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Conference napalm::commusic_v1

Title:* * Computer Music, MIDI, and Related Topics * *
Notice:Conference has been write-locked. Use new version.
Moderator:DYPSS1::SCHAFER
Created:Thu Feb 20 1986
Last Modified:Mon Aug 29 1994
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2852
Total number of notes:33157

2679.0. "help! decstation 350 midi compatibility" by WOTVAX::MORRELLR (Ross Morrell) Tue Jul 16 1991 16:32

    Can anyone help me please?
    
    I bought a Decstation 350 (european version based on the Olivetti 
    machine) and use it successfully you will all be pleased to know for 
    standard MS-DOS business applications.Configuration includes 4MB 
    memory, 386SX ,maths co-processor, 80 MB disk, DEPCA, DECmouse,1.44MB 
    floppy, VGA and standard comms ports.
    
    
    I also have a Roland D20 and bought a DR T MIDI card with COPYIST and 
    PRISM and BAND-IN-BOX software with FAKEBOOKS on a deal!
    
    Rub is the midi card does not work. Whatever I try I get FATAL ERROR 
    ON POWER UP. Have tried all the IRQ options that we know can cause 
    issues. Dealer sent me another board to try. Same error. Tried the 
    board on another (AMSTRAD) AT compatible and it worked!!!!
    
    I have escalated this to product marketing as it suggests the DEC PC 
    is not IBM compatible. Indeed they tell me we claim only that it is 
    INDUSTRY compatible. 
    
    I'm not in to esoterics nor even marketing. All I want is to find a 
    way to make this work. The dealer is sending me a VOYETRA board to 
    try but I am curious (IE totally frustrated) cos I want to make 
    music.
    
    Can anyone help me please please????
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2679.1Chuck the DEPCAMALLET::BARKERPretty Damn CosmicWed Jul 17 1991 08:3719
Ross,

	My first suspicion would be that you have an IRQ conflict with the 
DEPCA board. I assume that you aren't actually using Ethernet (unless you have 
a very advanced home setup:-) so I'd pull it out.

	You may also find some help available in one of the various PCSA & DOS 
notesfiles e.g.

DECstation PCs Europe           SUTRA::EUROPC
PC Systems Architecture         RANGER::PCSAV2
PC Systems Architecture         RANGER::PCSAV1
IBM PC                          NAC::IBMPC

Nigel

PS I use a Music Quest PC MIDI card in a VAXmate so am really jealous of your 
machine (assuming that you eventually get it working)
PPS How much was the deal on the DECstation? How much for the MIDI card etc?
2679.2works on this endMAJTOM::ROBERTFri Jul 19 1991 15:4021
  We have used both CMS MIDI board (supplied with CakeWalk) and
  the Voyetra board in most of the U.S. line of the DECstations.  I have
  one in my DECstation 316 right now.  We got them all to work fine.

  If you have a DECPA board in it, I would also suggest pulling it out.
  One reason being that the older boards have the built in mouse-port which
  uses an additional IRQ of 2, besides the IRQ for the ethernet which I believe
  is 7.

  The other thing to check for is the Port Number.  In Cakewalk we had to
  change this several times from the default of 0x330 to 0x3f0.  I think this
  had to do with whether there was an SCSI disk drive or an IDE.  I believe
  the SCSI ones gave us the problem, so that's something else to look for too.

  I'm not sure what differences there are all-together between the U.S. and
  European models of the DECstation besides the power supply, or perhaps if
  there's even a difference in the MIDI cards themselves.  But the Voyetra
  board you're receiving should work.

-TR