jlc@atux01.UUCP (J. Collymore) (12/17/86)
A week or so ago I requested information on Software for the MACINTOSH+ computer that would help me in my electronic (i.e. synthesizer) music composition and editing. I thought that some of you would like to see the reponses. For those of you who responded to my query: Thanks again. Jim Collymore ============================================================================== Newsgroups: rec.music.synth,comp.sys.mac,rec.music.makers,rec.music.misc In-Reply-To: <275@atux01.UUCP> Personal ratings of some music programs: MusicWorks: works well with video works, one of the first on the market. Small and simple ConcertWare: interesting synthesizer style instrument maker. printed scores are unacceptably ugly. Deluxe Music Construction Set: Cheap, Great printed scores, can handle a bit of midi. a bit buggy. Studio Session: 6 simultaneous voices, uses sampled sound. As many different instruments as memory allows, but only 6 at a time. SS is about $60. The audio digitizer to make the instruments is called Sound Cap, about $100.00 printed scroes are nothing special. best sound of any purely mac music program. The audio digitizer requires a ThunderScan serial port power converter to work on the +. SS comes with 100 instruments. unfortunately, all these have incompatible, and unpublished, data file formats Check out back issues of MacUser, macWorld, and Electronic Musician for more information. =============================================================================== Subject: Re: Info needed on MACINTOSH+ and music software Newsgroups: rec.music.synth,comp.sys.mac,rec.music.makers,rec.music.misc In-Reply-To: <275@atux01.UUCP> In article <275@atux01.UUCP> you write: > >I am interested in buying a MACINTOSH+ for use in music composition, specific- >ally with synthesizers. I have a number of questions about this, though. > >1) What's the best price around I can get on a MAC+ and an ImageWriter II > printer? $1800 is a fair price for the Mac+, and $450 for the imagewriter. >2) How much is the MIDI interface for the MAC+? Are there any good mail > order places to get one? The best MIDI interface is OpCode's midi-mac, or studio professional midi (I probably have the names slightly wrong). Pricing is like $175 and $250 respectively (list). >3) What are the BEST music software packages for recording, editing scores, > sequencing, and playing back your work through your synths (not just the > oscillators in the MAC+ (I have heard of Delux Music Construction Set, > Professional Composer and Performer)? Pro Composer is for editing. Performer is for sequencing. OpCode has some software now in versio 2.5 (sorry, the name escapes me) that is supposedly file compatible with Pro Composer (not quite the de facto standard in score composition), and is also a damn good sequencer. >4) Will these packages also allow multi-voice playback through a YAMAHA FB-01 > and a KORG DW-8000? Both Performer and OpCode's will. >5) Are there any of you out there using this type of set-up? What are your > opinions? I've played with the stuff I ordered for our store, and was pretty happy with both Performer and Pro Composer. I haven't had a chance to use OpCode's software yet (things have just recently gotten way to busy for me to have time to breath, let alone play), though the docs looked real nice. =========================================================================== Newsgroups: rec.music.synth,comp.sys.mac,rec.music.makers,rec.music.misc Subject: Re: Info needed on MACINTOSH+ and music software References: <275@atux01.UUCP> Keywords: MACINTOSH+, music software, MIDI, composition, playback Probably the best way for you to find out about the various MacIntosh music software packages is to read the two lengthy articles by Christopher Yavelow in the COMPUTER MUSIC JOURNAL. The most recent installment is in the latest issue, and the first was about a year ago. They provide analyses of the avantages and shortcomings of each, mainly from a professional musician's point of view. ============================================================================== Message-Id: <8612152210.AA21334@wrs.UUCP> Subject: mega-midi Status: R Jim - Answers to some of your midi questions. 1) What's the best price around I can get on a MAC+ and an ImageWriter II printer? I don't know, since we get developer's prices on these things. 2) How much is the MIDI interface for the MAC+? Are there any good mail order places to get one? I have a cheapy that I got from "Computers and Music" (415-994-2909) in South San Francisco, CA for about $70, I think. It has one input and one output, which is fine for me since I have a switcher/through box anyway. It seems to work just fine. However, if you plan on using Southworth's software, you MUST use their Midi interface, which is coinsiderably more expensive. 