Quick Start

       IMPORTANT!  

Many people, if not most, prefer to jump into a program without reading the manual.  With many, it's actually a source of pride.  This chapter has been written especially for those people. 

Some of Anthem's operations are a little different from other products.  The following are some basic facts that are needed to operate Anthem.

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Hold the option key down when entering notes into a score from the Tool Palette.  

• Anthem has two kinds of sequencers. These are called the SCORE and the OPUS.  See below for further instructions.

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Use Cut, Copy and Paste on almost everything, even between data types.  Most data types are automatically converted from on form to another.

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Try double clicking or COMMAND - I on almost everything for further information and to create special editors.  Double clicking means open in Anthem and COMMAND - I means give me more information.

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Text data such as lyrics are pasted in form either the built-in editor or from the word processor of your choice.  This is true in the score as well as the event editor.  Create a text event and then paste.  Text created by the text editor with a score present is automatically attached to the score, staff or measure depending on what is selected when the editor is activated.  

Please be aware that the score and the sequencer are two separate data types.  The sequencer has unlimited data tracks at near maximum MIDI resolution (1 millisecond) independent of tempo.  The score is object-oriented and stores data at 1024 ppqn.  Each form of storing the data has its advantages and copy and paste will work both ways between formats.  Track data can be quantized OR interpreted under the control of the "Legal Score Expressions" menu item.  Score data that has been interpreted from track data maintains the original MIDI data at 1024 ppqn.  Please remember that most keyboard data is actually polyphonic so be sure and check that option in the "Score Legal Expressions" if that's your intention.  Create an Anthem "Instrument" file to direct track data to multiple staves if necessary.  Instrument files can also be used to route MIDI information to multiple zones of "Devices" that you have defined.  Instruments are especially useful for layering sounds.

Open an example score file.  Open the staff dialog box (see below) and setup the program number, port and channel for your MIDI synth.  If you are using OMS, select the device and patch you want for each voice.  Play the entire score by making sure nothing is selected and using the Play button on the tool pane .  (Playing while staves, measures or notes are selected will play the object or group of objects selected.)

Select some notes and press command - : or select play repeat on the tool pane.  While the notes are playing, use the mouse to drag the notes vertically to change their pitch.  Use the up and down arrow keys to change the notes by a single step.  Play the entire piece and add new notes while it is playing.  Open a new score and enter some notes using instruction given below.

Open the example sequencer file.  Double click on the first item to open the section level list.  Press A, B and C to play each section.  HIT RETURN TO STOP PLAYING. The example sequences are all piano pieces assuming there's a piano sound at program 1 channel 1.  Double click on each section to open the Tracklist.  Double click on each track to open the Event Editor to inspect the MIDI data.

Open the example patch librarian file.  Double click on banks to see patch lists and note assignments.  Some patches have SysEx dumps.  Double click on patch names to see a Hex dump of a patch.  Use the "Modify Patch Librarian" menu item under the "Library" menu to see how the device is set up.  Look at how handshaking protocols are set up in the example.

ANTHEM TIPS AND OPERATION NOTES

Selecting objects in the score.

Notes, rests, lyrics etc. are selected by single clicking or by creating a selection rectangle.  Selecting a note will send MIDI information to your synth  A measure is selected by clicking its left hand edge.  

                     

 As shown above, a staff is selected by clicking the box in the left status pane opposite the staff to be selected.  Double clicking on the box will open a dialog box for defining staff characteristics.  Pressing Command - I while a measure is selected will open a dialog box for its properties.  Selecting a group of notes and pressing command - I will open a window for graphic editing of the velocity values of the notes selected.  The left status pane has pop-up menus for changing the key and clef of selected measures.  The time signature can be modified by holding the mouse key down while positioning on the numerator and denominator.  A much better way of changing the time signature is to select the first measure and press command - I.  Use the up and down triangle-shaped boxes to select the voice that is currently active.

Entering Score data with a tool

As shown above, select a tool in the tool palette.  The tool you selected will appear in the Tool Pane in the lower left of the window.  The normal operation of the mouse is for selecting notes, rests, measures etc.  To enter a symbol using the current tool, hold the option key down.  The cursor will change to a crosshair to indicate it will insert when the mouse is clicked.  

Entering notes using a MIDI keyboard

Create an insert point by clicking into the score window.  A flashing vertical bar will appear at the insert point.  Select "MIDI Note Entry" under the "Score" menu.  Playing on an attached MIDI keyboard will enter notes at this point in the current tool duration.  Anthem will remain in the MIDI Note Entry mode until this menu option is selected again or another window is selected.

Modifying notes
  
Select a note and drag it horizontally to change the pitch by scale notes in the measure key.  Use the up and down arrow keys to change the pitch by one semitone.  Drag the note horizontally to change the duration.  The left and right arrow keys change the duration by one legal score interval.  Legal score intervals are defined by a dialog box that can be opened under the "Score" menu.

Enharmonics are created by holding the option key down and using the up-down arrow keys.

Tool Pane

Symbols in the Tool Pane in the lower left of the score pane can be selected by clicking.  When selected they can be modified.   The duration of notes in the Tool Pane can be modified by the left and right arrow keys.  This is a good way to enter a series of triplets for example.  A note in the Tool Pane can be modified by other tools by holding the shift key down when selecting other tools.  For example select a quarter note.  Hold the shift down and select a staccato under the articulation pop-up menu and while continuing to hold the shift key down select a diamond note head.  The quarter note in the Tool Pane should now have a diamond head and have a staccato articulation.  Use this tool to enter notes of this type into the score.

