Loadstar 16/016.d81/roving-2

Text File | 2022-08-26 | 5KB | 285 lines

    The LOADSTAR Roving Reporter
    === ======== ====== ========

  goes to the MARCA Fair -- Part 2
  ==== == === ===== ====    ==== =


  Ryo Kawasaki is an internationally-

acclaimed musician and composer.  He

specializes in modern-style popular

music.  His band, the Satellites, con-

sists of himself playing guitar and a

guitar synthesizer, his wife doing

vocals, a bassist, a drummer, and his

C64 running Sight & Sound Software's

"The Kawasaki Synthesizer," which he

wrote (along with two other products

and more on the way!).  He is thus

quite qualified to teach Programming

Music in Machine Language.  Most

writers of what is commonly known as

"interrupt-driven music interpreters"

(like what you are listening to now!)

like to use the normal system inter-

rupt request (IRQ), the "jiffie" IRQ.

This limits the base interval to 1/60

second, and all other time intervals

must be multiples of that.  Ryo sug-

gests using the unused Timer A IRQ on

CIA#2.  This allows more precise

tempo control.

  Dr. Richard Immers is well-known as

a co-author of the popular and highly

informative tome from Datamost titled

"Inside Commodore DOS".  His presenta-

tion had the same name.  It was basic-

ally a question-and-answer period, on

advanced 1541 access.  He explained

that he is a believer in 'Software for

the People,' and thus is against any

form of copy-protection.  (I am, too!)

Questions ranged from legal issues to

highly technical questions on duplica-

ting particular schemes.  He agreed

that many so-called "backup

utilities," which claim to exist only

to allow a user to make legal

archival back-ups of his software,

but are protected themselves (against

themselves!), are #1, lying through

their teeth when when they say they

are against piracy and for the right

of backup (sauce for the goose, etc.)

and #2, not foolproof because there

is always at least one scheme they

won't copy (their own!). He

recommends "Fast-Hack'Em," which is

non-protected and copies the latest

schemes, including the previously

unbreakable variable-density sectors

used by Datamost and others.


  Some brief notes on some interesting

new products:  Fiscal Information

makes hard disks for the C64!  10 Megs

for about $1995.  These are interfaced

with a high-speed parallel SCSI port

for FAST access!  They are working on

(and demonstrated a prototype of) a

10-Meg INTERNAL hard drive for the

SX-64!

  Starpoint Software displayed their

ISEPIC back-up system that makes back-

ups from the program in memory, not

the disk.  The result is an UNPROTEC-

TED, standard file on a disk!  They

also introduced STARDOS, a speed-up

kit that speeds up ALL 1541 accesses

by up to a factor of 10 (!), plus pro-

vides many utilities.  STARDOS was

created by the inventor of 1541 FLASH,

He started his own company to market

it.

  Quantum Computer Services demon-

strated QuantumLink, an advanced Play-

NET like network.  Indeed, much of the

software is licensed from PlayNET.

QL is much improved over PN in many

respects.  It supports 1200 baud, auto

dial, "auditoriums" (rooms that people

outside can "listen in" on), and many

other features that PN user's have

been asking for.


   SchuLace Enterprises has On-Track,

a complete 1541 alignment system in-

cluding Precision Track Indicator and

Alignment/Utility Diskette and full

instructions for $15.98!!!

  Micro-W Distributing, in conjunc-

tion with Q*R*S, makers of piano rolls

for player pianos, has an inexpensive

output-only MIDI interface which al-

lows the C64 to play any of the newer,

MIDI-equipped synthesizers.  Q*R*S has

provided their entire piano-roll

library in C64 disk format to be

played through the MIDI box!  Their

library included performances by

Scott Joplin, George Gershwin, Fats

Waller, Peter Nero, Liberace, etc.

10,000+ songs in all!

   ViewTron is a Videotex-like inter-

active service available to owners of

modem-equipped 64's.  Services

include news, Equitable Life

Assurance's 'Self-Sketch,' travel

tips and rates, on-line shopping,

car rentals, etc.

  Okidata showed their Okimate 120

printer, which is Commodore compatible

with no special interface needed, can

print at up to 120 cps, and (unlike

the Star SD-10C) supports all the en-

hanced features that make dot-matrix

printers in Okidata's class famous!

The Okimate 10 color thermal-transfer

printer, however, is still not worth

the money, even though the color rib-

bons have dropped some in price.  Even

without taking into account the need

for special (expensive) smooth paper,

a color screen printout on an Okimate

10 costs more than a Polaraid photo!

  Saturday night, Ryo Kawasaki and

the Satellites held a concert.

It was EXCELLENT!  All the songs were

Ryo's own compositions.  During one,

he played his electric guitar through

a guitar synthesizer.  It is a WEIRD

sensation to see someone plucking the

strings of a guitar, but hear mallets

on a vibraphone, or the reedy brass of

a saxophone or the bold brass of a

trumpet!

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