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Author Topic: MIDI and the Macintosh (May 1993 Article, 3 parts)  (Read 3388 times)

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Offline chrisNova777

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MIDI and the Macintosh (May 1993 Article, 3 parts)
« on: November 13, 2016, 03:00:35 PM »
3 Part Article from May 1993

part 1 https://tidbits.com/article/2575
part 2 https://tidbits.com/article/2567
part 3 https://tidbits.com/article/2561

Quote
A partial list of some Mac sequencers and notation editors follows. Usually, the list price is a fair reflection of the software's capabilities. The high-end has packages intended for the professional musician, while the mid- and low-range programs are aimed at the semi-pro or casual musician or composer. Each package claims its forte to be either sequencing [ S] or notation [ N], though sometimes both parts are present in some mix: [ SN] [ sN] or [ Sn].

     Finale              $749 (Coda Music Software) [ SN]

     Composer's Mosaic   $595 (Mark of the Unicorn) [ N]
     Encore              $595 (Passport Designs) [ N]

     Performer           $495 (Mark of the Unicorn) [ S]
     Cubase              $495 (Steinberg/Jones) [ S]
     Vision              $495 (Opcode Systems) [ S]

     EZ Vision           $149 (Opcode Systems) [ S]
     Trax                $ 99 (Passport Designs) [ S]

     MIDIplay            $ 60 (Opcode Systems) [ MIDI on HyperCard]
     MusicProse          $249 (Coda Music Software) [ SN]

     Lime                $160 (CERL) [ N]
     Metro*              $229 (OSC) [ S]
     MiniTrax            Public Domain (Altech Systems) [ s]
     Music Writer 1/2/3  $119/295/595 (Pygraphics) [ N]
     Upbeat              $129 (Dr. T's Music Software) [ percussion]
     D. M. C. S.         $130 (Electronic Arts) [ N]
     ConcertWare+MIDI    $189 (Great Wave Software) [ sN]
 
 * Metro is a reincarnation of Beyond (previously Dr. T's) with an
   integration to DECK (a digital audio recording system also from
   OSC).
Demo versions for most are available from the publisher or on the Internet. Those with FTP access should get a copy of

info-mac/report/inexpensive-midi-resource.txt
from <sumex-aim.stanford.edu>. This file, currently available as a draft FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) on the rec.music.makers.synth group on Usenet, lists demo, shareware, and public-domain programs available for the Mac and where to get them.

Offline chrisNova777

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Re: MIDI and the Macintosh (May 1993 Article, 3 parts)
« Reply #1 on: September 21, 2017, 06:26:11 AM »
Quote
In 1991, Opcode developed their own system (OMS, the Opcode MIDI System) which provides system services similar to the MIDI Manager. Although OMS and MIDI Manager differ only slightly, there are good reasons for running both systems at once to access their respective features. Professionals often need extremely powerful MIDI interface boxes with more than 16 MIDI channels (64 is common and 128 is possible and surely we'll be up to 1,024 channels someday soon!) and must synchronize their Mac to SMPTE time code (a protocol defined by the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers for synchronizing various devices) on video or audio tape. Apple offers no solution and that's where OMS fills the bill.

OMS is an exemplary piece of software; it works solidly on PowerBooks, and is considered a must for professional MIDI users. Mark of the Unicorn has announced a rival to OMS, the FreeMIDI System - think of it as OMS with a Free Software Foundation source license. Although a few beta testers have proclaimed it to be OK, it will have to prove itself to be at least as capable as OMS to achieve a loyal user base.

Opcode fired the next few salvos in this MIDI battle. Since January 1993, Opcode has licensed OMS developer packs free to interested parties. In April, they announced an upgrade to version 2.0 of OMS (currently, OMS 1.2.1 is shipping). The acronym OMS will change from "Opcode MIDI System" to "Open Music System" to reflect the fact that future versions of OMS will incorporate source code from other developers (a move designed to bolster its acceptance as an industry standard for professional musicians). Among other enhancements, OMS 2.0 will add IAC (Inter-Application Communication) and will include serial port independence that will allow the use of serial cards like Applied Engineering's QuadraLink four-port NuBus card. The OMS bandwagon already includes companies such as Passport, Steinberg, Emagic, PG Music, Roland, and Digidesign.
https://tidbits.com/article/2567