From: kholland@hydra.unm.edu (Kiernan Holland)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.audio
Subject: Re: SunRize boards
Date: 14 Aug 92 06:14:04 GMT
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

In article <1992Aug5.222858.20299@nmt.edu> dcuddihy@nmt.edu (David Cuddihy) writes:
>
>As another person who bought the Amiga for it's music capabilities I
>have to agree: The Sunrize boards look swell and all but a bit $TEEP,
>non? Are there any competitors already out there or up and coming who
>might produce a 16-bit audio board(maybe alittle bit more pro-audio than
>multi-media...) for the Amiga platform?

No, but I have a solution to Amiga's probablems (brought on by competition
on the INTEL-based platforms).
>
>			Have fun,
>			 -Dave
>

I have proposed to others that CBM should bundle a MIDI interface and possibly
a synthesizer of some sort. Maybe they should collaborate with Roland or 
Yammaha (I'd prefer Roland since they make better products) and 
get a MT-32 based board or a 4-op FM-synth-board for the Amiga. 
All you need is to bundle the products with the Amiga. You don't really have to 
make cards or any hardware equipment. 

Here is some things to consider about Amiga+Midi+Synth bundles:

1. The existence of the bundle will incourage programmers of video games 
   and multimedia software to include specific support for the Midi interface
   and, ultimately, the synthesizer in the bundle. 

2. A Midi iterface costs less to make than a individual expansion card.

3. The 2000/500/3000 all suport MIDI's 31250 baud data rate through preferences.
   
4. Midi is fast enough that several thousand notes could be sent over 
   in one second. That means that you could hit all the keys down 
   on your keyboard and MIDI could play 20-30 more in the same second.
   The actual number of notes you will hear, however, is dependant
   on how many voices the synthesizer supports. Although, MIDI
   will try to stuff as much sound into the synthesizer as possible.
   If the synthseizer doesn't have enough voices, it will either ignore
   additional data or will re-allocate voices already playing (called clipping).

5. MIDI has support for 16 channels of data, so for a multi timbre 
   synthesizer you could play as much as 16 different instruments at once.
   (My MT-32 can play 8 different instruments in polyphonic in addition 
	to channel 10 which is reserved for drums.)

6. Many music programs already have support for MIDI (thru the 
   serial port), so you essentially have a large library of compatible
   for the bundle. 
   
   NOTE: DMCS is now selling from a mail-order outfit for 15 bucks. DMCS can 
   perform well enough to simulate a small band (with the right synths.
   For instance, I transcribed TOTO's "Pamela" from Keyboard Mag. as well as 
   some orchestrated-sheet-music for a friend. 
   DMCS has past my test, but you have to know how to write sheet music
   in it, otherwise you'll dump the program. To work with DMCS, you can't 
   take things literally the way they look. You just have to know how things
   function. For instance, a Slur doesn't really Slur under DMCS, it 
   just pushes notes into Legato. DMCS can only change presets midi 
   voices for each measure, which isn't bad, however you could kludge
   it to change presets in complex phrases. Like devoting a 1/4 meaure 
   to a guitar then using a piano for a 3/4 measure, and going back to 4/4.

7. Some synths have advanced features and voice setups that are 
   non-standard but could be supported by developers with a little effort.
   For instance, a standard Roland MT-32's support pan,volume,expression,
   sustain,aftertouch,velocity,pitch-bend and modulation data. The 
   Drum set on channel 10 can have its drums repositioned in 
   stereo space in addition (also will accept pitch-bend,pan,... data).

8. When CBM's CD-ROM comes along, CBM could enable CD+MIDI capabilities,
   turning the system into a full-fledged CDTV. 

9. MIDI is easier to install than a expansion board and you don't 
   even need expansion slots to use it. Therefore, 500 users 
   will not have to make space for another card. 

10. For a synthesizer, since the voice data is not as massive as a 
	samplers voice data, each game or program could upload its own 
	set of voice-data into the synthesizer in a few seconds (counting
	12 voices per second for a synth that requires 255 bytes per voice).

11. Since the synthesizer is not internal to the system and is MIDI compatible
	you can use it with other MIDI compatible devices, making it usful  
	for other things (such as gigs and piano lessons).

12. MIDI devices come in many forms, MIDI-activated-lights, tap-shoes,
	voice-riders, saxophones, mixers and reverbs.  

13. Amiga has a internal 4 voice sample-playback of its own,     
	so additional sound could be mixed with the synthesizer 
	using a a cheap Radio-Shack microphone mixer, for more 
	sound capabilities. 

14. Different from samplers, synthesizers do not require 
	much data to make music. A typical 8 instrument 
	(say wow) 32 voice polyphonic song lasting 5 minutes 
	would probably take less than 60K of data (including Sys-ex 
	data to define the voices).

	Since some synthesizers have thier own sequencers, 
	the Amiga could send a whole song to those snths and 
	play music using none of the CPU time between song-loads.
	But, many synths with these features cost a lot of dough (for 
	no obvious reason, IMHO).

15. MIDI has been around for 10 years (almost) so there is a 
	lot of hardware available for it, you might find a 
	Yammaha 100-preset mini-keyboard for 100 bucks with a MIDI
	IN-OUT-THRU on the back-end. Note: Yammaha's are superior 
	to Casios becuase Yammaha supports both novices and hackers 
	with seperate manuals (The technical manuals have Sys-ex
	descriptions in hex! Even on a cheap 150 dollar keyboard.)

16. Some synthseizers are virtually indistinguishable from 
	live recordings. Again, an Roland MT-32 is a good example. 
	There is a orchestrated DMCS set of songs from Phantom
	of the Opera that some composer from Hollywood (who had
	an Amiga) was kind enough to Arrange for a MT-32. It 
	is an amazing example, but with other software you can really make 
	the MT-32 sound like something off of a David Sanborn CD.

I could go on and on becuase I have used MIDI long enough to 
know how it could be used. CBM should do what I say. Word for Word.
Although, I'm no Chairman. ;-)
    

   
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.audio