michelet

Midiquest 9.1 Needs Serious Bug Correction

I would make known to the possible MidiQuest users that this piece of software has serious problems.

Here the letter I sent to SoundQuest (still to be replied)

I'm writing to inform you that I've encountered several problems using MidiQuest 9.1 on the Macintosh - both on Mac OS 9.2.2 and OSX 10.3.9.

First of all my registration number is ....... and the program is registered to ....

The computer is a Apple Macintosh G4/1,4Ghz (Sonnet ST/Encore accelerated) with 3 HD (20, 80 and 160GB), ATI Radeon 900Pro video card, Sonnet Tempo ATA133 card, GEE THREE SERIAL PORT and 1,5GB of Ram.
The 20GB HD runs Mac OS 9.2.2 and on the 80 OSX 10.3.9
The Operating Systems are phisically separated and on two different HD, i.e. when I am on Mac OS X 10.3.9 I must restart to run MidiQuest on Mac OS 9.2.2 and vice-versa.

In attachment you'll find a report generated with apple system profiler. I'm sorry if it's in Italian, but it's my mother language.

I have two MotU MTP-II chained together to form a single 16/16 midi interface and this was recognized without hassles both from FreeMidi, OMS on Mac OS 9.2.2 and Core Midi on Mac OSX 10.3.9.

By the way I'm using also an old (pirated) copy of Opcode's Galaxy plus Editors ver 2.5.4 that until yesterday run flawlessly on an old PowerMac Performa 6400/200 and runs the same way today on my actual computer (Macintosh G4).

Opcode OMS is ver 2.3.8

I've experienced on my system that with MidiQuest 9.1 OMS Emulator works 2 times out of ten and crashes Galaxy+

The reason why I moved to MidiQuest was because Galaxy not only doesn't run on Mac OSX but also didn't have an editor/librarian to store and edit JV-2080 sounds.

To explain all the problems I encountered I need to divide them by Operating System.

Before starting, I need to tell you how my midi system is organized:
There are 2 MTP-II that are seen as a single 16 in/out interface.
On MTP-II - 1 are hooked:
Yamaha S90 Port 1
Korg M1REX on Port 2
Korg 03R/W on Port 3
Korg Wavestation A/D on port 4
Yamaha TG77 on port 5
Roland M-GS64 on port 6 and 7

On MTP-II - 2 are hooked:
Roland JV-2080 Port 9
Yamaha MU90-R on Port 10 and 11
Yamaha ProMix01 on port 12
Alesis Midiverb IV on port 13

The interfaces are both set at 1Mhz mode (not Fast)

Let's start with the problems encountered with Mac OS 9.2.2
Assuming that, oppositely to Mac OSX, MidiQUest remembers port/midi channels/instruments assignments.

- The application MidQuest.app loads correctly. But...
- Opening (loading) files from the HD is a cumbersome experience: both interfaces start transmitting midi messages for approximately 30 - 40 seconds, then it appears the Open or Save File as window...
- The same happens when I want to save a Set.
- While I'm editing a patch after having finished that edit session I try to close the window but a message appears "Please wait until the Bank Editor has finished background processing then close" Well, I waited for 5 - 10 - 20 minutes, then I forced quit MQ. It inadvertently and without any predictable rules happened several times.
After "Please wait until the Bank Editor has finished background processing then close" I tried also to normally quit the application. In fact it quits without problems.
- I didn't succeed transmit/receive data with the following instruments although I raised the buffer size to higher levels (15 buffers - 250000): Roland M-GS64, Yamaha ProMix01, Yamaha TG77, and Alesis Midiverb IV.
The error message I get is 9 out of 10: "End of SysX transmission NOT found. Check Fast Tips..."
Well, with Galaxy+ these instruments work without problems.
To be more clear: with Roland M-GS64 I presume MidiQuest 9.1 waits for a sys-ex dump. But whan I manually start the sys-ex dump from the instrument I get error messages such as "End of SysX not found" no matter what type of sys-ex data I send to MidiQuest 9.1.
The same happens with Yamaha ProMix01. No way to check fast tips because there'se NO help :-(
With Alesis Midiverb IV other strange things happen: the communication to and from MidiQuest 9.1 partially works, i.e. some bytes in the sys-ex transfer stream are missing, but worst, when I attempt editing an effect I get continuous sys-ex data error on the MidiverbIV display.
I keep repeating that with that old copy of Galaxy+ all these instruments work.

I start suspecting that there's something wrong inside MidiQuest 9.1 and/or in its editors.
If the bidirectional sys-ex and midi communication always works with Galaxy and all my instruments and doesn't with MidiQuest 9.1 and certain instruments, this means that MidiQuest 9.1 has some problems. I'm aware that a piece of software isn't easy to create but MidiQuest 9.1 needs some improving expecially in the Mac OS 9.x version.

Now let's continue with the problems I encountered with MidiQuest 9.1 on OSX 10.3.9
Basically the main problem is that MidiQuest 9.1 doesn't remember the midi/channel/port assignments. This means that everytime I load MidiQuest 9.1 I must re-assing midi inputs and outputs otherwise all the instruments are assigned to port 1/midi channel 1.
Since I use Mac OS 9.1 to make things as much as simpler I decided to use two MTPII just to avoid problems. Every instrument is set to midi channel 1 and has it's midi in/out port.
The midi connections work fine within Core Midi. The Stealth Serial Port was recognized without any hassles, the midi configuration - against all my espectations - worked since it's first day. It seemed impossible to me having created ad interface with 16 midi ins/outs that immediately recognizes all my midi instruments and where they're hooked.
And also on Mac OSX 10.3.9 the editor/librarian for Roland M-GS64, Yamaha ProMix01, Yamaha TG77, and Alesis Midiverb IV within MidiQuest 9.1 act the same way. This make me thinking that those modules doen't work.
Unlikely on Mac OS 9.2.2 when I attempt opening a file the midi interfaces don't output strange midi messages.
If instead of 1Mhz the MTPII are set to Fast mode, on Mac OSX, opening a file means crashing all my synths. They start emitting strange low/high sounds, changing patches randomly etc.

Thus I'm really in a uncomfortable situation. I moved to MidiQuest 9.1 because that old original copy of Galaxy+ was inadequate for my network and because that pirated copy of Galaxy+ lacked that JV-2080 editor. I hoped to have in a single piece of software all the editors/librarians I needed but I was wrong because I payed MidiQuest 9.1 but I'm using it, not completely hassles free - as it was UniQuest, just for the Roland JV-2080.

Please help.

Sincerely
Michele Tornatore