^TECHBNICHEUTECHUNICHEUTECHNNI: To use the program POKE 65201+n. wtiere n is the value to be sent through MIDI. Then RANDOMIZL USR 65200 to actually send the value Using this it is possible to send MIDI commands for notes, and any other Systems Common commands. If typed in as printed, it will save to tape (Remember to CLEAR 65199 when reloading.) The diagram shows how to connect the MIDI plug to either of the NEI ports. With luck we 11 see the full programming version, which works on both MIDI IN and MIDI OUT. in the lullness of time. And the old game Zombie Zombie from Quicksilva will also emit MIDI from the NET port, so it
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may be worth looking for as a cheap alternative
NEXT MONTH In next month's Tech Niche special I'll be considering lots of extras for the Spectrum, answering yet more of your enquiries, and revealing the secret behind all these stuffed birds, old ladies and Bates Motels thai creep into the
THE 128 CONNECTION
column. It's on sale February 25. Write to me with your Spectrumusical problems at CRASH, POBox 10, Ludlow, Shropshire SY8IDB (Of course, I can't give individual replies by post.)
Over to the 128 department there's sno voice-programming available here yet from the MIDI output, but quite a lot of useful stuff lor the Z codes Your fnendly 128 handbook is quite helpful when you're trying to access MIDI You can either solder the ends of your fingers off and connect pins 1 and 5 on the RS232 port to pirts 4 and 5 on the MIDI DIN plug, or you can spend just Casio provides a super comprehensive Guidebook For MIDI which includes all the under a tenner on a lead made up by codes for talking directly to the CZ - and runs a Casio MIOI club. Unit 6,1000 North Cheetah Circular Road, London NW2 7JD & (01) 450 9131 tjPlM t>M Ram Music Machine Owners Club Al Straker, 1 Hillcrest Court Shoot-Up-Hilt, PUAW London NW2 3PGH (01) 452 1916
CONTACTS
Gary Chambers 4 Survtycroft. Portskewett. Newport, Gwerrt NP6 4RY -1M4U2.PIN
uflDMOfaAXTHE lA^O^PuXx-
XRI Systems lOSunnybank Road. Wylde Green. Sutton Coldfield. West Midlands B73 5RE S (021) 382 6048
MIDI CONTROL CODES IN MIDI codes, the prefix Y sets the MIDI channel. V is velocity (not much use on a CZ-101), and Z prefixes the all-important control codes. Most of the codes here are fairly short and most consist of three bytes The first byte gives the type of command and channel number (MIDI code 176 for channel 1,177 for channel 2 etc). The second byte says what the command is for - vibrato, portamento, etc. For instance. 1 Indicates vibrato The third byte is used to turn a function on or off or to set a range in between 0 turns off, 127 turns on, Thus to set vibrato on channel 1 is: Z176Z1 Z127 And to turn it off again is: Z176Z1 Z0 Considering the first byte: Program (voice) change: Z192 (can be 193.194 etc) Pitch bend Z224 Considering the second byte: To change portamento time; Z5 To change the master tune: Z6 To turn portamento on or off Z65 To turn on mono mode: Z 126 (the third byte in this case is 1,2, 3 or 4. defining the number of channels to follow) Program (voice) numbers start at ZOO so: Presets areZ015 Internal vo«ces are 232 47 Cartridge voices are Z64-79 Degree of pitch bend Z0-Z127 (Beware of this one. though - it's usually sent in great streams of data and not as a single control: you can reset to central position with a code of 64.) Syttems-exduslve messages These need up to eight bytes
ANOTHER AMSTRAD -CRUSHER SIMON N GOODWIN finds another fine disk interface in MGT's Plus D and gets rhythm with the SpecDrum System Two
begin system exclusive: Z240 Casio ID code: Z68 sub status: Z0 sub status: Z0 data command: first byte data command: second byte data command: third byte end of exclusive: Z247 Within the systems-exclusive area Tone mix is controlled by Z112 (tone mix on). Z65-Z73 (mixing level), and Z1-Z9 (tone mix off) Transpose is Z112, Z65 Z (new key) (G to B: 69 to 65 CtoF#:0to6) By putting the mono mode code in your 128 program you can give four music lines individual channel numbers and play them on the CZ simultaneously from the 128. But mono mode Is a little peculiar: though you can have four channels simultaneously, you have to have them consecutively numbered and the starting channel will be the lowest. (Thanks to Mark Roberts of Dover for supplying some codes)
I
F YOU'RE planning to upgrade your Spectrum, the new Plus D interface from Miles Gordon Technology MGT - Is definitely worth a
look. It's well-designed and amazing value for money.
For £50 you get a disk Interface, parallel printer port, sophisticated software to control both these