Use Old Mac As Midi Instrument?, How can I use these OS 8 soft synths Options

[Seth]

I have two BitHeadz soft synths (Retro AS-1 and Unity DS-1) on my old OS8 G3. BitHeadz is sadly no longer in business and so I've gotten used to the idea of never using these synths again. Recently, however, I fired up the old Mac to check some old equipment out. While I had it on, I played with the AS-1 and realized how much I enjoyed this synth. So, it got me thinking - is there a way to wire the old Mac into my MIDI set up such that it could be addressed as just another MIDI instrument. The old Mac uses OMS of course. Any thoughts? Any other ideas about how to access these instruments?

I've considered sampling my favorite AS-1 sounds but that's just too much work. I could also record tracks into DP as audio, export the audio files and load into DP on my new Mac. Also seems like too much work. Or I give up and find something equivalent that's compatible - suggestions on that?

Thanks for any advice.

[Seth]

OK, folks think this should be possible. So I've been trying. Here's what I've got:

- my regular set-up with MOTU midi express, OS X computer, keyboard and all the usual stuff, midi wires running everywhere, multiple hardware synths, multiple software synths, everything works great

- my old OS 8.6 computer connects to an opcode MIDIport32 with USB, runs OMS and the software synths. The OS 8.6 machine boots up fine, the old synths play fine using the little keyboard display they come with.

Here's what I tried. I connected a midi cable from an out on the midi express to Port 1 on the MIDIport32. I fire up the stand-alone version of the software synth, including the utility for accepting OMS MIDI input. I set the midi express to 'merge all' which sends input from my main keyboard to all channels, all ports. Based on the blinking lights on the unit, all ports are getting a signal. Further, the MIDIport32 has it's Port1 light on, and when I press a key down it brightens. So, it looks like the MIDI signal is getting from my keyboard, through the midi express and into the MIDIport32. However, no matter how much I fiddle with OMS setups, etc., I can't get the soft synth to recognize any MIDI input.

Any thoughts? Is there a midi monitor utility available for OS 8.6 and OMS?

Thanks in advance for any help with this.

Seth