Cpt Horse

'WHAT'S THIS!!!' *.KAR files

While here..
I've just been handed a disk with *.KAR files all over it
and ask if i can extract the midi data from them.

KAR files hmmm.... I, up to now have never seen or herd of them

so with minimal research I found out quite easerly that they are Karaoke files.
Its amazing what a doubble click on the mouse will do these days.

my question is, Is the music data in KAR files MIDI?
and if it is can I extract that midi in anyway?

I will start by saying I'm very limited in MIDI programing / PC windows and how MACs handles files from various formats. which brings me to this question.

first the problem...

I have recently joined forces with a MIDI only studio and moved 1000km to all be under one roof so we can actually look at each other when to talk.....ug!

anyway.... we have about 15000 MIDI files to sort out most were written on technics keyboards long time ago and saved in standard GM format, all our keyboards, Cubase / Protools on the mac and all software on the PCs have no problems reading these.

ALL these files are on 3 1/2' floppy (thank god i didnt get the job sorting them out)

So we deceided that to keep up with the mordern world we'll backup everything to CD. that was my job!!!!
so off i went to my MAC and started copying floppy after floppy to the hard drive and buring CD's unknownly to me that my MAC was doing strange things to original floppies

some of the floppies seem to be completly wipped clean
(only know this when the disk after being in the MAC is then used in the PC/window system)
and then if shoved back in the MAC the files reapear but are all 1K and cant be used (gone for good)

I also notice all the disk get a couple of MAC files 'desktop. etc.'
that are invisible to the MAC but can be seen and be copied as any other file on the PC/windows system

All the floppies are PC formated (and very old.....i feel like i should frame some of them and put them on the wall i have one here 'last modified - 1979')

so I just want to know how the MAC handles PC files on floppy or what might be happening here.

MAC G3
OS 9

I think some of these disk have sentimental value....it took a lot of guts to tell them I wipped some of the orignial disk....oops but i dont know how...in the end i told them it was dust!!!!!

any help?

Thanks
Cpt Horse

OMS & OS 9 with Cubase v3.5

just trying to use OMS with Cubase with a few little hickups
first my basic midi system

using a G3 standard serial port

Printer port
|
|
L____Fastlane Midi Interface
1 x in          3 x out / thru
  |   Port1 Port2 Port3
  |   |   |
  L__Roland Xp10 _|  |
  Keyboard   |
Alesis D4 (Drum Module)

OMS doesnt seem to cater for this basic setup
the D4 is not connect to a midi in on the fastlane
the D4 is set to channel 16 only (midi id - 1)
the XP10 channel 16 turned off (midi id - 17)
OMS has all the patch setups for the D4 & XP10

first i cant input my studio setup becouse OMS expects all modules to have there midi outs connected. (this might not be a problem)

second when in cubase with this OMS setup everything seems to work fine except that it reports that midi data is being sent on the wrong channel. if i choose fix. It automaticly sends all midi data to channel 16 (doesn't sound to crash hot)

If I go back to the OMS setup and change the settings so that the D4 & XP10 reciece on all 16 channels. it will now work fine with no problems except any data on channel 16 for the D4 will be sent to the XP10 as well (not what i want)
I can turn off channel 16 manually on the XP10, and this works GREAT! but.....
any midi files inported into cubase with sys ex data overrides me manually turnning off channel 16 on the XP10 and turns it back on. (back to square one)

I will admit I have limited knowledge of midi programing...
and never used OMS before

I feel this is a very simple hurdle if i understand whats going on

In the long run I have many more modules and effect units and other computers I wish to sync with midi (If i can) but i can get this simple two module setup to work.

any ideas or questions


Thanks
Cpt Horse

before my upgrade
Mac G3 266mHz 96meg ram
OS 7.6

using cubase v3.5 as my recording platform
this was a rock solid system

then I upgraded so I can use protools

to OS 9 plus a 128meg stick of ram total of 224meg ram
also added OMS (never had to use it before)

my problem is that when using Cubase playback of Audio is not as smooth as it used to be as if the hard drive is now to slow.
in the setup i have max amount of memory assigned to each channel and the buffer size set up to max amount
OMS turned off in Cubase (that coursed a whole new set of problems- arrrrghhh!!)
all my tests have been done with no more than four audio tracks
just wondering if there are any known problems with OS 9 and cubase

protools works fine and hassel free!

I'm going to be stubborn and say that I WILL use Cubase over protools if I have too. but before I go to far and reinstall OS 7.6 (i believe in 'is not what you got but how you use it')

does anyone know what might be coursing this?


Thanks
Cpt Horse

Digital Glitch using Adat

I've Being using (for quite some time now, about 4years)

Mac G3 266MHz 96meg ram
OS 7.6
Korg 1212 i/o audio card
Alesis Adat
Cubase v3.5
all running at 48kHz sample rate
the audio card is the master time clock source
the adat sync to the audio card

i use the Adat as a digital interface with cubase
eg. 8 channels analogue directly in to the adat then routed via the optic cable to the korg 1212 i/o.This gives me 12 channels of simutanous recording with the analogue and digital inputs on the audio card

this system is rock solid and it has never failed me as a basic recording tool.
and is used in a profesional studio.

But with one little problem thats now starting to bother me.
I get what apears as a random digital glitch while recording,
its a 'tick' noise, it will peak above 0db and only on any one channel of the incoming 8 from the adat. it might happen once every 5 to 10 min or once a day. in the pass i would just zoom in on the recorded data and edit it out.  

what i want to know is if anybody else has a simular system as the one above with the same problem or if any one might know what might be coursing it?

thanks.
Cpt Horse