Eric

------------------------------

Date: 03 Dec 93 11:16:40 EST
From: "Eric Bell, Howling Dog Systems" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Patch stuff

Clarke,

> Does anyone know whether MidiOutCachePatches pays any attention to what
> patches are loaded already, or does it re-load everything you ask for?
> Certainly it seems to automatically uncache all the patches that you don't
> request, so it is no use just trying to add a patch to the present set - you
> have to remember (or query) what is already in there. Maybe Eric (a
> sequencer writer who actually talks to us!)

Let's see if I can remember how this works. As long as you are loading
additional patches on top of what is there, and ask for the patches that are
already there as well as the new ones, it will do an incremental load.

However, since melody patches are loaded under drum patches, any changes to
these, do cause the drums to be reloaded.

There is a special mode for Power Chords - we have the drums loaded low and
the melodies above, since the drums don't change that often.

It is possible to query the driver and find out what is there, I believe,
although we don't use it in Power Chords. We usually know just what we want
cached.

Eric

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 03 Dec 1993 12:01:54 GMT
From: Clarke Brunt <[e-mail]>
Subject: Pins on 6N137/8

> ...questions about the MIDI box circuit...

Here's a diagram of the 6N137/8 from an electronics catalogue
(viewed from top), together with what it says the pins are.

             ----
         1  |    | 8 VCC
   Anode 2  |    | 7 VE or VB
 Cathode 3  |    | 6 VOUT
         4  |    | 5 GND
             ----

The 74LS04 (and all other chips) are numbered in the same way.

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 3 Dec 93 21:54:38 -0500
From: Carl Pettypiece <[e-mail]>
Subject: That pitch-bending thing...

Someone wrote to the Digest...

>Two quotes from recent Digests:
>
>>Well, I can't be the only GUSser who has discovered the pitch-bending trick,
>>can I?  In Windows, I can pitch-bend a full octave up or down.  In DOS,
>>playmidi let's me pitch-bend the full range.
>>
>>This is illustrated with my WESTSIDE.MID which is currently in the submit
>>directory at epas.
>>
>>The trick is in using controllers 100 and 101 in combination with controller
>>6 (which is apparently pitch-bend sensitivity).  There maybe a better/easier
>>way to do this but I haven't found any.
>>
>>First, you must set contollers 100/101 off, i.e. 0, before you set the
>>sensitivity.  You then set controller 6 to the number of tones you wish the
>>pitch bend to be sensitive to (>12 is equal to 12 in Windows--still).  Then
>>you must set controllers 100/101 on, i.e. 127 (or whatever max is).  When
>>this sequence is played for a particular channel, the pitch wheel will
>>then respond with the given sensitivity.  Panic (in Cakewalk) will reset this
>>to the standard 2 semitones, but to reset it during the same sequence you
>>have to repeat the above and set controller 6 to 2.
>>
>>> Date: 17 Nov 93 10:22:32 EST
>>> From: "Eric Bell, Howling Dog Systems" <[e-mail]>
>>> Subject: pitch bend
>>>
>>> >to go from -1 semitone to +1 semitone in units from 0 to 8191. It would be
>>> > nice if GUS would have a 'settable' pitchbend sensitivity
>>>
>>> It does! It's settable via the standard RPN commands for PBS. (pitch bend
>>> sensitivity).
>
><end of quotes>
>
>Could somebody explain to a novice how to do this?  Is the "secret controller"
>method outlined above the same thing, or different?  What is the best way
>to do it?  Contrary to what I have seen here, my experience with Cakewalk
>is that the default lets you go up or down only one step, not a whole
>octave.  I would like to get even an octave out of it.

I'm the one who wrote the first quote.  I used Cakewalk 1.03 to
do what I discribed, using the controller windows, the place you
draw the curves, only on controllers 6, 100 and 101 in the
correct sequence, as outlined above.  I'm not sure how to
discribe the process any clearer without a bit of feedback of
what you tried.  I am willing to help you, if I can, I'm but a
novice myself.

I don't know what the other fellow was talking about -- I have no
idea what RPN means (reverse polish notation? -- nah! :-).  I'd
be interested in hearing more on this method, mine is ugly and tedious.

>Also, is there a program to generate controller curves?  I would like to
>be able to do a good approximate exponential or linear curve without having
>to be steady enough with the mouse to draw it freehand in Cake.  I always
>end up with unintentional humps.

I've been able to draw fairly good curves with the mouse, but a
program would be kind of neat.  I suspect the CAL language would
be useful here, but I haven't looked much at it.
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carl Pettypiece ([e-mail])        Disclaimer:  Hell, I don't
Department of Computer Science                   even know if these are MY
University of Western Ontario                    opinions!
London, Ontario, Canada
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        Clever quote goes here
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1993 11:01:18 -0500 (EST)
From: [e-mail] (Antonio C. Rodriguez)
Subject: X-Wing Patch replacement

Hey Fellas,
   Is anyone else out there working on the X-wing patch replacements?
That Fly-by whine inconveniently happens to be a flute (ins #73) so no
changin that unless you like to hear engines with orchestras.  I think the
sfx*.lfd files in the RESOURCE dir have something to do with the way it
chooses the sfx. It also looks like there are some vocs encoded in there
so if anyone knows how to cut it up and put a header in front of it you
might be able to extract an actual voc...but that sounds like a lot of
trouble, So I guess we're stuck with those whines and stuff.

------------------------------

End of GUS Musician's Digest V3 #4
**********************************

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