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Captain_Hastings

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Posts posted by Captain_Hastings

  3. Reason 3.0 Remote protocol / MIDIbox driver

    in MIDIbox HUIs

    Posted

    Hi Rowan,

    Did you manage to check out Reason with the Korg microKontrol yet?

    I guess support for this protocol would be a good option (a MIOS app) to have a midibox that integrates well with Reason.

    Now... maybe Propellerhead themselves (?) will create a Remote "driver" for MidiBox64(E) that configs the controller just as Serge's editor does (eg. "Lock SubTractor to Controller" and it sends a sysex config). I understood that they will keep adding support for different midicontrollers over time and that Thorsten's platform is "within scope"... who knows!

  4. Reason 3.0 Remote protocol / MIDIbox driver

    in MIDIbox HUIs

    Posted

    Propellerhead Reason 3.0 now has native support for a series of control surfaces / midi controllers. What is needed is a "Remote driver" for the controller that specifies the mapping / sysex messages for displaying device labels on the controller / transport buttons / etc.

    Bitstream is now the first to release it's own Remote installer... so... it seems it is time for MIDIbox Remote support!

    A Remote file for a midi controller - only receiving midi from the controller - is easy to make, it only maps incoming midi to controls and requires to setup the MIDIbox manually according to the Reason midi spec / CC chart.

    A full controller - Reason communication (midi in and feedback / CC update midi out to the controller), including sysex config is another matter though, for which i suspect a Develoment Kit from Propellerhead is required.

    The challenge in making such a Remote "driver" would be making something that takes the flexibility and vast feature-set of the MBHP in consideration...

    Any fellow Reason 3.0 users with ideas regarding this matter?

    :)

  6. Speakjet - A PIC ready sound chip?

    in MIDIbox User Projects

    Posted

    :)

    Right, i got the SpeakJet / PC Serial / PhraseALator combination working with the LTC module.

    The Phrase Editor keeps locking up for some strange reason, but other than that everything works. I have it set to the default 9600 baud for the moment.

    With the MAX3100 module / PIC i have less success...

    I trying to echo incoming MIDI back out (PIC > SPI > MAX3100 > LTC module), but the leds don't light up, nor does my PC detect any serial activity. The TX pin of the 3100 stays high no matter what...

    :(

    My application first sends 16-bits with the write config and 16-bits with data next.

    It also one-way, i'm not reading the DOUT of the MAX3100, only CS, SCLK and DIN are used to interface with the PIC.

    If anyone wants to have a look, PM me and i'll send the code...

  7. Speakjet - A PIC ready sound chip?

    in MIDIbox User Projects

    Posted

    Small update:

    MBHP_MAX3100_002.gif

    Now what i am concerned about is the following:

    The SpeakJet does not accept actual RS-232A signal levels, and will be damaged if attempted to input these levels. In order to read data from a RS-232A type of serial data stream, a level shifter/line receiver must be used. This can be as simple as a small transistor or more robust device like the MAX232A from Maxim.

    The SpeakJet serial configuration is fixed at: 8 bits, No- Parity, and 1 stop bit (8, N, 1) and non-inverted, (RS-232 is inverted logic and higher voltages).

    But i am assuming that it is OK to connect the TX pin of the MAX3100 directly to the RCX Serial Input pin of the SpeakJet?

  11. Speakjet - A PIC ready sound chip?

    in MIDIbox User Projects

    Posted

    I'm certainly interested in experimenting... however, my MIOS/assembler skills are limited. My biggest achivement so far was getting digital pots to work with SPI and that took me quite a while...  ;)

    Let me know if you want specific help on something... (circuit testing/design/coding)

    The Atari thing is pretty different, no?

    I don't know what it can do... it's probably basic but it looks intriguing... and it is always übercool to have an old woodcabinet 2600 in your studio  ;D

  12. Speakjet - A PIC ready sound chip?

    in MIDIbox User Projects

    Posted

    Hi Lorin,

    That is way cool! Please report back with your findings with the MAX3100 (damn... if only i'd known when i ordered samples from them last week).

    ;)

    I hope to have the IC in the mail soon, and first i'm going to experiment with the 'SpeakJet SuperCarrier' from speechchips.com... There is a scheme of that circuit in this doc (scroll down on page):

    http://www.speechchips.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=18

    (uses a Maxim DS275 for serial to CMOS level serial conversion)

    Or i might buy an old Atari on ebay...

    http://www.atariage.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=295

    ;D

  14. Palm pilots as mios interfaces?

    in Design Concepts

    Posted

    You can do some kewl stuff with an old Palm Pilot... like adding a midi out port.

