whitcomb@aurs01.uucp (Jonathan Whitcomb) (02/13/91)
Thanks for the requests to post this.
Dr.T sells an entire line of music software. Several of these
programs may be loaded into the ST's memory at once if you have
a master MPE (Multi Program Environment) program. The two master MPE
modules that I have seen are KCS (Keyboard Controlled Sequencer) and
Tiger Cub, which is a low priced sequencer/editor package (more on
both of these sequencers later). Once either one of these
sequencers is run, you may load up to eight MPE compatible programs
if memory allows. (The newest version of KCS, OMEGA, claims that
now ANY program may be loaded into MPE, but I have not personally
verified this.) What this means to the musician is that you no longer
have to exit your sequencer program when you want to load your patch
editor or librarian. You can also have editors for each of your
instruments loaded at once. When you enter an MPE module from KCS, it
leaves all of the KCS settings intact until you return. Conversely,
changing a sequence in one MPE module changes it in all...the sequencer
data is shared.
Another nice benefit of MPE is that even non sequencer modules can
use the sequencer data. A typical problem with a non MPE
sequencer and patch editor is that you may have to go back and forth
between the programs to get your sound just right. Say you had just
sequenced a new horn line, but you aren't satisfied with your trumpet
patch. So you exit your sequencer, load up your editor and change
the trumpet patch. Unfortunately, the only way to hear the new
patch in context is to load up the sequencer again, re-load the
sequence you were working on (hoping that you remembered to save
it!), and play the sequence. Pretty tedious, especially if you need
to do this several times. With MPE, both programs stay resident in
memory, so switching back and forth is quick and easy. Even better,
X-or, Dr.T's universal editor/librarian program, lets you play the
current cue loop in KCS without even having to switch back to KCS
at all. You can stay in X-or, tweak your patch and listen to it
in context as many times as you want without switching back.
KCS is a *very* powerful sequencing program. It allows you to
sequence MIDI data in several ways, and then provides a full
arsenal of editing tools. The sequencing mode that I do most
of my work in is called Track mode. Track mode has been designed
to operate much like a multi-track tape recorder (which is
a more familiar interface to most musicians than a menu of
sequencing options). It has record, play, fast forward, rewind,
stop and pause buttons that act almost exactly like a tape
recorder. Each "track" of sequenced MIDI data has it's own line
on the screen that defaults to indicating the MIDI channel, but
may be edited to any label you like. When that track is sounding,
a little note icon flashes next to the label. You can isolate
or mute a track by clicking on the label. You can also erase the
most recently recorded track, but you have to go back to the
edit screen to erase any other track (gripe #1).
The cue loops are really nice. I don't know how many hours I've
wasted running the tape on my reel to reel back to the right
section to record over a bad part. And sometimes I was tempted
to keep a mediocre solo because I wasn't sure I could do better.
Now I just set a cue loop and play the part a few times (muting the
new tracks as I record them), then listen to each one and decide
which I want to keep. If you then want to insert the new segment
into an existing track, you can either merge tracks or use the
"punch in" feature. Once you've set a cue loop in KCS, you can
access it from TIGER and X-or too. You can save up to six cue
loops at a time.
There are *lots* more options on the track screen, and pull down
menus make them fairly easy to execute. It is certainly possible
to use only this screen and treat KCS as a software tape
recorder and nothing else. But wait, there's more...
The Edit screen is one of the most powerful features in KCS, and it
also seems to scare many people away from KCS. The reason is that
this screen displays the MIDI data mostly numerically, which is
foreign to most musicians. A scrolling window on the left half
of the screen displays MIDI information for one track at a time.
