The Yamaha AN1x Synthesizer mailing list

Ok, will do my best to describe what I am trying to achieve here and 
hope it all makes sense to you guys. I have many talents but getting 
my head round midi is apparently not one of them.

I have an old laptop, a ThinkPad 760EL, well actually I have two of 
them. One is running Win98 the other 2000 pro. No usb. I want to use 
this laptop to run AN1x edit to send patches etc to my AN1x. 
Apparently I can buy a serial midi interface connecting to the 9 pin 
serial port. This will cost me around 80 pounds sterling. I have 
however looked at another solution. The Yamaha TG100 sound module has 
a "To Host" 8pin mini din socket, which connects, to the 9 pin serial 
port on the laptop. This has midi in, out and thru connections. I can 
pick one of these up for around 50 pounds or less. So this is the 
cheaper option and I also get a GM sound module. My question is this. 
If I connect the sound module to the laptop, then my AN1x to the midi 
ports on the sound module, will I still be able to send/receive 
patches on the AN1x? Obviously the computer is no longer directly 
connected to the midi in of the AN1x but is going through the sound 
module. Does this mean the sound module will receive the signal and 
not the AN1x?

All this means is that I have to connect the midi in and out from the 
sound module to the in and out of the AN1x. If I want to use the An1x 
as the master controller on my set-up, does this mean I have to then 
connect the midi thru on the AN1x to the next instrument in my set-
up. If so then what is the best way to do this. Do I need a midi thru 
box? I have a Korg N364, an Alesis Data disk and a Boss Dr77o all to 
hook up to the system.

Sorry for so many questions. This is doing my head in.

Thanks for your time.

Alan

Hi Alan,

Without checking (the 'Manual Library' under 'Useful Stuff' at
www.yamaha.co.uk - wait a sec, I've discovered it here as well:
http://www.yamaha.com/ycaservice/mp4model/tg100.htm), I'd be assuming the
"To Host" connector on the TG100 is strictly to allow communication between
the computer and the TG100. While I could be wrong, I don't expect the "To
Host" communication data is relayed to the MIDI ports on the TG100.

That being the case, the £80 MIDI interface is your only option.

Phil 

From: "nuvalerium" <alan@...>
Reply-To: AN1x-list@yahoogroups.com
Date: Sun, 03 Feb 2002 10:38:22 -0000
To: AN1x-list@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [AN1x] Help please


Ok, will do my best to describe what I am trying to achieve here and
hope it all makes sense to you guys. I have many talents but getting
my head round midi is apparently not one of them.

I have an old laptop, a ThinkPad 760EL, well actually I have two of
them. One is running Win98 the other 2000 pro. No usb. I want to use
this laptop to run AN1x edit to send patches etc to my AN1x.
Apparently I can buy a serial midi interface connecting to the 9 pin
serial port. This will cost me around 80 pounds sterling. I have
however looked at another solution. The Yamaha TG100 sound module has
a "To Host" 8pin mini din socket, which connects, to the 9 pin serial
port on the laptop. This has midi in, out and thru connections. I can
pick one of these up for around 50 pounds or less. So this is the
cheaper option and I also get a GM sound module. My question is this.
If I connect the sound module to the laptop, then my AN1x to the midi
ports on the sound module, will I still be able to send/receive
patches on the AN1x? Obviously the computer is no longer directly
connected to the midi in of the AN1x but is going through the sound
module. Does this mean the sound module will receive the signal and
not the AN1x?

All this means is that I have to connect the midi in and out from the
sound module to the in and out of the AN1x. If I want to use the An1x
as the master controller on my set-up, does this mean I have to then
connect the midi thru on the AN1x to the next instrument in my set-
up. If so then what is the best way to do this. Do I need a midi thru
box? I have a Korg N364, an Alesis Data disk and a Boss Dr77o all to
hook up to the system.

Sorry for so many questions. This is doing my head in.

Thanks for your time.

Alan





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Alan,

I agree with Phil's assessment that the Yamaha interface probably does not include a Generic MIDI path, although it would probably be worth your while to check with Yamaha to be certain.

If that is the case, your options are 1) the serial interface that you mentioned ( or another serial interface, as there were many varieties out there at one point); or 2) a parallel port interface, like those made by Mark of the Unicorn (MOTU) and Opcode/Music Quest.

On Option 2:  I used a Music Quest 'Note1'  parallel-port adapter with Win98 for several years.  It worked well, and the only complaint I could come up with is that it is not plug-and-play; the Note1 must be connected to the parallel port when you boot into Windows, or it isn't recognized.  I only paid about $85US for a new one, so I would suspect that a used model would fetch considerably less than 80 pounds.  (I sold mine for about $30US.)  The downside is that Opcode no longer even supports the product.  If you end up going this route, keep a spare copy of the drivers in a safe place.

I've also heard good things about the MOTU MIDI Express/XT, but it is considerably more expensive, as it's an 8x8 patchbay (with SMPTE?).  I believe that they have a half-rack 4x4 equivalent, too.

Regards,

-BW

--
Bruce Wahler
Ashby Solutions\ufffd   http://music.ashbysolutions.com
CloneWheel Support Group moderator
978.386.7389  voice/fax
bruce@...

