Apple II Music & Sound Conference
December 5, 1990 10:00pm EST
Subject:  Sequencing & DiversiTune info
Forum Leader:  Joyce Madden (AFL JoyceM)
Forum Staff:  Gene Koh (AFA Gene - Forum Assistant);
              Greg Dib (ELECTMUSIC), Lindsay Hough
              (LindsayGS) and Ed Rosenblatt (AFC Eddie),
              all Forum Consultants.

AFL JoyceM Mike, will you be going to AppleFest?

Nuzz       No, I'm not going Joyce :(

AFL JoyceM But you (Triad) will be represented?

Nuzz       But, our music should be everywhere.  There will
be Demo's running at Apple's booth and at the Roger Wagner
Booth

AFL JoyceM Great.  Will there be a demo for AMS for people
to download?

Nuzz       I'll probably uplaod the Sleigh song as a sample

AFL Marty  I've got this really neat database that lists all
of the SoundSmith instruments.  Is that something you want
in your library?  (There are over 400 listed)

AFC Eddie  Sure!

AFL JoyceM Yes,...sure...would love it, Marty... please :)

AFA Gene   I think we have it already, if it's the "A-M"
then "N-Z" list?  (something like that)

AFL Marty  What I have is an actual database (AppleWorks DB)

Nuzz       He's soooo organized :)

AFL Marty  Some of the categories are in French.  I can't
translate it.

AFC Eddie  I believe we have many instruments in our
library.

AFA Gene   hmmm..   I'll check exactly what database we have
in the lib currently.

AFC Eddie  Today I had a chat with Bill Basham.

AFL JoyceM And...what did he have to say, Ed?

AFC Eddie  He's still working on Diversitune, but not yet
ready to release his major upgrade.  He will, he thinks, be
releasing a bunch of new instruments now, tho, he thinks he
might wait and do it all at once, together with a tool for
creating your own instruments.

ELECTMUSIC Eddie, is that what we paid $20 for?

AFC Eddie  I tried to talk him into adding a feature that
would save D-Tune songs as standard Midi files.  He said
such a feature would be a difficult thing to do, especially
in Prodos 8, so I made an alternate suggestion.  Told him it
would be a great idea to develop a separate program that
could convert D-Tune songs to midi files.  Told him we had a
real genius here on AOL who was developing great programs
for converting different types of music files, and that he
could do it for D-Tune.  He seemed pretty responsive to the
idea.

AFL JoyceM Great....so what do is the result.  Will Bill be
contacting our 'genius'? or what?

AFC Eddie  To conclude, I told Bill B that there were still
lots of people out there who loved D-Tune, and who'd support
it, and he promised to put some more hard work on it now
that I gave him some "inspiration."

AFL JoyceM Great....thanks, Eddie.   Okay...with that great
info on DiversiTune....let me make a couple of statements
regarding Sequencers and sequencing.  I know that my staff
will fill in what I have missed or mis-explained :).

EricR1     Does anyone know where i can get ftn for mtjr (d5
auxtype 8003)

AFL Marty  Give me a couple of minutes and I'll mail it to
you, Eric.

EricR1     I couldn't find that auxtype - file type notes
for MtJr files anything that describes what info is in those
files

AFL Marty  There you go Eric.  The auxtype 8003 isn't
specifically listed - it's listed as FTN.D5.XXXX.  Yes...
Apple II File Type Notes.

AFC Eddie  Same type as MT Pro files, I think.

AFL JoyceM Okay,.....thanks. Now onto the definitions of
Sequencing/sequencers, etc.

AFL JoyceM A Sequencer:  is a device or a computer program
that creates music files by receiving information from a
MIDI synthesizer; sort of a word processor for music.  The
files created with a sequencer program can be edited, saved,
merged and replayed.  A sequencer is also a hardware or
software item which handles the recording, playback and
general processing of MIDI events.  To sequence is to place
a series of events in a structured order.  Some say that a
MIDI sequencer has the same relationship to a MIDI studio as
a multitrack tape recorder has to a studio.  A MIDI
sequencer lets you do a lot of tricks that you can't do with
a normal tape recorder.  Some of the music programs that we
have for the Apple IIGS that support or have sequencing
capabilities are:

          -MasterTracks Pro from PassPort Designs - $395.00

          -MusicStudio from Activision (no longer produced)
$99.00

          -synthLAB from Apple thru APDA $25.00

          -DiversiTune from DSR (Bill Basham) $75.00.....and

          -MusicWriter from Pygraphics.

