BiPort 2x4 ™ MANUAL Version BiP 071000 Table of Contents FCC Class B and CE Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Introduction ............................................. 4 Package Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Front and Back Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Theory of Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Installing with an Existing Studio Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Remote Control Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Remote Control Windows Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Remote Control Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 SMPTE Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FCC Class B and CE Compliance WARNING: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a CLASS B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation.
Introduction Thank you for purchasing the Midiman BiPort 2x4s Serial Port MIDI Interface. The BiPort 2x4s offers professional MIDI and SMPTE performance in an external interface that attaches to any standard PC serial port, or Macintosh printer or modem port. The BiPort 2x4s is based on proven Midiman serial port MIDI interface and SMPTE synchronization technologies. The BiPort 2x4s has the following features: • Cross-Platform: 9-pin mini DIN connector works with both PC and Mac computers.
IMPORTANT NOTE! Please thoroughly read and follow the installation instructions before physically installing your BiPort 2x4s. For Macs and PCs, a factory diskette containing diagnostic software, drivers and a Remote Control application are included with your BiPort 2x4s. To install these programs, read this manual and carefully follow the installation procedures.
Package Contents Included in the BiPort 2x4s package should be: • The BiPort 2x4s interface unit. • 8-pin Mini-DIN to DB-9 Serial cable for PC. • 8-pin Mini-DIN to 8-pin Mini-DIN Serial cable for Mac. • DC 9 volt, 500 mA power supply (US only). • This instruction manual. • A drivers, applications and diagnostics diskette for both Mac & PC.
16 Host In Mac Thru 11 12 SMPTE In Out In-B 9VDC 10 13 14 Out-B Out-C Out-D 15 Back Panel 10. Power Connector - Accepts power from the 9 Volt DC 500 mA power supply included with your BiPort 2x4s. If you ever need to replace this power supply, make sure that it will supply at least 500 mA and has the center pin positive. 11. Host In - Connects to the serial port of the host computer.
BiPort performs the following functions: • Acts as a SMPTE writer. The user may manually configure, start and stop the SMPTE writer from the BiPort’s front panel. The SMPTE signal appears at the SMPTE Out jack. • Acts as a SMPTE reader/regenerator. If the BiPort is not writing SMPTE, whenever a valid SMPTE signal appears at the BiPort’s SMPTE In, the BiPort will synchronize with and read the incoming SMPTE signal. It will also automatically regenerate SMPTE to the SMPTE Out jack.
• Outputs MIDI Time Code (MTC) to the host. Whenever the BiPort is reading or writing SMPTE it will convert the SMPTE information to MTC. This MTC is transmitted to the host computer via the host serial cable. • Monitors the host port for SYSEX control information. This is where commands from the Remote Control software are received. Functions Shared by Both Modes Most BiPort functions are available in both MIDI Interface and StandAlone modes.
displays the format to the “Format” LEDs on the BiPort front panel. Automatic format detection will take between 3 and 31 frames, depending on the incoming format and the value of the first SMPTE frame received. When using the BiPort with a sequencer program synced to MIDI Time Code, at least 3 to 5 seconds of pre-roll are recommended for proper synchronization. Once locked, the SMPTE Reader lights the “Locked” LED.
SMPTE “Format” Button The “Format” button is used to select the SMPTE output format. Repeatedly pressing this button will cycle the unit through the four SMPTE formats displayed on the front panel LEDs. This button is inactive if the BiPort 2x4s is currently reading or writing SMPTE. “Mac Thru” Button The “Mac Thru” button selects whether host data is routed to the BiPort circuitry, or instead by-passed directly to the “Mac Thru” port.
Typical Stand Alone Setup - Fig.
BiPort 2x4s INSTALLATION Installation for Stand-Alone Mode A typical stand-alone system set-up (see Fig. 1) might consist of a BiPort 2x4s, a tape deck, and a hardware MIDI sequencer. This set-up is connected as follows: • The tape recorder Tape (or Sync) Out is connected to the BiPort 2x4s SMPTE In. • The tape recorder Tape (or Sync) In is connected to the BiPort 2x4s SMPTE Out. • The BiPort 2x4s MIDI Out-A is connected to the MTC (or MIDI) In of the MIDI sequencer.
