From mailserv@gaia.ucs.orst.edu Thu Oct 27 14:37:15 1994
Precedence: Bulk
Date: Thu Oct 27 12:31:34 PDT 1994
From: gus-music-request@gaia.ucs.orst.edu (GUS Musician's Server)
Reply-To: gus-music@gaia.ucs.orst.edu (GUS Musician's Digest)
Subject: GUS Musician's Digest V9 #21

GUS Musician's Digest       Thu, 27 Oct 94 12:31 PST     Volume 9: Issue  21  

Today's Topics:
     can't find propats on archive.orst.edu and what is ppats2_*
                     GUS Musician's Digest V9 #20
                      Looking for help on SysEx
                        MIDI Cable (SB) on GUS
                        Midi Cabling (2 msgs)
                             Midi Events
                          Re : Midi Cabling
                       Soundblaster MIDI cable
             Windows MIDI Sequencers and Bank Addressing

Standard Info:
	- Meta-info about the GUS can be found at the end of the Digest.
	- Before you ask a question, please READ THE FAQ.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 26 Oct 94 14:07:14 -0700
From: Fred Handloser <fredh@hpcvusd.cv.hp.com>
Subject: can't find propats on archive.orst.edu and what is ppats2_*

 >Propats are a collection of large (very large) patches that can
 >be used in place of the ones that are supplied with the GUS.


I looked at archive.orst.edu.  The top level ls-lR file listed
propats in sounds/patches/files but that dir only has about 8 files.

I also see ppats2* listed.   What are these.

Does anybody know of a listing of the description of all the files
at the archives ?

Thanks for any info,

Fred Handloser

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 26 Oct 1994 13:55:44 -0500 (CDT)
From: Everett Garnett <eblue@bga.com>
Subject: Re: GUS Musician's Digest V9 #20

> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Date: Tue, 25 Oct 1994 15:33:17 -0500
> From: "Kent Williams" <cadsi.com!kent@elvis.cadsi.com>
> Subject: MIDI Cabling
> 
> GUS Tech support told me that you could use a GUS MIDI cable on a Sound Blaster,
> but you couldn't use a Soundblaster MIDI cable on a GUS Max, because "we adhere
> to the standard, and they don't."
> 
> Is it me or does this sound like a load of malarkey?  In the first place,
> has ANYONE besides Creative Labs defined a standard for connecting a MIDI
> In/Out pair to a game port?  And how could they be wiring a cable that connects
> to 5 pins on the game port such that the GUS cable could work both places,
> but the Soundblaster only work on the Soundblaster?
> 
> Has anyone tried using the Soundblaster Cable?  Does it work?
> 
> OK, I'm done with my Andy Rooney imitation.

I'm using a SoundBlaster MIDI interface with my GUS and it works fine. 
Actually I haven't used the MIDI OUT though. I only use the MIDI In to 
use the GUS as a sound module. I don't see any reason why the OUT 
wouldn't work. Also I spoke with the people at Gravis and they told me 
the exact OPPOSITE they told you...weird huh?

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 27 Oct 1994 05:43:03 +0100
From: A.PAUW@ELSEVIER.nl
Subject: Looking for help on SysEx

Hello there,

since I am using my GUS for making music (aren't we all?) and my
Roland E16 (they call it `Intelligent Synthesizer', well
whatever) is connected to it, I might as well ask you guys if
you could help me with it.

The E16 is a nice intrument with a touch sensitive response. It
has 24 voices, but is `multitimbral' for only 6 channels (1-5)
and 10, and 216 sounds which are excellent. The E36, it's big brother,
has the same technical setup (24 voice ...) but is really
multitimbral and listens to all 16 channels. I think that's the
only reason why the E36 is called GM/GS compliant, the bank
switching is EXACTLY the same, my E16 is not GM/GS compliant.