AFL JoyceM Have I missed any programs?  Done.  Comments,
etc. ?

LindsayGS  (done without any keyboard macros....right
Joyce?)

AFL JoyceM Yep, LIndsay :)

AFC Eddie  Great summary, Joyce!  One of the great things
about sequencing, as opposed to tape recording, is that
although it can be so sophisticated, it makes life great for
beginners, for instance:  Let's say you can play a song well
if you play it slowly, but not fast.  With tape, if you
record slow and playback fast, it comes out in a different
key.  With Sequencing, you can control speed  and key at the
same time.

EricR1     Does a multitrack sequencer have to mix tracks
together in time when it plays?

AFL JoyceM What program is the easiest to sequence with?

AFC Eddie  You can record one track at a time, and play back
whichever ones you wish.  Did I get your question right,
Eric?

EricR1     I was thinking about how the program sends midi
data out over time.

AFC Eddie  A sequencer can be either a Master or a Slave.
That is, its timing can be controlled either internally, by
its own mechanism, or by an external mechanism such as the
synth you are playing the sequence thru.

LindsayGS  Eric - it doesn't have to really mix them, just
sort them over time quickly (like wait 5 ticks, play note on
trk 1, wait 2 more, then note on trk 3, etc)

EricR1     I guess it uses interrupts for timimg

LindsayGS  Everything on the GS is interrupt driven, unlike
the II's.

EricR1     Does it store time data with midi data?

LindsayGS  Yes - every midi event has a time stamp
associated with it.

EricR1     How does it distinguish between midi events -
different instructions have different lengths.

AFC Eddie  Each event is signalled with "on" or "off."

LindsayGS  Midi code specifies how long each instruction
will be some are 1 byte, others are cmd byte, followed by 1
or 2 data bytes others (like sysex) are unlimited length,
set by onbyte and offbyte (technically, $F7 .....$F0 or do I
have it backwards?)

EricR1     I'm trying to write programs to play midi seq
files on my //e.

LindsayGS  I did it Eric - and it ain't pretty....

AFC Eddie  Leave it to Lindsay!

LindsayGS  You must use 6502 or compile it to make it work

EricR1     But it can be done!

LindsayGS  I only did single tracks...do you have the
passport card?

EricR1     Yeah, I'm trying to mix multi tracks to a single
sequence file using different midi channels.

LindsayGS  Mixing is no problem if you're not trying to play
while you're doing it.

EricR1     Yeah, overdub is difficult to code

LindsayGS  It just takes more time than you have unless the
playback is interrupt - driven

AFL JoyceM Eric, you like MusicMaker from Sublogic, right?

EricR1     And figuring out passport's interrupt mechanism
gets confusing.

EricR1     Yeah joyce, it was great for its time

LindsayGS  It's the 6502's interrupt mechanism - get an old
book called  "The apple monitor peeled" was from Call APPLE
- docs the interrupts the timing chip on the card can be set
to interrupt at the right interval (sorry guys...is this
music or what??)

EricR1     Low level music

AFC Eddie  keep going, Lindsay!

AFL JoyceM Reads like techie talk to me :)

ELECTMUSIC Eric... what sequencer are you using now?

AFC Eddie  Hey, that's what the customer wants!

EricR1     my own

LindsayGS  6502 - based?

Nuzz       Looks like Triad has the honor of being the first
to license MidiSynth

EricR1     yeah, simple mach lang files

LindsayGS  Hey! that's great news Mike!

AFC Eddie  Way to go, Triad!

LindsayGS  Eric are you using an assembler?

ELECTMUSIC can you get it to recognize the Midi File Format?

ELECTMUSIC Nice honor Mike.....

AFL JoyceM Great, Mike....I have the papers sitting in front
of me :)

EricR1     I use the mini assembler!  I'm in the process of
figuring out midi format.

ELECTMUSIC Hopefully Triad (which is a musical term) will be
developing/producing much more in the way of music software
for the GS!!!!!

Nuzz       For those who don't know, MartyS9 is Marty
Steinberg of Triad Venture

LindsayGS  that's REAL ambitious, Eric - you should get
Merlin or something else...

AFL JoyceM Welcome, Marty.  Ah...the other half of Triad. :)

Nuzz       Greg, Marty asks when you are going to finish the
"Triad Theme Song"

EricR1     c major triad?

AFL JoyceM Mike, and Marty...when your program is announced
and shown at AFest will you be putting up a press release
here in AMS on the program...info on how to purchase it,
etc?

