Unifying MIDI devices und DirectInput devices

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Tobi
Posts: 45
Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2008 12:29 am

Unifying MIDI devices und DirectInput devices

Post by Tobi »

Another suggestion for MIDI and DirectX would be unifiying MIDI- and DirectInput devices. So that you can select a Joystick as a MIDI device in an application and use it as a MIDI controller. Or that you can select a MIDI keyboard within a game and use it as a 88 button joystick.. :mrgreen:
rembrandt
Posts: 88
Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2009 9:58 am

Re: Unifying MIDI devices und DirectInput devices

Post by rembrandt »

1. It's not in Windows.
2. MIDI devices are message based (each time a controller is moved, an event is sent over the MIDI bus by the device) while game controllers are state polled (the computer's virtual "game port" (device driver) periodically checks if the position of the controller changed or a button pressed)
Tobi
Posts: 45
Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2008 12:29 am

Re: Unifying MIDI devices und DirectInput devices

Post by Tobi »

@1.: I think ReactOS could still remain 100% Windows compatible if a feature like this was added. Basically device handling could be as in Windows. But I think it would be cool and useful if Joy 0..xy also appeared as MIDI in device (additionally) when plugged in (and vice versa)...

@2.: all modern input devices use the USB. So they use the same protocol and the same hardware/low level way at all to transmit their state to the computer/USB host. (I think USB is also polled) The handling of that data is done by software and should not be too different for different input devices. For USB devices, mapping the axes of a joystick to a MIDI controller or mapping the keys of a MIDI keyboard to joystick buttons should be a matter of programming and not be too difficult. But I agree that it could be more difficult if you have a legacy port 201h gameport and a classical port 330h IRQ 9 MIDI interface in a system.
But I think if that device "unifying" would be limited only to USB it would nevertheless be a great feature.
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