Portman 4x4 ™ MANUAL Table of Contents FCC Class B and CE Compliance Features Package Contents Basic Theory of Operation MIDI Modes SMPTE Modes Front and Back Panel Front Panel Dip Switch Settings Back Panel Mechanical Installation About the Parallel Cable About Your Printer Port Running the DOS Diagnostics 1. Internal Hardware Test 2. Internal Buffer Test Delay Value 3. Transmit/Receive 4. Receive Interrupt Test 5. SMPTE I/O Test Drivers Windows 3.1 and 3.
Syncing to SMPTE Recording a SMPTE Stripe (Writing SMPTE) Syncing to a SMPTE Stripe The Remote Control Software SMPTE Setup Patchbay Setup Menus File Hardware Help Using the Patchbay Features Trouble-Shooting General Trouble-Shooting Patchbay Trouble-Shooting Interface Trouble-Shooting Syncing Trouble-Shooting Lifetime Limited Warranty 32 32 34 35 35 36 36 36 37 37 38 40 40 40 40 43 45
READ THIS! ... READ THIS! .... Included with PORTMAN 4x4/S is a factory diskette containing diagnostic software, Windows drivers and a Window application. To install these programs, read this manual and carefully follow the installation procedures. Please thoroughly read and follow the installation instructions before physically installing your PORTMAN 4x4/S.
Features Thank you for purchasing the Midiman PORTMAN 4x4/S parallel port MIDI interface. The PORTMAN 4x4/S offers professional MIDI and SMPTE performance in an external interface that attaches to any standard, bi-directional, ECP or EPP PC parallel port. The PORTMAN 4x4/S is a third-generation product based on proven Midiman PORTMAN and Syncman interface technologies.
Package Contents Included in the PORTMAN 4x4/S package should be: • The PORTMAN 4x4/S interface unit. • DB-25 to Centronics parallel cable. • DC 9v 500 ma power supply (US only). • This instruction manual. • A drivers, applications and diagnostics disk. Basic Theory of Operation MIDI Modes The PORTMAN 4x4/S has two modes of operation: Patchbay and Interface. The current mode is indicated by the indicator LED’s on the left front of the box. The PORTMAN 4x4/S will always power up into Patchbay mode.
When the PORTMAN 4x4/S powers up, it enters Patchbay mode and configures itself to Program 00. It may be switched to other programs via MIDI Program Change messages. The Program Change messages must be received at MIDI IN4 and on MIDI Channel 16 only. These program changes only apply to Patchbay mode and not Interface mode. When sending Program Change messages to the PORTMAN’s IN4 it will accept program numbers 00 through 31. Above 31, the program numbers wrap-around.
When both Read and Write LEDs are blinking, SMPTE Regenerate mode is selected and the box is waiting to acquire incoming SMPTE. This mode is selected by setting the “Regen” dip switch ON. When the “Regen” dip switch is set ON, SMPTE Write is disabled. Once locked to the incoming SMPTE, the Regenerate LED pair blinks in the same manner as the Read LED blinks in SMPTE Read mode. In Write mode, the SMPTE format always matches the format set up on the SMPTE Format DIP switches.
Front and Back Panel Front Panel Portman 4x4/S l (insert Front Panel fig 1. here) W 1 INTER IN 1 1. REGEN MIDI OUT FORMAT PC MIDI INTERFACE/SMPTE SYNC MIDI PATCH OUT 1 2. IN 2 3. OUT 2 4. 2 3 4 RESET MIDI IN 5. 6. READ RITE OFF REGEN ON WRITE 7. 8. 9. 10. 2. Patchbay indicator LED - This LED, when lit, indicates that the PORTMAN 4x4/S is operating in Patchbay mode. 3. MIDI Connectors - These connectors are for MIDI In 1, Out 1, In 2, and Out 2 respectively. 4.
8. Write switch - Starts and stops the SMPTE writer. When pressed and immediately released, the SMPTE time code starts writing at the preset start offset. The Writer may be stopped by pressing the Write switch again. To manually increment the starting offset, press and hold the Write switch -- this will increment the stored start offset by 1 hour every time the Write LED blinks. Release the Write switch to start writing at the new offset. This start offset becomes the new default start offset.
Mechanical Installation To mechanically attach the PORTMAN 4x4/S to your computer, do the following: 1. Turn off both your computer and the PORTMAN 4x4/S. 2. Locate the connector for the printer port (LPT1 or LPT2) on the back of your computer. 3. Attach one end of the supplied parallel cable to the printer port and the other to the PORTMAN 4x4/S rear connector labeled “PC Printer Port”.
