MusicKit

Author:		David Jaffe jos@ccrma.Stanford.EDU
Platforms:      NeXT (all versions), Intel (v4.1.1 only)
Prerequisites:  NEXTSTEP 3.2 (v4.1.1), NEXTSTEP 3.0 (v4.0)
Price:          free
Demo:           
To acquire:     ftp://ccrma-ftp.stanford.edu/pub/NeXT/MusicKit/
		Version 4.0 is also available on CD ROM from Skylee Press
			P.O. Box 471645, San Francisco, CA. 94147.  
			mailto: disc@skylee.com.  
			phone: 415 474 7803
Information:    http://ccrma-www.stanford.edu/CCRMA/Software/MusicKit/MusicKit.html
Entry updated:  28 February 1996
Description:	

	The Music Kit is an object-oriented software system for building music, sound, signal processing, and MIDI applications on the NeXT computer.  It has been used in such diverse commercial applications as music sequencers, notation packages, computer games, and document processors.  Professors and students have used the Music Kit in a host of areas, such as music performance, scientific experiments, computer-aided instruction, and physical modeling.  The Music Kit is the first to unify the MIDI and Music V paradigms, thus combining interaction with generality.  It was developed by NeXT Computer, Inc. from 1986 to 1991 and has been supported since then by Stanford University and developers such as Pinnacle Research, Inc.  The 4.0 Music Kit runs on NeXT hardware.  The 5.0 Music Kit, soon to be released, runs on Intel and NeXT hardware.

Date: Fri, 14 Oct 94 12:17:50 -0700
From: david@jaffe.com (David A. Jaffe)
To: mkdist@ccrma.Stanford.EDU, nextmusic@gandalf.sp.trw.com
Subject: 4.1 Music Kit for Intel now available  

ANNOUNCING THE MUSIC KIT 4.1 FOR INTEL AND NEXT HARDWARE

The CCRMA Music Kit and DSP Tools Distribution now runs on Intel-based hardware under NEXTSTEP, using one or more plug-in DSP cards to support music synthesis and digital audio processing.  MIDI is similarly provided by plug-in cards.  The new release, designated "4.1," is essentially Release 4.0 plus support for NEXTSTEP 486/Pentium machines.  (A list of highlights is given below.)  The release is "fat" so there is only one package that works on both NeXT and Intel-processor computers. It is available free of charge by anonymous FTP from host ccrma-ftp.stanford.edu, directory pub/NeXT/MusicKit/.  For those unfamiliar with the Music Kit see the "BACKGROUND" section below.

For music synthesis and digital audio processing on Intel hardware, the 4.1 Music Kit provides drivers for three DSP sound cards, the Ariel PC-56D, the Turtle Beach Multisound and the i*link i56 (see below for details.)  For MIDI on Intel hardware, the Music Kit provides a driver for MPU-401 cards (such as the MusicQuest family and the SoundBlaster-16), emulating the functionality of NeXT's MIDI driver, including synch to MIDI time code.  Source to all the drivers is included in the Music Kit Source Package.

While only one DSP card is required, the power of a system can be scaled up by the use of multiple cards.  An application built with the Music Kit can simultaneously use multiple DSP and MIDI cards by the same or different manufacturers, with details of DSP resource allocation handled automatically.  In addition, the drivers provide automatic sensing so that applications can be moved between machines with different hardware configuration with no re-configuration necessary. 

NeXT hardware has not been left behind-the Music Kit now supports the 192K DSP extension memory board  (available from S.F.S.U.) with automatic sensing. 

Other new features include a MusicKit panel for the Preferences application for setting various defaults and managing multiple DSP and MIDI cards. 

DETAILS OF SOUND CARDS

1.ARIEL PC56D.
The Ariel card comes with a 27 or 33 MHz DSP, 64K of zero-wait-state SRAM, and a moderate-quality CODEC (not currently supported by the Music Kit.)  It also includes a NeXT-compatible DSP connector which can be used to do high-quality ADC/DAC via the Ariel Proport. Other serial port devices, such as the Ariel DATPort, Singular Solutions A/D64x, Stealth DAI2400, etc. may be used to do analog and/or digital I/O.  Ariel has put together three attractive packages specially for Music Kit users which are described in the Music Kit release notes. Ariel can be contacted at the following address:

	Ariel Corp Main Office
	433 River Road
	Highland Park, NJ 08904
	U.S.A.
	(201) 249-2900
	(201) 249-2123 (FAX)
	mailto: info@ariel.com

2. I*LINK I56
The i*link i56 board includes a 33 MHz DSP with 8K of zero-wait-state SRAM, a 16-bit 44 Khz CODEC (currently not supported by the Music Kit), and a NeXT-compatible DSP port which can be used to do high-quality ADC/DAC or digital I/O (using the devices listed above.)  In addition i*link provides support for NEXTSTEP sound functions (sound library).  With the Mix package (which costs extra), the i56 can also be used as an automatic telephone answering system, fax, modem, and telephone address book. i*link can be contacted at the following address:

	Kommunikationssysteme GmbH
	Nollendorfstrasse 11-12,
	10777 Berlin _ Germany. 
	phone: 	+49 30 - 216 20 48
	fax: 	+49 30 - 215 82 74
	mix: 	+49 30 - 215 83 42
	mailto: info@ilink.de

	Distribution in North America:
	Alembic Systems International, Ltd.
	phone:	1-800-452-7608
	phone:	303-799 6223
	fax:	303-799 1435
	mailto:	info@alembic.com
	14, Inverness Drive East, Suite G-228
	Englewood, CO 80112, U.S.A.

3. TURTLE BEACH
The Turtle Beach Multisound and Tahiti cards include a 40 MHz DSP, 32K of 3-wait-state static RAM, and a 16-bit 44 KHz CODEC for DAC/ADC.  The Multisound also has a built-in Emu sample-playing synthesizer and a MIDI port (currently not supported by the Music Kit).  Turtle Beach cards are widely available from sources such as Computability ((800) 554-9951).


BACKGROUND

The Music Kit is an object-oriented software system for building music, sound, signal processing, and MIDI applications under the NEXTSTEP operating system.  It includes programmer libraries, applications, a music scripting language, documentation and programming examples.  It has been used in such diverse commercial applications as music sequencers, notation packages, computer games, and document processors.  Professors and students have used the Music Kit in a host of areas, such as music performance, scientific experiments, computer-aided instruction, and physical modeling of musical instruments.  The Music Kit is the first to comprehensively unify the MIDI and Music V paradigms, thus combining interaction with generality.  It was developed by NeXT Computer, Inc. from 1986 to 1991 and has been supported since then by CCRMA at Stanford University and developers such as Pinnacle Research, Inc.  Please send Music Kit requests to musickit@ccrma.stanford.edu. To subscribe to a Music Kit news group, send to mkdist-request@ccrma.stanford.edu.


MUSIC KIT RELEASE 4.0--HIGHLIGHTS

Here is a partial list of highlights of the 4.0 release of the Music Kit (also supported in release 4.1):

* Extensible, high-level object-oriented framework that is a super-set of Music V and MIDI paradigms.
* Representation system capable of depicting phrase-level structure such as legato transitions.
* General time management/scheduling mechanism, supporting synchronization to MIDI time code.
* Efficient real-time synthesis and sound processing, including option for quadraphonic sound.
* Fully-dynamic DSP resource allocation system with dynamic linking and loading, on multiple DSPs.
* Complete support for multiple MIDI inputs and outputs.
* Digital sound I/O from the DSP port with support for serial port devices by all popular vendors.
*  Non-real time mode, where the DSP writes a sound file (NeXT hardware only.)
* Suite of applications, including WaveEdit--a graphical waveform editor, Ensemble--an interactive algorithmic composition and performance environment (including a built-in sampler) and ScorePlayer.
*  Library of instruments, including FM, wavetable, physical modeling and waveshaping synthesis.
*  Library of unit generators for synthesis and sound processing.
*  Documentation, programming examples, utilities, including a sound file mixer, sample rate converter, etc.
*  ScoreFile, a scripting language for music.


