Classic - DX7 - Midi Mac patch editor

[Mr.Maggoo]

I don't how many, if any users here have dealt with musical keyboards and old Macs, but I'll try anyways.

I've recently acquired a Mac Classic (40 meg HD, 4 megs RAM), and I recently changed the battery in my Yamaha DX-7IIFd keyboard so that it's workable again. Together, the old Mac and the DX-7 are great together as I can load the patches from my DX to the Mac, edit them, and they automatically change on the keyboard so that I can hear what the changes sound like. And, of course, save my changes in the Mac, on the keyboard, or both.

Well, that was until the Classic's motherboard capacitors decided to leak out and cause a big stink, every time I turned the Mac on.

So, I changed all the capacitors and I can't get things back to the way they were. I can send data from the Dx to the Mac (using either serial port), but I can't get data from the Mac to the DX.

???

Does anybody have a old copy (like from 1985) of Opcode midiMac patch editor that I could try.. or

Does anybody have any experience like this.

 

[Paralel]

I don't how many, if any users here have dealt with musical keyboards and old Macs...

;D

 

[Mac128]

So, I changed all the capacitors and I can't get things back to the way they were. I can send data from the Dx to the Mac (using either serial port), but I can't get data from the Mac to the DX..

More info please. Can you send any data through your serial ports? Does regular MIDI data drive the keyboard? Can you print? Can you access a modem? If software you've always used worked before, then it should still work unless the hardware is compromised. New software won't change that. It sounds as if you missed something on the logicboard, or did not replace a particular cap correctly.

 

[CJ_Miller]

I can send data from the Dx to the Mac (using either serial port), but I can't get data from the Mac to the DX.

What are you doing to get data from the DX to the Mac? Playing into a sequencer? Can you verify that it is accurately recording what you actually played? Anyway, first step is to verify your basic serial functionality, and MIDI connections.

Does anybody have a old copy (like from 1985) of Opcode midiMac patch editor that I could try.. or Does anybody have any experience like this.

I do not have a Mac editor for the DX7IIFd, specifically. My 68k instrument editing is done mainly on my Atari. On Mac I use Galaxy and SoundDiver, but those are more recent versions. What OS are you running? If it is a later System 7 then you can download Galaxy from an Opcode users group, as it includes all of their earlier editors. If you need an earlier standalone editor you will just need to dig around, I am sure they are out there.

And of course, remember to check that your DX is set to receive incoming MIDI data on the correct channel!

 

[Mr.Maggoo]

Here's what I've figured out, but to first answer some questions.

The hardware involved is: Mac Classic - system 6.0.8, Opcode midi interface - 2 midi cables - yamaha dx7IIFD

To send data from the DX7 to the Mac, I tell the software to receive 1 voice or a bank of 32 patches. Then I go into edit mode on the DX, go to the midi section, and send patches 1-32, 33-64 or just 1 voice to the Mac and the Mac receives it them fine. What should happen next is that whatever voice I pick in the editor should pop up automatically on the dx7. Then, any change that I make on the Mac's GUI editor should change automatically in the dx7 and I can play the keyboard to hear what the change sounds like.

None of that normal, automatic communication from the Mac to the DX7 is working properly. However, I ran a sequencer on the Mac and the DX7 played the songs, proving data from the Mac to the DX7.

I do not have any other serial device to test the ports. I figure that the sequencer should be a good enough test.

The caps are all installed correctly, so I decided to wash the motherboard to make sure that I have removed any traces of the old leaking capacitors.

Put everything back together, ran the software, and first thing that used to happen is that editor software would send the 1st voice right to the keyboard.

What happened next was a "MIDI DATA ERROR" showed up on the DX7 screen. But I could send from the DX to the Mac.

When all this trouble started, I reloaded the OS on the Mac a few different times in a few different "custom" scenarios.

So, I reloaded the OS - custom picking the "system for Mac Classic".

Now, I get no indication of information flowing from the Mac to the DX but I have a strong urge to push the Mac out the window. I will reload the Mac with "Mac SE" system and see if that changes anything in th eserial port function.