OMS Founder speaks about OS X and MIDI

[KymataDigital]

This was forwarded to me by a friend on the Opcode User List:

From: Doug Wyatt <[email protected]>
Reply-To: [email protected]
Date: Wed, 17 May 2000 22:30:49 -0700
To: [email protected]
Subject: Mac OS X: MIDI

Today I gave a 30-minute talk and demo at Apple's Worldwide
Developers Conference, entitled "Mac OS X: MIDI."

For the benefit of MIDI users on this list, here's a high-level description of the new MIDI services...


Hardware makers create MIDI drivers for their devices. OS X has a significantly different (and simpler!) driver model than OS 9. This
is why very little that accesses hardware (like OMS and audio cards) will work in the Classic environment on X, to my knowledge.

The new MIDI system has nothing resembling OMS Setup. Applications can ask the system to locate hardware, and it's up to the application to build associations like "MIDI Time Piece/Port 5" has "Korg M1" attached to it. Someone could theoretically add more OMS-like services at a higher level.

The system has inherent support for timestamping/scheduling interfaces, as are now available from several manufacturers.

There are no central timing services like OMS Timing, and nothing resembling the Name Manager.

Since the new API's are only available (as currently planned) for OS X, we'll probably be seeing separate OS 9 and X versions of MIDI
apps, although I can think of some possible ways for developers to make a binary that can run on both.

I demonstrated a few simple programs, using a MIDI keyboard, sound module, a and USB MIDI interface (courtesy of Emagic):
- a program that uses the MIDI system's ability to schedule future output to play a constant series of quick 16th notes. It sounded good and mechanical.
- a program that did MIDI Thru with low latency.
- playing a complex MIDI File
- playing a complex MIDI File while playing along with it using MIDI Thru

People seemed pleased. The message to developers is: MIDI is real on OS X. It's time to start getting your programs ready for it.

The MIDI services are expected to be available as part of the public beta this summer, but developers should get preliminary versions very
soon.

Doug

--
Doug Wyatt [email protected] http://www.sonosphere.com/ <- new: review of Mother Mallard
at the Smithsonian

[shaggy]

This is for Doug & the rest of the fearless team.

THANK YOU!

Hey. Remember the Studio 3 and dual MIDI ports?

(now if someone can do a patch and get these BRC's useable again- that would be cool!)