From: ngse18@castle.ed.ac.uk (J R Evans)
Newsgroups: rec.music.synth,rec.music.makers.synth,comp.sys.mac.apps
Subject: Inexpensive MIDI resources for the Mac (2nd edition)
Date: 25 Jan 93 09:52:05 GMT
Expires: 13 Feb 93 04:54:57 GMT
Distribution: rec
Organization: Edinburgh University

A few weeks ago, I posted a list of MIDI resources for the Macintosh
which I had been able to find around the net.  I was gratified to receive
quite a number of responses (mostly follow-up enquiries, but including
a few corrections and additions), so it has clearly been found helpful.
 
Here is a revised listing; hopefully after a little more bashing about,
this could become a part of the rm[m]s FAQ posting.  I have propagated all
the programs which appear relevant to archive.umich.edu.  Ask archie
about the nearest mirror site to you.  If you don't know about ftp
or archie, check the introductory postings in news.announce.newusers
and news.newusers.questions; if you don't have ftp access, an ftp-by-mail
service is available from ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com -- send a message
containing the single word "help" for details.
 
If you have more up-to-date versions of these programs, additions
or corrections, please let me know, and we can coordinate contributions.
    
Russ Evans
British Geological Survey, Edinburgh
e_gs18@ub.nmh.ac.uk ... ngse18@castle.ed.ac.uk

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

        Inexpensive MIDI resources for the Mac
        --------------------------------------

        Russ Evans, BGS Edinburgh, e_gs18@ub.nmh.ac.uk

        Edition of 24 January 1993
        Copyright notice at the end!

Bulk Sysex Utility
    Source: louie.udel.edu /pub/midi/software/mac/sysex_util.hqx
    Status: Free [demonstration of Altech Systems' MIDI library]
    Description: A very nice sysex tool -- can handle dumps of up 
    to 128k.  Includes MIDI through and basic play-from-keyboard 
    capabilities. A 'must have'! 

CMIDI
    Source: ics.uci.edu /mac/think-c/classes/cmidi.hqx
    Status: Free
    Description: Class library for Think C which provides support
    for Apple's MIDI Manager.  Only of interest to programmers.

CMU Midi Toolkit
    Source: sony.com /pub/mac/CMU_MIDI.sit.hqx
           (this version has some minor problems on current systems)
    Status: Free 
    Description: The Carnegie-Mellon MIDI Toolkit is a suite of programs
    for experimental computer music education, composition, performance,
    and research, which runs on a variety of platforms.  CMT includes a
    compiler for a simple text-based music language and software for
    recording, replaying and computing MIDI data in real time. It has
    three major attractions: flexibility, availability of source code,
    and low system cost.  The principal author (Roger B Dannenburg of the
    CMU Studio for Creative Enquiry) presently has version 3 in a beta
    stage of development, and it looks most attractive.  Let us hope that
    he will be able to make it available for ftp soon.

Csound
    Source: media-lab.media.mit.edu
    Status: Free
    Description: Port of major ongoing project for description and
    genesis of sounds, which operates on a number of platforms. 
    Encompasses sampling and signal processing capabilities as
    well as MIDI interfacing; will require application to master,
    but the effort will be well worthwhile!  Complementary approach to
    CMT and Lime.

CZ Librarian
    Source: louie.udel.edu /pub/midi/software/mac/cz_librarian.hqx
    Status: Free
    Description: A patch librarian for Casio CZ101/1000/3000/5000 
    synths.  The application wouldn't even start on my Macs running 
    7.1, but Josh Brandt (mute@wpi.wpi.com) reports that it works 
    on system 6.0.4.  He describes the interface as 'slightly odd'.
    Includes four banks of useful voices.

D110 Rhythm
    Source: sony.com /pub/mac/D110R.sit.hqx
    Status: "Beta software, not to be released" !!
    Description: Basic Hypercard based editor for D110 rhythm parts.

ESQ-1
    Source: louie.udel.edu /pub/midi/software/mac/esq1_librarian.hqx
    Status: Free (Demo for Altech Systems' MIDIBASIC)
    Description: I couldn't get this to run on my system 7.1 Macs.

HyperMIDI
    Source: louie.udel.edu /pub/midi/software/mac/HyperMIDI.sit.hqx
    Status: Shareware 
    Description: A well written, extensible Hypercard stack providing
    a bit of everything - dumps, recording, analysis, play-keyboard
    and programmable patch editor [DX7 version included].  Version 
    1.0 available on the net is dated 1988.  Blanche Cohen 
    (blanche@diana.cair.du.edu) reports that HyperMIDI is now "semi-
    commercial" and available at $125 from the author, Nigel Redmond.
    Widely recommended.

Lime
    Source: novamail.cerl.uiuc.edu /pub/lime/...
    Status: Free demo; inexpensive license
    Description: A very capable score writing program with some
    MIDI sequencing capabilities.  The demo is almost completely
    functional (it is limited to scores of up to three pages) and
    the cost of the full version is nominal ($100, I think).  Lime
    can do things no fully commercial program I've seen can handle.
    I have just two reservations about it: 
        a)  it is very, very slow.  Response is leisurely on my IIvi 
            (16MHz '030); on my SE, Lime is all but unusable; 
        b)  it can't export or import standard MIDI files. 
    In all other respects, an amazing piece of work!  Comes with
    copy of MIDI Manager, Patchbay, and notational fonts.

KAMIKAZE DX
    Source: louie.udel.edu /pub/midi/software/mac/kamikaze_dx.hqx
    Status: Unknown
    Description: Wouldn't even start on my systems running 7.1.

Megalomania
    Source: sony.com /pub/mac/Megalomania1.0.sit.hqx
    Status: Shareware $22
    Description: This looks like a really imaginative idea.  A 
    MIDI-based effects processor with a graphical patch interface.  
    Without time to explore, it's impossible to assess its value, 
    but it comes with a promising looking manual and a heap of 
    example patches.  Worth investigating?

MidiControl
    Source: Joe Ciarcia 
    Status: Shareware $35
    Description: A promising general purpose patch editor.  I had it 
    driving my VFX in a matter of minutes without reading the manual.  
    Plenty of examples for DX7's and relations. I preferred it to
    (an old version of) HyperMIDI, which is its most obvious competitor.
    
MIDIDriver
    Source: Craig Ruff & myself (mail to e_gs18@ub.nmh.ac.uk)
    Status: Free
    Description: After posting a request to the net for a MIDI driver,
    Craig Ruff sent me two simple drivers he had written some time 
    ago, one in assembler, one in C, for the Aztec compiler.  I have 
    rewritten them both for Think C, and the assembler version works
    (at least to the extent I've been able to test it).  Unless Craig
    has any objections, I'm willing to share this code; it is *very*
    basic, but at least demonstrates the way in which the Zilog SCC
    has to be prodded in order to transmit and receive MIDI bytes.

MidiScope 1.5
    Source: umich /sound/midi/midiscope1.5.sit.hqx.Z 
    Status: Free (PD, advertising Kurzweil)
    Description: Allows you to monitor MIDI traffic in great detail.
    Definitely a 'must have' in anything but the simplest setup.
    Note that version 1.1 (present at some ftp sites) is buggy!       
    Blanche Cohen (blanche@diana.cair.du.edu) reports that MidiScope
    has been superseded by MIDIKeys, a shareware application, but 
    archie doesn't list a site with that program.

MiniTrax 1.54
    Source: louie.udel.edu /pub/midi/software/mac/minitrax154.hqx
    Note also: umich has /sound/midi/minitrax1.55.cpt.hqx
    Status: Free (PD demo for Altech Systems MIDIBASIC)
    Description: As it's the only free (or even cheap!) sequencer
    that I've seen for the Mac, I have to say this is a good deal!  
    Compared against equivalent offerings for the Atari ST, it's 
    very commendable.  Tidy interface, simple to use, but limited 
    editing capabilities.
    
Music Fun
    Source: louie.udel.edu /pub/midi/software/mac/MusicFun.hqx
    Status: Shareware 
    Description: Only tangentially a MIDI application.  Provides
    ear-training exercises (identifying intervals, chord qualities,
    inversions) -- a useful tool. wuarchive.wustl.edu offers what is
    probably an updated version in 
        /mirrors2/info-mac/Old/demo/music-fun-20.hqx.Z

SY77 Voice Librarian
    Source: umich sound/midi/sy77voicelibrarian.cpt.hqx
    Status: Free
    Description: A voice librarian for the SY77/TG77 series, written
    by Ralph Ritchey (urritche@mcs.drexel.edu).  Runs on system 7 or
    later (it's not clear to me whether that's a requirement).  Source
    code available from author.
    
Miscellaneous documents

    MAC-midi
    Source: louie.udel.edu /pub/midi/software/mac/MAC-midi  
    Description: How to build a MIDI interface for a Mac

    mac-to-midi-interface
    Source:
    Description: Another way to build a MIDI interface for a Mac

    Apple MIDI note [pollproc]
    Source: ftp.apple.com
    Description: Apple's technical note describing the official
    assessment of the infamous Powerbook problem, and a procedure
    which developers can embed in their applications to work
    around it.  Of interest to Powerbook programmers only.

Other sources of Mac MIDI software
----------------------------------

I haven't yet had time to investigate the following items turned up
by a recent archie search:
    wuarchive.wustl.edu 
    /mirrors2/info-mac/Old/sound/program/small-midi-interface.hqx
    /mirrors2/info-mac/Old/demo/dr-t-beyond-midi-206.hqx

The UK magazine Sound On Sound distributes PD, shareware and demo
disks for MIDI and related applications.  They list the following
items which I've not been able to locate on the networks:

    MIDIStix -- shareware drum pattern sequencer
    MIDIMagic -- 32k bulk dump librarian
    M1 MIDI Concrete -- shareware editor/librarian for Korg M1

and demos for the following products:

    Turbosynth -- waveform synthesiser
    Steinberg Cubase 1.0 -- sequencer
    Intelligent Music M -- composition aid (?)
    Opcode Vision -- sequencer
    Opcode Cue -- sync to picture tool
    Passport Trax -- sequencer
    Passport Pro -- sequencer
    Hyperstudio -- studio management aid
    Coda Finale -- scoring/notation program
    Passport Notewriter -- notation
    Passport Encore -- notation with MIDI sequencing

Their address is Sound On Sound, PO Box 30, St Ives, Cambridgeshire,
PE17 4QX, UK, fax +44 480 61786.  Disks priced at UKL7 plus UKL0.85 per
order for mailing outside UK.  If you get any of these, please place a
copy on archive.umich.edu or some other archive site, so that we can
share it!
    
Soho Soundhouse kindly provided me with demos of Steinberg Cubase 1.8
(the current version is 1.8.3), and of Passport Encore.  These demos
will not save or restore files, although in all other respects are
fully functional.  Useful to anyone considering a purchase.  Copies
have been posted to archive.umich.edu.

Copyright J R Evans (e_gs18@ub.nmh.ac.uk)
Permission to copy is hereby granted subject to the following
conditions:
    1.  This document is copied only in full and without alteration
    2.  No charge is made other than reasonable costs of materials
        or connection services. 
Xref: sparky rec.music.synth:20340 comp.music:6377 rec.music.makers:12134 rec.music.makers.synth:1839