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Author Topic: ScoreTrack, Vilmos Kopácsy MIDI attempt (Read 21037 times)

Offline gflorez

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ScoreTrack, Vilmos Kopácsy MIDI attempt
« on: 2017.August.07. 01:49:56 »
Thanks to IstvanV for the new beta of his superb EP emulator. It brings some juicy add-ons, one of them MIDI capability. (Configure the MIDI-IN port on the emulator on Options/Sound/Configure, and use the Keyboard.com program to listen a MIDI song played on your PC being reproduced on the emulated EP.... ESC exits, F1-F6 use different frequency scale)

He also has modified the Rom found on one of the MIDI interface prototypes that Vilmos Kopácsy(aka GUY KOPEXY) gifted to Werner Lindner. Now it can be put to work on the 06 and 07 memory segments on the emulator. The only problem is that it only works on these two segments, because the interface uses a memory zone to transfer the information, just like the SD-reader Rom does on the same segment 07....

But not all is lost, we can put the VHD disk image on the emulated IDE interface.

The Rom program stands for ST(ScoreTrack) when searched with :HELP.

I have loaded the songs(*.SNG) on floppies A, B or F(Kazakhstan HD interfaces?), and tried to load a song, but the program can't complete a DIR like is shown on this picture from Zozo:



What I am doing wrong?
« Last Edit: 2020.February.26. 14:59:01 by gflorez »

Offline endi

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Re: ScoreTrack, Vilmos Kopácsy MIDI atempt
« Reply #1 on: 2017.August.07. 06:47:43 »
is this an ep program?
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Offline gflorez

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Re: ScoreTrack, Vilmos Kopácsy MIDI atempt
« Reply #2 on: 2017.August.07. 07:29:35 »
Yes, a Rom.

Offline endi

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Re: ScoreTrack, Vilmos Kopácsy MIDI atempt
« Reply #3 on: 2017.August.07. 08:19:33 »
so is this a music editor with midi support?
it can load midis and its format is sng? interesting...
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Offline Zozosoft

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Re: ScoreTrack, Vilmos Kopácsy MIDI atempt
« Reply #4 on: 2017.August.07. 09:04:00 »
is this an ep program?
ROM of the MIDI cartridge.

it can load midis and its format is sng? interesting...
I think the .SNG is a file format of music editor on Atari ST.
In a lot of 'a' Studio programs used Atari ST songs.

Offline gflorez

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Re: ScoreTrack, Vilmos Kopácsy MIDI atempt
« Reply #5 on: 2017.August.07. 13:14:51 »
The "Directory" command is not working properly on my emulation. Also, I can't save a song, it doesn't produces a file.

On the other side, selecting A, B or F, seems to read from the selected drive. The two first green drive lights change accordingly, being the F light red coloured. 

It is only me? How can I configure this Rom to work?

Offline IstvanV

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Re: ScoreTrack, Vilmos Kopácsy MIDI atempt
« Reply #6 on: 2017.August.07. 13:38:25 »
He also has modified the Rom found on one of the MIDI interface prototypes that Vilmos Kopácsy(aka GUY KOPEXY) gifted to Werner Lindner. Now it can be put to work on the 06 and 07 memory segments on the emulator. The only problem is that it only works on these two segments, because the interface uses a memory zone to transfer the information, just like the SD-reader Rom does on the same segment 07....

Actually, the emulator uses I/O ports (F6h and F7h) instead of memory mapped I/O, that is why the ROM had to be modified, it is not compatible with the original interface. Fortunately, only a few bytes needed to be changed in the ROM code. However, the ROM is not "EXOS compatible", it uses hardcoded segment numbers, so it still needs to be loaded to 06-07 even without the MMIO.

By the way, here is how the emulated ports can be programmed (this may change later):

Port F6h is a command/status register, writing 0 to it clears the 255 byte FIFO, while reading the port returns the following:

bit 7 = 0 if input is available on port F7h (the device is in input mode and the buffer is not empty), otherwise FFh would be read
bit 6 = 0 if output can be sent on port F7h (the device is in output mode and the buffer is not full), otherwise the data would be discarded
bits 2 to 5 are unused, currently always 1
bit 1 = 0 if a valid output device is opened
bit 0 = 0 if a valid input device is opened

Without MIDI emulation support, or with no device opened, FFh is read from the port.

