6.1.4) What MIDI interfaces are there for the Atari?

From Wikipedia (10.28.2012): MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is an electronic musical instrument industry specification that enables a wide variety of digital musical instruments, computers and other related devices to connect and communicate with one another. It is a set of standard commands that allows electronic musical instruments, performance controllers, computers and related devices to communicate, as well as a hardware standard that guarantees compatibility between them. MIDI OUT, MIDI IN, and MIDI THRU interface connectors listed below are: DIN-5 180 Socket - female Several MIDI interfaces have been designed for the 8-bit Atari computers: MIDIMATE AND COMPATIBLE ======================= MIDIMate, by Hybrid Arts (Bob Moore) - Has MIDI OUT, MIDI IN, SYNC OUT (phono jack), SYNC IN (phono jack) ports - Connects to the Atari via SIO (must be at end of SIO chain) - Uses SIO Motor Control; only one such device can be attached to the system at a time. - Introduced Jan. 1984 at NAMM (National Association of Music Manufacturers) with MIDITrack sequencer program - Also shipped with: MIDITrack II (1984), MIDITrack III (1985; 128KiB XL/XE) - Sold separately or distributed by Hybrid Arts for the MIDIMate: - MIDITrack III (1985; 128KiB XL/XE) - DX-Editor (for the Yamaha DX7 and TX series) - GenPatch (generic patch library system) - MIDICom (MIDI Telecommunications) (1986) - MIDIPatch for the Yamaha DX-7 & TX tone rack (1985) - MIDIPatch for the Casio CZ-101 & CZ-1000 (1985) - Oasis (visual editing system for the Ensoniq Mirage & 128KiB XL/XE; 1986) - MIDI Music System (MMS) (1986) - by Synthetic Software (Lee Actor/Gary Levenberg) - Based on Advanced MusicSystem II - Includes an AMS to MMS conversion program - K3 Wave Table Editor (64KiB XL/XE) (Charles Faris for Kawai America) - Other software: - MIDI Maze, by Michael Park for Xanth F/X (prototype for Atari, 1989) MIDIMax, by Wizztronics (Steve Cohen) (1988) - Provides MIDI OUT and MIDI IN ports - Connects to the Atari via SIO; provides SIO port for daisy chain - Compatible with the earlier MIDIMate by Hybrid Arts - Shipped with MIDI Music System (MMS) by Synthetic Software MIDIMate-Interface V2, by ABBUC HardWareDoc (2011) - Provides MIDI OUT, MIDI IN, and MIDI THRU ports - Connects to the Atari via SIO - Two versions: 1) Must be at end of SIO chain 2) Provides SIO port for daisy chain - Compatible with the earlier MIDIMate by Hybrid Arts - See: http://www.abbuc.de/~hardwaredoc/projekte/hardware/midi/midimate.html MIDI MASTER AND COMPATIBLE ========================== MIDI Master, by 2 Bit Systems (1986) - Later units produced by Gralin International - Cable connects to the Atari via SIO and provides two 5-pin DIN sockets (female) at the other end, for MIDI OUT and MIDI IN (cable must be at end of SIO chain) - Shipped with several programs on disk - 8 track real time sequencer with tempo correction - Casio CZ series voice editor (edit and store voices on disk/tape) - Yamaha DX 100/21 series voice editor - Music player program (Music Computer or Advanced MusicSystem II) - DX7 voice editor - CZ menu and keyboard split utility - Extensive review: http://www.page6.org/pd_lib/page6/pd_midimaster.htm MIDIMaster II, by Gralin International (1992) - Provides MIDI OUT and MIDI IN ports - Connects to the Atari via SIO (must be at end of SIO chain) - Compatible with the earlier MIDI Master by 2 Bit Systems - Shipped with several programs on disk - updated versions of those shipped with the earlier MIDI Master by 2 Bit Systems OTHER MIDI INTERFACES ===================== Atari MIDI Interface, by Karlheinz Metscher (appeared in the German magazine Computer Kontakt June/July 1986, pages 69-75, complete with documentation, schematics and its first program "MIDI Receiver"; in Computer Kontakt October/November 1986 appeared the second program, called "MIDI Disk" - a MIDI Recorder and Player program); MIDI Interface for Atari XE / XL (public domain project) - Project published by Ireneusz Kuczek in Elektronika Praktyczna 6/98, p.86-88, see: http://ep.com.pl/files/6133.pdf - Several versions: - Provides MIDI OUT port - Provides MIDI OUT and MIDI IN ports - Provides two MIDI OUT ports and one MIDI IN port - Connects to the Atari via SIO (must be at end of SIO chain) - Software: - MIDI Sequencer 1.15, by Maciej Sygit (1993) - MPE v2.3 MIDI Pattern Editor, version 2.3, by Radek Sterba (1995) - Recorder MIDI ver 1.1, by Ireneusz Kuczek (1997) - MIDI-Play v1.3, by Ireneusz Kuczek (1998) - Project website: http://ixkuczek.republika.pl/ixkuczek.html MidiJoy, by Phobotron (Frederik Holst), 2014 - MidiJoy is a software/interface combination that allows you to use your Atari as a musical instrument. The interface part emulates a USB-MIDI (serial MIDI is optional) device that can be accessed by any kind of instrument as well as sequencer software on a PC or Mac that can output MIDI data. The MidiJoy software receives these data from the interface via the joystick ports and plays them on the POKEY sound-chip. In contrast to most SIO-based MIDI interfaces, a MidiJoy-driven Atari can be used as a live instrument in real time with up to four sound channels simultaneously. At the same time, all POKEY parameters (AUDCTL, AUDC1-4) can be changed on-the- fly as well as activation of ADSR envelopes. Music input can be recorded and saved to disk. - Project website: http://www.phobotron.de/midijoy_en.html