Slashdot Mirror

I have a MIDI keyboard, but I don't have a MIDI interface for it. I don't need one. I create MIDI files using the JaZZ++ MIDI sequencer (http://jazzplusplus.sourceforge.net/). It's a bit outdated (2004), but doesn't have TOO many annoying bugs. Plus it has exactly the feature you are describing: the ability to view and edit individual MIDI events. One of my problems with "commercial" MIDI trackers is they produce terrible MIDI files. The ability to edit out the extraneous events is very helpful.

Another cool application is Timidity++ (http://timidity.sourceforge.net/). With this you can watch MIDI files as they are played. For someone like me, who cannot read music or play by ear, I can "watch" the song as it is played and play from memory. Jazz++ can be used to slow down fast MIDI files.

And lastly, if you really want to edit the raw MIDI events, check out the MIDI File Disassembler/Assembler at http://www.borg.com/~jglatt/progs/software.htm

Excellent summary. The only bit I'd disagree with is the notion of WAV being an easy to implement format: regard, http://www.borg.com/~jglatt/tech/wave.htm

That's incorrect. Velocity is sent as part of a Note On event in General MIDI 1.

What's the point of an audio player that can't play AIFF (the -standard- audio interchange file format)? And how do you write a WAV implementation that can't play AIFF? It's just a byte-swap on a bunch of header fields....

AIFF's Common Chunk is more than just a byte-swapped version of RIFF WAVE's Format Chunk. Though honestly, a player should be able to handle either format since the differences are quite small.

What's the point of an audio player that can't play AIFF (the -standard- audio interchange file format)? And how do you write a WAV implementation that can't play AIFF? It's just a byte-swap on a bunch of header fields....

AIFF's Common Chunk is more than just a byte-swapped version of RIFF WAVE's Format Chunk. Though honestly, a player should be able to handle either format since the differences are quite small.

I completely agree. Make a loud fuzzbox for an electric guitar. Bring an inexpensive electric guitar to the class and build cheap fuzz box.

A cheap fuzz box is just an opamp voltage amp with two diodes that short the output to ground. The output is a +/- 0.7volt pseudo square wave.

Another idea is getting a cheap MIDI tone module like the Yamaha FB-01 ($20-$25) on eBay. Make an inexpensive note player like this one.

what does a good pair cost?

While all these ideas about implementing new digital technology are important and interesting, I feel that the designers don't grasp the central point of the digital revolution.

That is, digitronics are supposed to make everything in which it is implemented vastly cheaper. Designing an MP3 player into the frames of a pair of glasses is cool, but then charging $300 to $400 for them is an insult. The super rich won't buy them, the rest of us can't afford them, and anyone who would take the idea and make it into a commercial reality finds that they can't because the concept is patented-trademarked-copyrighted-whatever.
Now I understand that the marketers want to get as much money as possible for their new designs and ideas, but they don't seem to understand exactly how much money is actually possible. The total amount of $400 times the_number_of_actual_ pairs_sold at that price is much, much less than the amount of $65 times the number of pairs that would be sold if the price were in line with the concept.
Besides, I believe that incredibly cheap is incredibly cool. I'm trying to get a contest with a prize for the best computer design each year for an application that costs less than $5 for its parts. And a special prize for computer circuit designs that cost less than $1.
The winner (so far by default as there have been no other entries) is the PC-keyboard-to-MIDI controller that uses a 42-cent AVR Tiny11 to play a stand-alone PC keyboard as a MIDI piano note controller. It's found here .

Anyway, cheap is good. $400 MP3 sunglasses is an insult when sunglasses are $10 and MP3 players are $60.

as the AIFF format found on regular music CDs.

CDDA does not use AIFF format. AIFF is an IFF format. I found a few pages with more information about IFF and AIFF. CDDA is different, first of all it is not a file format, it specify the format of the media, and you don't have a file header like AIFF. But both formats are similar in that except from the metadata, they contain just raw uncompressed samples. But you can say that about a lot of formats. There does exist systems, where the driver can convert from CDDA to AIFF as you read the disk (IIRC IRIX does that), of course the conversion is trivial. It basically amounts to just replacing the header.

as the AIFF format found on regular music CDs.

