Really simple MIDI

Shadyday · Post by **Shadyday** » Fri Sep 16, 2011 4:22 pm

Hello,

I use a MIDI keyboard to input the music that eventually must be printed out. I've installed OMG and FreeMidi, but nothing seems to work. I'm not concerned with audio at all. All I'd like to do is get the notes into my engraving program - Graphire Music Press. I'm hoping that I'll at least be able to get SS to "see" the keyboard.

Thanks,

Frank

Fri Sep 16, 2011 8:01 pm

Is your MIDI keyboard a USB device? SheepShaver has special provisions for using regular keyboard and mouse input, which it sees as old ADB (Apple Desktop Bus) devices. Otherwise it is completely unaware of USB ports, so no USB connected devices will work.
(SheepShaver may recognize some serial devices when connected with a USB-serial adapter.)

Shadyday · Post by **Shadyday** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 12:57 am

Yes it is a USB Keyboard. However I've used it successfully with a MIDI Interface - MidiSport 2+2. I've installed the same driver that works with it on my G4s & G5 in Classic Mode but haven't had any luck.

Frank

Sat Sep 17, 2011 10:04 am

Exactly, that is what I tried to explain. It will not work in SheepShaver.

Shadyday · Post by **Shadyday** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 1:24 pm

OK, I understand that it won't recognize a USB device. Do you think using an older MIDI keyboard - pre USB - might work? I originally used the program on a Mac CI back in the early 90s. I wonder if SheepShaver would "see" those devices.

Frank

24bit · Post by **24bit** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 4:11 pm

In his docs about ShapeShifter, the predecessor of BasisliskII and SheepShaver, Christian Bauer wrote on Janaury 2001:

NoteUnsupported "What ShapeShifter cannot do"

The following Macintosh properties are not (yet) emulated by ShapeShifter:
∑ Virtual memory. Even on Amigas with MMU, you should not switch on the
virtual memory.
∑ 24 bit addressing. You can only use 32 bit clean programs.
∑ Programs accessing the Macintosh hardware direcly won't necessarily
crash under ShapeShifter, but are limited in their usability. E.g.
the game "Lemmings" is missing the sound (the Amiga version is nicer,
anyway).
∑ The serial drivers don't support hardware hangup with DTR.
∑ The Ethernet driver has no ERead call
∑ The SCSI routines support neither the scComp command nor SCSI messaging
∑ The sound input driver can only record mono and has no VOX recording
∑ Using MIDI is not possible
∑ Accessing the serial ports of A-Max cards is not reliable

I presume nobody cared to add MIDI support to emulation, after Mr. Bauer decided to donate his work to the public.
So there seems to be no real hope for your MIDI device unfortunately.

Shadyday · Post by **Shadyday** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 4:27 pm

Thank's for the reply. I was worried that might be the case. Perhaps some adventurous programmer with a musical interest might give MIDI a try one day. I'd surely contribute some $$$ (or £ or ¥) to such an endeavor!

All the best,

Frank

24bit · Post by **24bit** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 4:44 pm

If you dont mind spending a few bucks, I would look for a used Power Mac or ATARI.
You can sometimes get those nearly for shipping costs.
http://forums.system7today.com/ http://lowendmac.com/lists/swap.html
or even ebay might help to find something.
Of course the vintage computers will clutter your desk...

Shadyday · Post by **Shadyday** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 5:57 pm

I've got 2 G4s and a G5 - all in very good working order - that I'm using for my work right now. So in that respect there is no problem. However I recently bought a new Intel Mac Pro, on which I've installed Sheepshaver and since it works so well for most OS 9 tasks I was hoping to replace all of my Gs, saving some space in my studio.

kikkoman · Post by **kikkoman** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 6:56 am

Shadyday wrote:I've got 2 G4s and a G5 - all in very good working order - that I'm using for my work right now. So in that respect there is no problem. However I recently bought a new Intel Mac Pro, on which I've installed Sheepshaver and since it works so well for most OS 9 tasks I was hoping to replace all of my Gs, saving some space in my studio.

Put in a nice distro of Linux, like MintPPC, on the G4's... you might find that you probably won't be able to part with 'em after all! O_o

24bit · Post by **24bit** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 11:15 am

Some time ago I found Fusion_PC 3.0 running in DOSBox does a pretty good job emulating a MacII or Quadra.
Fusion in DOSBox will be quite usable with a rather small screen and a fairly fast cpu on a OSX host.
DOSBox can configure a MIDI device.

[midi]
# mpu401 -- Enable MPU-401 Emulation.
# intelligent -- Operate in Intelligent mode.
# device -- Device that will receive the MIDI data from MPU-401.
# This can be default,alsa,oss,win32,coreaudio,none.
# config -- Special configuration options for the device.

I have no idea how (or if) the MIDI port can be routed OSX - DOSBox - FusionPC.
FusionPC´s setup however, can configure ADB and serial ports.

You sure took a look at M.E.S.S and QEmu already?

Really simple MIDI

Really simple MIDI

Another offtopic thought...