Pandora Pandora As A Midi Sequencing Workstation ..

[torpor]

Just working with DJWillis right now on getting MIDI sorted out and I thought I'd start a developer thread about this for others to benefit, if needed ..

I'm doing all my development *on* the Pandora, so there are some package dependencies that need to be sorted out, but its pretty nice right now - I've got fully stable, tight, MIDI working on the Pandora!

First up to make sure that USB works - I have a hub plugged in and a USB-MIDI interface cable plugged into the hub:

ibi-pandora:~$ sudo lsusb
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 05e3:0608 Genesys Logic, Inc. USB-2.0 4-Port HUB
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 05e3:0608 Genesys Logic, Inc. USB-2.0 4-Port HUB
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 552d:4348  
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub

The device with ID 552d:4348 is my USB-MIDI Cable .. this is good, its being seen ..

ibi-pandora:/media/mmcblk0p1/pandora/hak/audiohak$ sudo modprobe snd-usb-audio
ibi-pandora:/media/mmcblk0p1/pandora/hak/audiohak$ lsmod
Module                  Size  Used by
snd_usb_audio          77408  0 
snd_usb_lib            15648  1 snd_usb_audio
snd_rawmidi            21088  1 snd_usb_lib
snd_seq_device          7404  1 snd_rawmidi
snd_hwdep               7140  1 snd_usb_audio
...

Great! Well, I had to get the following packages from DJWillis, however, to make this all work:

-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 64184 Jun  5 23:03 alsa-dev_1.0.20-r3.5_armv7a.ipk
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root  1350 Jun  5 23:03 alsa-lib-dev_1.0.20-r3.5_armv7a.ipk
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root   682 Jun  5 23:03 alsa-state-dev_0.2.0-r15.5_omap3-pandora.ipk
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root   764 Jun  5 23:03 alsa-utils-dev_1.0.20-r1.5_armv7a.ipk
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 16458 Jun  5 23:03 alsa-utils-doc_1.0.20-r1.5_armv7a.ipk
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 21462 Jun  5 23:03 alsa-utils-midi_1.0.20-r1.5_armv7a.ipk
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root  6168 Jun 10  2010 kernel-module-snd-hwdep_2.6.27-pandora+r19+git12942775ca2db1c41d190314da65f3a74899b0dc-r19.5_omap3-pandora.ipk
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 12638 Jun 10  2010 kernel-module-snd-rawmidi_2.6.27-pandora+r19+git12942775ca2db1c41d190314da65f3a74899b0dc-r19.5_omap3-pandora.ipk
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root  5774 Jun 10  2010 kernel-module-snd-seq-device_2.6.27-pandora+r19+git12942775ca2db1c41d190314da65f3a74899b0dc-r19.5_omap3-pandora.ipk
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root  5206 Jun 10  2010 kernel-module-snd-seq-midi-event_2.6.27-pandora+r19+git12942775ca2db1c41d190314da65f3a74899b0dc-r19.5_omap3-pandora.ipk
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root  5846 Jun 10  2010 kernel-module-snd-seq-midi_2.6.27-pandora+r19+git12942775ca2db1c41d190314da65f3a74899b0dc-r19.5_omap3-pandora.ipk
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 18978 Jun 10  2010 kernel-module-snd-seq-oss_2.6.27-pandora+r19+git12942775ca2db1c41d190314da65f3a74899b0dc-r19.5_omap3-pandora.ipk
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 26596 Jun 10  2010 kernel-module-snd-seq_2.6.27-pandora+r19+git12942775ca2db1c41d190314da65f3a74899b0dc-r19.5_omap3-pandora.ipk
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 39020 Jun 10  2010 kernel-module-snd-usb-audio_2.6.27-pandora+r19+git12942775ca2db1c41d190314da65f3a74899b0dc-r19.5_omap3-pandora.ipk
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 13592 Jun 10  2010 kernel-module-snd-usb-caiaq_2.6.27-pandora+r19+git12942775ca2db1c41d190314da65f3a74899b0dc-r19.5_omap3-pandora.ipk
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10020 Jun 10  2010 kernel-module-snd-usb-lib_2.6.27-pandora+r19+git12942775ca2db1c41d190314da65f3a74899b0dc-r19.5_omap3-pandora.ipk

Now before you go off and pester DJWillis, please consider that this is a developer thread - pester me for these modules if you *really* need them and want to try some things out as well, but otherwise just wait for the next OS release, as these modules are supposed to be included in the very next release for users.

Anyway MIDI I/O is ready to go .. lets try some hacking:

ibi-pandora:/media/mmcblk0p1/pandora/hak/audiohak$ ./hakmidi
Type control-c to exit.
@*time: [00000340 372750dc] **inbox: 0 outbox: 0 r_stat: fffffff5 w_stat: 000086b8 MIDI R/W STAT: [Resource temporarily unavailable] / [Unknown error^C4488]

It works! (Ignore the Resource message, this is internal to my hakmidi app and doesn't mean much..)

So, this means that we have all the basics in place (thanks to the packages I lifted from DJWillis) to fully support MIDI I/O on the Pandora .. now I can continue with my Pandora MIDI Sequencer project in peace.

