We sat down across from each other, waiting for the pizza, and settled into the nervous kind of chatter that passes for conversation on a first date. Her smile was bewitching, and I was getting lost in her soft brown eyes when she asked, simply, "So. Heard any good music lately?" I jumped at the opening. "You bet!" I said. "I was in the *StarShip* Library just the other day and came across a series of Rob Baxter files. He's an English chap who does interesting things to Mozart, and has a few original contributions as well. AMIGADEUSII_1.LHA and AMIGADEUSII_2.LHA, files 23697 and 23694, are collections of his Mozart works, ranging from Rondo 'Alla Turka' to the first movement of Symphony No. 40. These two files are part of an amazing collection from the Desktop Music Workshop in England. "Make sure you read the long description, though. You'll have to either dissolve the archives to floppy disks and boot from them (after renaming), or make the proper assigns. Also, you'll need 1 meg of Chip RAM, and there's no exit from the program. It multitasks just fine, though." Baxter and Gammon Her eyes widened as she said, "Oh, I have some of Rob's work! I have METRO.LHA from File 23158. That features two original compositions from Rob. One, Metrolink, commemorates a new rapid transit system in Manchester England, of all things! And if you like Beethoven, be sure to get LARGO.LHA in File 23156. It's arranged by Hugh Gammon, also from the Desktop Music Workshop. Like Metro and the AmigaDeus files, it needs 1 meg of chip RAM and has no exit. "And there's plenty more. There's MOZART1.LHA and MOZART2.LHA, Files 22118 and 22120, since you seem to like Mozart, and NUTCRACKER1.LHA and NUTCRACKER2.LHA in Files 22116 and 22117, all arranged by Hugh Gammon." MIDI Moves I couldn't believe my luck. Sure, there's a lot of sax (and even violins) in the Amiga world, but I never expected to get to the string section so quickly, let alone to First Bass. I had to find out more. "Do you have MIDI equipment? There's a great MIDI stand alone player -- MIDIPLAY220.LHA, file 23727 -- that plays either MIDI format 0 or 1. It has plenty of options, VCR-style controls, and you can change the tempo or even transpose a tune. And you can control it via AREXX, with some 60 commands to choose from. You can create a playlist, too. It's the perfect thing when you just want to let the music play while you do other things." I didn't mention what other things I had in mind. More MODs "Oooh," she said, "that sounds perfect. There's also MIDIPL.LHA, File 22648. It requires Workbench 2 or better, works best on accelerated machines, and supports the SMF, GM, and GS MIDI formats. "But I like MODS, too. I usually turn to the monthly MOD charts to see what's hot. They're easy to find; the chart for August, for example, was called MODCHART_AUG94.LHA, File 23728. "There are just so many MODs that I don't know where to start, but I really liked GUITARSLINGER.LHA in File 21060. It's a guitar-oriented jazzy kind of piece. I like the softer stuff, but my younger brothers favor the heavier Euro or Techno sound. Pieces like File 23710 SUMORAGA.MOD. That one juxtaposes 'hard core raga basslines' with a Japanese-inspired melody and 'synthtextures.' And when in doubt, I look for anything by Sidewinder (E.GEISECKE) -- who even has his own CD -- and D.STACEYJR, who always manages to get hold of the latest MODs. For classical stuff, I just look for MODs uploaded by S.LUTNES. But I always keep an eye peeled for new things, since there are more files every week." I had to pick my jaw up from the floor. Not only was she a knockout, but she used the word "juxtaposed" in a coherent sentence! And just when I thought things couldn't get any better, she hit me with it. "You know, there's a new MOD player out there. PS3M0025.LHA in File 23525 uses the new S3M MOD format. It can play up to 32 channels, has 14-bit output, and even has real surround sound! It just blew me away! Of course, there are a ton of MOD players to choose from. My favorite is EDPLAYER21.LHA, file 17600, but there are lots more. And don't forget the player for Deluxe Music II songs -- DM2PLAYER.LHA in File 20984." Coda It was time to pop the question; I couldn't wait any longer. "What do you say we go get online?" "Sure," she said, "your computer or mine?"