Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cornell!uw-beaver!microsoft!brianw
From: brianw@microsoft.UUCP (Brian Willoughby)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: Computers & MIDI
Summary: Consider your budget and software needs first.
Keywords: Apple II, Atari ST, MIDI
Message-ID: <530@microsoft.UUCP>
Date: 11 Feb 89 01:10:43 GMT
References: <8902081028.aa08524@SMOKE.BRL.MIL> <2246@puff.cs.wisc.edu>
Organization: Microsoft Corp., Redmond WA
Lines: 37

In article <2246@puff.cs.wisc.edu>, blochowi@cat28.CS.WISC.EDU (Jason Blochowiak) writes:
> 
>  It also has a builtin MIDI port (In and Out, no builtin Thru, but it can
> be added with a minor hardware hack), and is fairly inexepensive for what you
> get.

Buying an Atari ST because it has a built-in MIDI port is like buying a
particular car just because it comes with a sterio. You can buy a car more
suited to your needs and get your own 'sterio' easily, and usually get better
features (i.e. the Apple II MIDI interface has a THRU port without any
"hardware hack"). As far as standards go, the Passport Apple MIDI interface is
fairly standard with the software.

If you're into "hacking", you can build your own Passport compatible MIDI
interface like I did for my Apple II Plus.

> 	My reason for recommending the ST over the gs: The //gs is just too
> slow... Anything beneath that (the //c, for example) doesn't have much in the
> way of software available for it. If you're not planning on going very far
> with the MIDI stuff, the //gs might be fine for you, but if you plan on
> becoming a bit more serious later on, the ST is (in my opinion) a better
> choice.

This is true of the graphically oriented GS software. But I don't need all the
fancy pictures, just the end result of MIDI music. KCS (Keyboard Controlled
Sequencer) for the Apple is not pretty to look at, but it does a great job of
allowing songs to be built up from various parts. Any of the Apple II line is
fast enough for MIDI, unless you want complicated HiRes graphics at the same
time. I have written a few sequencing programs for my MIDI card, and there is
plenty of CPU speed to handle large chunks of System Exclusive data at full
MIDI speed. In fact, I wrote a SysEx program for the Yamaha QX5 Sequencer to
transfer sequences over MIDI (and a program to play them back on the Apple),
and I had to slow down the transmission to meet Yamaha's specifications!!!

If you have the money, get a Mac MIDI system, and enjoy the biggest market of
graphic MIDI software. But, if you are like me and don't have money to burn,
get an Apple II and trade the graphics for monetary savings.