MIDI on Macintosh Plus for Music

[JGardner]

Hello!

I am new here and aside from enjoying the MiSTer platform to have access to so many videogames I have used it (as well as the MiST) mainly for music. There was such a wealth of amazing MIDI music software created during the 16 bit computer era, and it's incredible to be able to run these reliably and in a small form factor, an essential aspect when it comes to using this software professionally and on tour and such. Also trying out software for Atari ST and Amiga has never been easier and I loved to experiment with it all.

I am now using a Mac Plus in my studio and I love it, aside from the fact that it's clunky, heavy and fragile to take on the road, and when they all die, eventually, all MIDI music software will die with it (which is a LOT!). This is because MIDI is not working properly through emulation of classic macs. I have the feeling that implementing this via FPGA's is a little closer than it is using software emulation, so just out of curiosity, is anyone also using the MiSTer for music, and is anyone working on adding the MIDI I/O feature to the Plus Too core? It would be so great to preserve all this software authentically, and to actually put it to use in live music situations without the fear of something breaking, even just to have some kind of small backup machine. I have done this with the Minimig and Atari ST cores already, and the experience was amazing! Sequencers are way more intuitive than modern equivalents.

Please forgive me if there is already a way and I have missed it!

[JimBobMcGee]

If we could somehow develop a Macintosh LC Core for Mister (Given the fact we have 68020 implementation), and somehow combine it with RaSCSI to act as a SCSI bridge (If this is possible)(critical for sampler management). This would for me put Mister at "god tier" status for vintage music production.

I maintain a Quadra 700, G4 MDD, Classic II all for these reasons.

[thisisamigaspeaking]

If we could somehow develop a Macintosh LC Core for Mister (Given the fact we have 68020 implementation), and somehow combine it with RaSCSI to act as a SCSI bridge (If this is possible)(critical for sampler management). This would for me put Mister at "god tier" status for vintage music production.

I maintain a Quadra 700, G4 MDD, Classic II all for these reasons.

I always loved the LC's physical design.

[alanswx]

How does the midi hookup to the Mac plus? Is it through the serial port? It might just work if I add the midi settings. I haven’t tried it. The serial compatibility is much better now.

[bbond007]

How does the midi hookup to the Mac plus? Is it through the serial port? It might just work if I add the midi settings. I haven’t tried it. The serial compatibility is much better now.

This would seem to suggest serial(from the Roland Sound Canvas SC-88pro manual):

The PC-1 settings are 31.25K (bit/sec) and the PC-2 settings are 38.4K (bit/sec). Still, the difference between PC and MAC are unclear from the manual.

My guess is the MAC setting likely also sets the baud rate to 31.25K.

In theory, you should already be able to use a USB MIDI adapter or Munt/FluidSynth on the HPS.

SC-88Pro-Serial.png (57.58 KiB) Viewed 4483 times

[thorr]

I just got my Mac LC III working with the MacPack so I have a ton of games, and I have a SC-55 mkII. What games work with MIDI, and are any General MIDI? It would be cool to try this.

Edit: Found these:
https://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?t=72735
https://www.ebay.com/itm/293513238569
http://www.savagetaylor.com/2019/12/11/ ... ted-mt-32/

So it's possible to get it to work with my MT-32 Pi that has a MIDI input on it, and my Sound Canvas. Cool! I just ordered a used Midiman Mini Macman, so I should be all set.

[JGardner]

Wow it's been a while since I checked in on this thread, great to see you guys were checking possibilities! Has any progress happened since last year? If I could use a USB MIDI interface I would be happy as well. I've since my initial post been using actual hardware (even on tour) but it's proving to be pretty unreliable for experiences on the road, and even at home. Using modern hardware for this purpose would be a dream! If the serial port can be made accessible somehow, I could devise a cable myself to connect to a serial MIDI interface to see if this works..

[jordi]

I hope that anytime someone fixes MacPlus audio, before midi

Lode runner without audio is very boring