Mike Knudsen wrote in Digest 971216

> I think one could start a little smaller and simpler .... So it can
> be done.  Outboard MIDI "tone module" synths have the advantage over
> Sound Blaster cards in that they can be used with any computer ...

This is true, however the computer based wave-table card has a more
subtle advantage over the tone module -- the MIDI commands (or more
properly the instructions that they are converted into for the benefit
of the sound board) travel at bus speeds.  MIDI travels at about 32k
baud, just a little faster than a 28k modem.  In addition, it is
serial, not parallel.  What this means is that when attempting to play
a large chord, there is sometimes a "traffic jam in the wire" and what
comes out is more like an arpeggio than a chord.

This becomes *very* apparent when playing back a perfect piano roll
scan, such as one provided by Wayne Stahnke.  Large chords just don't
have the punch from a tone module as they do from a sound card such as
the AWE32.

I have both -- an Alesis "Nano Piano", and a Sound Blaster AWE32 using
Warren Trachtman's latest piano sample (sound font).  When playing
a MIDI with large chords, such as parts of my "Walkin' the Baby Home",
the arpeggio effect is very apparent -- and not noticed at all on
the AWE32.

 [ I've concluded that much of the problem lies in the module, though.
 [ Some don't process the MIDI wireline data as fast as others can.
 [ Hint: Sort the chords in ascending order from bass to treble, so
 [ that the bass piano notes turn on first.  -- Robbie

A more "techie" advantage of the wave-table sound card (again such as
the AWE32) is that any particular sample can be easily modified to suit
your needs.  On the AWE, you use the default patch editor "Vienna" to
do just about anything you can think of, to make just about any sound
you can think of.  Tone Modules also allow patch editing, but the
results of the patch edit are only available while the power remains
on.  A small disadvantage I admit, but the editing can be mysterious
unless one buys an additional patch editing program (cost unknown).
For instance, the main Alesis piano has too much residual ring-over in
the bass register to suit my taste.  In addition, the middle range has
some fuzziness when playing soft passages.

A practical example is the COINOLA sound font I made, and which is
available from the Foxtail FTP site.  It succeeds in emulating
orchestrion sounds good enough to fool the casual listener (not the
expert), and is thus a good tool for composition, which was my main
goal.  I've since improved on it, consuming more memory in the process,
and can now play [Cremona] M-Rolls directly from a scanned in roll with
good success and little effort.

As far as cost goes, the tone module approach for what Robbie wants to
do would probably wind up being about the same, but IMHO would be a
compromise not worth the trouble.  Robbie, Jody and I all speak LINUX
and the programming it entails.  LINUX is very inexpensive (about $60)
and very powerful.  Drivers for the multiple AWE boards are available
for free.  The CPU could be a cheap PENTIUM 133 Mhz machine.  The actual
amplification of the resulting sounds would cost the same with either
approach.

I'd type more, but the kids are killing each other, and y'all are
probably bored by now.

Cheers,

George Bogatko