Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!cbmvax!rutgers!mcnc!uvaarpa!virginia!boole!pmy
From: pmy@boole.acc.virginia.edu (Pete Yadlowsky)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Using serial/MIDI port with other programs
Message-ID: <407@boole.acc.virginia.edu>
Date: 2 Feb 88 16:13:12 GMT
References: <1119@raybed2.UUCP>
Organization: Academic Computing Center, University of Va.
Lines: 28
Keywords: MIDI Serial

In article <1119@raybed2.UUCP>, crb@raybed2.UUCP (CHRIS BURTTON) writes:
> 	I want to open the serial port as a MIDI port to send data
> 	to my CZ1000.  I want to use the program while using Deluxe
> 	Music.  Can I open the port as Non-Exclusive access and not
> 	affect Deluxe Music (or any other MIDI program either)?

Yes, but it's more complicated than you may think. MIDI messages exist
as contiguous streams of bytes which may not (except for a few special cases)
be interrupted. If you're going to share the serial port among several MIDI
processes, you've got to insure that messages are merged properly before
output and distributed to all interested tasks on input. Unfortunately,
Deluxe Music has no provisions for such port sharing, and probably grabs
it exclusively anyway. But, if you're writing your own stuff, there is
a PD midi.library ("sales" pitch time once again!) which automatically
handles serial port sharing, and a whole lot of other things. Write
me for details.

> 	If I change the baud rate, will it affect other programs using 
> 	the port?

Well, there's only one physical serial port and it can only run one
baud rate at a time.

-- 
Pete Yadlowsky
Academic Computing Center
University of Virginia
e-mail: pmy@vivaldi.acc.virginia.EDU