Alpha Syntauri Interfacecard search for pictures and information - urgently help needed

You can get better sound from a iie with different components.

You can use an apple iie midi card and a real synthesizer.

That is, of course if you can find a copy of mastertracks pro iie. I have been looking for that for ages and nobody seems to have it. I have a midi card but no software to use it.

I am assuming that you are doing this for the purpose of using as much as collecting. Midi cards for the iie are just as rare as the item you are looking for. In the past 2 years since I have been searching ebay, I have only come across two midi cards. One came with a system, the other was sold separately.

If you want sound driven from a iie, then there is no better way than the method I described, because you're not very limited to which synthesizer you can hook up to the iie. MIDI is pretty universal. In other words, it's much more versatile.

Your setup, if you finish, is proprietary. This is why you need to get your hands on a very specific card. There is no other keyboard you can hook up to that card even if you find one or copy one.

Contact whoever made this youtube video because he obviously has the interface card:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBOqzHQObnw

And there's no need to be so rude. I was only offering a better alternative just in case you cannot find what you are looking for. That system is pretty rare. By the early 90's Roland corporation was making sound modules with the letters "CM" in the model number. They stand for "Computer Music". At that time it was the industry standard for using computers and synthesizers together.

And I posted the video just in case nobody here has the card you are looking for so don't give me another rude reply. This is the extent of what I can do so I am out of this thread.

I also suggest you look at his other video where he shows that record and plays it. It has a list of names of people who worked for that company. Perhaps you can track them down.

Also, take a look at this site:

http://eightbitsoundandfury.ld8.org/

"Aug 31, 2006 ProTrio for alphaSyntauri.

A "friendly hacker" has succeeded in deprotecting the ProTrio Wave Maker disk for the alphaSyntauri synthesizer. ProTrio emulates a Hammond B3 organ. Both ProTrio disks can be found here."

http://eightbitsoundandfury.ld8.org/files/ALPHASYNTAURI/Protrio.zip

http://eightbitsoundandfury.ld8.org/files/ALPHASYNTAURI/

I have searched the net for Infos of the Syntauri as well, as Antoine once asked me to help him to make a interface card for the syntauri-keyboard. The problems i faced are the same as yours, but you have uncovered much more relevant information than me
As i found the Syntauri is nearly impossible to get, i settled with the SoundChaser. I'm Happy with that, even though the SoundChaser Keyboard does not register expression.

-Jonas

There are tricks you can use on the wayback machine to get it to give you more data.

Look at the http source code to find out which link you are clicking on and fish it out.

Then put it on the wayback machine.

The wayback machine does have a tendency to only list the top page but they are organized by the time the snapshot was taken. The links you are trying to click on might have been stored on another snapshot and that's why it doesn't come up.

Also, you can try searching for ALL pages for the website and you will see links there that you would not come across if you simply are looking at the top page.

Here's another

Click on EVERY SNAPSHOT... Then try to click on the link you are looking for. As I said, they are organized by the snapshot date. The link might be stored somewhere else.

The EXTREME method to use (I have not tried this on the wayback machine) is to use as program called, "httrack website copier".

http://www.httrack.com/

This program is dangerous because it will literally download a complete website sparing no expense. It's options include ignoring robots.txt rules and spoofing other browsers. It can also be configured to download files with whatever extension you desire.

BUT BE CAREFUL...

The amount of data this program can download is STAGGERING. We're talking so much data that you're likely to run out of hard drive space, assuming the website is big enough.

Also, it downloads four files at a time if you want it to. Perhaps more, I don't remember. Even doing it this way, it takes hours or days to complete the download.

If you want to download a website, this is how you do it. PERIOD.

If you choose this option, good luck! You will need it.

the attempt of conserving that site has been
performed with less than poor job

Hi speedyG,

i can understand your problem but you have to understand that the wayback-machine is nonprofit and the archiving is done automatically. They can't download a whole site, unless it is significant enough, otherwise the servers would literally blow up with data ;-). I have yet to understand how that algorithm works that they use to decide what is "significant".
...
I have to say the same as "insanitor" in regards of 'hacking' the wayback-machine: try the individual links of the sub-directories and search them in the interface. Sometimes the linking to the saved data is not accurate and tend to get lost until searched by url.

And since the software gets better over time, later snaps are generally better in terms of completeness...

-Jonas

Good things happen to those who wait. Personally, I've been holding out for a couple years now for a WildCard Plus Card and a Mountain Hardware expansion chassis interface board for my Chassis (to which I've planned to build from scratch) but, as all things, patience is key.

