Dave Smith Instruments SYNTHESIZERS

--- In DSI_Evolver@yahoogroups.com, "rkruege1" <rkr1@t...> wrote:
> 
> > actually SysEx nibbles are pretty common.. if this edirol thing 
can't do
> > that then it really needs an upgrade....
> > 
> 
> 
> It does do nibbles,  in 7bit/7bit format, not in 4bit/4bit which we
> need.  I'm not looking to drop another $300 on hardware just to
> control the Evolver.  I can only hope for updates.  Or the 
lottery....

This wouldn't be a perfect solution by any means, but it would be 
easy (for someone so equipped) to build a small software utility that 
would listen to the Edirol and translate its output to "Evolver Sysex-
speak".  You could use Hubi's Loopback to route Edirol -> PC MIDI 
INPUT -> Translation Utility -> PC MIDI OUTPUT -> Evolver.  In other 
words, the PC + Utility sits in-between your Edirol and Evolver to 
translate the Sysex properly.

You could set up the Edirol to transmit the same "almost Evolver 
Sysex" that you have been doing, and continue to use the 7-bit/7-bit 
format.  (I believe someone else had a non-Edirol that also used this 
format?)  All the translation utility would have to do is take the 7-
7 byte format and translate it into the proper 4-4 format needed for 
the Evolver.  

In other words, the utility would pass the first 6 bytes of every 
Sysex message on to the output untouched... then "touch up" the 7th 
and 8th bytes to have the proper 4-4 nibble format... then finish up 
by sending the last EOX byte.

For completeness sake, the utility ought to pass ALL incoming MIDI on 
to its output, and only touch up the Sysex messages.  That way you 
could play a keyboard (note on/off, etc) as well as run your control 
surface boxes into the Evolver through the same MIDI cable.  Over 
time, there may be other control surfaces with similar problems 
interfacing to the Evolver, that could be accomodated in the utility, 
if needed.

OK, that's the Requirements Spec. :)  No somebody go write it.