CDDA does not use AIFF format. AIFF is an IFF format. I found a few pages with more information about IFF and AIFF. CDDA is different, first of all it is not a file format, it specify the format of the media, and you don't have a file header like AIFF. But both formats are similar in that except from the metadata, they contain just raw uncompressed samples. But you can say that about a lot of formats. There does exist systems, where the driver can convert from CDDA to AIFF as you read the disk (IIRC IRIX does that), of course the conversion is trivial. It basically amounts to just replacing the header.

Strictly speaking, this is strictly bullshit. In as much as the WAV format is an incarnation of the Interchange File Format (RIFF) then yes, any damn representation can be used. But by making the first 4 bytes of this particular IFF incarnation 'WAVE' you tell me (the program): this is PCM data. From there you can have different *kinds of PCM data* (8/16/24bit mono/stereo different rates etc) but it *must* be PCM data nonetheless. MOD THAT SHIT DOWN, YO. IT AINT INFORMATIVE. AND ITS PURE KARMA WHORING.

get a clue. Wait? uninformed posts on slashdot? imagine! - proudly anonymous

I think you are mistaken. WAV and AIFF are both compressed data formats.

Nope. AIFF encodes uncompressed audio samples only. There is a second format, AIFF-C that can contain either uncompressed samples or data from a variety of different compression formats.

WAVE format is comparable to AIFF-C, in that it can contain various types of sound data. But I think it's fair to say the vast majority of WAVE files are uncompressed.

- Peter

I think you are mistaken. WAV and AIFF are both compressed data formats.

Nope. AIFF encodes uncompressed audio samples only. There is a second format, AIFF-C that can contain either uncompressed samples or data from a variety of different compression formats.

WAVE format is comparable to AIFF-C, in that it can contain various types of sound data. But I think it's fair to say the vast majority of WAVE files are uncompressed.

- Peter

Unless your AIFF is really a generic IFF in disguise with things besides a COMM and SSND chunk, it's always linear PCM.

see.. about AIFF

Ennio Flaiano: "In Italy there are two categories of fascists: the fascists and the antifascists".

From this site:

MIDI is an asynchronous serial interface. The baud rate is 31.25 Kbaud ( 1%). There is 1 start bit, 8 data bits, and 1 stop bit (ie, 10 bits total), for a period of 320 microseconds per serial byte.

Dave

> There are a few things that might not be captured, such as the speed at which a damper is replaced on the strings when a note or the pedal is released. I don't know if the system accurately reproduces this. Certainly MIDI wouldn't.

According to this, it will. It can record both the speed at which the note is triggered as well as it is released. From the specs:

Note Off
Category: Voice

Purpose

Indicates that a particular note should be released. Essentially, this means that the note stops sounding, but some patches might have a long VCA release time that needs to slowly fade the sound out. Additionally, the device's Hold Pedal controller may be on, in which case the note's release is postponed until the Hold Pedal is released. In any event, this message either causes the VCA to move into the release stage, or if the Hold Pedal is on, indicates that the note should be released (by the device automatically) when the Hold Pedal is turned off. If the device is a MultiTimbral unit, then each one of its Parts may respond to Note Offs on its own channel. The Part that responds to a particular Note Off message is the one assigned to the message's MIDI channel.

Status

0x80 to 0x8F where the low nibble is the MIDI channel.

Data

Two data bytes follow the Status.

The first data is the note number. There are 128 possible notes on a MIDI device, numbered 0 to 127 (where Middle C is note number 60). This indicates which note should be released.

The second data byte is the velocity, a value from 0 to 127. This indicates how quickly the note should be released (where 127 is the fastest). It's up to a MIDI device how it uses velocity information. Often velocity will be used to tailor the VCA release time. MIDI devices that can generate Note Off messages, but don't implement velocity features, will transmit Note Off messages with a preset velocity of 64.