Oh, and port a few already-existing linux MIDI sequencer apps to it as well!

Anyway, just some notes .. will follow up with more details as I make some progress. Will probably port aconnectgui (a GUI to handle MIDI routing with a virtual patchbay) next, and then get my Virus hooked up to the Pandora and jam for a while ..

 

[darkblu]

That's a good beginning, torpor. I'm really curious to see what will be pandora's soundscape in the near future ; )

 

[torpor]

If I have anything to do with it, Pandora is going to be a music-making powerhouse! B)

 

[Stuckie]

Probably be pretty good as for the most part, as I haven't had any issues compiling or using some of the MIDI/Sequencing stuff I've been fiddling with, but I shall be leaving that side up to Torpor for the time being
Specially as he seems to have a cunning plan! so I'd rather not step on his toes. So I'll finish up with MilkyTracker, then start on something else.

 

[atomicthumbs]

I'd love to have something that turned the Pandora into a MIDI controller

 

[andymanone]

I'd love to have something that turned the Pandora into a MIDI controller

Hi folks,

last sunday i´ve tried to set up my Pandora with HATARI, an emulated ATARI STE, a chiptunetracker with MIDI support
(maxYMiser) and all controlled by a MC-505


First little success you can see here:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DP9r1LXmZk[/youtube]

Of course it works also bidirectional

BR,
andY

 

[Unfathomable Depths]

topor - your work on utilising the Pandora as a music making machine is exceptional.

I bought several Atari ST's and 1 Amiga in the 90s. Just because of MIDI. Even though I was an avid gamer, I was - and still am - more interested in music.

Feckin lovin yer work

 

[andymanone]

topor - your work on utilising the Pandora as a music making machine is exceptional.

I bought several Atari ST's and 1 Amiga in the 90s. Just because of MIDI. Even though I was an avid gamer, I was - and still am - more interested in music.

Feckin lovin yer work

Hey, i wanna say, thats my work is done with a standard "default" Pandora, without any special code

Gtx.,
andY

 

[Unfathomable Depths]

lol - sry Andy. I was referring to topors work in general

As for yer 505 linked to a Pandora - envy isn't the word

 

[andymanone]

lol - sry Andy. I was referring to topors work in general

As for yer 505 linked to a Pandora - envy isn't the word

Ah okay, no thing

so i hear you speaking of ATARI and MIDI (like i´ve done) , thatswhy i respond your post

Gtx.,
andY

 

[torpor]

Its also my goal to have an end-user package for MIDI that is based on the standard set of drivers/tools available in the Base OS repo, but we have to wait for that repo to smooth things out, and the new kernel/hotfix pack, before we can really deploy anything interesting to a lot of Pandora users ..

 

[gruso]

Thanks for the vid Andy!

 

[Myr]

Wait. So you say, you use an *emulated* STE on Pandora to control your MIDI equipment via USB cable? And it works? The emulator can access the USB cable through ALSA?
This is sooo great!

 

[andymanone]

Thanks for the vid Andy!

Pleases me that you like it

Wait. So you say, you use an *emulated* STE on Pandora to control your MIDI equipment via USB cable? And it works? The emulator can access the USB cable through ALSA?
This is sooo great!

Yes , you´re right !
The ATARI Emulator (which is running on the Pandora), routes the ATARI MIDI-data directly
to the connected external USB-MIDI Interface cable
And it works !
So you can use the Pandora as a Sequenzer, to control your external MIDI Equipment or use an
external Sequenzer (like shown in the vid), to use the Pandora as Synthesizer

Gtx,
andY

 

[hisaki]

That's pretty neat

Would it also be possible to route midi commands from the Atari emulator to a soft synth running on the Pandora itself?

And is it a very very bad idea to use floats in that soft synth :unsure:

 

[gruso]

When you're running MIDI apps in Hatari, are you limited to a single MIDI output (16ch) or can you emulate something like a Midex?

[edit]

Hey, i wanna say, thats my work is done with a standard "default" Pandora, without any special code

Just noticed this. So you've done this without adding any of the modules torpor describes? Any more details?

 

[torpor]

It should work (mostly) out of the box .. the modules I've mentioned are for development, Bollocks-style. But the fact it works so well with the Atari emulator is more telling of the quality of the Atari emu developers than it says anything about the Base OS .. which still needs a little love to make it palatable to *other* MIDI apps ..

 

[gruso]

Oh ok, I was under the impression that MIDI via USB wouldn't work at all until it was Hotfixed. Now I geddit.

 

[torpor]

It will work, but it won't integrate nicely with other components for now .. the Atari ST emu is definitely smart enough to figure out whats up with Linux-midi with standard-compliant USBMIDI devices are connected, however the changes I requested for the next Hotfix are to make it more possible to use other MIDI interfaces, such as those that need a small firmware shim uploaded to them before they become compliant, and so on ..

 

[gruso]

Big thanks for getting all the right balls rolling here. This is going to make quite a splash in music circles when it's up and running with the right apps. You already know that of course.