Nuzz       Yes Joyce, press release all ready for posting
Dec 7

LindsayGS  Yeah, Mike - we want the inside stuff - HERE and
FIRST!!  :)

AFL JoyceM I have a quesiton about sequencers, please?

Nuzz       Hyperstudio will never sound the same :)

ELECTMUSIC Marty... You got the GS+?

MartyS9    yes, Thanks

LindsayGS  Joyce - what happened with 5.03 and SL?

AFL JoyceM What do you mean, Lindsay....I must be dense this
eveing :)

LindsayGS  Greg said there was no problem...(havn't caught
up on mail yet...)

AFL JoyceM Oh....no problems with 5.03 and SL.

LindsayGS  I thought you told me 5.03 crashed SL??

AFL JoyceM I think that Greg told you his did....who know,
but it works fine :)

ELECTMUSIC Lindsay.... memory is super critical with 5.03
...in other words... 5.03 needs it, otherwise programs crash
without warning.

Nuzz       Wait for 5.0.4

AFL JoyceM Anyway....my question about a sequencer.  Of the
programs that I listed, which one is the easiest to use as a
sequencer?

AFA Gene   Master Tracks Pro.

AFL JoyceM 5.04....oh...when?  Good grief!!!

LindsayGS  MTjr is real easy, Joyce

AFC Eddie  Depends on what you want to hear it thru, Joyce.

AFC Eddie  D-Tune is the only decent sequencer that you can
hear multiple intruments with if you don't have a
multi-timbral synth!

ELECTMUSIC Lindsay: including your programs... as I panic
one night

Nuzz       5.0.4 RSN

AFL JoyceM DT is hard tho...

AFL JoyceM RSN = Friday?

AFC Eddie  NOTHING can compare to the editing ability of
MTPro.  Down to 1/48th of a quarter note in the GS version.

ELECTMUSIC Also MTPro 1.04 is crash proof!!!!

AFA Gene   But the ironic thing is that in the old version
of MTPro, it would sometimes add erratic extra short notes
that would screw up the music. So far, 1.04 has not done
that.

AFL JoyceM Ed...I still don't have problems with that CDA
and MIDI input. What version of FileTools CDA are you using?

AFC Eddie  I got some mail from another user with the same
problem!  Now I am using the latest version, but a prior
version also had the problem.  The problem occurs more
frequently with Musicwriter than MTPro, tho.

LindsayGS  I just DLed ShowPic5.1 and installed it and AW2.0
crashed!!

ELECTMUSIC I haven't used other NDA's or CDA's outside of
Apple's,,, they could cause  ANY program to crash

Nuzz       You mean all except mine, right Greg :)

AFL JoyceM My version of FT is 1.1b14

AFC Eddie  I'm not sure if that's the one I have.

ELECTMUSIC Lindsay... I thought your program crashed... but
it was the lack of memory and 5.03?

Nuzz       FT=File Tools CDA

ELECTMUSIC I panic because, I thought it was the program

AFL JoyceM Did everyone read me note about the version
numbers for SynthLab?  My disk (from APDA) says on the label
version 1.0b3, but the program comes up with 1.0b2....so I
called APDA...and they explained it this way: synthLAB is
version 1.0b2 and MIDIsynth is version 1.0b3.

Mr Toaster What's the STUMP THE EXPERTS round?

AFC Eddie  What experts?

AFL JoyceM One of these nights, Toaster, we will be having a
stump the AMS staff contest!

LindsayGS  Yeah, MArc said he fixed the SetRelTempo bug that
I found, then never sent me the new version!!!  It's
supposed to change tempo when translated from midi stnd
files

Nuzz       Winner of stump the experts get 20 hours of PRIME
connect time, right Joyce

AFC Eddie  That's what it would take, Toast!

AFA Gene   lol nuzz

Mr Toaster WOW

AFL JoyceM Sure, mike...sure :)

ELECTMUSIC Lindsay... what about converting velocity info
into the Slab format is that currently possible?

LindsayGS  greg - you mean key velocity or tempo?

AFC Eddie  Aren't there velocity controls in SynthLAB?

ELECTMUSIC Converting Midi file format---> SLab

Nuzz       Anyone besides Greg notice you can't go higher
than 99n on the tempo with SL

LindsayGS  Key velocity translate is automatic,  tempo
changes are supposed to work in 1.0b3, but I don't have it

AFL JoyceM Yep...it is getting late.....and I have to make a
very important phone call regarding licensing SL for AMS :)
:) :) :)....

America Online - 1990