MIDI from Mac -> softsynths on PC?

[Geoffrey]

I've got a decent Mac here, with a functional MIDI interface that
connects via RS-422c (an early OpCode 1x4 with passthrough switch). I
have a much more powerful PC here as well, without a functional MIDI
interface -- the onboard one just won't go, period, and I don't have the
funds yet for a USB interface.

What I just pondered, was: Is it possible to have, say, a MIDI keyboard
plugged into the Mac and via ethernet (or a direct serial connection)
have what this MIDI keyboard is generating and transmit it complete to
the PC?

(Yamaha V50 -> OpCode -> Mac -> [ethernet/serial-link] -> PC)

Thoughts?


Geoffrey

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[Gerry]

I have a much more powerful PC here as well, without a functional
MIDI interface -- the onboard one just won't go, period, and I don't
have the funds yet for a USB interface.

How powerful is the PC if it can't deal with midi? It's just a
configuration problem? A simple midi/usb interface is not exensive at
all. Midiman makes some dirt-cheap ones I believe.

[Geoffrey]

Post by Gerry

I have a much more powerful PC here as well, without a functional
MIDI interface -- the onboard one just won't go, period, and I don't
have the funds yet for a USB interface.

How powerful is the PC if it can't deal with midi?

AMD 2600+ 2.1 GHz

Post by Gerry
It's just a configuration problem?

No, the motherboard I've chosen has a design flaw and the onboard
gameport 401 just won't go, despite the manufacturers having a go at an
official mod to repair it.

Post by Gerry
A simple midi/usb interface is not exensive at > all. Midiman makes
some dirt-cheap ones I believe.

The 2x2 is A$190 here, and I don't have that kind of cash available,
hence the request.


Geoffrey

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[Gerry]

Post by Geoffrey

Post by Gerry
How powerful is the PC if it can't deal with midi?

AMD 2600+ 2.1 GHz

That's powerful. Amazing that godzilla can't lift a 2 pound weight.

Post by Geoffrey

Post by Gerry
It's just a configuration problem?

No, the motherboard I've chosen has a design flaw and the onboard
gameport 401 just won't go, despite the manufacturers having a go at an
official mod to repair it.

A motherboard with a "design flaw' that overlooks midi i/o is more than
a "design flaw". It's broken. Ooops--did their design overlook it? I
don't know from 401 game ports, can you buy an add on and put it where
there's doesn't work?

Post by Geoffrey

Post by Gerry
A simple midi/usb interface is not exensive at > all. Midiman makes
some dirt-cheap ones I believe.

The 2x2 is A$190 here, and I don't have that kind of cash available,
hence the request.

Is'nt there something smaller. A 1 by 1?

Well okay then, sorry about your situation. I can't do support on PC"s
anyway. Certainly not on muscle-PC's with "design flaws". Everytime I
start talking PC's with folks I'm clearly out of my element. It's
broke. Sorry.

[Geoffrey]

Post by Gerry
A motherboard with a "design flaw' that overlooks midi i/o is more than
a "design flaw". It's broken.

Yes, its broken :)

The story is, in short, after doing much research (this was to be my
first big PC) I settled on an EPoX 8-RGA+ because it had onboard
everything (inc. graphics) and was considered very highly in many forums
and groups that I asked. Its onboard sound was also very very good -- up
there with the mid-range Santa Cruz card, and did SP-DIF -- so I thought
I was onto a winner here.

Sadly, though, the board was based around Nvidia's "nForce2"
board-controller chipset, and Nvidia made a mistake in their design
implementation notes that effectively grounded out the MIDI input port
and the data-sense line of the onboard gameport, controlled by some kind
of WinBond chip. It was still possible to *transmit* MIDI, just not
receive it.

EPoX weren't the only company affected by this hiccup, and it took quite
a while for the glitch to be discovered (by EPoX and Asus) because,
well, who in their right minds uses gameport-based game controllers
these days, and no MIDI musician worth their salt would use a
soundcard-based MPU-401 interface because the USB ones were so much
better.

Post by Gerry

Post by Geoffrey
The 2x2 is A$190 here, and I don't have that kind of cash available,
hence the request.

Is'nt there something smaller. A 1 by 1?

Not that I've been able to find that I can plug into the USB ports.

Post by Gerry
Well okay then, sorry about your situation. I can't do support on PC"s
anyway.

That's cool, I would've much rather upgraded my Mac to something decent,
but finances were extremely limited (and still are). To get a decent Mac
for my music would've cost me A$1,500 (and that was just to get a
second-hand mid-range G4), to upgrade the PC hulk I had, from Celeron
500 to AMD 2 GHz, was A$490. Then there was the software to buy.

(And then I discovered the MIDI problem, spent money having the thing
going backwards and forwards for replacement and repairs, then my aging
Mac died *anyway* necessitating a new chassis ... sigh ... every time
I've had the money for a USB MIDI interface, something has come up and
cleaned me out.)

Thanks for your input, though.


Geoffrey

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[Gerry]

Post by Geoffrey
(And then I discovered the MIDI problem, spent money having the thing
going backwards and forwards for replacement and repairs, then my aging
Mac died *anyway* necessitating a new chassis ... sigh ... every time
I've had the money for a USB MIDI interface, something has come up and
cleaned me out.)

Jesus what a nightmare of time and money. Makes you wanna get a sax
and sit on the porch doesn't it?

I've started playing more and more accoustic guitar in the living room
so I can get away from these gizmos. Two hours in a perfectly
operative studio still ends with me under the desk (figuratively or
otherwise) pulling wire and trying to debug some blemish of throughput.

Sitting in the living room playing bossa and jazz unfettered by the
"advancements" of modern music technology can be a transcendant
experience.

[Geoffrey]

Post by Gerry
Jesus what a nightmare of time and money. Makes you wanna get a sax
and sit on the porch doesn't it?

Yup.

I'm more productive just firing up the ol' V50 and bunging some cheesy
wafty stuff into the thing's little tape-recorder-like 8 track sequencer
and saving it to floppy.


Geoffrey

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[Jeffery S. Jones]

Post by Gerry

Post by Geoffrey

Post by Gerry
How powerful is the PC if it can't deal with midi?

AMD 2600+ 2.1 GHz

That's powerful. Amazing that godzilla can't lift a 2 pound weight.

Not if it is crippled ;-)

Post by Gerry

Post by Geoffrey

Post by Gerry
It's just a configuration problem?

No, the motherboard I've chosen has a design flaw and the onboard
gameport 401 just won't go, despite the manufacturers having a go at an
official mod to repair it.

A motherboard with a "design flaw' that overlooks midi i/o is more than
a "design flaw". It's broken. Ooops--did their design overlook it? I
don't know from 401 game ports, can you buy an add on and put it where
there's doesn't work?

Yes, a sound card with MIDI I/O would work, if a slot is available.
I've run into the annoying "onboard game port won't work for MIDI"
issue. Or it does work, but only for output, not input.

Current models tend to have no game/MIDI port on them at all. Game
controllers use USB now.

Post by Gerry

Post by Geoffrey

Post by Gerry
A simple midi/usb interface is not exensive at > all. Midiman makes
some dirt-cheap ones I believe.

The 2x2 is A$190 here, and I don't have that kind of cash available,
hence the request.

Is'nt there something smaller. A 1 by 1?

Yes, can't recall the model, but a single port device would do the
job and shouldn't be too expensive.

Post by Gerry
Well okay then, sorry about your situation. I can't do support on PC"s
anyway. Certainly not on muscle-PC's with "design flaws". Everytime I
start talking PC's with folks I'm clearly out of my element. It's
broke. Sorry.