So what's the problem? Well, on the midi implem. chart of my E16
an obscure `GM/GS enter/exit' sysex is mentioned by name. It is 
the only one my E16 will recognise. I know from an older model 
(E35) that it also only listens to a few channels, but if you switch 
it on with the midi button pressed it switches to GM/GS mode,
listening to all channels. The keyboard doesn't work, but you can
use it as a sound module! The idea is that this sysex for my E16 
will do the same trick, note that my E16 doesn't have a midi button. 
But what is this `GM/GS enter/exit' sysex, does anybody know? 
I asked Roland, but somehow I get the feeling costumer service is 
not common anymore: I had no reply whatsoever. And my dealer can't 
help me either.

Can anyone help me, please?

Thanks,
Albert Pauw
a.pauw@elsevier.nl

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 26 Oct 1994 16:12:53 CST
From: "David L. Britton" <FISHEAD@unocdc.unomaha.edu>
Subject: Re: MIDI Cable (SB) on GUS

>Has anyone tried using the Soundblaster Cable?  Does it work?

Yep, using it right now.  I haven't had a lick of problems.... 
Strange that they'd say that you can't use it.  My guess is, they 
want you to buy their cable (go figure).  

-- 
David L. Britton
Data Communications Specialist
University of Nebraska at Omaha
fishead@unocdc.unomaha.edu

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 26 Oct 1994 18:43:58 -0500 (EST)
From: efinkler@sun1.iusb.indiana.edu (Big Daddy Ed)
Subject: Re: Midi Cabling

> Has anyone tried using the Soundblaster Cable?  Does it work?
I use the one I had from my old SoundBlaster Pro, and I've never had a problem 
with it.
-Ed
Arts Industria

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 27 Oct 94 10:09 GMT
From: Clarke Brunt <CLARKE@lsl.co.uk>
Subject: Re: MIDI cabling

>GUS Tech support told me that you could use a GUS MIDI cable on a Sound Blaster,
>but you couldn't use a Soundblaster MIDI cable on a GUS Max, because "we adhere
>to the standard, and they don't."

>Is it me or does this sound like a load of malarkey?

A friend got an SB AWE32 and a SoundBlaster MIDI cable. The supplier
said it would work with a GUS. I've tried it on mine, and it DOES.
Remember though that there are electronics in these cables as
well as just wires, to convert the voltage signals on the
game port pins to the current loop required by MIDI - the bits
must be hidden in the connector of the SB cable - I made my own
from the instructions in the FAQ so I have a more chunky box. The
only possible difference I can think of is the voltage/current
specifications of the MIDI in/out pins on the game port. A long
while ago, I seem to remember someone saying that you could make
a GUS adapter out of the SB one by changing some resistor or other
(I don't even know where you would find the resistor in the SB
cable I mentioned).

Clarke Brunt

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 27 Oct 94 12:56:33 CDT
From: cowles@hydra.convex.com (John Cowles)
Subject: Midi Events

Recently, Matthew M. Norden, George!!!, and James Andrews have been
wondering about midi controllers. Here is a list (almost comprehensive)
that I put together for the Cakewalk list a couple of weeks ago. As has
already been noted, the GUS supports a small subset of these. If you find
errors here, PLEASE let me know so that I can fix them! Thanks!

Specifically, for pitchbend sensitivity, the General Midi spec says that
the sensitivity defaults to 2 semitones (1 semitone up and 1 semitone down).
The GUS can be changed from 0 to 24 semitones (12 semitones up and 12
semitones down). Method:
1. Set 0 in controllers 101 and 100 (Registered Parameter 0 is
   pitchbend depth)
2. Set the number of semitones of sensitivity in controller 6 (controller 6
   is the LSB [least sensitive bits] of 'data entry'). The GUS does not
   look at controller 38 (the MSB [most sensitive bits] of 'data entry').

You should separate the controller events by 1 or 2 ticks to make sure your
sequencer handles them correctly.

Remember that you must now set the sensitivity back, so that the next song
(which may expect the GM default of 2 semitones) will play correctly. As
far as I can see, the pitchbend depth only reinitializes when the Windows
driver starts up. [PHAT - Does the GM reset sysex work yet?]

