| ★ APPLICATIONS ★ CREATION MUSICAL ★ THE MUSIC SYSTEM ★ |
| The Music System (c) Rainbird (AM-Mag) | THE MUSIC SYSTEM (Amstrad Action) | The Music System (Amstrad Computer User) | The Music System (CPC Amstrad International) |
Anyone using this program for the first time should immediately hook the Amstrad up to the auxiliary plugs of a hi-fi system and load one of the tunes from the accompanying Sound and Song library. You 11 get a blast of truly staggering music a touch ot Bach, a blast of Led Zep. a burst of the blues which should instantly open your ears to the great potential of this excellent program. "The Music System is a superbly-executed package that allows you to compose music either by playing the keyboard or by entering notes directly on the stave it really is very simple to get going. although making the most of it will require time and at least a little musics! knowledge. Simplicity of use is helped greatly by the use of those fashionable computer features icons and pop-down menus In The Music System they're more than just window dressing they make the program not just pretty to look at (which it is) but clear to use Loading the program presents you with a screen divided into five district blocks. The largest area is taken up by the Voice Monitor Window., hereinafter referred to as the VMW. This displays the staves on which your music is entered, and can be scrolled along as you en:er more notes. Below the VMW is the piano keyboard, corresponding to the top two rows of the computer's keyboard. Here you can doodle away at tunes or compose. your notes can be entered on the VMW as you play. On the right of the display are three boxes. The top one contains three bars representing each of the Amsirad's voices or sound channels: you can only compose in one of these a time Below is an area with three icons The first is the record device showing whether you a rerecording or playing back ana the voice you arousing In the middle is a cylinder representing your free space: it fills up as you compose Vou have a limit of 1000 full notes per voice. Or the right is the metronome, which regulates the tempo; you can set this from a snail's pacc up to a prestissimo 185 beats per minute. The bottom right box shows you three rows. The first enables you to alter the volume of each sound channel, the second to alter the envelope pa i ameters and the third the octave. So these last two mean you can change the kind of sound you get and the pitch of it fiddling around with them can give you the sort of synthesiser effects that a few years ago would have needed a very expensive machine. At the very top of the screen, above the VMW is the Command line, which presents you with pop-down menus at the touch of a function key. Values, for instance will allow you to alter the key signature, time signature, tempo and much more of the music you are composing. Or, indeed, have composed. Thus you can write a piece in a very slow tempo but play it back as if there were to tomorrow. Composing Two ways to do this from the keyboard, or by entering notes directly on the staves. With the fit st method the note you play and hear on the keyboard is immediately displayed in the VMW. In the second method, you begin with a note on the stave By using the cursor keys you can change its position, and with the function keys change its value - i.e. the length of the note whether it's sharp or flat, where the beat falls in relation to it etc. When you're satisfied, press Enter and the note is fixed. The same method is used to alter tunes you've already composed and stored When you've composed and recorded as much music as you want, you return to the beginning, press 50 and the music will play. This alone is pretty impressive, but lf you press Shift + F0 the music not only plays, but the notes scroll through the VMW as they are heard This function alone should make The Music System an invaluable aid to anyone studying or just making, music. With throe different sound channels and the ability to synthesise sound the limitations of a home computer don't seem too bad at all. But you are recommended to feed the sound through a hi-fi system it makes a big difference. The system can be as complex or as basic as you want it to be. These who don't know a quaver from a wobble could find :t just a little sophisticated, but it doesn't take much musical knowledge to get a lot of pleasure and instruction from it. The only thing I could play was the first wo bars of Merrily we roll along but my 32 Variations cm that particular theme gave me if no-one else, a lot of pleasure. And if you're in need of inspiration, just load a sonata from the library and see what is possible. It will take a while to become familiar With the system, but it comes with a thorough and very clear manual that should get you started pretty quickly. Rainbird are planning to release, at £29.95 on disc. The Advanced Music System - this will be able to dump compositions to a printer, ana will have a file linker to create longer pieces of music Owners of the first version will be able to upgrade for the difference in price. GOOD NEWS
BAD NEWS
AA#6 |
|  |
