[sdiy] Software problem hardware solution? + US patents

[Scott Gravenhorst]

This is exactly what old PCs are for.  I've used CPUs as old as 286/12 with a
cheap ISA MIDI card.  Some rather simple C or Assembly code does this job
easily.  

To this point, I've written a program that adds portamento to a Roland D-110
(or any other bender capable digital synth) which does not support it
normally.  The program calculates the correct pitch bender numbers and uses
the same note on value for all notes, sending the bender number to get the
correct pitch.  When a new key is pressed, a stream of calculated evenly
spaced bender messages are sent to glide the note from where it is to the new
value.  If this much can be done with a 286/12, then surely something that
simply modifies the velocity value is trivial by comparison.

Using an old, otherwise discarded PC this way effectively recycles it and
keeps it out of the landfill.  These days, many of us have even low end
pentiums laying around.  I've been able to get these machines in working
condition for free just by asking around.


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-- Scott Gravenhorst | LegoManiac / Lego Trains / RIS 1.5
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