Post by Chris on Nov 13, 2013 12:10:49 GMT
Hi,
If my usual posts on forums are anything to go by, this isn't going to be a particularly quick introduction, so apologies in advance for the likely long read should you get through it!
I live in the UK and I have had an interest in MIDI since I could first afford relevant kit in the mid-80s … an Amstrad PC, an ISA MIDI Interface card imported from the US and a dodgy Casio consumer keyboard bought on Tottenham Court Road. The clever stuff was way out of my price range at that point having just left school but I was still hooked. The interest likely stemmed from being able to program the sound on the VIC chip in a Commodore VIC-20 when I was younger. Computer programming + sound, irresistible, surely!
As I subtly hint at in the title, I’m not a musician by any stretch of the imagination. I played a little classical guitar when I was at school (stopped taking it seriously after Grade 4) but I’m not really sure I “get” music and I sight-read it like a 5yr old reads a book.
What I am, though, is a tech-inclined guy that likes gadgets and to write applications that interact with them so MIDI is great for me as I can drive external instruments and make them do what I want (an opportunity a non-musician doesn’t usually get) using off-the-shelf or home-grown software.
In the past I’ve relied upon different kit to provide me with different results (e.g. new sounds available on different hardware) and this has generally resulted in buying the odd keyboard here and there, even though I can’t play them! These include a Casio HT-700 (the first one), Casio CZ-5000 (which I bought off a mate and had a built-in sequencer), a Yamaha YPR-9 (because it was touch sensitive) and a Yamaha PSR-630 (because I couldn’t resist it at the Ideal Home Exhibition one year in the late 90s). I still have all these – mostly stashed in the loft – except for the Casio CZ-5000 (more on that in a moment).
More recently I’ve discovered and developed quite a keen interest in synthesizers. Rather than relying on pre-programmed sounds from the hardware, I can now load up new 3rd party sounds, tweak them or even create new ones from scratch. This is much more in my area of interest!
At the moment I have a Roland D-110 (which I got dirt cheap on eBay), a Roland JV-880 (my first and the one I’ve had the most fun with so far), a Roland JV-1080 (expanded with the Experience II and Dance boards) and a little Yamaha CBX-T3 (again, got it cheap and it gives me a different a data format to play with). I believe the Yamaha is a consumer boxed version of the TG-100.
I sold the aforementioned Casio CZ-5000 some time ago, well before I knew what I could have done with it (it's a classic synth!) which is a terrible shame but never mind.
I use the Casio HT-700 as a MIDI controller for the synths when I’m messing about with sounds but every so often I’ll switch to my YRG-1000 Gen2 “guitar” to play some simple classical stuff in nice voices. The YRG works a treat and is a very cool piece of gear for investigating new and stacked sounds (because I can play it basically).
Ultimately, though, my core interest is in programming (as a hobbyist), and MIDI gives me an ideal outlet for that – not only in manipulating standard MIDI data but more recently controlling the synths at a fundamental level via System Exclusive messages.
So, in summary,
Hopefully the above will give you some idea of where I sit. I don’t know what I’ll be able to add to this forum but if there’s anything I can help with, I’ll try to chime in
Chris
If my usual posts on forums are anything to go by, this isn't going to be a particularly quick introduction, so apologies in advance for the likely long read should you get through it!
I live in the UK and I have had an interest in MIDI since I could first afford relevant kit in the mid-80s … an Amstrad PC, an ISA MIDI Interface card imported from the US and a dodgy Casio consumer keyboard bought on Tottenham Court Road. The clever stuff was way out of my price range at that point having just left school but I was still hooked. The interest likely stemmed from being able to program the sound on the VIC chip in a Commodore VIC-20 when I was younger. Computer programming + sound, irresistible, surely!
As I subtly hint at in the title, I’m not a musician by any stretch of the imagination. I played a little classical guitar when I was at school (stopped taking it seriously after Grade 4) but I’m not really sure I “get” music and I sight-read it like a 5yr old reads a book.
What I am, though, is a tech-inclined guy that likes gadgets and to write applications that interact with them so MIDI is great for me as I can drive external instruments and make them do what I want (an opportunity a non-musician doesn’t usually get) using off-the-shelf or home-grown software.
In the past I’ve relied upon different kit to provide me with different results (e.g. new sounds available on different hardware) and this has generally resulted in buying the odd keyboard here and there, even though I can’t play them! These include a Casio HT-700 (the first one), Casio CZ-5000 (which I bought off a mate and had a built-in sequencer), a Yamaha YPR-9 (because it was touch sensitive) and a Yamaha PSR-630 (because I couldn’t resist it at the Ideal Home Exhibition one year in the late 90s). I still have all these – mostly stashed in the loft – except for the Casio CZ-5000 (more on that in a moment).
More recently I’ve discovered and developed quite a keen interest in synthesizers. Rather than relying on pre-programmed sounds from the hardware, I can now load up new 3rd party sounds, tweak them or even create new ones from scratch. This is much more in my area of interest!
At the moment I have a Roland D-110 (which I got dirt cheap on eBay), a Roland JV-880 (my first and the one I’ve had the most fun with so far), a Roland JV-1080 (expanded with the Experience II and Dance boards) and a little Yamaha CBX-T3 (again, got it cheap and it gives me a different a data format to play with). I believe the Yamaha is a consumer boxed version of the TG-100.
I sold the aforementioned Casio CZ-5000 some time ago, well before I knew what I could have done with it (it's a classic synth!) which is a terrible shame but never mind.
I use the Casio HT-700 as a MIDI controller for the synths when I’m messing about with sounds but every so often I’ll switch to my YRG-1000 Gen2 “guitar” to play some simple classical stuff in nice voices. The YRG works a treat and is a very cool piece of gear for investigating new and stacked sounds (because I can play it basically).
Ultimately, though, my core interest is in programming (as a hobbyist), and MIDI gives me an ideal outlet for that – not only in manipulating standard MIDI data but more recently controlling the synths at a fundamental level via System Exclusive messages.
So, in summary,
- Not a musician, can’t play keyboards, struggle to read music
- More of a developer than consumer (at least for things I want), data is king for me
- MIDI is great, System Exclusive makes it even more fun
Hopefully the above will give you some idea of where I sit. I don’t know what I’ll be able to add to this forum but if there’s anything I can help with, I’ll try to chime in
Chris
I don't have the time to use it anyway ... and I knew that when I bought it 
- I might stick it back on ebay at some point but it's also got full sysex control, so I might hang onto it as another system exclusive project.
