Re: [LAU] Whysynth and MIDI channels

On Wed, May 30, 2007 at 05:43:57PM +0200, Nick Copeland wrote:

> The honest truth is who really gives a fig about the MIDI specification? It
> has 16 channels, and in that supermarket queue they are numbers channels 1
> to channels 16. Their is absolutely no consistency in an application that
> demands some parameters as cardinal and demands other parameters as ordinal
> values.

This can be perfectly consistent. Some numbers _are_ quantities (cardinal)
and some _are_ indices (ordinals).

This sort of examples is complety useless and easily negated. When you
measure the size of some object, do you start from the 0 or the 1 on your
ruler ?

> If all the synths acted in OMNI mode and the ALSA sequencer library (and
> other other MIDI libraries) acted in OMNI (everything source connected to
> every sink, unless otherwise specified) then it would be an easier system
> for a new user, and would not be any more difficult for an experienced
> user.

Again mixing up two unrelated things, connection and channel selection.
OMNI mode has nothing to do with connection. The 'connect everything to
everything' trick breaks down once you have more than two things to connect.
If you have a keyboard and a synth you run a MIDI cable between them. Most
people are smart enough to know this. It also allows you to play your synth
on your keyboard, and not be disturbed when I sit down beside you and switch
on my keyboard and synth. Just imagine it were different.

> Unix historically does nothing unless you
> b) tell it to
> a) know how to tell

Thank all the gods for this ! But this is again incorrect - it's enough
to tell it, unix doens't care if know how to.

Dumbing down everything is never a good idea. It is IMHO actually the ultimate
form of disrespect.

All this said, most people would expect midi channel, bank and program numbers
to be numbered starting at 1. This has nothing to do with consistency, it's
just tradition.

-- 
FA
Follie! Follie! Delirio vano è questo !
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