Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!apple!amdahl!JUTS!news From: rzv30@cccvm.ccc.amdahl.com (Rene' A. Vega) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.audio Subject: Re: Multitasking sequencers Message-ID: Date: 27 Jun 91 03:34:22 GMT References: Sender: netnews@ccc.amdahl.com Reply-To: rzv30@cccvm.ccc.amdahl.com (Rene' A. Vega) Organization: Circum Design Lines: 32 Well... it depends on how the various sequencers acquire the serial port resources and the timer resources. If the sequencers use the serial.device and opens that device with the nonexclusive flag set (shared) the two sequencers can send output somewhat simultaneously. Input is another matter since there is no splitter function available out of the serial device. If the sequencers require the same CIA timer, then it's not possible for them to run simultaneously. As you said Music-X allows you to choose a specific CIA timer. MIDI Magic II chooses one of two CIA timers depending on availability. I think Bars & Pipes uses the HPOS timer (a rather novel approach), so it's likely to coexist with just about any other sequencer. Nevertheless, this isn't exactly what you're looking for. > I'm trying to multitask 2 sequencers with no luck so far. What I'd like to > do is send midi out from MED to midi in of Music-X, but Music-X locks > everything else out from the serial port. What you need is a software MIDI mixer - something that will allow you to pipe output from one program to the other. A simple pipe device is not enough because there are event atomicity and other arcane issues to deal with when merging or splitting MIDI events. Bill Barton's MIDI library performs that function, but as far as I know, none of the PD or commercial sequencers use it. Last I recall it was a bit slow on 68000 machines (perhaps others can comment on this). I was working on a MIDI mixer product, but set it aside temporarily because Commodore was rumored to be working on something just like it. Rene' A. Vega *** the original renegade ***