Some years ago I developed a MIDI file player, compatible with the
Yamaha MDF floppy diskette file player, that meets many of many
requirements as per the specifications of Mike Ames and Peter Phillips.
More recently I have updated the floppy file player system to read and
play MIDI files stored on SD/MMC memory cards.

The main problem is quickly selecting one out of 10,000 song titles for
playback.  With most existent systems one needs to translate the roll
number to the file name and have a sheet index of what to find.  This
index quickly becomes a 3-ring binder of 100s of pages or more.

Files are selected through Windows-style (UNIX) path names inside of
directories.  On the version with a 40-character LCD display it would
not be difficult to select a letter to start the search.  The existing
system has limited space for pattern matching.  There is limited memory
for sorting the file names, so they tend to appear in random order.

A real problem is that in some collections of MIDI files the names are
truncated to only eight characters, for DOS systems.  This happens when
file names are copied between DOS and Windows.  To avoid conflicts the
seventh character of the file name is replaced with a tilde character
(~) and the eighth character or suffix ending becomes an instance
number or more characters of the file name.

One would have to use "VCR programming" or cell phone selection
techniques to enter the file name -- scroll to a letter, then press
a selection button -- a convoluted method that is not quick.  This
would build a file name one letter at a time.  Each letter or number
gets compared against the path.

This type of file selection is best done with a universal remote, such
as those sold by Radio Shack.  The channel selection keypad can be used
to select file names or numbers using the above method.

I am currently extending my own system to read the vanBasco playlist
files.  These end with the pattern *.VPL.  I have about 3000 Caliola
tunes and scores more for Wurlitzer 165 and 150 which to play on my
Caliola.

The vanBasco playlists contain the path of the file.  Also included
in the playlist file is a method to transpose the music, a percentage
of the Tempo to play back at, and the Volume to play at.

It would be possible keep the playlists managed and synced with the
vanBasco player.  The same file directory would be copied from the
computer or laptop hard drive to a SD/MMC card.  This way the user
could have one master memory card and multiple backups.  The procedure
would be to insert the card and choose which play list to sequence,
then insert the same card into the laptop or desktop computer and play
the same files.

On the computer or laptop, the play list files are stored inside the
program directory.  This would involve knowing how to copy this
directory to the memory card.

This solution is not perfect.  It only works with the small SD/MMC
memory cards used in cameras and camera phones.  USB "thumb drive"
memory sticks require the processing power of a laptop to read the
files from them.

Julie Porter

 [ vanBasco's Karaoke Player is a free program for Windows computers;
 [ it is described at http://www.vanbasco.com/karaokeplayer/ 
 [ -- Editor (Robbie)