NOTES ON INTEL-BASED HARDWARE

Care must be taken to be sure that NEXTSTEP and the sound cards are configured properly.  For information on configurations supported by NEXTSTEP, please contact NeXT (mailto: NeXTanswers@next.com). Note that the Ariel PC56D and i*link i56 use several high addresses in I/O space to signal DSP reset and memory map configuration. Be careful that these addresses do not conflict with other devices, PCI bus configuration cycles, etc.  For information on CCRMA-tested configurations, send email to musickit@ccrma.stanford.edu.

Date: Thu, 8 Sep 94 16:24:00 -0700
From: david@jaffe.com (David A. Jaffe)
To: nextmusic@zip.eecs.umich.edu, mkdist@ccrma.Stanford.EDU
Subject: The Music Kit on a PC

THE MUSIC KIT ON A PC


The Music Kit now runs on Intel hardware. 

The 4.1 release of the CCRMA Music Kit and DSP Tools Distribution is available free of charge by anonymous FTP from host ccrma-ftp.stanford.edu, directory pub/NeXT/MusicKit/. (It will be posted in several weeks, after we return from the International Computer Music Conference in Denmark.)

				----David Jaffe & Julius Smith


This message contains the following sections:

	+ Summary of Release 4.1
	+ Further Information on Release 4.1
	+ Ariel announces special product configurations for
		Music Kit users
	+ Notes and caveats on Intel-based hardware and software
	+ Highlights of Release 4.0
	+ Background on the Music Kit


RELEASE 4.1--SUMMARY

Release 4.1 is essentially release 4.0 plus support for NEXTSTEP 486/Pentium machines.  The release is "fat" so there is only one package for both NeXT and Intel-processor computers.  Music Kit applications and libraries now work interchangeably on NeXT and  Intel hardware.

Music Kit music synthesis and digital audio processing is provided via one or more DSP chips. On NeXT hardware, the DSP is built in.  On Intel hardware, two DSP sound cards are presently supported:

	(1) Ariel PC-56D
	(2) Turtle Beach Multisound

Further details on these cards are provided below.  While we have only tested with the PC-56D and the Multisound, we expect the other Turtle Beach cards having a Motorola DSP56001 chip will also work. We are also looking into DSP56001-based cards by other manufacturers.

For Intel-processor MIDI support, the Music Kit provides a driver supporting any MPU-401-compatible card.  On NeXT hardware, MIDI is done via the two built-in serial ports.


RELEASE 4.1--FURTHER INFORMATION

* To support digital signal processing and synthesis, the 4.1 Music  Kit includes drivers for the Ariel PC56D and Turtle Beach Multisound DSP cards.

The Ariel PC56D card comes in two models, one with a 27 Mhz. DSP and the other with a 33 Mhz. DSP.  It also includes a NeXT-compatible DSP port which can be used to do high-quality ADC/DAC via the Ariel ProPort. Other serial port devices, such as the Ariel ProPort or DATPort, Singular Solutions A/D64x, Stealth devices, etc. may be used to do analog or digital I/O.  It also features 64k of zero-wait-state static RAM (we currently support 16k of this) and a 14-bit 19 Khz. CODEC (currently not supported by the Music Kit.) Ariel has put together an attractive package specially for Music Kit users (see below).

The Turtle Beach Multisound card includes a 40 Mhz. DSP, 32K of 3-wait-state static RAM, and a 16 bit 44 Khz. CODEC for DAC/ADC. It also has a built-in Emu sample-playing synthesizer and a MIDI port (currently not supported by the Music Kit.)

MIDI support is provided on Intel hardware through a new MPU-401 driver that emulates the API and functionality of the 3.0 MIDI driver for NeXT hardware, including support for synchronization to MIDI time
code. This driver supports such cards as those in the Music Quest family. It also should work for Sound Blaster cards that support an MPU-401 interface.  This driver may be with or without the Music Kit.  Source to the driver is included in the Music Kit Source Package.

* Multiple DSP and MIDI cards by the same or different manufacturers can be used simultaneously by a Music Kit application. This is done in a seamless manner so that the application need not concern itself with the details of DSP resource allocation.

* An extensible DSP driver design makes it easy to port to other DSP56001-based cards.  Source to the DSP drivers is included in the Music Kit Source Package.

* The drivers provide automatic sensing so that applications can be moved between machines with different hardware configuration with no re-configuration necessary.

* The Music Kit now supports the 192K DSP extension memory board for the NeXT slab (available from S.F.S.U.) with automatic sensing. 