MIDI Out MIDI In 14 MIDI In Module MIDI Out MIDI Sound 2 MIDI Sound Module 2 MIDI Sound Module 1 MIDI Out MIDI In C B Tape Out Tape In A MIDI In Master Keyboard Master Keyboard A TM SMPTE BiPort 2x4s B Out In TapeTape Deck Mac/PC MIDI Interface with SMPTE D MIDI Out MIDI Out MIDI In MIDI In MIDI In Master Keyboard 2 Master Keyboard In Host In 1 Mac Thru Tape Out Modem or Printer (Mac Only) Mac or PC (Serial Port on PC, Modem or Printer Port on Mac) Typical MIDI Interfa
• The tape deck Tape In (or Sync In) is connected to the BiPort 2x4s SMPTE Out. • Additional MIDI devices may be directly connected to the BiPort 2x4s MIDI In-B, MIDI Out-B, MIDI Out-C and MIDI Out-D jacks.
Selecting a PC Host Serial Port In order to operate as a PC MIDI Interface, the BiPort requires connection to a PC serial port. PC serial ports are also known as “COM” ports. The COM port configuration for each computer varies. Most computers have one or two COM ports, and some are configured to have 4 or more. Windows knows these COM ports as “COM1”, “COM2”, “COM3”, “COM4” and so on. Serial ports are usually male (pins sticking out) DBtype connectors, and can have either 9 or 25 pins.
About the Serial Cables The BiPort 2x4s ships with two cables for connecting the BiPort to a host computer. One cable connects the BiPort to a standard PC serial port connector (male 9-pin DB-type); the other connects the BiPort to either a Macintosh modem or printer port. Both cables are standard configuration cables that can be found in most computer supply stores.
D C Out B B In SMPTE BiPort 2x4s TM MIDI Cable Mac/PC MIDI Interface with SMPTE A A 1 Next, connect a single MIDI cable from BiPort MIDI In-A to MIDI Out-A (the front two MIDI jacks) of the BiPort 2x4s. This cable will be used to “loop back” MIDI data - the BiPort will transmit MIDI data from Out-A and receive/verify it at In-A. IMPORTANT: When performing this test be sure that BiPort MIDI In-A and MIDI Out-A are connected properly with a standard MIDI cable.
output ports. Move the connecting MIDI loopback cable to match the setting on the diagnostic program screen and re-run the tests to make sure that all of your BiPort inputs and outputs are working properly. Mac Diagnostic Application Included with your BiPort 2x4s is Remote Control and Diagnostic software that enables you to configure and control your BiPort 2x4s SMPTE functions directly from your computer, as well as the diagnostic test for basic BiPort functionality.
Test Results for Mac or PC Below are brief descriptions of each test phase: 1. Internal Hardware Test This test verifies the BiPort-to-host connection. If the connection is working properly, the test will display “PASS” and return the BiPort’s internal firmware revision number. Write this revision number down in case you ever need to contact Midiman Tech Support.
• The loopback MIDI cable is incorrectly connected. Check to make sure that you have a MIDI cable connected between the BiPort MIDI In and the BiPort MIDI Out selected in the diagnostic program. There should be no MIDI instruments, mergers, or thru boxes connected to the BiPort during this test; it is a closed-loop test with one MIDI cable connected between two MIDI jacks of the BiPort. • The MIDI cable you are using to loopback data is defective. • The BiPort is defective.
application. On the included software diskette, Midiman supplies the Windows drivers that enable the use of the BiPort 2x4s with Windows MIDI applications. In order to communicate with the BiPort 2x4s, the Windows driver needs know what serial (COM) port you are connecting to the BiPort 2x4s. The BiPort driver is smart enough to detect which COM ports are installed in your system. This helps you to select the proper one from the “COM Port” list box.