I haven't played with the TG100, however all other Yamaha devices that I
use with TO HOST do allow routing of MIDI to/from the external ports. So
assuming the TG100 also provides this, then what you propose should
work. (However check the manual to confirm the TG100 capability as it is
an old module, it should show a diagram of the TO HOST routing)

Regards

Gary Gregson

Email:gary@...
http://www.yme.co.uk/yme 

-----Original Message-----
From: nuvalerium [mailto:alan@...] 
Sent: 03 February 2002 10:38
To: AN1x-list@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [AN1x] Help please

Ok, will do my best to describe what I am trying to achieve here and 
hope it all makes sense to you guys. I have many talents but getting 
my head round midi is apparently not one of them.

I have an old laptop, a ThinkPad 760EL, well actually I have two of 
them. One is running Win98 the other 2000 pro. No usb. I want to use 
this laptop to run AN1x edit to send patches etc to my AN1x. 
Apparently I can buy a serial midi interface connecting to the 9 pin 
serial port. This will cost me around 80 pounds sterling. I have 
however looked at another solution. The Yamaha TG100 sound module has 
a "To Host" 8pin mini din socket, which connects, to the 9 pin serial 
port on the laptop. This has midi in, out and thru connections. I can 
pick one of these up for around 50 pounds or less. So this is the 
cheaper option and I also get a GM sound module. My question is this. 
If I connect the sound module to the laptop, then my AN1x to the midi 
ports on the sound module, will I still be able to send/receive 
patches on the AN1x? Obviously the computer is no longer directly 
connected to the midi in of the AN1x but is going through the sound 
module. Does this mean the sound module will receive the signal and 
not the AN1x?

All this means is that I have to connect the midi in and out from the 
sound module to the in and out of the AN1x. If I want to use the An1x 
as the master controller on my set-up, does this mean I have to then 
connect the midi thru on the AN1x to the next instrument in my set-
up. If so then what is the best way to do this. Do I need a midi thru 
box? I have a Korg N364, an Alesis Data disk and a Boss Dr77o all to 
hook up to the system.

Sorry for so many questions. This is doing my head in.

Thanks for your time.

Alan





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I have a MU100R with a to host port. To it is a lead going into my serial port, using Yamaha CBX drivers you get 4 midi out ports and 1 in all multi client.
I also use the midi in and out port on the MU100R to send and recieve patches to an EMU module and it works fine.

Darren

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Gary Gregson 
  To: AN1x-list@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2002 1:28 PM
  Subject: RE: [AN1x] Help please


  I haven't played with the TG100, however all other Yamaha devices that I
  use with TO HOST do allow routing of MIDI to/from the external ports. So
  assuming the TG100 also provides this, then what you propose should
  work. (However check the manual to confirm the TG100 capability as it is
  an old module, it should show a diagram of the TO HOST routing)

  Regards

  Gary Gregson

  Email:gary@...
  http://www.yme.co.uk/yme 


  -----Original Message-----
  From: nuvalerium [mailto:alan@...] 
  Sent: 03 February 2002 10:38
  To: AN1x-list@yahoogroups.com
  Subject: [AN1x] Help please

  Ok, will do my best to describe what I am trying to achieve here and 
  hope it all makes sense to you guys. I have many talents but getting 
  my head round midi is apparently not one of them.

  I have an old laptop, a ThinkPad 760EL, well actually I have two of 
  them. One is running Win98 the other 2000 pro. No usb. I want to use 
  this laptop to run AN1x edit to send patches etc to my AN1x. 
  Apparently I can buy a serial midi interface connecting to the 9 pin 
  serial port. This will cost me around 80 pounds sterling. I have 
  however looked at another solution. The Yamaha TG100 sound module has 
  a "To Host" 8pin mini din socket, which connects, to the 9 pin serial 
  port on the laptop. This has midi in, out and thru connections. I can 
  pick one of these up for around 50 pounds or less. So this is the 
  cheaper option and I also get a GM sound module. My question is this. 
  If I connect the sound module to the laptop, then my AN1x to the midi 
  ports on the sound module, will I still be able to send/receive 
  patches on the AN1x? Obviously the computer is no longer directly 
  connected to the midi in of the AN1x but is going through the sound 
  module. Does this mean the sound module will receive the signal and 
  not the AN1x?

  All this means is that I have to connect the midi in and out from the 
  sound module to the in and out of the AN1x. If I want to use the An1x 
  as the master controller on my set-up, does this mean I have to then 
  connect the midi thru on the AN1x to the next instrument in my set-
  up. If so then what is the best way to do this. Do I need a midi thru 
  box? I have a Korg N364, an Alesis Data disk and a Boss Dr77o all to 
  hook up to the system.

  Sorry for so many questions. This is doing my head in.

  Thanks for your time.