John
-- 
     John Cowles        cowles@hydra.convex.com   CompuServe: 72074,451
                        Convex Computer Corp.  214 497 4375
                        3000 Waterview Pkwy
                        Richardson, Tx. 75080
Howdy Folks!

 I have put together a list of midi events which can occur in a standard
midi file (note that some midi events do NOT occur in SMF's).

Undoubtedly I have made many errors, so if you find one, please let me know
and I'll update my list! With only one or two exceptions I have used
decimal numbers throughout my list. (F0 and F7 are well-known as the
beginning and end of system exclusive messages, for instance, whereas
240 and 247 will probably not be recognized as readily.)

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Midi events in a Standard Midi File

Note that all events (except meta events) have a time associated with
them. Note also that some numeric values use a 7-bit encoding scheme, where
the high-order bit of every byte except the last is set to show continuation.
(So don't expect to use the debugger to EASILY recognize the following
events!)

1. Meta events
   Some of these events are track-specific, and some are sequence-specific.

  MThd - Midifile header (This is a literal text string). The header contains
      a header length (always 6), a midifile type (0,1,or 2), the number of
      tracks, a byte for the number of frames(clocks)/sec, and a byte for
      the number of ticks per frame.
  MTrk - Track header (This is a literal text string). This is followed
      by a track length. Note that there is no concept of 'track number'
      except by relative position within the file.
  0 - Sequence number                 - value
      Used in (rare) type2 midifiles with multiple sequences.
  1 - Text                            - text string
      This can occur anywhere.
  2 - Copyright                       - text string
      In a type1 midifile, the first track is usually used for
      non-performance information, including copyright, tempo, SMPTE
      offset, markers, cue points, and time and key signatures. This
      track is often called the 'tempo' track or the 'commander' track
      and is not usually visible from software sequencers.
  3 - Sequence/Track name             - text string
      When on the 'commander' track (in a type1 midifile) it is a sequence
      name, when on any other track, it is the track name.
  4 - Instrument name                 - text string
      This is often referred to as 'Name 2'.
  5 - Lyric                           - text string
      This can occur anywhere, and allows 'sing-along' displays.
  6 - Marker                          - text string
      Markers occur at a 'relative' point in the sequence - if data is
      inserted before the marker, the marker will move. If the tempo is
      changed, the time of the marker will change. A 'cue-point' looks
      like a marker, but it stays at a specific point in time.
  7 - Cue point (Time-locked marker)  - text string
 32 - Channel prefix                  - value
      I don't know about this event. Not normally used.
 33 - Output port                     - value
      This is used by software sequencers to specify where output midi
      data for the track on which it occurs should be sent. For instance,
      if this occurs on track 7 and the value is 3, all data from track 7
      should be sent to midi output port 3.
 47 - End of Track
 81 - Tempo                           - value (microseconds/quarter note)
      Note that software sequencers normally calculate quarter notes per
      minute from this information.
 84 - SMPTE offset                    - value (hr,min,sec,frame,fractional fr)
      The SMPTE time at which the sequence should begin playing.
 88 - Time signature                  - value (sig, midi clocks, 32nd notes)
      This is four values. The time signature itself consists of a numerator
      and denominator. The numerator is the actual value, but the denominator
      is a power of 2; thus 4/4 would be 4 2 and 6/8 would be 6 3. 'Midi
      clocks' is the number of midi clocks per second (usually taken from
      the midifile header), and is almost always 24. The last number
      is for people who wish to rewrite the normal rules of music, and is
      the number of 32nd notes per quarter note. I have never seen it other
      than 8.
 89 - Key signature                   - value (sig,majmin)
      A minus value indicates that many flats; a plus value indicates the
      number of sharps; a 0 indicates the key of C (or Am). The second value
      is 0 for major and 1 for minor.
127 - Sequencer specific data         - byte count plus values
      This is for hardware sequencers.


