mpmst1@unix.cis.pitt.edu (metlay) (07/26/90)
I've just gotten off the phone with Chez Bridges, VP of Marketing and
Technical Services at Hybrid Arts, a software company that originally
specialized in MIDI software for the Atari ST but is now branching out
to include other platforms. We spoke briefly about GenEdit, a new
program from Hybrid Arts that is designed to allow for graphic editing
and librarian features on any synthesizer equipped with MIDI. New editors
are easily designed by the user from a toolbox that allows for completely
customized "front panels" and files are designed to be portable between
different types of computer running GenEdit (currently only the Atari
version is shipping, but the Mac version will supposedly ship in September;
by Metlay's Law, then, the program only exists for the Atari as of now.)
Hybrid Arts has a reputation for decently written code at fair prices, and
their advance information on GenEdit (particularly its platform-free design)
seemed quite appealing to me. So I asked Mr. Bridges a simple question--
Would we ever see an Amiga version of GenEdit?
His answer was straightforward: Hybrid Arts has no prejudices against the
Amiga as a computer, and would be very interested in developing a GenEdit
version for it, especially considering that the program would reach the
market virtually unopposed; only one ed/lib for the Amiga is reputed to
be in development (does anyone know if MIDIquest is shipping yet?), and the
only extant package is the MUSIC-X editor/librarian module. But they aren't
about to hire a programmer and support development in a vacuum; if there's
no demonstration of interest from a sizeable community of end users, there's
no reason to port the program over to the Amiga.
Well, I couldn't argue with that, and the most sizeable communities of end
users I know are on the Net, so I figure it couldn't hurt to ask. I'm only
expecting a few answers, but it'd be nice to be wrong in this regard. Would
anyone be interested in buying such a program, if it existed and could
allow easy trading of synth programs between Atari, Mac, and Amiga? And are
there any freelance programmers who do MIDI work who'd be interested in
tackling such a beast, especially considering that parts of it must be
directly readable and usable by Atari and Mac within guidelines that already
exist in the current version?
This isn't an ad for Hybrid Arts; I picked them because they are the only
people who seem to be writing modular code of any sort these days; stuff
like X-Or and Galaxy are platform-specific, and porting stuff is painful.
(Anyone notice how Dr. T's went, in three months of advance publicity,
from "X-Or will run on the Atari, Mac, IBM PC and Amiga" to "X-Or will
run on the Atari, and is coming soon for the PC"?) So if you're at all
interested in the idea, you can simply Email me with a name and address
so I can add you to a petition I'm starting. Don't hassle Hybrid Arts
directly; I've told Mr. Bridges that I'd get back to him in a couple of
weeks and let him know what sort of support the idea had. Also, if you
can think of any other firm that might be open to the idea of a MIDI
editor/librarian for the Amiga, let me know. I may end up using MUSIC-X
for all my stuff, and may even come to like it, but the notion of being
able to trade sounds from Amiga to Mac to Atari appeals to me....
Thanks in advance,
--
metlay | MYSTECH, P.O.Box 81175, Pittsburgh PA 15217-0675.
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