About the Parallel Cable The PORTMAN 4x4/S ships with a suitable parallel cable. However, if you need to replace this cable or want a longer one, there are certain requirements that you should be aware of. A Centronics cable that works with your printer will usually, but not always, work with a PORTMAN. There are at least two reasons why it might not work: 1.
Line Name -Strobe* D0 D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 -ACK Busy PE SLCT -AUTOFD -Error -INIT -SLCT In Ground DB25-S (25-pin end) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 through 25** Centronics 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 32 31 36 16,19-30,33 * A dash in front of a line name denotes a line that is functionally active when low.
About Your Printer Port The driver for the PORTMAN 4x4/S needs to be configured according to the Port Address and the Interrupt Request Number (IRQ) of the parallel printer port that you have the PORTMAN physically connected to. Basically put, this information describes where the computer should look for the device and the priority of each device connected to or installed in your computer. There are a couple of ways to find out what your port's address and IRQ are.
gram will search for the I/O address and IRQ of your parallel port. While most PCs have the same setting (I/O address 378h, IRQ 7) for LPT1, enough computers, especially laptops, use different settings that it is a good idea to check first. Just follow the instructions on the screen and don’t forget to write down the settings the program gives you. Next, type P4X4DIAG at the DOS prompt to execute the diagnostics program.
The diagnostic software user interface is quite simple. Just use the arrow keys to move from one line to the next and the key to move through the different options for each line until they match the desired values. Move the cursor to the “Run Tests” line and press the “Enter” key. P4X4DIAG.EXE will then test the following four areas: 1. Internal Hardware Test This will indicate whether the PORTMAN, your computer, and the Centronics cable are all connected properly and working.
c.) The PORTMAN is defective. This is extremely rare as the PORTMAN units are tested rigorously at the factory before shipping. If you think this is the case, please contact MIDIMAN Technical Support. Delay Value Due to the lack of standardization among different computer manufacturer's designs, some parallel ports are slower than others. Because the PORTMAN operates at high data rates, some computer’s parallel ports are slightly slower than the PORTMAN.
Transmit/Receive Test: Fail Tx=0h Rx=Timeout a.) Make sure that your MIDI cable(s) are good. b.) Make sure that you have a MIDI cable connected between the PORTMAN MIDI In and the PORTMAN MIDI Out selected in the diagnostic program. Your MIDI instruments should not be connected for this test; it is a closed-loop test with one MIDI cable connected between the MIDI jacks of the PORTMAN. c.) Adjust the Delay Pulse setting in the diagnostic program. d.
have looped from SMPTE In to SMPTE Out is good. Drivers MIDI application software communicates with the PORTMAN 4x4/S via software “drivers.” Basically, a software driver is a special dedicated program that makes a MIDI interface accessible to any Windows application. MIDI interface drivers are supplied by the hardware manufacturer, the operating system manufacturer, or the application developer.
8. You will be prompted for a disk drive from which to read the driver. Insert the PORTMAN 4x4/S drivers and diagnostics disk into your floppy disk drive and, if necessary, enter the disk drive specification in the prompt box. Click on “OK”. 9. When the “Add Unlisted or Updated Driver” window pops up, select “Midiman PORTMAN 4x4/S” and click on “OK”. 10. The PORTMAN 4x4/S driver setup dialog box will then appear. It will allow you to set up the driver to match the Parallel port address and IRQ settings.
worked printer. For something as timing dependent as MIDI, this can be disastrous. Using the SYSEDIT.EXE program (you can find it in the SYSTEM subdirectory of the WINDOWS directory) bring up the SYSTEM.INI file. In the [386 Enh] section of the file, you will find a line that reads: “device=*vpd”. Insert a semi-colon (;) at the very beginning of the line, save the file, and restart Windows. That’s it, you’re now “VPD” free.
Driver Advanced Windows 95 Wizard 21
6. Select the Midiman PORTMAN 4x4/S driver from the list box and click on “OK”. 7. Click on “Finish”. The rest of the installation is the same as from Step 10 of the “Windows 3.1 Driver Installation”. IMPORTANT: With Windows 95 make sure to click on the “Enable Driver” box. If you fail to do this the PORTMAN 4x4/S driver will not be enabled. ATTENTION: If you experience a problem with the Portman 4x4/s not initializing, there’s a setting change you’ll need to make under the advanced settings of the driver.