  Alan





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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

From: "Gary Gregson" <gary@...>

> I haven't played with the TG100, however all other Yamaha devices that I
> use with TO HOST do allow routing of MIDI to/from the external ports. So
> assuming the TG100 also provides this, then what you propose should
> work. (However check the manual to confirm the TG100 capability as it is
> an old module, it should show a diagram of the TO HOST routing)

In that case, you're not using a Yamaha 01V mixer. :)

I've tried to access the AN1x through MIDI via the To Host connector, but no
good came from it. I was using the Roland 'To Host' drivers on my PC,
because I was running Windows NT and Yamaha apparently never heard of it.
I've heard rumours that Yamaha drivers should be able to do this, but I
can't confirm it.

Has Yamaha got drivers for operating systems more recent that Windows 98, by
any chance?

- Peter

--- In AN1x-list@y..., "nuvalerium" <alan@s...> wrote:
> All this means is that I have to connect the midi in and out from 
the 
> sound module to the in and out of the AN1x. If I want to use the 
An1x 
> as the master controller on my set-up, does this mean I have 
to then 
> connect the midi thru on the AN1x to the next instrument in my 
set-
> up. If so then what is the best way to do this. Do I need a midi 
thru 
> box? I have a Korg N364, an Alesis Data disk and a Boss 
Dr77o all to 
> hook up to the system.
> 

Before making a purchase decision I'd encourage you to 
consider how quickly you anticpate your MIDI set-up to grow. 

From your description - today you have a synth, a ROMpler, a 
drum machine and a Data Disk. I'm uncertain what purpose the 
Data Disk will serve once you connect everything to your Laptop? 
Possibly a back-up for live use in case the laptop should crash?

Assuming the TO HOST port on the TG100 works as anticipated 
(see Gary's post - I can't imagine it wouldn't work as expected) it 
will serve as a standard MIDI Interface, i.e., only 16 MIDI 
Channels IN and OUT from the Laptop to your MIDI kit. With only 
a few devices in your kit that's *probably* sufficient for your 
immediate use (Data Disk included) but what happens when 
you add a multitimbral sound module/synth/sampler (such as 
your Korg N364) to your kit? IMO, you'll likely find it frustrating
to exploit  the multitimbral capabilites of another device when 
you're limited to 16 MIDI Channels by using a standard MIDI 
Inteface. There's also the possible issue of 'MIDI timing slop' 
rearing it's ugly head when you daisy chain more then three to 
four devices together.

For these reasons I'd encourage you to consider a true multiport 
MIDI Interface from the likes of MIDIMAN, MOTU, Steinberg, 
Emagic, etc. where each port can address 16 Channels 
independently. This will provide enough capacity to grow your 
MIDI kit without having to revisit the issue each time you consider 
a purchase. Not too mention the improved ease of use when 
addressing SysEx data to individual devices.

Regarding Opcode/MIDI Quest MIDI Interfaces: as much as I've 
enjoyed using Opcode products (Mac) over the years - I'm 
currently using a Studio 128x - I'd suggest you stay away from 
them for Win use based soley on the fact that there is NO 
SUPPORT and NO ONGOING DEVELOPMENT and the drivers 
don't work on anything more recent then Win98 (this means 
Win98SE on up to XP.) Note: if you need some Opcode info 
check the Vision Info site at http://www.fm-music.com/v/

It's my advice to base a purchase decision on whichever 
software platform you currently use or plan to use, i.e., Steinberg 
or Emagic or whatever, because their software is typically 
optimized to exploit product specific features exclusive to their 
own devices. If you are using a product from a manufacturer who 
does not market their own brand name MIDI Interface then 
consider one from the likes of a company such as MIDIMAN who 
are wdiely used cross platform and provide ongoing support and 
development of device drivers. This is especially import if you 
plan to switch to from serial ports to USB ports at some time as 
USB MIDI drivers are reputed to be much more difficult to code 
efficiently on either platform then serial port drivers.

> Sorry for so many questions. This is doing my head in.
> 

Hope this helps.

regards,

Jon

Hello,

well I am not so sure (even if is cheap) 
that u want to bring and switch on all the time a module 
to edit to the AN1X 

I also use an old DEC notebook to edit the AN1X , it didn't have USB 
so I bought this midi interface (serial) that works really well with ANedit 
and also none of them needs any power ! 

http://www.midiman.com/products/midiman/portman_pcs.php

if u have USB I would try this one 

http://www.midiman.com/products/midiman/USB1x1.php

http://www.edirol.com/products/prosheets/um1s.html

there suppose to be even a parallel one 

http://www.midiman.com/products/midiman/portman_pcp.php 

around 60/70 euro  at www.thomann.de 

ciao
 

Regards
-------------------------------------ENV1-----ENV2---ENV3------------
Andrea TONI                          VCO1 \    |      |
Science Operation and Data           VCO2-->--VCF--->VCA-->DUCATI 996 
Systems Division (SCI-SD)            VCO3 /    |      | 
-------------------------------------LFO1-----LFO2---LFO3------------
email:Andrea.Toni@... http://ssd.esa.int http://www.estec.esa.int

----- Original Message ----- 

From: "nuvalerium" <alan@...>
To: <AN1x-list@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2002 11:38 AM
Subject: [AN1x] Help please


> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ok, will do my best to describe what I am trying to achieve here and
> hope it all makes sense to you guys. I have many talents but getting
> my head round midi is apparently not one of them.