Data given includes event number, measure, step, event type,
note, velocity, and duration. You may select groups of notes (or,
more strictly speaking, events) with the mouse and perform several
editing operations on them, such as pitch transposition, velocity
or duration scaling or limiting, channel translation, etc. You may
also perform cut and paste operations, which should be familiar to
anyone who has used a word processor or text editor. Unfortunately,
unless the timing of the first and last event is corrected relative
to the new position of the section, you may end up with unexpected
results. There are ways to work around this, but they are not
obvious, and can be frustrating to use. Luckily, the Undo command
may be used for most operations, and a Backup command stores the
current contents of the buffers to a backup buffer so you can
recover from multiple operations. You can also toggle between
Undo or Backup copies and the current sequence to decide which
sound better. Of course, you can also save your current work to
disk at any time to be absolutely safe.
A much more intuitive editor is TIGER, which may be loaded into MPE
(it is included in the KCS OMEGA package). Notes are displayed in
a modified "piano roll" format, graphicly showing pitch, timing,
velocity and duration with nary a number in sight. Want to change
a note's pitch? Pick up it's icon with the mouse and move it
vertically. Change the timing? Slide the note horizontally.
Change the duration? Stretch the note icon. Change the note's
velocity? Alter the note's stem length. Great fun! Up to three
tracks may displayed at once, and you have access to all the KCS
cue points. Of course, changing a note in TIGER also changes it in
KCS. My favorite feature of TIGER (which stand for The Interactive
Graphic EditoR) is that you can draw MIDI controllers in real time
with the mouse. This is especially nice for volume envelopes, pitch
bends and tempo changes.
TIGER is nice to use when you want to hunt down a bad note...it
lets you "see" the note, and change it with the mouse. You can
also use the mouse to draw in new notes.
I find that TIGER is most useful for editing individual notes and
controllers, while the KCS editor is better for moving segments
around, although you can perform most of the operations in either,
so it's mostly a matter of taste. My main problem with TIGER
(gripe #2) is that the screen control commands are a tad cryptic,
and I find I have to keep referring to the command sheet to keep
the cursor from leaving the portion of the sequence I'm working on.
Most of the screen commands in KCS and TIGER have keyboard
equivilents, which must be memorized if you don't want to interrupt
the musical flow by flipping through menus (or, gasp, the manual)
to find a command.
KCS also includes what is called "Open Mode" sequencing, but I have
never really gotten a handle on it. It is designed as a generalized
sequencing mode, that allows you to start and stop sequenced
segments as you wish, or even write sequences that start and stop
other sequences, but I have always found it confusing...and I am
a software engineer by trade! The new Song Editor is easier to
use, as it allows you to graphicly link sequences together to
create songs. It has virtually the same interface as TIGER, so
you really don't need to learn a new set of commands to use it.
I use the Song Editor mostly for songs that I am writing as I
sequence them. I'll sequence several segments, say a basic
verse, chorus, and bridge, and then make copies of each
and tinker with them, so each verse has it's own flavor.
Then I'll call up the Song Editor and try several arrangements
until I find one I like. You can link song segments sequentially,
or overlap them, for some interesting effects. Also, if I decide
to add another verse later, I just add in another segment. It's
quick and painless. You can also chop segments up, if for instance
you only want to insert a half verse. All of this is done
graphically with the mouse, ala TIGER.
KCS includes a simple scoring program called Quickscore, but it
is of limited usefulness. I suspect it is included as a teaser
to get you interested in Dr.T's professional scoring programs.
Still, if you need a quick and dirty transcription, it's nice
to have. Someone asked if Quickscore allows you to enter song
lyrics beneath the notes. Sorry, it doesn't.
The other section of KCS that I have never ventured into is called
Programmable Variations Generator (PVG). It allows the program to
randomly alter sequences you create with KCS to add color or
variety to repetitive sequences. The user can control the degree
of randomness, and which parameters may be changed. I hope to
get into this in the future (I plan to use it to "humanize" my
drum parts"), but I have been having too much fun with the other
features to mess with it yet.
I guess what I like the most about KCS, is that there are so
many ways to skin the cat. I don't always write songs the
same way, so why should I have to record them the same way?