2. Channel events (16 values each: 1 for each channel)

  80-95 - Note on plus note number and velocity
 96-111 - Note off plus note number and velocity
          Often 'note off' is replaced by a 'note on' with a zero velocity.
          Even where 'note off' IS used, 'note off velocity' is RARE!
112-127 - Polyphonic aftertouch for a particular note
128-143 - Control change plus controller and value (see below)
144-159 - Program (patch) change plus new program
160-175 - Channel aftertouch for all notes in a channel
176-191 - Pitch wheel change plus value 0-16383 (-8192 - 8191)


3. System Exclusive Events

240 - Begin system exclusive
247 - End or continue system exclusive
      Normal short message sysex's consist of 'F0'h, instrument id
      bytes, data length, data, [check-sum], and 'F7'h. If the last
      value is NOT 'F7'h, the NEXT value should be, followed by a
      data length and the next sysex chunk until the last bye is 'F7'h.



4. Midi controllers
Originally, the idea was to have three groups of controllers: 'continuous
controllers' whose values would change between 0-127, on/off controllers
whose significant values would be 0 and 127 (for off and on), and
special-purpose controllers. This has been adhered to pretty well, but
not strictly, as can be seen.

      0 - Bank select                                  MSB
Due to the fact the the Most Significant Bits (MSB) of continuous
controllers 0-31 have lower numbers than the Least Significant Bits (LSB)
of the same controllers, a great deal of confusion and many different
interpretations are used for bank select. While some companies used
both controllers in tandem ( 0 and 32), some of them reversed the sense
of MSB-LSB. Other companies discard one or the other of these controllers.
For instance, the original Roland SC-55 used JUST controller 0. The
new SC-88 uses both controllers, but with 32 as MSB and 0 as LSB. Some
of the current Korg instruments use only controller 32. Some companies
do bank selection in other ways: sysex, or multiple patches. To my knowledge,
only bank select and data entry use these pairings.
      1 - Modulation wheel                             MSB
      2 - Breath controller                            MSB
      3 - Continuous controller #3 (unassigned)        MSB
      4 - Foot controller                              MSB
      5 - Portamento time                              MSB
This works in conjunction with controller 65 which turns the feature off or
on.
      6 - Data entry                                   MSB
Controller 6 and controller 38 are used together as data values for
RPN and NRPN settings. (see below)
      7 - Main volume                                  MSB
      8 - Balance controller                           MSB
      9 - Continuous controller #9 (unassigned)        MSB
     10 - Pan controller                               MSB
     11 - Expression controller                        MSB
     12 - Effect Control 1                             MSB
     13 - Effect Control 2                             MSB
  14-15 - Continuous controllers #14-15 (unassigned)   MSB
  16-19 - General purpose controllers #1-4             MSB
These controllers are supposed to be used for strobe lights, engines to
raise and lower curtains (in a theater), etc. Note that these controllers
are paired with controllers 48-51, but that general purpose controllers
#5-8 are single controllers only.
  20-31 - Continuous controllers #20-31 (unassigned)   MSB
  32-63 - Least significant bytes for #0-31            LSB
     64 - Damper pedal on/off (Sustain)                - 0=off  - 127=on
     65 - Portamento on/off                            - 0=off  - 127=on
     66 - Sustenuto on/off                             - 0=off  - 127=on
     67 - Soft pedal on/off                            - 0=off  - 127=on
     68 - Legato footswitch on/off                     - 0=off  - 127=on
     69 - Hold2 on/off                                 - 0=off  - 127=on
  70-79 - Sound controllers #1-10
These controllers are meant to control external effects processors.
  80-83 - General purpose controllers #5-8
  84-90 - Unassigned
     91 - External effects depth (reverb)
     92 - Tremolo depth
     93 - Chorus depth
     94 - Celeste (detune) depth
     95 - Phaser depth
     96 - Data entry +1                                -       127
     97 - Data entry -1                                -       127
     98 - Non-registered parameter number              LSB
     99 - Non-registered parameter number              MSB
Non-registered parameters are parameters that are specific to a particular
company or synth. On the Roland Sound Canvas series, for instance, they are
used to control how the sound envelope changes as the modulation controller
(and other controllers) change. They are used in conjunction with the
data entry controllers.
    100 - Registered parameter number                  LSB
    101 - Registered parameter number                  MSB
As far as I know, there are currently 3 registered parameters: Pitch bend
depth (from 0 to 24 semitones), coarse tuning, and fine tuning. These
controllers are used in conjunction with the data entry controllers.
102-119 - Unassigned
    120 - All sounds off                               -        0
    122 - Local control on/off                         - 0=off    127=on   
    123 - All notes off                                -        0
    124 - Omni mode off (includes all notes off)       -        0
    125 - Omni mode on (includes all notes off)        -        0
    126 - Mono mode on/off(includes all notes off)     -       0-15
    127 - Poly mode on(incl mono=off&all notes off)    -        0

