[sdiy] Re: Why MIDI? (was Re:

[Scott Gravenhorst]

cheater <cheater at salsa.pl> wrote:
>On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 15:23:25 +0000, David J. Hughes 
><hughes_david_j at btopenworld.com> wrote: 
>
>> Cheater,
>>
>> on 8/7/04 2:18 PM, cheater at cheater at salsa.pl puked :
>>
>> For my $0.02, I am more than prepared to live with the shortcomings of the
>> MIDI standard given the enormous benefits to be gained from using MIDI. Many
>> people on this list are old enough to remember the pre-MIDI days and can
>> clearly recall what a complete nightmare it was to patch together
>> instruments with different control voltages and trigger standards...
>>
>> As a standard, MIDI v01-00 is in need to modernisation. But I'd far rather
>> have it than not.
>>
>> Maybe this forum is the place to seriously start pushing for a new standard?
>>
>
>That *is* exactly why I started this conversation. And I am happy it's starting
>to get intriguing :)
>
>I *do* trust there are people here with the skills, and perhaps one day the time,
>to do this.
>
>If we won't do it, who will?

I hate to say this, but this topic is not new.  It's been done to death.

1) There are thousands of instruments that only understand the current standard.
2) There are thousands of copies of software that only understand the current standard.
3) Any standard we create here will not be replicated by the industry because of their own
legacy products.
4) Many musicians just don't have such serious problems with MIDI.
5) ???  I'm sure there's more...


Like any artist's tool, one has to understand it's limitations.  

Bemoaning the lack of this and the lack of that doesn't make art, it makes excuses for not
making art.  If you don't like it, don't use it.

That said, yes, MIDI could be better, but it's not.  So if you find it utterly unusable, the
alternative is to make something better yourself, if you can.  But every time this subject
has been discussed, it boils down to the same things:  Nobody can agree on what features
should be supported and what is nice, but unnecessary.  Then there's implementing the
standard in real instruments which requires new uC code and new hardware, some of which
would require group agreement to become widely accepted.  

Bottom line: for all the discussion, not one IC has been soldered into a circuit board.


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