Dr. T doesn't force you to adopt any one method, and all of
the options encourage you to experiment. It allows you to
explore musical ideas in new ways, and that can really spur
your creativity. The trick is not to let all of the options
overwhelm you... bite off a little at a time and go with it.
Tiger Cub is Dr.T's entry level sequencer, and I played with a copy
of it that was sold to me with my ST. It is basicly a slightly
simplified version of TIGER with a limited track mode screen ("only"
15 tracks). I sequenced a rather complex song with it and was
so impressed that I ran out and bought the TIGER package to use
with KCS (it now comes bundled with KCS Omega). If you are just
starting out with MIDI and want an affordable sequencer that you
won't outgrow in a few months, look no further. Oh, yeah, you
also get Quickscore with it.
One other MPE module that might be of interest to computer types, is
called T-Basic. It is an interpreted Basic language that allows
you complete access to all of the KCS arrays. This way, if there
is some bizarre editing function you need that KCS doesn't provide,
you can write it yourself. I find it's editor to be
frustrating at times (no cut and paste or block functions), but
this is a problem I have with most interpreted languages.
One thing it is hard to knock Dr.T's on is documentation and support.
The manuals are well written and easy to get around, and most
of the menu commands are self explanitory. Once you've finished
the quick tutorials, you can dive right in. The customer service
phones are manned by responsive, helpful people, and if you need
to contact the wizards on-line, they are available through the
Berkely BBS in Boston where you can also get minor upgrades, bug
fixes and user uploaded programs and sequences. Demo versions
of much of this software is also available.
Many folks have knocked Dr.T's for having copy protection on the
disks. Happily, KCS Omega is NOT copy protected. Dr.T says
they will see how this goes before removing copy protection on
future versions of their other software.
There is lots to be said about X-or, the universal patch editor
and librarian, but I will expound on it's virtues (and vices)
another time if anyone wants to hear.
Overall, I am pleased with this system, and I have been able to
create music with it that I couldn't have conceived of without
it. It isn't the easiest thing to learn, but as a software
engineer I know that there is always a trade-off between
powerful features and ease of use. Personally, I'd rather have
the features. Dr.T is constantly updating it's products, so
I'm not worrying about outgrowing it.
MPE is also available on the Amiga, and Dr.T's also has software
packages for the Mac and PC, but I don't know how similar these
are to the ST versions.
I am not an employee of Dr.T's, blah blah blah, and to be fair, I
haven't spent much time with other sequencers (but if anyone wants
to send me a free copy of one I'll be glad to check it out for
comparison :-) ).
Anyone else out there have any favorite MIDI software? I'd like
to see some postings of your opinions.
-Jonathan the verbose.
**********************************************************************
Jonathan Whitcomb UUCP: <...!mcnc!aurgate!whitcomb>
(919) 850-6231 I'm not a software engineer,
Raleigh, NC but I play one on TV.lxfogel@PacBell.COM (Lee Fogel) (02/16/91)
In article <59574@aurs01.UUCP> whitcomb@aurs01.uucp (Jonathan Whitcomb) writes: As another user of Dr. T's software (KCS, Tunesmith, Fingers), I thought I would add to Jonathan's informative review. > (The newest version of KCS, OMEGA, claims that >now ANY program may be loaded into MPE, but I have not personally >verified this.) What this means to the musician is that you no longer >have to exit your sequencer program when you want to load your patch >editor or librarian. Yes, OMEGA let's you load and run *ANY* program from KCS. I've used my wordprocessor this way. The catch is that once you exit the loaded program, it is completely gone from memory unlike standard Dr. T's MPE modules. >KCS is a *very* powerful sequencing program. It allows you to >sequence MIDI data in several ways, and then provides a full >arsenal of editing tools. The sequencing mode that I do most >of my work in is called Track mode. Track mode has been designed >to operate much like a multi-track tape recorder >KCS also includes what is called "Open Mode" sequencing, but I have >never really gotten a handle on it. It is designed as a generalized >sequencing mode, that