JohnOL Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 Hi all, I have a bunch of old sequences created in MasterTracks Pro for the Atari 1040st. The program is from 1987 (e.g. before general midi). I'd love to know of a way to bring my old projects into Logic but think this might not be possible so I'd settle for just rerecording it into Logic. To do this I'd need to sync my Logic session to my old sequencer. Is there any way to set logic so that an external sequencer can control the tempo etc.? Thanks for your help on this :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas007 Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 Bow about simply exporting the MIDI files to Logic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnOL Posted July 22, 2022 Author Share Posted July 22, 2022 Thanks for your reply. There's no option to export MIDI information. I need the file in a format that can be read by Logic. Currently I have a number of issues. First, the files are on diskettes that are formatted with Atari TOS so my Mac won't read the disks. Second, my files are in MasterTracks Pro file format (.MTS). If I can export as a GM file I think Logic would be able to read it. Then there's the matter of having my Mac read the diskettes. I believe it's possible to format the disks in an IBM format but don't know which one. I think the Atari disks are 700kbs. Any advice is appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas007 Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 (edited) Have you considered this Mac version? For the transfer from diskettes, have you attempted to upload the files by email or other mean on the internet? Regarding syncing Logic to another source, have a look at what can be done here. Edited July 23, 2022 by Atlas007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLH3 Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 If the Atari boots up (possible, mine still boots up, at least last summer it did) If MTpro loads in the 1040 If the old project can be opened in MTpro If you have a MIDI interface plugged in you Mac I would plug the 1040 MIDI out in one of the MIDI ins of the interface and makes MTpro send MIDI clock Put LPX in external sync. Play each MTpro track and record the MIDI in LPX. A lot of "if" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLH3 Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 (edited) 4 hours ago, Atlas007 said: For the transfer from diskettes, have you attempted to upload the files by email or other mean on the internet? I'm not sure it's an easy task to configure an Atari ST for the modern internet, having access to a compatible modem, etc..., even just for sending an email. Not impossible, I gess many retro-computing fans know how to do this but not easy for the average of us. Edited July 23, 2022 by FLH3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas007 Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 3 hours ago, FLH3 said: I would plug the 1040 MIDI out in one of the MIDI ins of the interface and makes MTpro send MIDI clock You probably meant MTC... According to the documentation, Logic cannot be slaved via MIDI clock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLH3 Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 (edited) Yes. Maybe MTpro can receive MIDI clock (LPX can send this) Actualy I never tried that and I work mainly in the box, I'm the dude who knows basicaly nothing but want to help! Anyway if it's important for our friend to recover his/her music and if a sync is not possible (maybe MTpro doesn't send any MTC and doesn't accept MIDI clock, don't know) we could imagine doing that without sync, like a caveman. Set Logic and MTpro roughly on the same tempo, record everything which is coming out from the Atari and then patiently re-quantize, relocate everything in the pianoroll. It's not elegant (a caveman with a ducktape roll and a hammer fixing a Ferrari engine...) , for sure but it's better than nothing. If it's simple 4 on the floor techno it's quite doable. If it's complicated poly-rhythmic work with time signature changes, well... Edited July 23, 2022 by FLH3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas007 Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 15 hours ago, FLH3 said: a caveman with a ducktape roll and a hammer fixing a Ferrari engine... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynamic_Notes Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 17 hours ago, FLH3 said: Set Logic and MTpro roughly on the same tempo, record everything which is coming out from the Atari and then patiently re-quantize, relocate everything in the pianoroll. Thats what I would do. Certainly doable. A bit painstaking but possible. Last I booted mine up (possibly a year ago) just to see how it went, all worked fine. I still have files on my floppies I wouldn't mind transferring over. Its so long since Ive done it Ive forgotten exactly what I did. If OP was working in C-Lab and had a Unitor 2 you could use the other 2 out ports to make things much quicker. Dont know if there were other midi expansion options at that time for the Atari. My Unitor 2 has out and in 1/4 phono jacks for striping tape with SMPTE/EBU. My old midi 4x4 box is obsolete with my updated system so pointless using Unitor 2 as I only have one midi in ATM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLH3 Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 47 minutes ago, Dynamic_Notes said: Last I booted mine up (possibly a year ago) just to see how it went, all worked fine. I did that 2 years ago with mine, it worked too as its monochrom monitor. Actualy these Ataris are quite resilient,. More than my old Mac centris 660AV (bulging & leaking capacitors + the usual leaking batery). On of these day I'll try to find a dongle for Notator, to get a dose of nostalgy. (To my knowledge Creator/Notator, even discontinued, are still not available legaly for historical purpose as freeware, so far) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynamic_Notes Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 Trying to remember when I purchased mine - somewhere around mid 80s. Mines a monochrome monitor as well but it has a bit of burn in, so I'd always turn the contrast waaay down unless I was actually looking at it. Indeed these machines are very hardy. I couldn't afford Notator so got Creator and I loved it. Rock solid. No such thing as midi slop either (that nasty jitter) I still have the dongle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLH3 Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 (edited) "Dear listeners, now the "The Old Dudes Discussion", on LPHhhhhh! "I bought Creator first, like you I was young and broke but after a year I paid for the Notator upgrade. Now I was a real serious composer with something with staves in it! " 🤡 Edited July 24, 2022 by FLH3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas007 Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 With the Atari, the problem is the mouse connector. Mine is almost unusable because of same. So, I boxed it and stored in the garage. I was offered big money for my Unitor 2 and the Export, although I don't think I'll ever use it anymore, but my heart could not part from it... Oh well, getting old makes me sentimental... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnOL Posted July 24, 2022 Author Share Posted July 24, 2022 HI again everyone - thanks for the feedback - it's all appreciated. MTPro for Mac seems to be for Motorolla based machines which I still have. I might be able to install it onto my ppc 7100 or Mac Classic and see if I can convert to MIDI. Now the problem I'm having is with the original disks / possibly the drive on my Atari (which is making a high pitched whistling sound). It's no longer reading one of my diskettes with a huge amount of work on it. I've been recording to Logic freestyle with "adapt project tempo" turned on. If anyone can show me how to either send time code out from Logic or set Logic to receive that would be appreciated. Not super technically inclined over here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLH3 Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 (edited) 22 minutes ago, JohnOL said: It's no longer reading one of my diskettes with a huge amount of work on it. Regarding your floppy drive issue if it reads other floppies but not one we can guess the problem is in the floppy, not in the drive if it reads other disks. (I personnaly have a lot of corrupted floppies, badly stored, with what I suppose to be great sounds on them I made for my ensoniq EPS and my AkaiS1100... ) For fixing/replacing an Atari drive there's a community of fans you can find online, these dudes have a lot of tricks and infos about our old machines. The syncing option of LPX are in the project preference menu and in the global MIDI preference menu. And we'll wait for someone else for more help as I'm not realy proficient on this matter. 🙂 (you know, the caveman...) On a more general matter I'm realy concerned about recovering our old music. I've an old 660AV, unusable due to capacitors leaking, and on its HD there're a lot of projects and MIDI environment settings (with sysex editors I programed myself) I would like to get back. But I can't find any solution to get an SCSI to USB converter/cable/things. Edited July 24, 2022 by FLH3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnOL Posted July 24, 2022 Author Share Posted July 24, 2022 1 hour ago, FLH3 said: On a more general matter I'm realy concerned about recovering our old music. I've an old 660AV, unusable due to capacitors leaking, and on its HD there're a lot of projects and MIDI environment settings (with sysex editors I programed myself) I would like to get back. But I can't find any solution to get an SCSI to USB converter/cable/things. Would it be possible to remove the hard drive and get an adapter to read it? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLH3 Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, JohnOL said: Would it be possible to remove the hard drive and get an adapter to read it? Oh, yes it's possible. Easy to remove that from the 660av. Some screws, 2 plugs. Let say this drive, with the correct electricity in its plug, works (25 years without being switched on but let's be optimistic). But what to do with an SCSI drive without anything to transform this SCSI signal in something a contemporary computer can read? (In other words USB, firewire or eventualy thunderbolt, I still have a working 2008 macbook which can read thunderbolt). So far I haven't found anything, in stock, with the correct scsi plug (the big one from the 90s) and at a reasonable price, to try the experience. I think I could I've found this kind of adapter in 2005 easily , but now... 😁 Furthermore I've to find some transformer to feed it with 5v (or 12v, I don't know) as I can't switch on the old Mac to make it spin. This kind of project seems far from my poor competences, it's more for a retro-computing enthousiast. Edited July 24, 2022 by FLH3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas007 Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 5 hours ago, FLH3 said: But what to do with an SCSI drive without anything to transform this SCSI signal in something a contemporary computer can read? SCSI to USB cable... and probably with an Atari emulator such as Hatari. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynamic_Notes Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 15 hours ago, Atlas007 said: With the Atari, the problem is the mouse connector. Thats unfortunate. Sorry to hear that. 12 hours ago, JohnOL said: Now the problem I'm having is with the original disks / possibly the drive on my Atari (which is making a high pitched whistling sound). It's no longer reading one of my diskettes The high pitch sounds kinda rings a bell from many years ago. A long shot ...but what about just popping the cover and blowing the dust bunnies out. Im no techo geek but I did this and it must have helped because the thing still boots - well, as I say about a year ago. I had a couple of dodgy disks that became unreadable which would be par for the course especially in this format. Hopefully something comes together so you can get the job done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLH3 Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 4 hours ago, Atlas007 said: SCSI to USB cable... When this article was written we were in april 2014. The adaptec scsi to usb cable was available. 😪 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas007 Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 Here is something found on eBay today re SCSI to USB cable: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLH3 Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 28 minutes ago, Atlas007 said: Here is something found on eBay today re SCSI to USB cable 10 hours ago, FLH3 said: and at a reasonable price Second hand, $188 + $45 shipping... I know I'm guilty, I should have done that 20 years ago 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas007 Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 There is something on this website that appears to be more affordable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLH3 Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 (edited) Thank you for your interest in my data misery 😁 Regarding the SCSI items they seem to be mainly plug adapters, without real electronic inside. I'm not by far a specialist but I think the SCSI signal has to be converted in a certain way in order be read by an USB or SATA plug. It exists but today it's a niche market with prices for a niche market. Unfortunately the more cost effective solution, for me, seems to find an old 68040 working mac on craigslit and and fit the old HD inside. At least I would get an old working mac. Edited July 25, 2022 by FLH3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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