Windows 95 Driver Installation 1. From the Windows95 Start menu, select Settings | Control Panel | Add New Hardware. 2. Press the Next> button. 3. Click radio button No because you do not want Windows to search for new hardware. Click on Next>. 4. Scroll down in the box and select Sound, video and game controllers. Click on the Next> button. 5. Click on Have Disk... button. 6. Insert the “BiPort 2x4s Drivers and Diagnostics” diskette in Drive A:\ and click on OK.
the devices under Sound, video and game controllers). The BiPort outputs will also show up under Settings | Control Panel | Multimedia | MIDI, as well as the MIDI Devices & Instruments list from the Devices tab in Windows98 (the Advanced tab in Windows95). Driver Configuration At any time, you may reconfigure your BiPort 2x4s Windows driver setup.
IMPORTANT: Only select the “Merge All” feature if your MIDI application allows only one input to be selected at a time in its MIDI setup. The “Merge All” can affect SMPTE sync performance adversely because the MIDI Time Code (MTC) from the SMPTE port must be merged with any other MIDI data that is coming in on In-A or In-B. This incoming MIDI data can “jitter” the MTC and make the timing look irregular to the receiving MIDI application.
First Time OMS Configuration Instructions 1. Insert the supplied disk entitled “BiPort 2x4s Mac Drivers.” Have your System Folder open, with the OMS Folder accessible. Double click on the floppy disk icon when it appears and drag the BiPort OMS Driver icon into the OMS Folder. 2. Within your Hard Drive files, find the Opcode folder. In the Opcode folder, find the OMS Applications folder, then OMS Setup. Double click on OMS Setup. 3. OMS will inform you that it has not yet been configured. Click OK. 4.
Installing with an Existing Studio Setup If a Studio Setup already exists using another device, or if you want to create a different setup for different studio configurations using the BiPort: 1. Follow steps 1 and 2 of the “First Time OMS Configuration Instructions” installation procedure given above. 2. Open OMS. The current Studio Setup will appear. Drop down the File menu and go to “New Studio Setup.” The “Create a New Studio Setup” dialog box appears. Click OK. 3. Continue with steps 5 through 7. 4.
to create a shortcut to it that you can place on your desktop. To do this, open the Windows Explorer by Start | Programs | Windows Explorer. Under the C drive list, click on the plus sign next to Program Files, click the plus sign next to Midiman, and then click the BiPort Remote folder. In the list of Contents (the right column of Explorer), right click on the file named Bpremote and select “Create Shortcut.
Click on the arrows next to each number to change them to match the start time you want to use. Change these numbers to match your desired user bits settings. The key will move you to the next field. Menus Following are brief explanations of the program menu choices. File Load Config Retrieve a previously saved SMPTE configuration. A “factory” configuration is included during program installation.
Save Config Save the currently active SMPTE configuration. All aspects of the SMPTE settings (start time, user bits, etc.) are saved with the configuration file. 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).
SMPTE Test This selection gives you the current status of the SMPTE reader. This pop-up dialog will tell you whether or not the BiPort is currently locked to SMPTE and what the incoming SMPTE format is. This feature is very handy if you are experiencing SMPTE synchronization problems. If unable to lock onto an incoming SMPTE signal from this dialog box, you should check your SMPTE connections and SMPTE source.
rate for the BiPort SMPTE generator. Flywheel sets the number of frames the reader/regenerator will automatically time out on and correct when receiving either bad or no time code (slide the Flywheel fader towards 0 to set “Jam Sync” mode). The “Start Writer” button starts and stops the SMPTE writer. The Start Writer button will change to “Stop Writer” after it has been clicked to begin writing.
Menus Following are brief explanations of the program menu choices. File|New Setting When the BiPort Remote Control is first opened, the default setting is “BiPort Preferences.” Clicking “New Setting” in the file menu will reset all Remote Control settings to their defaults, while bringing up a new setting configuration entitled “New Configuration.
File|Save As Default Opening the File menu and clicking “Save as Default” will take the current file that is open and its settings and make it the current default settings file. Opening the BiPort Remote Control in the future will bring up this new default, still using the name “BiPort Preferences.” Quitting the application will then ask you if you want to save the changes under a new name. Choosing to do so will save the settings to another file name.
Configuring Applications to Use BiPort 2x4s Once the drivers for the BiPort 2x4s have been installed, you will need to configure your MIDI applications to take advantage of the BiPort 2x4s drivers. The manner in which each application does this is different, so it is impossible to go over all possible scenarios here.