MIDI In MIDI Out PC Computer Tape In Tape Out Tape Deck Out4 In4 Out3 In3 Printer MIDI Port Out In SMPTE 23 Portman 4x4/S (top view) MIDI In1 Out1 In2 Out2 MIDI Out MIDI In Master Keyboard (front panel) MIDI Out MIDI In MIDI Out MIDI In Master Keyboard MIDI Sound Module 1 Master Keyboard 2 Master Keyboard Typical System Set-up — Fig.
A:SETUP.EXE if your diskette is in drive A, or type B:SETUP.EXE if your diskette is in drive B. Now, select the OK button. The SETUP program will automatically guide you through the installation and create a MIDIMAN group with a PORTMAN 4x4/S Remote Control icon. Remote Control Windows 95 Installation Windows 95 installation is done as follows: 1. From “Settings” in the “Start” menu, choose Control Panel. 2. Click on “Add/Remove Programs”. 3. Click on “Install”. 4. The Wizard should find the SETUP.
• The Tape Recorder Tape Out (or Sync Out) is connected to the PORTMAN 4x4/S SMPTE jack labeled “IN”. • The Tape Recorder Tape In (or Sync In) is connected to the PORTMAN 4x4/S SMPTE jack labeled “OUT” • Up to three additional MIDI sound modules or keyboards may have their MIDI Ins connected to the remaining PORTMAN 4x4/S MIDI Outs. Optionally, the MIDI Outs of these additional MIDI units may be connected to the remaining PORTMAN 4x4/S MIDI Ins.
OUT4 - PORTMAN 4x4/S Control - PORTMAN 4x4/S Inputs 1 through 4 correspond to the physical MIDI In connectors 1 through 4, and the SMPTE/Status corresponds to the 1/4” SMPTE Input connector. Outputs 1 through 4 correspond to the physical MIDI Out connectors 1 through 4, and the SMPTE Control corresponds to the SMPTE processor command port. Although the SMPTE/Status driver transfers time code data into the program, the SMPTE Control driver does not actually transfer SMPTE data out of the program.
and can be read from audio tracks for synchronization purposes. The SMPTE Time Code consists simply of: Hours : Minutes : Seconds : Frames. Therefore a typical SMPTE time code reading would be: 01 : 25 : 42 : 17 which represents the time 1 hour : 25 minutes : 42 seconds : 17 frames. The original SMPTE Time Code was Longitudinal Time Code (LTC). “Longitudinal” means that the code is laid down in a continuous audio stripe along the length of the tape (longitudinally).
no longer readable and the PORTMAN 4x4/S sends a standard MTC NAK (signal not acquired) message to the application to indicate the tape has become idle. About Frame Rates All SMPTE time code and MTC carry the same primary information, Hours:Minutes:Seconds:Frames. However, time code can be written and read at different standard frame rates. These frame rates designate the number of frames that each second is subdivided into. Different video, film and audio standard frame rates have been adopted.
What Frame Rate and Settings Should You Use? The following table summarizes the frame rates that we recommend you use when striping SMPTE: Application Frame Rate Audio Only 30 non-drop Video - Color U.S. 30 drop* Video - B/W U.S. 30 non-drop Video - Color Europe 25 Video - B/W Europe 25 * Note: If you are in the U.S. and using a PORTMAN 4x4/S to do audio scoring or MIDI sequencing for your own video, then we suggest you use 30 non-drop instead of 30 drop.
the MIDI application you are using. If your sequencer is capable of displaying User Bits information, then you may read the User Bits there as well. The PORTMAN 4x4/S is capable of reading and writing SMPTE User Bit groups U1 through U8. The values of the User Bits output during writing may be set with the Remote Control software. When reading User Bits from an incoming source, a MIDI User Bits message is sent to the application each time sync is acquired and whenever a change in User Bits is detected.
is 5 seconds later. This is also known as a 5-second “pre-roll.” Some sequencers will actually allow you to directly set the “preroll” time to a specific number of seconds. These programs will automatically sync up to an incoming MTC source for that preroll amount, and then start playing. Flywheeling Due to the nature of magnetic tape, sometimes drop-outs occur on the tape and leave gaps in the recorded time code.
Syncing to SMPTE Recording a SMPTE Stripe (Writing SMPTE) Before the PORTMAN 4x4/S can be used to synchronize to a source audio and/or video tape, that tape must be encoded with SMPTE time code. Sometimes you will be provided with a piece of source material that already has SMPTE on it. In that case, you are not required to record another SMPTE stripe and may instead read the SMPTE as is.
8 of an 8-track machine). This will minimize cross-talk between the time code and the other audio tracks of the tape. 5. Put your tape deck into record/pause mode. If you have a deck with a varispeed adjustment, make sure it is zeroed. 6. Click on the “Start Writer” Button in the Remote Control software. The PORTMAN will start outputting SMPTE time code. 7. Adjust your recording level to between -10 and -5 dB.