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 27 Oct 1994 13:13:13 +0800 (WST)
From: Bruce Wilson <brucew@cs.curtin.edu.au>
Subject: Re : Midi Cabling

> 
> GUS Tech support told me that you could use a GUS MIDI cable on a Sound Blaster,
> but you couldn't use a Soundblaster MIDI cable on a GUS Max, because "we adhere
> to the standard, and they don't."
> 
> Is it me or does this sound like a load of malarkey?  In the first place,
> has ANYONE besides Creative Labs defined a standard for connecting a MIDI
> In/Out pair to a game port?  And how could they be wiring a cable that connects
> to 5 pins on the game port such that the GUS cable could work both places,
> but the Soundblaster only work on the Soundblaster?
> 
> Has anyone tried using the Soundblaster Cable?  Does it work?
> 
Yes, I have tried the standard SB PRO midi kit cable with the GUS without
and problems, I have rev 3.4 i think...And I'm sure even the manual refers
to the SB cable...

-- 
Bruce Wilson
brucew@cs.curtin.edu.au

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 26 Oct 1994 15:54:36 -0500 (CDT)
From: Chris Bongaarts <bong0004@gold.tc.umn.edu>
Subject: Soundblaster MIDI cable

In the immortal words of Kent Williams:

>Has anyone tried using the Soundblaster Cable?  Does it work?

Yes.  I have a SB midi cable between my GUSMAX and an old, cheap Casio
(CT-650?).  Works fine for that, both in and out.  Dunno if it will
break if you hook up more things, or have a more "standard" keyboard
than mine...

============================================   bong0004@gold.tc.umn.edu
Chris Bongaarts    http://reality.cs.umn.edu   bong0004@mermaid.itlabs.umn.edu
Univ. of Minnesota  /~cbongaar/cbongaar.html   cbongaar@reality.cs.umn.edu
My opinions are my own,  and they are right.   cbongaar@nyx.cs.du.edu
GeekCode2.1: GCS d-- s !g p1 a20 w+ C+++ ULS++ P+++ L+ E N+++ K+++ W M++
             H !V -po+ Y-- t+ 5 R G* tv b++ D+ B- e+ u+ h! f+ r* n---- y?

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 26 Oct 1994 16:16:57 CST
From: "David L. Britton" <FISHEAD@unocdc.unomaha.edu>
Subject: Windows MIDI Sequencers and Bank Addressing

What sequencers support multiple banks natively?  It's great that 
patch manager supports it.... but I would like a little more.

Also,

With Cakewalk 3.0, will the blasted 256k addressability limit for GUS
patches be eliminated. 

Just a few questions (FAQs?)

David L. Britton
Data Communications Specialist
University of Nebraska at Omaha
fishead@unocdc.unomaha.edu

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 27 Oct 1994 11:13:48 +0100
From: Piotr Klosowski <general@zeus.polsl.gliwice.pl>

 -------------------------------------------------------

	Hi,
	Greetings from Poland.
	
	I am interested to contact with You by E-mail.
	
	I have GUS (a MAX version), and I am searching 
	
	interested people GUSers.
	
	I am a student of Silesian Technical University.
	
	I am working at sound analysis and speech sinthesis.
	
	I would appreciate an early reply.
	
	
	Yours faitchfully
	
	Piotr <general@zeus.gliwice.edu.pl>
	
	
 ---------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------

End of GUS Musician's Digest V9 #21
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