Gate from Parallel Port?

zipzap · Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 1:26 pm Post subject: Gate from Parallel Port?

Do you think ít´s possible to have some program that translates midi data to gate (logic) signals and outputs those over the parallel port? Maybe it already exists? Would be nice for doing drum programming in the pc, when you want more than the analog sequencer can do.

piedwagtail · Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 10:32 pm Post subject:

Zipzap,
I think you're nominating yourself to take this forum into microprocessor land..... Smile

There's lots of complications in chip price/programming/programmer decisions.....but also some interesting non coding approaches.This one appealed to me...
http://www.actum.com/
And the Forth language seems impressive:very lean with a simple stack and understandable extensibility.Apparently Macs have their ROM identities programmed in Forth.

Robert

zipzap · Posted: Sat May 27, 2006 1:12 am Post subject:

Well, in all my diy days i never touched a microcontroller. When i was young i wrote a GWBasic program that made random poems on a 8088 Computer (A good typewriter that could run pacman). So much about my skills.
The idea was to use the parallel port directly to transmit logic signals. Don´t know if that´s possible, but i think the parallel port can do that. So the midi data would be translated in the computer, where it is also generated.
Anyway, i´ve read a few articels about those pics whatever they are.
Doesn´t seem so hard, at least not as i thought, as long as you use some finished code. For a simple drumbox with 7 voices i found this:
http://www.callipygian.com/F84midi/index.html
It seems like all i need is to build this simple circuit, basically the pic, a clock, a optocoupler and a few transistors. Than take the asemblercode this guy has written for us, build another simple thing like ths:
http://www.janson-soft.de/pic/pic-dl.htm
Done! That Simple? I wonder if it´ll work.
Someone said you need a old pc with 5v level, rather than 3,3v to do the programming with such a simple burner. See if i can find one.

piedwagtail · Posted: Sat May 27, 2006 6:03 am Post subject:

zipzap · Posted: Sat May 27, 2006 6:11 am Post subject:

Just came back here to post what i found at rene´s site:
http://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs159/index.html
Modular midi-cv from printer port. No pic, no big shematic, ready windows driver.
Now i´ll have a look at Ken Stone´s page.

blue hell · Posted: Sat May 27, 2006 8:39 am Post subject:

I think http://www.lvr.com/parport.htm has some good info on the subject.

dnny · Posted: Sat May 27, 2006 10:02 am Post subject:

have you seen this topic?
BendControl sequencer

it has 8 computer controllable switches so you could make it 8 gates... super easy to build and the software is free + easy to use..

zipzap · Posted: Sat May 27, 2006 1:15 pm Post subject:

Perfect! I wish this could sync to midi...
But great idea! I´ll try this, it´s such an easy build. Or maybe you don´t have to build anything! Paralel Port can propably gate my envs by itself (ok, better use some buffer, comperator. If i fry my cpu i think i would get mad).
But the best thing is that pitch control! That is perfect!

zipzap · Posted: Sat May 27, 2006 1:33 pm Post subject:

Midisync - just found out MikMo is already working on it. Razz

dnny · Posted: Sun May 28, 2006 12:09 am Post subject:

Mikmo · Posted: Sun May 28, 2006 11:48 pm Post subject:

I'm working on a sligthly updated version, that will allow playback from 10 - 400 BPM, a few keyboard shortcuts, and the ability to have any number of steps from 1 to 16 in a pattern, this wil make it much easier to have rythmic tracks other than 4/4.

Check my site for the updated version in about 2 weeks or so. Just have to finish my circuit bending at "half machine" Smile

MikMo

zipzap · Posted: Mon May 29, 2006 1:20 am Post subject:

Congratualtions! Nice you joined in here! Really a great idea of yours. Nice sharing it! What about midi? Would be perfect - top on my wishlist. But don´t let me push you - do what you please and have fun!

Mikmo · Posted: Mon May 29, 2006 11:36 pm Post subject:

Yeah, MIDI synch would be cool.

One of the problems i have is that this program was adapted to it's purpose from a rather different program i wrote years ago ( a sample player), and it has been modified over and over, so the source code is not exactly in a nice state.

also implementing MIDI synch is not very easy, but i'm absolutely not negative to the idea.

The program is written in Visual Basic, and im seriously considering writing a new program from scratch in C#, insted of continuing to build on top of a fragile foundation.

But i always have 100 projects going on, some real, some planned to be real, and some only live in my head, so time is always an issue Smile

But ideas and input are welcome

zipzap · Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 1:42 am Post subject: