Author Topic: Vintage Mac and PC MIDI Sequencer Lab at Vintage Computer Fest SoCal 2025 (Read 21719 times)

nsputnik · « **on:** February 12, 2025, 02:04:09 AM »

The Vintage Computer Festival SoCal, scheduled for February 15-16, 2025 in Orange, California, will feature two computer-based vintage MIDI sequencing workstations.

My booth, as part of Deep Signal Studio‘s, will feature two vintage computers MIDI sequencing workstations. Attendees will be able to play with the systems, which will be connected to vintage synths, samplers and drum machines like a Roland Juno 106, Emu Emax, and Sequential DrumTracks.

A MacSE FDHD will run Opcode EZ Vision v1.0, Vision v1.02 and an Opcode Professional Plus MIDI interface. A Pocket 386 running MS-DOS will with a Roland MPU-IPC-T MIDI interface in the Pocket 386’s ISA expansion board will be running Magnetic Music’s Texture v4.25.

We will give attendees a crash course on these earlier forms of computer-based MIDI sequencing. You will be encouraged to compose a song the way artists and producers would have done it around 1989. The compositions can be recorded two-track, so it can be encoded as an mp3, emailed to the attendees, upload to Soundcloud or burn to a CD.

Or you can just hang out and chat about MIDI, vintage synths, and old computers.

What else to expect at VCFSoCal:

Aisle of vintage PCs to explore
Exhibitors showing off their latest projects like modern interfaces or new software for old computers
Interactive exhibits and retro gameplay
Lovingly preserved historic machines
Consignment area to buy and sell retro tech
Tech veteran stories and presentations every hour

https://www.deepsignalstudios.com/vintage-computer-fest-socal-2025
https://www.vcfsocal.com/event-details/vcf-socal-2025

chrisNova777 · « **Reply #1 on:** February 12, 2025, 01:39:14 PM »

id be interested in getting a copy of texture
i have an actual 5.25" floppy version of texture 3.0 but
i havent used it yet.

DEVICEHIGH · « **Reply #2 on:** February 12, 2025, 04:12:33 PM »

You can still download Texture 4.25 straight from Magnetic Music:

http://www.magneticmusic.com/downloads.html

nsputnik · « **Reply #3 on:** February 13, 2025, 12:32:00 AM »

Chris, fly down to California for the weekend.

G40 · « **Reply #4 on:** February 16, 2025, 04:16:23 AM »

Wow, fantastic!

nsputnik · « **Reply #5 on:** March 04, 2025, 10:08:35 AM »

We exhibited at the 2nd annual Vintage Computer Festival SoCal that took place on February 15th and 16th in Orange, CA. Our booth featured two vintage computer MIDI workstations, one using a classic Apple Macintosh SE with Opcode’s MIDI Translator II serial port MIDI interface and the other being a Pocket 386 PC with the Roland MPU-IPC-T ISA MIDI interface. Each workstation featured hardware synths, drum machines and samplers ranging from the 1983 to 1991, such as the Yamaha DX7, RX5, TX802 and TG77, Casio CZ-101, Korg DW800, Emu Emax and Proteus, Roland Juno 106, Oberheim DPX-1, Ensoniq Mirage, Sequential Circuits TOM, Alesis HR16B and a Moog Rogue with a Kenton Pro Solo MKII. Festival attendees were encouraged to take mini crash-courses in using the sequencing programs EZVision on the Mac and Magnetic Music’s Texture on the Pocket 386 PC to compose short loops or songs, which a few attendees did participate in, which were recorded. The audio recordings were shared with the attendees that composed them. Many attendees were enlightened to learn that the same MIDI protocol that is used to power these vintage era workstation is the same protocol that is compatible with MIDI instruments still being manufactured today, and that all MIDI devices from any area are compatible with each other as far as basic functions such as sending and receiving note messages which s a testament to the open and collaborative nature of the development of the original MIDI specification. We let attendees know that very similar MIDI sequencing workstations were used to compose and produce many albums from the late 80s such as Beastie Boy's Paul’s Boutique (Textures and Emax) and Nine Inch Nails’ Pretty Hate Machine (Mac Plus, MOTU Performer, a MIDI'ed Moog, Emu Emax, and synths by Sequential Circuits and Oberheim). We will be planning an even more immersive and interactive exhibit for next year's festival that will highlight the compatibility between these early computers’ MIDI capabilities and current MIDI instruments and DAWs.