Syncing to a SMPTE Stripe With a SMPTE stripe recorded on one track of your tape deck, you are now ready to sync to tape. Set your sequencer to SMPTE/MTC clock, making it a slave to the PORTMAN 4x4/S. Since the PORTMAN 4x4/S auto-detects the frame rate of incoming SMPTE, it is not necessary to set the frame rate of the PORTMAN when syncing. However, you may need to set your sequencer program to the proper incoming SMPTE format.
The Remote Control Software If you haven’t worked with SMPTE/MTC sync before, we suggest you read the section “SMPTE/MIDI Time Code Tutorial” before reading this section just to familiarize yourself with some basic ideas and terminology. SMPTE Setup The primary screen of the PORTMAN 4x4/s Remote Control Software gives you complete control over all the SMPTE sync functions of the interface. Insert Fig. RCMain The controls are fairly self-explanatory.
Change these numbers to match your desired user bits settings. The key will move you to the next field. Patchbay Setup From this screen, you can set up all of your patchbay programs to be stored inside the PORTMAN. Just choose a program number by clicking on the up/down arrows and then click in the boxes to setup the signal routing. When you click on “OK”, the program will store that program in the PORTMAN. The default settings are all inputs merged to all outputs. Insert Fig.
Delete Config Delete a SMPTE configuration from the provided list. Confirm Exit If this is checked, you will always be asked to confirm that you actually want to quit the program (a good choice for people who are mildly paranoid about losing any of their work). On the other hand, if you are irritated by the confirmation dialog and don’t want to be re-asked each time you choose to exit the program, uncheck this selection. Exit Quit the program.
Using the Patchbay Features Suppose you’ve got a master keyboard and several MIDI tone modules. When you’re performing, some songs use one module, some use another, still others use sounds from two or more, layered together. If you’re not using your computer setup live, in order to make these changes you have to either reconfigure your gear or re-patch cables. With the PORTMAN 4x4/S, you only have to send a MIDI program change command from your master controller, and it will automatically re-patch for you.
Next, you decide to double the strings with M1 horns on the second chorus. You would create a second program like this: Insert Fig Program 2 This program adds MIDI Out 4 to the already active MIDI Outs 1 and 2. There are many more possibilities for the patchbay than we have space to cover here. As an exercise, create programs for controlling three devices from two controllers, or two devices from three controllers.
Trouble-Shooting If you are having problems using your PORTMAN 4x4/S, it is probably a good idea to re-read this manual and make sure you have properly installed the interface. If you can’t find the source of your difficulty then check the following typical fixes: General Trouble-Shooting Trouble-shooting tip: The unit may not power up properly if a computer is attached and already running. That can be caused by leakage current from the computer’s parallel port into the PORTMAN 4x4/S.
SYMPTOM: The diagnostic program’s Transmit/Receive Test fails. SOLUTION: Either you forgot to install the MIDI loopback cable, or the ports you’ve physically looped-back have not been properly specified in the diagnostic program. This test transmits MIDI data out one port and then verifies that it can be properly read into another. SYMPTOM: The diagnostic program’s SMPTE Analog I/O Test fails.
SYMPTOM: The PORTMAN transmits MIDI garbage to my instruments, such as random note errors and streams of program changes. SOLUTION: What is most likely happening here is that your computer, probably a laptop, is not transmitting information as fast as the PORTMAN is expecting it to. Read the section covering the PORTMAN's diagnostic software and pay special attention to the section on hardware delay settings. This should turn up the cause and solution to this dilemma.
SYMPTOM: My keyboard shows “MIDI Data Error,” or “MIDI Buffer Full”. SOLUTION: Check your MIDI cables and MIDI connections. Be sure the cables are plugged in all the way. If the problem persists try new cables. SYMPTOM: MIDI is being sent and received properly but when I play my sequencer it lags and bogs down. SOLUTION: First, make sure you don’t have a MIDI feedback loop.
proper Tape Out/Sync Out port of your deck? Are your SMPTE audio cables good? Have you discovered the best Input and Output level settings on your tape deck? You may need to spend some time playing with different playback and record levels to find the best and most reliable settings. If the signal is too hot or too low during record or playback you may encounter problems. You should play with the record and playback levels until you get reliable sync. We have found that a level of around 10 dB is best.
Lifetime Limited Warranty MIDIMAN warrants that this product is free of defects in materials and workmanship under normal use so long as the product is owned by the original purchaser and that purchaser has registered his/her ownership of the product by sending in the completed warranty card.
