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Creative Computers CD-ROM, Volume 1 (Legendary Design Technologies, Inc.)(1994).iso
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blue_ribbon.txt
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1994-11-17
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10/20/94
Welcome to the Blue Ribbon section of this CD-ROM. We
would like to introduce you to our company, and invite
you to release your musical creativity to the world.
Regardless of what happens to Commodore, Blue Ribbon
is committed to support the Amiga, and all the products
which we produce for the Amiga. We will continue to do
so as long as you continue to support us.
-----------------------------------
About our demos:
We have included demonstration versions of our three top
software packages for the Amiga. They include SuperJAM!,
Bars&Pipes Professional Version 2.5, and PatchMeister.
** SuperJAM! **
SuperJAM! is a music maker for the rest of us. Ever wish
you could make music the same quality as musicians with
years of training? Now you can! You become a conductor of
the most versatile band around. Tell the band the basics
of what you would like, and you will get a polished,
professional score, which is owned by YOU!
** Bars&Pipes Professional **
Bars&Pipes Professional Version 2.5 is our highly
acclaimed and highly prized MIDI sequencer for the Amiga.
Many of our users who also use other computer platforms
will help set the record straight by saying that
Bars&Pipes is the best sequencer for any platform,
period. This package lets you compose, edit, perform, and
save ANY musical idea you have, easily.
You can play your MIDI gear, print as notation, or put
together a presentation with ease. We've even added
multi-media control, such as letting you control pictures,
animations, digital audio hard disk recorders, VCR's,
ARexx, and much more!
There is so much Bars&Pipes can do, that it's best to say
that if you want to make music with MIDI, Bars&Pipes will
be your all-purpose tool, for anything you could possibly
want to do with your music.
** PatchMeister **
If you have a synthesizer, how do you store your patches?
If you say $50 data cards, I'm afraid that is the wrong
answer. With PatchMeister, you can save your library of
sounds to floppy or hard disk, saving an immense amount
of money. Now you can have any sound you would like, at
any point, in all your songs. It always amazes me why so
few people ignore this capability, which will help any
musician distinguish themselves from the crowd
(especially YOU)!
-----------------------------------
All the demos included here require a MIDI instrument and
a MIDI interface. MIDI interfaces available for your
serial port are inexpensive, and work with virtually all
MIDI programs, including our products. We support every
MIDI instrument on the market, from the vintage synths of
over 10 years ago, to the department store models, to the
most professional keyboard available today.
So if you don't have any musical gear now, what are you
to do?
-----------------------------------
Here is the recommended components of a MIDI system.
1.) An Amiga (probably not a problem...). We support
every Amiga model, from Workbench 1.2 on up. We recommend
a minimum of 2 megabytes of RAM (the more you have, the
more cool programs you can multitask), a 68020 processor
or higher is recommended but not required, and a hard
drive will speed up loading times immensely (but is not
required).
2.) A MIDI interface. Virtually all of them for the
serial port will work fine. We offer one for
professionals called the Triple Play Plus, which provides
3 MIDI out ports that are independently controlled. This
is different from, and far better than devices that
'mirror' their outputs (send the same information to all
their MIDI out jacks).
3.) You will need a sound source. This may have a
keyboard attached to it, but that is not required. We
offer a sound source called the One-Stop Music Shop,
which is a 32 voice CD-Quality synthesizer. Basically, a
well done song played through the One-Stop will sound on
par with many professional recordings of today. We worked
closely with Emu, a highly acclaimed synthesizer
manufacturer when we made it, and they knew what they
were doing!
4.) In addition, you will need speakers. These can be
amplified speakers, or even your home stereo (yes, you
can use those CD In or Aux In jacks! I do!)
5.) Finally, you will need a couple of MIDI cables, some
audio cables, and (of course) electricity. With that, you
will have the same basic setup as any professional
musician alive today!
This is all great, and for everyone who knows what MIDI
is and generally how it benefits you, your mouths are
probably watering all ready. But if you don't, then this
whole read me file is probably more than a little
confusing. Never fear....
-----------------------------------
What is MIDI and why would I want it?
MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. It
is still mainly used by musicians, or multi-media
producers, even though MIDI has expanded its usefulness
far beyond that. MIDI is a computer network optimized for
keyboards, computers, and sound modules. It lets each
component in a system talk to each other.
To explain MIDI, pretend there is a piano player sitting
at their piano next to you. You tell the piano player to
play a C, then a D, E, F, G. The pianist plays the music,
and you hear it. In that example, you are the sequencer,
you tell the pianist what to play (MIDI information going
from the computer to the synthesizer), and the pianist
with their piano is the synthesizer/sound module. MIDI
isn't the sound itself but the notes that should be
played. If there was no pianist in our example (a
sequencer without a connected synthesizer or sound
module), there would be no sound.
Actually, MIDI is not a 'thing' but a specification that
developers like ourselves follow when designing their
products. It is like a language, much like we use English
to communicate. Synthesizers and computers communicate
through MIDI. MIDI connectors on a device are the
'mouths' of a component, and MIDI cables are the
telephone lines between them.
MIDI is a universal standard. All computers support it,
and so do all synthesizers and sound modules.
The most popular reason to want a MIDI system is to
compose music without the need for a full band next to
you at all times. You can then display your music as
standard music notation, play it back, record it, let it
accompany you live, or just experiment with it.
I will be the first person to say that all this
technology does not necessarily replace other musicians.
In fact, it can be an aid and a new musical tool to
expand your horizons. That is how I use it, anyway.
-----------------------------------
We hope you enjoy the demos on this CD-ROM, and if the
programs suit your needs, we hope you will choose The
Blue Ribbon SoundWorks as your complete MIDI solution.
Best wishes from all of us at The Blue Ribbon SoundWorks,
Brian Thomas