Sagan Technology Metro

by **lesag002** » Tue Apr 29, 2003 9:48 pm

Anyone tried getting the old (circa 1987) apple midi interface to work with OS X and a usb/serial adapter? I'm not having any luck. Of course, I didn't expect it to, but what the hell, I tried anyway.

Scooterman: What serial adapter did you try?

by **Scoot** » Wed Apr 30, 2003 4:05 am

The serial adapter was a twin keyspan with 2 serial ports and the midi interface was a opcode (I think 1in/3out).

My attempts were noted in the message in the midi section titled 'Using Keyspan SXPro Serial Interface'.

I even grabbed bits of software to fool the OS into thinking an interface was there when it wasn't. Got an in signal light working on the midi interface but not the all important out!

Now that I have a real USB interface........nothing in my serial setup was different. Even with a real interface the name of the interface is greyed out in the Audio/Midi Setup Utility in Jaguar.

I think I got close but close wasn't good enough.
A USB interface is absolutely simple and the way Jaguar and Metro handle them is dead easy and the way you'd expect it to.

The same setup of the anicent interface and the keyspan serial to USB works prefect under OS 9.1. I never did try it under 9.2 as I refuse to install OMS now as I don't need it.

by **lesag002** » Wed Apr 30, 2003 9:13 am

Thanks for your input Scooterman.

I'll stick with saving up for a Midiman 1x1. It's all I need. I just want to set up an external keyboard to play software.

by **cornutt** » Wed Apr 30, 2003 9:28 am

lesag002 wrote:
I'll stick with saving up for a Midiman 1x1. It's all I need. I just want to set up an external keyboard to play software.

A lot of external keyboards these days come with a USB interface built-in, so you don't need the MIDI interface at all for that. As examples, check out the Midiman Radium or one of the Edirol units.

by **lesag002** » Wed Apr 30, 2003 10:09 am

Thanks Cornutt! I wasn't aware of that.

by **Scoot** » Wed Apr 30, 2003 3:33 pm

At http://www.audiomidi.com/hardware/midi_usb.cfm you can see quite a few interfaces to choose from.

If you already have the cables, the Edirol UM-1S is $10 cheaper than the midisport but it doesn't seem to have activity lights for midi in/out.

scoot

by **lesag002** » Wed Apr 30, 2003 4:20 pm

I can get the Midiman 1x1, which has the cables built in, for $39 from musiciansfriend.

There's also the Ebay route, but I've never bought anything off Ebay before.

by **Scoot** » Wed Apr 30, 2003 4:28 pm

The midiman has built in cables? Not in the piccy I saw.

When I was asking about the computer stores the midiman 2x2 was there but the midiman 1x1 was discontinued and replaced with a device with a new name.

by **lesag002** » Wed Apr 30, 2003 5:27 pm

I'm talking about the Midisport Uno

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid ... e_id/89449

There's no mention of OS X support in the specs though :cry:

by **Scoot** » Wed Apr 30, 2003 6:42 pm

Taken from the readme

M-Audio OS X USB MIDI 3.1
15 November 2002

Thank you for choosing this M-Audio product! Please read these notes carefully before proceeding.

You are about to install software which will enable MIDI applications to access one or more of the following M-Audio USB devices:

? Keystation 49 and 61
? MIDISPORT 1x1, 2x2, 2x4, 4x4, and 8x8
? Oxygen8
? Quattro
? Radium
? Sonica (firmware loader only)
? Uno

If you do not have any of these devices, this installer is not applicable to you.

If you have installed any of the known third-party drivers for these devices, this installer will remove those drivers to avoid conflicts. Once you have completed installation, connect the device to a USB port on your computer. (We do not recommend the use of USB hubs with our devices.) The device's USB light should come on to indicate the software you have just installed has recognized and connected to your new device.

This software is © 2002 MIDIMAN, Inc., All Rights Reserved.

by **fastlanephil** » Fri May 16, 2003 11:41 pm

You can't connect a serial midi interface to a usb port on your Mac with any of the serial to usb adapters. It's a clocking problem I believe. It would have to be a board level adapter like the gPort(works only on G3 and early G4 towers).

by **Scoot** » Sat May 17, 2003 6:24 am

Are you talking in general or under OSX?

Because I did manage it under OS9 quite happily.
I would suspect if its not possible under X it's also not possible under classic.

I'm still having fun trying to see my scsi hard drives under X

by **fastlanephil** » Sun May 18, 2003 12:39 am

You may have had some success with a serial midi device and a serial to usb converter but I don't think any of them mention midi applications because of the clocking problem. This problem was discussed in Mac mags and sites after Apple switched over to usb ports and converters were being developed for printers, ect. My passport 1x1 served me well but I chucked it for the Midiman 2x2 (the only usb midi box out at the time)when I got an iMac DV. But we still use out houses around here with internet access so I could be mistaken.

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Apple serial midi interface

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