Port F7h is the data register. It can be read or written depending on the type of the currently opened MIDI device (I = input, O = output in the sound configuration).

If bit 7 of port F6h indicates that input is available, then a complete MIDI message can always be read, the emulator will not send truncated data. Currently, it also does not use the "repeat status" feature, nor nested MIDI messages, and most system messages are filtered out with the exception of Clock (F8h), Start (FAh), Continue (FBh) and Stop (FCh). These make it easier to parse the input data, but it could be difficult to implement the filtering if the interface was actually built as hardware. The emulator uses a FIFO of 255 bytes (the size may be increased if necessary), if the Z80 code does not consume the input fast enough, then further data is lost.

The MIDI output does support repeating the status byte between channel messages, but parsing the data is otherwise somewhat limited and may be buggy. It only supports the same few types of system messages as the input, and nested messages like an F8h in the middle of a Note On do not work.

For the ScoreTrack ROM, an output device is needed, like the Windows software synthesizer.

Offline IstvanV

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Re: ScoreTrack, Vilmos Kopácsy MIDI atempt
« Reply #7 on: 2017.August.07. 14:29:52 »
On the other side, selecting A, B or F, seems to read from the selected drive. The two first green drive lights change accordingly, being the F light red coloured.  

Selecting the drive does not seem to be enough, it is also needed to use "Directory" to refresh the file listing. Of course, a floppy image is required as well with some SNG files, and DISK: needs to be the default device. And the first icon that looks like an IC with a "D" letter has to be toggled, otherwise the output is sent is some non-MIDI compatible format and there is no sound.

Offline gflorez

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Re: ScoreTrack, Vilmos Kopácsy MIDI atempt
« Reply #8 on: 2017.August.07. 16:17:18 »
It doesn't work for me:

The first snapshot is a simple DIR command made from Basic, and the second the same within ScoreTrack:


Offline IstvanV

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Re: ScoreTrack, Vilmos Kopácsy MIDI atempt
« Reply #9 on: 2017.August.07. 17:50:55 »
Is it possible that the memory configuration is causing problems? The ROM does not seem to be "EXOS compatible", and it may work correctly only on a specific configuration, like 128K RAM, EXDOS on segments 20h and 21h, and ScoreTrack on 06h and 07h. I used "EP_128k_EXDOS_FileIO.cfg".

Offline gflorez

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Re: ScoreTrack, Vilmos Kopácsy MIDI atempt
« Reply #10 on: 2017.August.07. 22:37:02 »
Curiously it is not compatible with the language Roms. If the :UK command is executed before entering ScoreTrack, the DIR command works flawlessly. The EGI has the same error.


I will put here other aspects of the program that I could find.

Offline endi

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Re: ScoreTrack, Vilmos Kopácsy MIDI atempt
« Reply #11 on: 2017.August.07. 23:04:02 »
wow this program looks serious.
but I cant use... after some actions I can move only the cursor, but nothing happens.
I can write notes, make adsr, but no sound - it works only with midi output?
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Offline gflorez

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Re: ScoreTrack, Vilmos Kopácsy MIDI atempt
« Reply #12 on: 2017.August.08. 08:36:08 »
The same for me, from the start I can select Dave or Midi output (the first icon from the left) but none of them sound once a .SNG file is loaded and pressed play. (Dave seems to first need an envelope)

Then the program freezes and only let me to move the cursor over the icons.

I think it is a problem with W7+, as it has no MIDI mapper, and then I can't select Microsoft GS output.

Offline geco

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Re: ScoreTrack, Vilmos Kopácsy MIDI atempt
« Reply #13 on: 2017.August.08. 08:53:25 »
I think it is a problem with W7+, as it has no MIDI mapper, and then I can't select Microsoft GS output.
You can install loopMIDI, it creates MIDI in/out ports.

Offline gflorez

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Re: ScoreTrack, Vilmos Kopácsy MIDI atempt
« Reply #14 on: 2017.August.08. 09:17:37 »
I already have installed LoopMidi to make work the new beta emulator and the Keyboard.com.

But on the emulator you only can select the source for MIDI-IN, MIDI-OUT is let as the default, and on W7 the Midi-Mapper was removed, so you can't select Microsoft GS as output directly.

I have found MidiSelector, but it still doesn't work for me. I have to try more.