    I once built one for my old Handspring Visor and it works ok. Even wrote a small app that allowed to vary 2 midi CCs X/Y axis style with the stylus.

    This soft is pretty nice as well:

    Playmidi

    BeatPad

    Once my SID midibox is in a housing i'm going to experiment with Palm midi out -> SID + clock sync to a GameBoy with Nanoloop.

    Oldskool bliss....  ;D

  16. Midibox 64 2.3 / Ableton Live / Soft-takeover

    in Design Concepts

    Posted

    I want to use my midibox (Midibox 64 2.3) with ableton Live (3.0.4 / 4  ;D), but there's something i can't figure out...

    In Live the Remote Control is configured to midi in and out, connected to my midibox.

    My midibox is configured with the merger OFF and the pots set to snap...

    In ableton i assign a volume fader to a pot and set the map mode to absolute.

    And now the problem:

    - if i move the fader in Live, the midibox updates and sets the snap flag for the pot

    - if i turn the pot past the snap-point on the midibox, the fader in Live jumps for a split-second and then the snap value on the midibox is again set to a value near the original snap value

    In other words:

    - the midi input in Live directly generates midi output to update the values

    - this way the snap bit is constantly set on the midibox whenever the pot is past the snap point, constantly freezing the pot so you cannot use it...

    :'(

    Is there something that can be done about this on the midibox side, or is the problem in ableton Live?

    How does this work in Cubase/Logic/Sonar etc.?

    thanks for any help & cheers!

  18. Digitally controlled resistors

    in MIDIfication

    Posted

    There is a sample of the prototype here:

    http://compiler.kaustic.net/fm_offline/mp3/bigmuff_001.zip

    First you'll hear me turn up the distortion, next the volume. You'll notice the hum at the beginning of the sample from the adapter used to power the Core module. The effect itself is powered by a 9V battery and analog and digital grounds are connected.

    I'm now struggling with powering everything by a PSU built into the rack... ground loops and hum cycles ahoy!

    ;)

    The AOUT module was soldered on "3-hole island" vectorboard and follows this circuit :

    c_ad5204_trans.gif

    It's not that hard to build.

    I've got a design for a PCB, but haven't verified that. I may put the link here later...

    The AOUT driver can be found here: http://compiler.kaustic.net/fm_offline/fm_006/aout_AD5204.inc

    You can use it like this:

          ;; update the digipot
      movff      POT_VALUE, MIOS_PARAMETER1      ; value
      movf      POT_NUMBER, W                  ; potnr
      call      AOUT_AD5204

    The effects themselves you can find all over the net, some good sites are:

    www.tonepad.com

    www.generalguitargadgets.com

    www.runoffgroove.com

    www.diystompboxes.com

    The current build of the FilthMunster firmware is very basic and rough, not very userfriendly but okay to test. It needs some effort before i can post this.

    I can't say if i'm going to finish or continue this, it depends on time and other projects going on...

    Hope you'll be able to do something with this!

    cheers!

  19. Digitally controlled resistors

    in MIDIfication

    Posted

    About the digital pots, i have the MIOS code  (SPI interface based on the AOUT module of TK) and board layout for controlling the Analog Devices AD5204 if anyone is interested.

    The poblem with replacing pots using this method is noise...

    I had a lot of fun experimenting with the "Filth Munster" project and learned a lot about guitar effects and MIOS.

    But i'm close to giving up and going back to good ol' pots and 9V batteries. Good shielding and eliminating hum is sometimes hard enough even *without* mixing digital and analog circuitry...

    ;D

    There is a thread with helpfull comments by Duggle about this:

    http://www.midibox.org/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=concepts;action=display;num=1074794017;start=10

  24. what is this stuff anyway?

    in Design Concepts

    Posted

    in a nutshell:

    The MidiBox projects (Midibox64, NG, etc) are Midi-controllers.

    They send midi data that can be used to control harware synths or softsynths/audio apps (Reason, Live, Logic, Cubase...)

    You can use a number of input means (buttons, potentiometers, encoders) and those are translated to midi events like note-on/off, pitchbend, control value etc...

    cheers!

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