allows you to start and stop sequenced >segments as you wish, or even write sequences that start and stop >other sequences, but I have always found it confusing... Well, for me, Open Mode is what I love about KCS. Sequences can do anything: start other sequences, program changes, controller events, random events - in any mixture. It has changed the way I create music. Sequences (containing notes or otherwise) can be developed like subroutines. Hierarchies of sequences (overlapping or otherwise) can be easily constructed. In Open Play mode, you can interactively play (i.e. trigger) sequences by hitting a computer keyboard key associated with the sequences toggling them on and off at will. If you wish, KCS will make sure that the timings of mutliple sequencei triggering will be in sync. Of course, you can have sequences that consist of nothing more than *timing* information. It *can* get confusing, but it doesn't have to be if you keep things simple. I find it very similar to the way I code software ;-) >The other section of KCS that I have never ventured into is called >Programmable Variations Generator (PVG). It allows the program to >randomly alter sequences you create with KCS to add color or >variety to repetitive sequences. That's the tip of the iceberg! With PVG you can do things like specify 2 different sequences and have intermediate sequences generated that transform one into the other. Or you can do more mudane things like strip notes above or below a certain velocity. Or generate a new sequences with the notes of an existing sequence that have some attribute you want isolated. So besides semi-randomly generating new sequences, you can create useful sequence filtering tools (and save them like macros) with PVG. >I guess what I like the most about KCS, is that there are so >many ways to skin the cat. I don't always write songs the >same way, so why should I have to record them the same way? >Dr. T doesn't force you to adopt any one method, and all of >the options encourage you to experiment. It allows you to >explore musical ideas in new ways, and that can really spur >your creativity. The trick is not to let all of the options >overwhelm you... bite off a little at a time and go with it. The above says it all. The options seem endless. For those who are into algorithmic composing, check out Tunesmith (MPE module). It generates tunes, up to 7 parts (I think) based on algorithms that you can tweak forever. It also provides a bunch (48?) of ways to musically transpose these tunes. The best think about Tunesmith is that the tune generation takes place interactively. I've sat with it for an hour at a time, stimulating it to create...and then keeping the occasional gems that come out of it. Fun stuff. If anyone is interested, I have an extra copy of KCS Level II with PCG, and Tiger (original diskettes and documentation) that I would be willing to sell for a very reasonable price. Lee
wright@hpcc01.HP.COM (Jeff Wright) (02/20/91)
> Tiger Cub is Dr.T's entry level sequencer, and I played with a copy > of it that was sold to me with my ST. It is basicly a slightly > simplified version of TIGER with a limited track mode screen ("only" > 15 tracks). I played with the "demo" version of Tiger Cub that came with a recent START issue. One obstacle that I encountered was that there was no "MIDI Thru" feature to echo MIDI IN to MIDI OUT. Somebody who knows for sure should probably confirm that this feature is in fact missing. It's quite indispensible if you have more than one keyboard. --Jeff Wright HP Circuit Technology R&D wright@hpctgrd.hp.com (HPtelnet/415) 857-5351
whitcomb@aurs01.UUCP (Jonathan Whitcomb) (02/20/91)
In article <1540011@hpcc01.HP.COM> wright@hpcc01.HP.COM (Jeff Wright) writes: >I played with the "demo" version of Tiger Cub that came with a recent >START issue. One obstacle that I encountered was that there was no >"MIDI Thru" feature to echo MIDI IN to MIDI OUT. Somebody who knows >for sure should probably confirm that this feature is in fact missing. >It's quite indispensible if you have more than one keyboard. It's there on the real program (haven't tried the demo). There is a "merge" button on the play screen. KCS also has a "rechannel" button that lets you play other modules as you record, but I don't remember if it is implemented on Tiger Cub. ********************************************************************** Jonathan Whitcomb UUCP: <...!mcnc!aurgate!whitcomb> (919) 850-6231 I'm not a software engineer, Raleigh, NC but I play one on TV.