Your Commodore magazine's MIDI review

[Commie_User]

Issue 2

MIDI was brand new to home computing in 1984. Just the barebone basics of MIDI sequencing were available for the home user's primitive workstations, though the sheer novelty of working in the digital domain for the first time would not have been lost.

And so soon after the professionals too......




_________________

My page for music and STACKS more Commie info: http://www.dustybin.org.uk

[Commie_User]

*

[Commie_User]

Informative, though rather dry:

[Analog-X64]

Thanks for posting this stuff..

You see back in those days, I would never have access to any type of magazines from U.K. without paying and arm and a leg and jumping through hoops. So its neat to see them 20+ years after.

[Commie_User]

Glad to have the interest confirmed. I had an idea quite a few people liked it anyway because my posts seem to be quite popular (blush).

As always, more interesting magazines are linked-to on my homepage: http://www.leftiness.org/Record.htm , one example being The Games Machine's article on '80s MIDI sequencing: http://www.old-computer-mags.com/magazi ... gm&num=023 .

Enjoy them at your leisure.

http://dustybin.org.uk/

[LMan]

Cool stuff, thanks for sharing!

[Chris Abbott]

I had a MIDI interface for my Atari 800XL, I did loads with that...

[Commie_User]

Looking back, the 8-bits struggled to be truly useful, though the c64 succeeded more than most. But I would say that MIDI sequencing was an area in which the 8-bits could be eternally useful, despite the constricted system resources.

I used to reckon that a computer wasn't a computer until it had a full utility cartridge you could master, in my case the Action Replay. Other people may say their systems weren't complete until they had maybe a modem or a second disk drive.

Nowadays I think a Commodore is only the full shilling when it's loaded down with disk drives, Centronics printer interface, utility cart', image scanner, PC serial networking, Sound Expander and keyboards, various knobs and control units (inc. mouse and paddles), as well as the essential MIDI cartridges. MSSIAH; oh yes.

I don't know about you but I've never seen a MIDI program from the 64's heyday which directly fires the SID as you input MIDI in realtime. Closest to the mark is the so-called classic Advanced Music System. (I say so-called because I've never been able to get to grips with the very impressive looking-program because I can't find a manual in any form anywhere.)

Great 80s home computer music-makers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLfYT6yXgEc

Still, the SFX Sound Expander could be fired by MIDI by 1987 (though you could have used its outboard keyboard since 1985 when it was released), plus there still being a wowing array of software to pick from:

[Commie_User]

*

[Commie_User]

*

[k_rostoen]

I was just up at GRG's place the other day, checking out the new version of SDI with MIDI-support. Pretty nifty stuff

[Commie_User]

Do you have a link?

[k_rostoen]

No, it's not finished yet. It won't be until a year or so if I remember correctly.

[Commie_User]

For completeness, here is a very comprehensive music wares guide from the 1988 Your Commodore Buyers' Guide special.



http://www.dustybin.org.uk

[Commie_User]

It's a pity no software was written (or cartridge made to sit between the 64 expansion socket and MIDI cart') which could output the SID sound commands as MIDI. At one point PC games could output MIDI. Using SID2MIDI it's very interesting to hear some c64 game tunes through VSTs like the Hammond B4 on the PC.

How great it could have been to play, say, Uridium through your Casios or Rolands at the same time as the SID. You would have got even more for your money with your home organ in 1988.