3) What are the BEST music software packages for recording, editing scores, sequencing, and playing back your work through your synths (not just the oscillators in the MAC+ (I have heard of Delux Music Construction Set, Professional Composer and Performer)? This, of course, is a question frought with subjectivity. I use several pieces of software, which I have chosen pretty much without regard to price, to wit: A) Professional Composer (Mark of the Unicorn) - This is unquestionably the best "standard notation" program. While far from perfect (it doesn't do slanted beams, it sometimes puts measure numbers on top of notes, etc.) it is currently the best such program available on any PC. I usually work by first entering my score as notes, using the mouse and keyboard. This is very fast, once you get used to it. One major objection is that the "undo" function does not necessarily undo the most recent change. On top of that, if you try to "undo" the "undo" it screws things up even worse. My advice is to just forget it exists. B) Professional Performer (Mark of the Unicorn) - A very powerful sequencer package. It reads and writes Professional Composer files. This program will allow you to do pretty much anything you like, though it doesn't always do it in a very intuitive fashion. Except for some user-interface quibbles, this is an incredible sequencer. C) Midimac Sequencer (Opcode) - Not as powerful as (B), but much stronger for real-time performance use. It is very easy to set up loops, connect sequences to keys on the computer or synth keyboard, do arpeggiation, transpose sequences, do very simple random things, etc. Of course, it also works as a simple record/playback sequencer. Much more fun to use than (B). The new version, 2.5, reads and writes Professional Composer files, as well as Delux Music Construction Set files. I really like this sequencer, although for most of my work I still use (B). It's mostly a question of how you work, and what you want to do. D) DX7 Patch Editor/Librarian (Opcode) - This wonderful program allows me to graphically set up voices and put together libraries of voices for the DX7. My version also works with TX7 and -816. I think a new version works with the FB-01, and maybe some of the other 4-operator Yamaha synths. No reservations - this is a great program. E) M (I don't remember the company, but Joel Chadabe is one of the people) - This is very new, and all I have is a demo version without some of the features. This is a composer's program. It allows you to create incredibly complex musical universes which are controlled by a "baton", controlled by the mouse. It has very powerful stochastic features, and really requires a very different approach to thinking about music/composition. I think I love it, but I haven't spent very much time with it yet, and I don't nearly understand it fully yet. However, this is a program that is not for everyone. 4) Will these packages also allow multi-voice playback through a YAMAHA FB-01 and a KORG DW-8000? Any computer sequencer worthy of the name will allow that. 5) Are there any of you out there using this type of set-up? What are your opinions? Sounds like a reasonable combination. I have a DX7, and Oberheim Expander, a CZ-101, and an Rx-11 drum machine. At this point, I would probably buyu a sampler rather than the Expander, but that's a matter of taste. I think the FB-01 sounds like a great instrument. I don't know enough about the Korg to say anything intelligent (as if anything else in this letter was intelligent). Some random comments: 1. The people at Computers and Music (phone # above) are very knowledgable and willing to help. Their mail order prices are not the cheapest, but their advice and follow-up is probably worht the slight premium. They will bargain, as well. 2. The Southworth package (Total Music) sounds good, but everyone I know who has used it has complained of bugs. Also, it requires Southworth's own interface, which is expensive. That bugs me, just on general principles. 3. Think about how you are going to work. Personally, I enter most of my music first under Professional Composer, then transfer it to Professional Performer. That's because I am primarily a composer, and a lousy keyboard player (I need a guitar midi controller, but that's another story). In Performer, I tune all the performance parameters to get the sound I want. If people were performing the piece, instead of a computer, they would do all this without thinking about it. The problem with working like this is that you wind up with two files with different information. The Composer file has lots of info about "beaming", dynamic notations, rehearsal marks, lyrics, etc. The Performer contains things like midi program changes, slightly altered note on-off times (for "gesture"), etc. Keeping the two in synch is truly a pain. Of course, this might not matter if you work differently. Anyway, its something to think about.