In order to route data between the application and specific ports on the BiPort 2x4s, select (from within your application) the appropriate drivers of the above list. Many newer applications (Cakewalk Pro Audio for Windows, for example) will allow you to select and access all the BiPort 2x4s ports within the same session. Other applications will limit the number of input and output drivers you may select at one time - for instance, Master Tracks Pro 6.0 can only handle two MIDI ports at a time.
What is MIDI Time Code (MTC)? MIDI Time Code (MTC) is the MIDI implementation of SMPTE. MTC was first standardized in 1987 as a method of synchronizing MIDI software and hardware sequencers, as well as drum machines. Later it was also adopted by digital audio recording software and hardware manufacturers as a method of synchronizing to audio and video gear.
Black and white video frame rates were originally derived from the A/C line frequency of the indigenous country (e.g. 50 Hz in Europe, 60 Hz in the U.S.). In the U.S. when color video was introduced, part of the black and white frame information was used to encode the color information. The result was that the color frame rate ran at an effectively slower rate of 29.97 frames per second.
encode these User Bits into the time code message without affecting the time code itself. Because there are 32 User Bits available, they can be further subdivided into 8 nibbles (one nibble = 4 bits), each of which can represent a binarycoded decimal (BCD) digit. A typical set of User Bits might look like this: 04 19 03 12 This could be interpreted as April 19, shot 03, take 12. Although this is one method of encoding user bit information, you may designate the digits in any way that you desire.
At times, you may be given a tape with SMPTE already on it. The offset time on the tape you receive will affect the start time that you set for your MIDI sequencing. For example, if the time code on the tape starts at 02:00:00:00 (a 2-hour offset) and you need to start your sequence playing 3 minutes, 30 seconds into the work, you should set the sequencer start time to 02:03:30:00.
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. If, on the other hand, your source material has no current time code encoded you will need to record your own SMPTE time code to one of the tape’s tracks. This is commonly known as “striping the tape.” To record a SMPTE stripe onto tape, follow these steps: 1.
use noise reduction when recording or playing a SMPTE sync track. 8. Click on “Stop Writer” to stop the SMPTE code. You are now set to begin recording the SMPTE stripe. 9. Take the tape deck out of pause. Allow the tape to pre-roll for at least 10 seconds. This pre-roll gives the tape transport time to stabilize and get past the most dropout-prone area of the tape, the beginning. Click on the “Start Writer” button to start generating time code. 10. Continue recording several minutes of SMPTE stripe.
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 BiPort 2x4s. Since the BiPort 2x4s auto-detects the frame rate of incoming SMPTE, it is not necessary to set the frame rate of the BiPort when syncing. However, you may need to set your sequencer program to the proper incoming SMPTE format. Note: The BiPort 2x4s always stores its current configuration when you exit Windows.
Trouble-Shooting If you are having problems using your BiPort 2x4s, 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: Interface Trouble-Shooting SYMPTOM: The diagnostic program’s Internal Hardware Test reports “FAIL — Interface Not Found.
or the driver is not installed at all. Turn back a couple of pages and follow the instructions for Windows Driver Installation. SOLUTION 2: The sequencer program is not set up to use the BiPort driver. This must be done from within the program itself. Make sure the BiPort input and output devices are selected for use by your sequencer program. SYMPTOM: The unit works fine with some of my programs but doesn’t work with others. SOLUTION: There is probably a set-up problem with the program that isn’t working.
Syncing Trouble-Shooting If you are having trouble syncing to SMPTE you should check the following: Are you using a high quality tape deck and tape? Have you tried using a higher quality Metal or Chrome Tape? Do you have the BiPort 2x4s SMPTE In connected to the 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
Make sure your sequencer is set to receive MTC on the Windows driver that has MIDI Time Code coming over it. This driver is called “BiPort 24s Sync/Status”. If the SMPTE can be heard on neighboring tracks (i.e. there is cross-talk), then try striping the tape at a lower level. The BiPort 2x4s SMPTE waveform is specially designed to limit cross-talk (per the SMPTE specification). However, if it is recorded “too hot”, the signal could bleed into other tracks just as any other audio signal could.
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.