Yours truly,

Dave

If I'm understanding the Gibson thing right, the neat part is not that you can have digital output straight from your guitar; it's that you can replace analog snakes with ethernet cables between the stage and the FOH mixer. I suppose that's cool... but OTOH sound guys know how to troubleshoot and repair analog problems; knowing what to do with yer ethernet is hosed is a different story.

But hey, if they can simply replace MIDI that'd be a pleasant step forward (though Yamaha's mLAN hasn't managed to do it yet).

Things get complicated when you include system exclusive messages - they are proprietary to each manufacturer and model - and continuous controllers. There are 127 possible controllers, some of which are reserved, e.g. volume is 7, expression is 11, modulation is 1, pan is 10, etc. Reverb and Chorus are included in there somewhere, as are certain other parameters depending on the midi module.

MIDI files can also contain messages such as lyrics, copyright, etc. Good clean fun.
For more information, there are many resources available online.

Check here for an overview of how the chunks work.

--
We may be human, but we're still animals.

Don't know what on Earth happened to the company since then (I think it was the same company anyway) but at the time there was much info on the web site about how it was used to do periodic downloads of results from many very remote automated data collectors, like atmospheric stations and so on. There was something about shipping too. But the data rate was extremely short, and it seemed only useful to communications that could be accomplished with a handful of bytes each signal.

I remember at the time worrying about security, since antennas and signals might draw fire from military on innocent villages etc. There still is hardly any phone infrastructure, and any really good solution (like the phone system in the sky one satellite company built for Thailand) seemed prey to a rapacious telecom ministry. Well that's a few years ago. I think I suggested more research into either a store and forward to satellites, or a line of site ham network using a specialized linux type distribution.

Anyway, I said "Amateur Scientist meteor radio" to Google and Google showed me some very nice links!

Meteorscatter Links--Make More Miles on VHF
A link on this page ( Meteor Burst Communication) mentions the noise floor is limited to the noise emitted by the galaxy, which changes through the day as you scan different parts of it. Cool! It says you really ought to be away from cities and highways to keep the floor as low as possible.

The American Meteor Society Radiometeor Project
(a reprint posted last summer of a 1997 article from the Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers)

"the so-called "pro-life" [highly ironic since people have been killed in the "pro-life" battle] movement wants to impose their will on all others. pro-choice does not. "

FYI, Pro-Choicers Are not Innocent in the Violence Issue

Insane Abortionist

Dr. Bruce Steir, Abortionist, Charged With Murder

before you continue basing your opinion in the misconception that the pro-choice side is any less violent to grown-up people (as they are already are encouraging the killing of the unborn from 2 weeks to 9 months).

We here at Anarchists for Life took a stand against violence when we adopted this as part of our faq that "We do not support violence inside or outside of abortion clinics. We do support peaceful protest." We are hardly alone on the issue

Pat Goltz's Pro-life and Feminist Writings

Leftout: A Haven for Progressive (Liberal) Pro-Lifers

Pro-Woman, Pro-Life: Stop Abortion

What A Wonderful World

"A Life Is..."

Serena & Semira's Home

Check Your Stereotypes At the Door

neon goddess page

Idle Hands Productions

MaeFlowers

Straight Edge Power!

Christian Morality

Tree of Life Pro-life Page

Human Life is Sacred

Vox Crying

Laura's Homepage

Respect Life Ministry

Rennaissance Suffragettes (Pro-Life Feminism)

Star Angel's Pro-Life Page

Lutherans for Life

DazedHippie's Causes

Atheist and Agnostic Pro-Life League

RightGrrl: Conservative Pro-Life Women

Life Links

Linkie's Place

Sweet Pain's Causes

An American Patriot's Page of Thanks

Diogenes's Friends

Anarchists for Life

(( apprehension ))

Versailles Artists for Life

Matt Wallace: A Pro-Life/Anti-Violence Secular Humanist Atheist

BroPeace's Page: Shalom!

