Labels:text | screenshot | font OCR: AM/FM MUSIC-X TIPS PART 1 Music-X is, I think, the most commonly used MIDI sequencer software for the Amiga. This really powerful and flexible sequencer package has a vast range of possibilities - what you can't do with Music-X simply isn't worth doing, at least that's what I think. If you are of another opinion, write to AM/FM and explain why. Anyway, when you've used Music-X for a while, you develop certain routines, shortcuts, smart ways to save time, memory and headache. I thought I would share some of these experiences with all of you in this series of Music-X Tips articles! The articles will not be a tutorial on how to use the program, like the MED tutorial in AM/FM is. When we write these articles, we will assume that you already know how to use Music-X, but we will provide you with some useful hints do things simpler, quicker, more effective, less memory-consuming etc. There will be at least 2 articles in the series, maybe on how to more.. If you too are a user of Music-X and you have found out some neat methods or smart tricks, why don't you write to us and share you experience with the rest of the AM/FM readers? 91 several several But before we start, a little story about how the marketing of a software package can take strange turns, and an explanation as to why you can get hold of Music-X so cheap, if you know where to look. Once upon a time, in 1989 I believe, Commodore were planning to introduce a special Amiga/Music package. As an offer to serious musicians, they wanted to sell packages containing an A2000, Music-x and a MIDI interface. So they ordered several thousand copies of Music-X from Microlllusions. However, as the months went on, Commodore's Com music package never appeared, in fact now Commodore had changed their minds and didn't want to make the music package available anyway. They cancelled their order at MicroIllusions, saying that they didn't want the ge ency thousand anyway. MicroIllusions protested though, as they www. copies of Music-X any 200 g had already made the copies for Commodore, and Commodore were much too late with cancelling the order, so they were forced to buy them anyway! result was that Commodore sold the Music-X packages on to distributors for almost nothing, and that's why we have been able to buy Music-X at the ridiculously low price of about £60-70. If you look through some magazines, you will still see mail order companies selling Music-X v1.1 for ú70 and so on - and I think maybe the best offer of them all is made by Gordon Harwood Computers, who sells Music-X v1.1, including a 5-port MIDI interface AND 2 MIDI leads for ú79.95. This is an almost ridiculous price - go on, take advantage of it - call Gordon Harwood Computers on +44 (0)773 836781. The end TIP 1 ALWAYS USE A MASTER/CONTROL SEQUENCE! I put this tip first, because it is definitely the most vital of them all. Music-X has the possibility to play a sequence from within another sequence. So to save both time and memory and ensure that you have full overview of your song at any time, you should always build up your songs with a Master -sequence. This Master sequence is simply a sequence that does nothing but play other sequences. Let's say you have separate sequences for: Chords verse, Bass verse, Drums rums verse, Lead verse and also for Chords chorus, Bass chorus, Drums chorus and lead chorus. Keep all these sequences separate, and simply put them all together in the Master Sequence. That way, you can easily move song parts around, add parts in between other parts, transpose parts etc. Using Music-X without using this feature is like using an Amiga with 512K ram, no harddisk and only one diskdrive very frustrating indeed! When editing this "Master Sequence", you should keep your grid size to whole notes, except in very special cases. Set your grid size and pick Add Play Sequence, and just put all the other sequences together where you want them. Then, on the main sequencer screen, turn all sequences except the master sequence to "off". The Master Sequence will trigger the other sequences as your song is playing. A very simple master sequence can look something like this: I Synth-add [0] Drums1 [0] I Ride cymbals Drums1 [0] | Drums1 [0] I Drums1 [0] Bass verse [0] Chords verse [0] I | Additional piano chorus [0] Bass chorus [0] PRG: 67 Chords verse [0] PRG: 48 As you can see, it looks nice and tidy, and if you should for instance wish to add another verse before the chorus, simply pick "Mark" and then copy the whole verse-section. The Master Sequence can also contain notes here and there, like drum fills and other small things that you only want to appear once. But it should be used mainly for triggering the other sequences as well as Program Change messages etc. If you want to take the use of a Master Sequence one