Patches and discussion for Ensoniq VFX family

Hi Again,

In the interests of accuracy......

One can't actually slow down a midi transmission. Also a midi 
transmission won't flow faster from a faster PC, because the midi buss 
is a fixed speed protocol. (1 seem to remember it's around 31k?).

However.  The midi spec allows for "pauses" to be written into the 
transfer of sys-ex (patch) information.  It also allows control of 
"packet" sizes.   These features are less common in modern sys-librarian 
programs because all modern gear has heaps of processor grunt and heaps 
of ram in a buffer area to accommodate the (by today's standards) fairly 
humble midi speeds.

But in our dear old Ensoniq relics, the ram buffer was (is) made up of 
slow ram chips - and not many of them, AND...  very small overhead 
before the processor maxed out.  So a sys-ex librarian that allows a 
"slowing" (i.e. insertion of pauses and the sending of smaller packets)  
is ideal. But the program won't refer to these actual techniques, it 
will just refer to the result - "slow".

I used to use a program on mac that had speed settings, and they were 
"normal", "slow" and "v-e-r-y slow". The only one that worked was 
"v-e-r-y slow".  But work it did, so all was well.

HOWEVER.......  Poly key pressure,  play more than one patch at once but 
simply doubling clicking on the additional patches you want to hear 
(i.e. strings and piano),  record a quick sketch of an idea in the 
sequencer, and have it still be there after you turn the thing off....  
Can my $7000 Motif -7 do all that?? no .

Yamaha - eat my soiled undergarments!!

I regard my SD-1 as the keyboard equivalent of a 62 L-series strat.  I 
have no desire to own a mini-moog, great toy, great collectors item, but 
I've never PLAY it.  The SD-1 one is the most expressive keyboard I've 
ever encountered to PLAY. (poly key pressure!!! way to go!!).

But I'm preaching to the converted aren't I?

I'll shut up now.

cheers

Roger