* Various minor enhancements and bug-fixes.


ARIEL PRODUCTS

Ariel is offering special product configurations for use with the Music Kit on Intel hardware:

The CCRMA-1 is a PC56D card with 64K SRAM, 27 MHz DSP56001 processor, 14-bit Analog interface chip and a NeXT compatible DSP connector. This does not include a printed manual, but does include a disk with installation instructions and a "checkout" program for MSDOS.  There is no support included except for cases where the board does not function under DOS.  Also, there's no support from Ariel for problems encountered with NextStep, the Music Kit, etc; and of course there is no developer support.  It comes with a standard 1 year warranty. Price is $395.00.  (Note that this is ~50% off from the list price.)

CCRMA-1-33 is identical to the CCRMA-1, but has a 33 MHz processor. The price is $445.00

CCRMA-2 is the PC56D as described above, with a Proport 656.  Note that the proport is 120V powered unless a 220V adapter is ordered at the time of purchase.  If the adapter is ordered separately it costs $40. The price for this bundle is $1095.  (Note that this is way more than 50% off list price.)

CCRMA-2-33 is identical to CCRMA-2, but the PC56D has a 33 MHz processor. The price is $1145.00.

Availability of these is subject to the following conditions:

1. Products can be ordered at these prices beginning 1 October

2. Delivery will be from stock if available, otherwise delays may be incurred.

3. All prices are FOB the factory.  Shipping, handling, and insurance charges will be added.  There's a 10% restocking charge.  Returns must  be made within 30 days. Other ordering information may be found on the back of our price list.

4. At these prices, there's no additional university discount, and all orders must be prepaid by check, money order, or credit card (VISA, MC, AMEX).

5. A faxed copy of the NEXTSTEP for Intel license must accompany the order.

6. Only one order per customer, without prior arrangement.

7. There are no discounts on anything else in the price list.


NOTES ON INTEL-BASED HARDWARE

Unlike the NeXT computer, Intel-based hardware comes in many varieties.  Some care must be taken to be sure that NEXTSTEP and the sound cards run properly.  For information on configurations supported by NEXTSTEP, please contact NeXT.  As far as the DSP and MIDI cards are concerned, you must make sure that the I/O ports and IRQs of the cards do not conflict with those of any other hardware you have installed.  For example, the Ariel PC56D uses several high addresses in I/O space to signal DSP reset and memory map configuration.  Be careful that these addresses do not conflict with other devices, PCI bus configuration cycles, etc.

The Music Kit for Intel is a new product and has not been shaken down to the extent that the version for NeXT hardware has.  Nevertheless, the design is actually simpler, more extensible, and easier to maintain than the NeXT version.

Please read the release notes carefully for up-to-date information, known bugs, etc.


RELEASE 4.0--HIGHLIGHTS

Here is a list of highlights of the 4.0 release of the Music Kit.  These features are also supported by the 4.1 Music Kit.

* Conductor synchronization to MIDI time code & generation of MIDI time code.

* Real-time processing of sound from DSP port (with example applications).

* Playing sound out the DSP port to external DAT or D/A interfaces, with support for Ariel, Stealth, Singular Solutions and MetaResearch digital I/O products.

* Waveshaping ("non-linear distortion") synthesis.

* "WaveEdit", a graphical waveform editor

* New substantially-enhanced version of the Ensemble application that supports sound processing instruments, graphical envelope editing, new NoteFilters and more.

* New version of the ScorePlayer application that supports such new features as playing sound out the DSP serial port, synchronization to MIDI time code, and saving DSP synthesis to a soundfile.

* Support for the NeXT 32K DSP memory expansion, with automatic sensing.

* Support for the Ariel QuintProcessor (5-DSP) board for the NeXTcube(with programming examples).

* SynthPatch library source now included as programming examples.

* Support for quadraphonic sound output via the DSP serial port (with special external hardware).

* Workspace inspector for scorefiles.

People who answered the Music Kit survey sent around last year will notice that many of the most-requested items on the survey have been included in the 4.0 release.  Please send other Music Kit requests to musickit@ccrma.stanford.edu.  To subscribe to a Music Kit news group, send to mkdist-request@ccrma.stanford.edu.