[ MMD member Leonardo Perretti used his experiences with electronic
 [ instrumentation for archeology to build a successful "Barrel-organ to
 [ MIDI" transcriber last year.  He and member John McClellan are now
 [ pursuing the development of a portable roll transcriber device based
 [ upon optical scanning technique.  -- Robbie

Dear Robbie,  As regards to the software, I'm about to complete the
core of a universal translator, intended to translate whatever kind
of automatic instrument medium into MIDI files.

The purpose is ambitious, I know, but I'm working toward a modular
system, which is structured in a high level set of routines that are
shared by all modules, and a low level set of modules that deals with
interfacing and driving of external specific devices.  This way, new
translators for different media could be added to the system by just
editing their features; drivers for new, hopefully more efficient
external devices can be added by writing only the specific routines
having the standard calls.

The software is written in C language for Macintosh 680x0 platform;
a PowerMac version will soon be compiled, and a Windows version is
foreseen for the future.

I am now about to complete the user-interface section, the barrel reader,
and the roll and book reader.  The software is provided with a complete
set of translating routines, which avoids the use of external MIDI cards,
and allows one to play MIDI files immediately by using the built-in sound
card.  This way, all the jobs can be performed by a portable computer (I
use a Macintosh Powerbook 190) just by plugging-in the external hardware
stuff.

While researching information, and giving a look to the MMD discussions,
I derived the impression that there are a lot of people who are dedica-
ting to the translator development, each for their own, and almost each
maintaining a sort of reticence to share their progress, perhaps with the
secret hope to be the first to develop a good system, and so to realize
high profits. I think that this is a non-constructive attitude; a great
amount of energy is wasted, all running after the same hare.

I would like to launch the idea of constituting a team, as an expression
of the MMD's members community, with the aim to develop a good system to
be sold at a reasonable price.  The profits could be shared between the
members of the group, and a part could go to support the MMD.  The role of
the MMD staff, i.e., you and Jody, would be just as an informal reference
point.

What do you think?  Have the MMD members had other experiences of this
kind in the past?

Leonardo Perretti
perretti@mbox.vol.it

 [ Editor's note:
 [
 [ I sense that you are thinking about all of the energy spent in the
 [ development of the early phonographs and player pianos!  And you're
 [ correct -- some folks would enjoy producing their own proprietary
 [ systems.  That's okay, there's room for everyone, but we must remember
 [ what happened to proprietary systems like Mr. Edison's vertical-
 [ modulation phonograph: it slowly and surely died!
 [
 [ I would like to see a selection of products -- hardware and software
 [ -- from which the experimenter could choose, and substitute if
 [ he wishes.  This philosophy, of course, needs "Interface Standards"
 [ to assure inter-operability of the modules developed by different
 [ people.  Thus
 [
 [ 1. The transcriber hardware for Roll-to-MIDI conversion might have a
 [ standard electrical interface, such as accepting any signal level from
 [ 5 to 15 volts, a perhaps a standard connector.
 [
 [ 2. The "time axis" data input to the hardware could be configured to
 [ accept either a local time base or to accept pulses from a measuring
 [ wheel or stepper motor.  This electrical and software interface should
 [ be standardized.
 [
 [ 3. The intermediate file which contains the "raw data" from the tran-
 [ scription process could be a standard format such as TIFF, so that
 [ the raster image could be easily viewed and corrected using an
 [ existing program for editing images or line-drawings.
 [
 [ And so on...  What do you experimenters suggest?  Which components
 [ can be built by any experimenter, and which components can be offered
 [ for purchase?  Or maybe I'm wrong, and there is no market for kits
 [ and components.  Opinions, please!  :-)
 [
 [ -- Robbie