Recommended procedure for creating music

Although Anthem can be used in many ways, the following technique works well:

• Create Patch Librarians for your MIDI devices.  Don't worry about entering detailed information at first.  A Patch Librarian is extremely useful even if it doesn't know detailed MIDI information about your device.   Open patch banks and type in patch names or use the automatic features.  (Anthem can usually figure out patch names from SysEx streams.) If your instrument uses Bank Select be sure and give the device the correct bank number so it can automatically select a bank.  If you are using the MIDI Manager, transfer this information into a score by first opening a bank and copying a patch name.  In the score, select a staff by clicking on the box in the left status pane.  The staff becomes shaded or reversed when it is selected.  Now select a voice by clicking into the upper or lower triangle. A paste operation will now transfer all  knowledge about how to play this patch into the score and will be remembered when the score is saved.   Double click on the box in the left status pane to open a dialog to verify that the score has received the information.  Under OMS, simply subcribe to a patch librarian document and use the pop-up menus.  You can also use this dialog to enter the information manually.  You can also assign General MIDI voices using this dialog if you are using instruments that support General MIDI.  Use the "Open Setup" menu item under the "Library" menu to add detailed controller information to the score.  For example you might want to add information to your score to set up special effects in a MIDI multi effects processor.  There can be a separate "Setup" to each voice in the score so be sure and select a staff and voice before using the "Setup" menu item.

• Create  "Pad" or template files for your standard music forms.  If you are a composing in a contemporary idiom you might create drum parts of often used drum styles for example.  To create a Pad simply save a score containing your standard material. If you are using System 7, select the file in the finder and press command - I.  Turn the file into a Pad.  The score icon will change to indicate that this is now a Pad.  Opening a Pad will always create a new file that you can modify into a new piece

• Start by sketching out the piece in a score using repeats where necessary.  Add new staves by pressing command - N for a standard staff, command- I for a piano grand staff and command - K for a percussion staff.  Create two bar drum grooves and copy them over and over to fill out a section and then go back and add fills and accents. Use the velocity editor for individual notes and expressions in the expression palette to set the main volume.  Use the crescendo tool for gradual increases.  (A crescendo can be edited by selecting and pressing command - I to open a special editor.)  It's a good idea to use the time shift window to move the notes around slightly to create a groove.  Select a few measures or notes and use the repeat play option to hear the drums as you modify them.  Set the tempo of the score by selecting the tempo tool (a note followed by an "equal" sign) and inserting into the score.  Double click on the score symbol to open a dialog to set the tempo.  You can have as many as these as you want but always put them into the top staff.

• In the score press command - A. This will select all staves of your piece.  Press command - C which will copy the entire score to the clipboard.  If you are working on a machine with limited memory it might be a good idea to close the score right now.  Create or open an Opus under the "Opus" window.  Create a new list item by pressing command - N.  With this item selected press command I to open a dialog.  Give the list item the name of your piece.  After closing the dialog, double click on your new item to open the section list for your new piece.  Double click on the "A" list item.  The Tracklist should open with the title "A". You are now at the lowest level of the current Opus with all the controls for recording and playback of tracks in this sub-section.  Press command - V to copy the score into the Tracklist. Double click on each track to open the Event List editor to see a listing of all converted information.  Your score has now been optimized into a linear track with all repeat sign used to "unwind" the score so it contains no loops.  Use the up-down arrow keys next to the Tempo display in the Tracklist to change the tempo if desired. For your convenience the event editor will display measure, beat and tick information at any number of clock ticks you prefer but the information is really always stored at the maximum 1 millisecond resolution independent of tempo.  Now press command - N to create a new track.  Use the mouse to click the status of this track to record.  The letter R should be opposite the track name.  Use the "Metronome" dialog under the "Score" menu to select the record mode that you prefer. Use the RECORD button in the Tracklist and play on your MIDI keyboard to add improvised material to the score material that you've already copied in.  Play at any tempo---MIDI information is always stored at maximum resolution. Use the PLAY button to audition the result.  You can also play the Tracklist at the upper Opus levels.

Using Anthem in Multifinder

If you are working with large scores or multiple scores under Multifinder or under System 7, you may want to increase the Application Memory. 

Printing

We recommend that you have a printer driver in the system folder that you are booting from.  This means that the “Laserwriter” and “Laser Prep” files, or the “Imagewriter” file should be in the system folder that you boot from.  Without these files in your system, Anthem will not be able to properly format a page of music.

Anthem uses the Sonata™ music font from Adobe Systems, Inc.  

For printing on an Imagewriter, Anthem uses the screen fonts to draw on the paper.  For printing on a Laserwriter, you will need to purchase the Sonata printer fonts from Adobe and place them in your System folder.  Anthem will automatically download the Sonata font to your Laserwriter. The Sonata printer font can be purchased at your local Apple or software retailer, or through mail order.  Anthem will create bit mapped images of the Sonata font for printing on a Laserwriter if no printer font exists.  These bit maps will be useful for most types of printing, but will not be as attractive as the printer fonts.