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Performa MIDI Help

Posted by: Jason K on 2010-06-09 11:51:14 I am trying to load some samples onto a flash card in my Alesis QS6.1 synth. Documentation says I can go serial port (Mac) to serial port (Alesis). The included software OMS and Midi Manager don't seem to quite get as far as they need to, and I get the error message that the Performa can't communicate with the synth. Are there any other MIDI managers for OS 7.1 that will route my .wav files through the serial port to the synth? This has been agonizing, but it's kinda fun working with an old Mac again...thanks in advance!!! -Jason

Posted by: beachycove on 2010-06-09 16:59:44 Bunsen's yer man for MIDI around here, but to help him along when the sun rises in Australia, what Performa and what System exactly are you using? This was posted in a PCI Macs thread, but it can't be a PCI Mac if it's running 7.1.

Posted by: Bunsen on 2010-06-10 06:39:56 Morning. Yawn. Moved into Software, seeing as that seems to be the main thrust of the problem. While I am familiar with MIDI on older Macs, I haven't used it for several years. I don't think you are supposed to be running OMS and Apple MIDI Manager together - one or the other. There should be other members along with more suggestions soon.

Posted by: Jason K on 2010-06-10 15:20:44 Sorry. I saw Performa and I got click-happy. It's actually a Performa 575. Indeed I tried OMS separately from Midi Manager. Both looked promising at first, but couldn't cut the mustard in communicating with the keyboard. Maybe going from the serial port to a MidiMan MacMan and to the keyboard's midi ports? I'm midilliterate. Thanks for the input!

Posted by: Bunsen on 2010-06-11 10:22:58 Is there a switch or a setting that instructs the Alesis to use the serial port, rather than the MIDI port?

Posted by: Graham Hinton on 2010-06-13 10:01:07 Make sure that the Mac's serial port is set to Standard MIDI Interface in OMS Setup and check the clock speed if there is a choice. 1MHz would be the best start. If an external device is emulating a MIDI Interface it still has to provide the clock. Check your keyboard's menu settings.

Posted by: Jason K on 2010-07-06 21:11:48 Re: Bunsen - No, no switch for serial/midi. There is a switch for Mac/PC. All verbiage alludes to plug-n-play...yeah, right. I thought I would add some screenshots of my workflow to see if I am missing something, which obviously I am. Let's play the home game...

Posted by: Jason K on 2010-07-06 21:16:03 So there you have it. Any help, as always, from any hemisphere is appreciated. Thanks guys! Jason

Posted by: Bunsen on 2010-07-07 15:07:03 Re: Bunsen - No, no switch for serial/midi. There is a switch for Mac/PC. Yes, that would be the one. One position means "Mac/PC", ie, use the serial port. The other position means use the MIDI ports. It's not a switch between "Mac" and "PC". It's confusing and mildly retarded, but that's the way those mid-90s MIDI instruments with serial ports were labelled.

Posted by: Jason K on 2010-07-07 20:38:27 Sad to say, that's not the trick. It is, indeed a PC/Mac switch. Changing it over to 'PC' resulted in nothing showing up in the OMS Driver Setup window (reference my 3rd pic above). When switched to 'Mac' I get the Std. Interface, Modem icon and description (as seen above). Maybe this is a glimmer of being on the right path. (?) I wish it said Midi Interface, Modem. By the by, on the same screen, I did try the 'customize' button. I got an option of changing the 'Std. Interface, Modem' to something called 'MIDI Time-Piece Modem' but couldn't get it to create a path to the keyboard (agreed, my current path to my keyboard is not much better, but at least I get a purdy icon). Thanks in advance for your impending solution...subliminalmessage Jason

Posted by: Bunsen on 2010-07-09 05:15:52 Ooohhh, I've only ever seen the other kind of switch before. Thanks for the clarification.

Posted by: Jason K on 2010-07-09 09:10:30 I was tinkering...and found some other options that I didn't know existed. The documentation on this junk is so incomplete. Assigning the modem port to Alesis QS MIDI somethingoranother gets me reallllllly close. It automatically sets up as a QS7, though. I'm needing it to be a QS6. Is it possible that they didn't even include the QS6's description in the software? Rrrrrrgh.

Posted by: Bunsen on 2010-07-10 08:27:55 What's the difference between a QS6 and a QS7? Maybe one setting works for both, like with a DX7 and a TX7.

Posted by: QuadSix50 on 2010-07-11 15:18:29 QS6 = 61 keys QS7 = 76 keys QS8 = 88 keys http://www.vintagesynth.com/misc/qs7.php

Posted by: Jason K on 2010-07-11 21:23:56 Now I need to fix this: "The modem port is not available for MIDI. It is in use by another application." (After a port becomes available, open the OMS MIDI dialog or switch applications for OMS to notice. But I have no other applications running. Something else causing conflict? New error messages give me sick feeling that we're getting closer. Shanksh!

Posted by: ppuskari on 2010-07-11 22:06:36 Any chance this could be related to the serial port arbiter extension thing on some older macs, or maybe even if you might have Appletalk ON but not meaning to? Might also be an IAC thing holding the port open. I'm guessing Appletalk has grabbed the port, in which case make sure you go and turn that off if you haven't, and also make sure you set your desktop printer to something for sure not on your free port. Sometimes a serial direct printer can setup shop there and show that way. Very interesting problem you have here.

Posted by: Bunsen on 2010-07-12 03:18:28 There's a known fault where Appletalk will seize control of a serial port and refuse to let it go, even after disabling, switching off, or removing Appletalk services altogether. You have to either trash the preference file for Appletalk and I think one other and reboot, or download a script or small app that takes care of that. I am a little vague on the details, sorry. Hopefully this will ring a bell for someone else, or further searching will reveal an answer.

Posted by: Kallikak on 2010-07-12 18:00:08 There's no problem using OMS and Apple MIDI Manager together.

Posted by: Jason K on 2010-07-13 20:50:22 Tried trashing prefs. Tried trashing all prefs. Disabled some unnecessary extensions, too. Zapped PRAM. Changed cables. Nothin' doin'. I did find a 'Reset Serial Channel' app, but I have to transfer it over to a zip disk or floppy so I can get it on the Performa. After that, I'm at a loss of what to do. Thanks for all your help, fellas. Let me know if you have any other brainstorms.

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