Carol's Pro-Life Page

Mallory's Owner's Page

Jim Sieffert's Page

Military Spouse Club

Rebecca's Pro-Life Page

Reality Check-Canada

Rochester Area Right To Life Committee (Rochester, NY)

Joel's Journey

Indiana University Students for Life

Consistent Life Ethics

Electric Cheetahland

Central Truths

Linda's Lair

David Horne's Gay Pro-life Christian Homepage

Roy and Joanna's Beliefs

In Susan B. Anthony's Footsteps: Pro-Woman, Pro-Life! Webring

The New Abolitionists (or "Funny, I Don't Feel Like A Conservative!")

STAAR: Standing Together Against Abortion Rights (Canada)

Do Babies Have a Choice?

Weird Politik: Because Politics Can be Very Strange Sometimes

Elizabeth's Place

Sehlat's LifeLinks

Sleepless in Atlanta

Bill Samuel's Pro-Life Links

Pro-Life Activities in Maryland / Washington DC

Daweena's Political Page

Glitched

Doubet Family Page

Forgive me Lubeck Streyer (aka 'lubie-babie', when I was in molecular bio) and St. Lehninger, for the sins I am about to commit...

I really feel I ought to explain what they are calling 'sugars' here -- it's a biochemical term that (very crudely) boils down to 'a chain of carbons with water attached' -- only the 'water' has broken into two parts ( HOH => H + OH ) and these two parts connect to the carbon, instead of each other. you can think of a 'sugar' as a chain of carbon groups that look like HO-C-H and are connected to each other at by the carbons like this:
......._____. .......H............
....../.....| ....HO-C-H..___. .....__.......
...HO-C-H...| ........\../...| ... /..\......
...HO-C-H...| ......HO-C.....| ....\__/\.....
...HO-C-H...| ......HO-C-H...| .........\__..
...HO-C-H...| ......HO-C-H...| ........./..\.
...HO-C-H...| ......HO-C-H...| .........\__/.
....H-C-OH..| .......H-C-OH..| ..............
......\_____| ..........\____| ...Table Sugar

The big loop just indicates that the carbons are generally in a ring. The second figure indicates that not all of the carbons are always in the ring. The last HO-C-H group is backwards to indicate that major difference between many sugars of the same size is simply whether each -OH group points up or down when we lay the ring flat. "up-up-down-up-up-up" is one sugar, but "up-up-up-down-up-up" is different sugar (they may seem like reflections, but trust me, in a 3-D ring, they aren't)

The 'well-known sugars' (most of which you've never heard of) have carbon chain lengths from 3 carbons (e.g. triose) up to seven carbons (e.g. sedheptulose). However, the 'familiar sugars' are usually based on a six carbon (glucose, fructose, etc.) or five-carbon (ribose) ring. Table sugar (sucrose) consists of *two* six carbon sugars connected together. Chains of sugars longer than two can be very 'un-sugar-like' -- cellulose (wood fiber) is nothing but long linked chains of glucose (blood sugar) while glycogen (a stored fuel in your liver) is also just branched chains of glucose, but is very different physically.

Glucose (blood sugar) or fructose (fruit sugar) are C6-H12-O6. Table sugar (sucrose) is C12-H22-O12. In space conditions, it might be useful to think of carbon chain lengths as being like stacked blocks -- the kind children play with. Generally stacking two blocks is easy, but six is more than three times as hard (it tends to fall apart easily)

The so-called "sugar" they found in space is two carbons long (glycoaldehyde C2-H4-O2) and is very unlike the six-carbon (okay, 5-7) sugars we usually think of. In biochemistry, it isn't generally called a sugar at all. Three carbons was a sort of bottom limit to be sugar like, because the 'ends' often have an extra hydrogen, and a two carbon 'sugar' would be nothing but 'end' and can't form a ring. It's not very 'sugar-like'. It is an extremely simple molecule, that would be easy to make ("stack") by random, and it looks like this (where the = means a double bond)

......H.H.... -- glycoaldehyde,
...HO-C-C=O.. -- the so-called
......H.H.... -- "space sugar"

You can find more info at these pages:

The structure and function of macromolecules (an outline)
Some sketches of various sugars (let the pictures load before scrolling, or you'll lose your place)