step further, the master sequence can even be used to play all your chords, using a small set of very simple sequences. Let's say for instance that your sequence #3 contains a C chord and sequence #4 contains a Cm chord. You could set up the following in your master sequence: 3: C [0] 14: Cm [-3] 13: C [5] 14: Cm [+2] | Study this, and you will see that the chords: C, Am, F and Dm will be played, using just two simple sequences and manipulating them within the master sequence. First, it plays the major-sequence with no transposing, which results in a simple Cmajor being played. Next, it plays the sequence containing a minor chord, while transposing it 3 half notes down, which will resunt result in an A-minor being played. Next bar plays the major-chord sequence transposed 5 half notes up, which results in an F major, and lastly it plays the sequence containing a d C-minor chord, transposed 2 half notes up, which will then be a D minor. Get it? Now you can call this sequence "Chords for verse 1" and this sequence can in turn be triggered from within your Master Sequence. Neat stuff, eh? Don't you just adore Music-X? Just to complete the picture, add a whole note C together with the 4th bar in our example (the D-minor) and voila, you have a Dmin?! TIP 2 – DON'T PUT TOO MUCH DATA INTO ONE SEQUENCE Although it's tempting to start adding the bass directly into the same sequence as you have the chords in, this is not a good idea in the long run. As things grow bigger, you will be better off keeping the chords and the bass in two different sequences. Cutting, copying, pasting, transposing is so much easier when you don't have to worry about touching notes which you don't want to change. Also, what if you at some point in the song want to play just the bass and the drums, for example for a bridge part? You will thank yourself for having put the bass in a separate sequence, and you can set up this bridge part in the master sequence in just a few seconds. Also, try to avoid using more than one MIDI channel in one sequence. You have 250 sequences to use - you will never ever run out of them, so just use all the sequences you need. Even for just very small parts, you should keep them in a separate sequence - it's so much easier to work with when the song grows. I'm working on a song right now, a 9-minute piece for which I've used 58 different sequences so far. So what, I have 192 more to choose from. (Another problem with this song though, is that my 1 MB of memory is stuffed full of data (and I haven't used one single sample) so I'm stuck on this piece until I get some more memory. Any donations appreciated! :-) TIP 3 – ONLY SAVE WHAT YOU NEED TO SAVE When you save a performance from Music-X, you are presented with a little control panel asking you to select what to save with the file, and what to leave out. For most songs, you only need to save the Sequences, and all the other options can be turned off. Your disk file will be smaller, and load back in quicker. Also, if you've tampered with the Keymaps, sync-options, channelizer, protocols etc, this will be back to normal the next time you start Music-X and load your performance. All the other options, like time parameters, sync settings, keymaps etc. need only be saved if you have Pang actually used them and they are vital to your song. The "Output Channe 1 option refers to the Channelizer on the main sequencer screen OPCION settings in this channelizer is vital to your song, then leave it on otherwise, turn it off. otherul As for the "Time parameters" option, this can in most 200 cases safely be turned off, as your song's tempo and Time Signature will be saved with the file anyway. Only if you use special timing parameters or a lot of tempo changes, this should be turned on while saving. Personally, I usually save only the sequences and the time parameters. the if the TIP 4 MAKE YOUR OWN DEFAULT PERFORMANCE performance "Default.perf", When you load Music-X, the first thing Music-X does is automatically to load a from the disk. This is the performance stored on the disk as and it only contains a very simply metronome sequence played by a sampled little "blipp"." If you want to change this metronome sequence to use etc. etc. The next time real drum sounds, or maybe even add some program changes, system-setup in the default performance, simply make it exactly as you want it, and save your own default performance over the "Default.perf" file. load Music-X, you will have your very own customized base to start from. Personally, I've made a "default.perf" that has a plain 4/4 drum pattern as well as some program change messages that puts my synths and effect units ready for action. you MORE MUSIC-X TIPS IN AM/FM #3 (OH, AND PROBABLY IN #4 AND #5 AS WELL) SEE YOU THERE! AM/FM
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