I've even been awaiting the completion of three or four Apple 1 boards, (hint-hint) an ambition and effort that has gained the interest and respect of many. But I remain hopeful, and I also join the search for the Alpha Sentauri board. If I find one, it will be reverse engineered, and in short order. (I have the equipment to do so) I'll bet there are others who will do the same.
Don't lose hope. I wont.

Speedy,

I wish I could supply you with the info you need,
but I don't have any.
If I happen to see anything while cruising the Internet
I will certainly let you know.

Steven

Speedy,
Not sure if this person could help, but try the site markglinsky.com.
He appears to still have a complete system for sale.

Geoffb

I have 3 of the keyboards, 2 interface cards, and several sets of the Mountain sound cards. I'll try to make some time this evening to pop the chips off one of the interface cards and take some scans of the boards for you.

I don't want to attach large photos to this thread and low resolution photos are not useful however I grabbed one of my cards, removed the chips and sockets from the top and took a few scans which I have sent to speedyG so hopefully his questions are now answered. I expect he will put the photos up on his webpage about the Alpha Syntauri if anyone else is curious.

I always meant to do this but never did. Sorry world…

-Tom

I am pleased that speedy's wish has come true.

I know it was all a question of time. I'm glad to see folks step up like this.
It benefits us all.

Now what I would like to see is Speedy making a working card for that thing and posting a youtube video playing some classical music on it.

I used to have an Alpha Syntauri system when it was new.
Still have the keyboard, but no interface card.

I'm not sure, but is everyone aware that this system still requires a Mountain Computer music system installed?
Having a working keyboard, interface and software won't do anything by itself.
In all, you'll need to take up 3 slots of an Apple just to use an Alpha Syntauri.

I only had the earlier version as loaned to me to test out.
I didn't follow many later Apple II music products other than play around with the SoundChaser system, fix a lot of MPU-401 MIDI interfaces and write some code for Roland's Apple II MUSE sequencer (overtime to my normal synth repair work there.)
Some folks there considered interfacing the MPU-401 to the Mountain cards, but by then the Apple II music market was pretty much over and there were some noticeable delays in response times given the slow Apple CPU.
Too much delay especially when used polyphonically.
I still have a Roland ADA200R A/D/A interface for the Apple, but it's 240VAC and like the Alpha Syntauri keyboard here, no interface card. Pity.

Speedy! Are you telling us that you still do not have the information you need to complete the system...?????

There are so many different pinouts of serial cables. I remember back in the day I was sold a "GBBS cable" for my bbs because using straight through cables would not allow a reset of the bbs after a caller had hung up. The bbs still thought there was a person still using the system.

Recently, I tried making my own Apple iigs serial cable for ADT from their website but it didn't work. Fortunately for me, I found another pinout that did work.

I still wish I had kept my apple ii stuff including my bbs software. Using that Proterm Special Emulation, it was truly beautiful.

So after calling around a bit and talking to a few people I've determined that the ALF version of the Syntauri is the older version. The second interface card is a newer card for a cheaper ( apparently non pratt-reed mechanism ) keyboard. It may be the same interface card as Passport used. Finding a later model syntauri keyboard with the newer cable would probably allow designing a new card since it works with the same software.

As the old ALF software was never officially released, bothering to hunt down and reverse engineer the card is probably not a worthwhile venture as related to the Syntauri.

What I think would be more amusing would be finding the DX-1 sampler card so that sound sets for the Syntauri could be made up. I've been looking for one for quite a while and have had no luck.

I have made some pictures of the Sound Chaser interface for comparison
http://www.flickr.com/photos/88521483@N03/13035617464/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/88521483@N03/13035259075/

Hi sppedyG,

Just found this discussion. I have a complete working alphaSyntauri system. I have posted what history I know at my website.
http://www.audioimprov.com/AudioImprov/Apple_II/Entries/2012/4/28_Reflections_on_the_lake.html

The keyboard cable is indeed a flat 25 conductor with IDCs on each end. A serial cable won't work. The keyboard is scanned much like the Apple][ ascii keyboard via a parallel interface.

If you are in need of the software, I can post disk images, although I think 8-bit Sound and Fury already has posted everything I have.
http://www.audioimprov.com/AudioImprov/Apple_II/Entries/2012/9/25_APPLE_%5D%5B_DISK_IMAGES.html

I have never run across anyone who has the ALF prototype software. I think Charlie Kellner switched to the Mountain Music System before public sales began. There is a late version of the editor which can output rudimentary MIDI data - unfortunately no MIDI input or editing capabilities. MIDI was being invented as the company fell apart.

henryspragens at swbell.net or info at audioimprov.com