Re: Need IIe, IIgs MIDI software

[Mitch Monger <m@m.com>]

> Michael J. Mahon replied:
Mitch Monger wrote:

<snip>

> The //e is quite MIDI-capable, too, and several sequencers
> were written for it--they're just harder to find.

The only one I've found is Passport Design's Master Tracks Pro. I 
have a vague recollection that there was also one named Trax? I 
finally got the a version of Master Tracks Pro from a IIgs 
website, and I'm hoping it will be compatible with the IIe (one 
can always hope).

> <snip>

> The SID chip in the C=64 was a very capable synthesizer--

I've read recently that the SID was put together in a severe time 
crunch. It's truly a work of genius. I think the designer, Bob 
Yannes was even surprised at how well it turned out. He had more 
time when he made the 5503DOC, and was able to perfect it.

Correction: I've been calling this chip the ES 5503, but I think 
it's better referred to as the 5503DOC (Digital Oscillator 
Circuit), or just DOC. Ensoniq called it the "Q chip" because it 
was in their Q line of synths, but it's actually more often 
referred to as the DOC. This makes more sense in relation to the SID.

<snip>

> The one-bit speaker toggle was the only standard audio support
> on the Apple II line until the IIgs, and its extreme simplicity
> lowered developers'--and users'--aspirations substantially.

Except for yours Michael, and many people are very happy about 
that. If only more people had the time or desire to do such things.

<snip>

> There were much more capable add-ons created for the Apple II,
> even early in its life--the Mountain Music System is a premier
> example.  But this was a very expensive add-on, and that made
> it a "musician's tool", not a "popular" device.  As a result,
> its market was extremely limited, with the result that very
> little (but excellent) software was written to exploit it.

Yes, Bob Yannes said something very revealing about that at:

http://www.synthmuseum.com/ensoniq/

"Unlike most of the American manufactures who had come before 
them, Ensoniq did not go for the high-end market. We have always 
courted the mass market in music. We know you could build 
high-end equipment that's really superb and that you'd be able to 
sell for a little while to a certain number of people, but sooner 
or later someone's going to come along and stomp on you because 
the technology will allow them to produce something that's almost 
as good as what you've got for less. I think our going for the 
larger market is more of a Japanese philosophy. There is no 
significant longterm growth potential in high-market."

This is why Mountain Hardware Inc. is long long gone, and why 
Ensoniq is still around as part of the E-mu/Ensoniq division of 
Creative Technologies. Too bad Creative is in the red right now, 
what with the costs of lawsuits with Apple, and the killer 
competition from the iPod. Pretty ironic considering Ensoniq's 
history with Apple.

<snip>

> The Ensoniq chip is far superior, but the level of effort
> put into harnessing it in the IIgs platform should be
> regarded as near minimal.  If serious electronic musicians
> became sufficiently interested in the IIgs as a synthesizer
> platform, great results are achievable.

Well, I've heard it from the horses mouth! (sorry Michael, your 
not really a horse :) All I can say is *YES!!!*

<snip>

>> The sounds coming out of todays SIDs are
>>comparable to what came out of the Ensoniqs synths. How
>>far could the 5503s go?
>
> I think your opinion is accurate.  Unless someone gets
> really interested in the IIgs and music, we may never know.

Thanks. I'm glad my opinion was accurate. It's about time! Too 
bad I can't program my way out of a paper bag yet. But I *can* 
gather info for other people.

What I'd like to see is someone adapt a DOC chip to a MIDIbox. 
The SID is a 28 pin chip and the DOC is 40 pin. There would 
certainly be a bunch of soldering and programming involved, but 
the rewards would be huge. The Apple chip would kick the 
Commodore chip's butt! Ah, the rivalry! Remember the good ol' 
days when you thought Microsoft was a drug for erectile 
dysfunction? Um, well, it actually is, but that's beside the point.

I've found an excellent web page with info on the 5503DOC 
(including pinouts):

http://www.buchty.net/ensoniq/5503.html

and on the main page of this impressive site:

http://www.buchty.net/ensoniq/

is an intriguing link to PDFs of a 1980s zine called "Transonique 
Hacker," which is full of detailed info.

Here are the pinouts of the SID:

http://www.amiga-stuff.com/hardware/sid.html

And here again is the MIDIbox SID page, which is crammed with info:

http://www.ucapps.de/midibox_sid.html

-Mitch