Re: [NTLK] NEWTON & MUSIC Apps

From: John Johnson (kamikazebear_at_excite.com)
Date: Sun Aug 26 2001 - 19:30:34 EDT


On Sun, 26 Aug 2001 11:14:02 +0000, newtontalk_at_newtontalk.net wrote:

>
> Fellas,
> I don't think we have to imagine this as being a big and complicated as
> Cubase or Logic or even Digital Performer. I think a project like this
would
> benefit from looking into how very early pre-PowerMac MIDI sequencers
(80's
> and early 90's) functioned. I'll try to find info or screenshots of early
> sequencers like Vision, and others.
>
> Just a basic MIDI sequencer that allowed a few MIDI tracks. With record,
> play etc., buttons. The ability to save of course these songs as
exportable
> (X-Portable?) files, you know, .mid files. Which really are not large at
> all. They only hold basic info for "triggering" the on and off notes,
etc.
>
> General MIDI sounds reside inside General MIDI instruments.
>
> Then if that works and with the ATA drivers finalized, then maybe digital
> audio. But I think that feature really is more suited for a desktop
> environment.
>
> The purpose of making a Newton MP2x00 a Personal Music Assistant would
> simply be to just allow for a less cumbersome, FAST access and FAST
jotting
> of ideas down. But, without a big laptop.
>
> Another thing that could be developed aside or as an extra feature would
be
> perhaps a package that held General MIDI sounds similar to QuickTime
Musical
> Instruments, which uses Roland GM digitized sounds so you can use a small
> portable keyboard MIDI controller (which would be small and with not
> internal General MDI sounds).
>
> Yes, you can use QTMusical Instruments as a sound generator on a Mac
without
> a huge keyboard or sound module! The purpose here of course is to set
aside
> a huge PowerBook and breathe new life to the Newton Platform and satisfy
a
> market that was really not satisfied when there was active Newton
> development.
>
> I'm telling you it can be done and with the assistance of a musicians and
> MIDI enthusiasts, it shouldn't be too big an undertaking. Why I feel like
> this is because if you try the Newton app NewtonWidget NR404 it basically
is
> a sequencer with drum sounds but un-savable.
>
> Take a look at that and it really does serve as an example =of what could
be
> a NewtSequencer!
>
> Sorry for this being so long!
> Hope it brought some ideas to developers and you, the Newton Musician!
>
> - Gary-z
>
> > I agree that such an undertaking would be quite a... well, undertaking.
> > I did a little web browsing last night and wasn't having much luck
> > coming up with a PCMCIA card that would fit the solution. Anyone?
> > Ideally, it would have headphone output as well.
> >
> > John
> >
> >> Music apps would be great.
> >>
> >> The idea of the Newton as a portable studio tool or even a live tool
is an
> >> intriguing one. I don't know if other PDA's have gone down this route
but
> >> it does make sense. I would think the 2x00 series have enough
processing
> >> power to handle working with MIDI.
> >>
> >> I'm not a programmer but I imagine undertaking such a project would be
no
> >> mean feat and while I personally would love to see it, I can't
> >> honestly see
> >> it coming.
>
>
Cool! I was waiting for this kind of idea to crop up from both the developer
and user ends.
1 Having recently picked up a copy of Newt Development Environment
(courtesy of Steve Weyer and I suppose I'll get the full faq on the sound
system handles as soon as I can stump up the registration) and, from then
on, keyboard and screen i/o would be enough to provide the range of controls
for the usual file control stuff and voice editing (attack, sustain and
decay) and simple scoring: you can get most of the above from the screen
menus if you have an early pad: it should be written to be usable throughout
the newt range whether keyboarded or not, so we are looking for NOS 1.0
compatibility as well as 2+!
2 Surely someone somewhere should have the hardware specifics on the
PCMCIA port so something could be fitted but I have a notion that not all
that many of the connections are needed and, to have the functionality of a
standardish MIDI port it may not even need more than one or two principal
chips.

Nice thing of having that sort of package, with or without a MIDI port, is
to feel free to play around with an idea with less commitment to getting to
"the finished product" than if you were in some studio with a lot of heavy
kit and, of course, even more so if you are composing on a pocketable pad,
you can always have it handy in case some sequence of notes turns in your
mind into something worth taking further: such ideas would otherwise have
died an unnatural death if you had to wait for some laptop to boot.

Wild thought... As long as there is a desktop MIDI machine with which to
connect, we don't need a MIDI card in the newt. Maybe control via the IR?

One thing about a supposedly ex-product is that we have to think outside the
box because of making our cool device even cooler and, of course, because
that is the way we are anyway!

John J.
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