The MIDI/80 Project - A MIDI Sound & Interface Card for the Model 1

[LambdaMikel]

... Model III / 4 to follow later this year, still WIP. Is it silly to celebrate #septandy? Maybe
Anyhow, here you go:

 

[LambdaMikel]

 

[LambdaMikel]

MIDI Data Streaming Test - In/Out Realtime Complex Song Recording Test:

 

[commodorejohn]

Fun stuff! I miss this era of home recording/"computer music," when it was more centered around computer control of dedicated synthesizer hardware than doing everything "in the box" with softsynths. That has its merits (it's certainly cheaper!) but there's a certain character to a lot of the music that came out of composers working with small MIDI setups that I really like.

(Gosh, I should put something together on my MT-32...)

 

[LambdaMikel]

Model III / 4 Version first steps:

 

[LambdaMikel]

Realtime MIDI recording with the Model III:

 

[LambdaMikel]

Pulling a few wait states definitely helped in terms of being able to now record much more complex MIDI in realtime without glitches on the M3:

 

[LambdaMikel]

Some progress with the DRUM TRACKER / Pattern Sequencer:

 

[LambdaMikel]

Realtime tracking and quantization is working now:

 

[LambdaMikel]

 

[LambdaMikel]

GitHub repo released in case you'd like to build one for yourself:

GitHub - lambdamikel/MIDI-80: A MIDI Sound & Interface Card for the TRS-80 Model 1, III, and 4

A MIDI Sound & Interface Card for the TRS-80 Model 1, III, and 4 - lambdamikel/MIDI-80

github.com

 

[LambdaMikel]

Bumping this older thread up, cause we have quite a bit of software now for the card

- MIDI song "batch converter" contributed by Jürgen Wich
- MIDI Synthesizer (with contributions from George Phillips)
- MIDI Tracker
- MIDI Orchestra Soundcard Synthesizer contributed by George Phillips
- Drum demo program
- MIDI IO diagnostics program...

GitHub - lambdamikel/MIDI-80: A MIDI Sound & Interface Card for the TRS-80 Model 1, III, and 4

A MIDI Sound & Interface Card for the TRS-80 Model 1, III, and 4 - lambdamikel/MIDI-80

github.com

Also, DOWNPOLY is using MIDI/80 + "Tracker" to make songs (mostly drums), as well as the Orchestra Synthesizer by George Phillips.

Downpoly

Music, where music wasn't previously possible? Treading a new path in music with the iconic Tandy/RadioShack TRS-80 Computers and accessories to create a new pallet of sounds as a statement and a testament to this overlooked and undervalued machine. Downpoly aims to take the TRS-80 into...

www.youtube.com

 

[LambdaMikel]

Small tracker 1.91 demo:

 

[LambdaMikel]

New demo of Tracker 1.95 - featuring the Behringer Wave:

 

[LambdaMikel]

DOWNPOLY is using the SONG MODE as well by now - to good avail!

 

[LambdaMikel]

Update - we can now synchronize multiple Trackers running on different machines, using a simple parallel port clock cable:

 

[LambdaMikel]

A good week for music with and on the TRS-80!

It’s MIDI For The TRS-80!

The Radio Shack TRS-80 was a much-loved machine across America. However, one thing it lacked was MIDI. That’s not so strange given the era it was released in, of course. Nevertheless, [Michae…

hackaday.com

Radio Shack's TRS-80 now has polyphonic MIDI and a tracker - CDM Create Digital Music

The Tandy Corporation-manufactured, Radio Shack-sold TRS-80 computer debuted in 1977. But now you can now add full polyphonic MIDI support thanks to George Philipps and Michael Wessel. And it's already transformed into a serious live instrument and production tool. Assembly cost: about $35. The...

cdm.link

 

[LambdaMikel]

Another mention on the Adafruit blog - that's where we are getting the MIDI breakout header from:

https://blog.adafruit.com/2025/06/03/a-midi-sound-and-interface-card-for-the-trs-80-model-1-iii-and-4/