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Midi Music Maker
September 1990
Contents Page
I. Introduction..................... 3
1.0 Description of files......... 3
1.1 Music played................. 3
1.2 Music created................ 3
1.3 Requirements................. 3
1.4 Setup........................ 3
1.5 Connections.................. 4
II. Playing a Song................... 4
2.0 Starting the Program......... 4
2.1 Displaying Names............. 4
2.2 Selecting Songs.............. 5
2.3 Starting Music............... 5
2.4 Continuous Play.............. 6
2.5 Use of Keyboard.............. 6
2.6 Mouse cursor................. 6
III. Controlling the Play............. 6
3.0 How It Sounds................ 6
3.1 Tempo........................ 7
3.2 Velocity and level control... 7
3.3 Presets...................... 8
3.4 Channel Mapping.............. 9
3.5 Note Control.................10
3.6 Alternate Format.............10
IV. Other Features...................11
4.0 Analyze Song.................11
4.1 Display Words................11
4.2 Internal Speaker.............12
4.3 Save Select File.............12
4.4 EZ-Track playing.............12
4.5 Create Standard Midi Files...12
4.6 Save and Load MT-32 Data.....13
4.7 Modify Intro Music.......... 13
4.8 Quit........................ 13
4.9 Help........................ 13
V. Additional Information.......... 14
5.0 Music voice table........... 14
5.1 Errors...................... 14
5.2 Problems.................... 14
- 2 -
VI. Sources of Music................ 15
6.0 General..................... 15
6.1 Availability................ 15
6.2 Midi Music System........... 15
6.3 Transfering other computers. 16
6.4 Major On-Line services...... 16
6.4.1 Delphi.................... 16
6.4.2 GEnie..................... 17
6.4.3 CompuServe................ 17
6.4.4 Q-Link.................... 18
6.5 Disk Ordering............... 19
VII. 7.0 Screen Identification........19
VIII. 8.0 Correspondence...............20
- 3 -
Midi Music Maker
I. Introduction
1.0 Do you have some old music files gathering dust that you have
always wanted to play through your synthesizer? Here is the answer!
Midi Music Maker is the world's most comprehensive music player program
capable of playing many of the thousands of music files available
through public domain for several types of computers. It will control
the songs and regulate the instrument presets and channels and on which
the music is sent to synthesizer.
1.1 The program is distributed in either arc file format or as several
separate files. These files include:
1. MMM18.PRG ... The Midi Music Maker program.
2. MMM.MID ... The music played with the title.
3. MMM.PIC ... The title screen for medium resolution.
4. MMM.TXT ... The instructions for the program.
5. A few songs in various formats.
1.2 The following eleven basic file types can be played by Midi Music
Maker:
1. Music Studio, Music Studio 88 Atari ST
2. Music Construction Set Atari ST
3. EZ-Track (single track) Atari ST
4. Standard Midi Files (format 0, format 1) all computers
5. Sid Player Music including stereo Commodore 64/128
6. Master Composer Commodore 64/128
7. Advanced Music System (I and II) 8 bit Atari
8. Antic Music Processor 8 bit Atari
9. Midi Music System 8 bit Atari
10. Orchestra-85/90 Color Computer
11. Lyra 1 and 2 Color Computer
1.3 Midi Music Maker can also create Standard Midi File format 0 files
from any of file types listed in 1.2, even from the SMF files
themselves. The files created will include the settings that you have
control over with this program.
1.4 The basic requirements are an Atari ST, a midi synthesizer, and
some music files. Midi Music Maker runs only in medium and high
resolution. Unmodified 520STs will work for most music. One meg or
larger STs are required for the larger EZ-Track files. The music will
play through the ST speaker but a synthesizer with full midi capability
is needed for best results. Some songs may use up to 16 channels
simultaneously or may put up to 8 notes on a single channel. A
synthesizer capable of handling the larger number of notes and channels
is required for these songs.
- 4 -
1.5 Before the program is started make certain that all drives, midi
equipment, monitors, computer are turned on. Midi equipment should be
set to use channels 1 through the highest number available. The midi
out from the computer must be connected to the midi in on the
synthesizer and for FB-01s the midi out on the synthesizer should be
connected to the midi in on the computer
II. Playing a song
2.0 From the desktop double click your mouse on MMM18.PRG. The program
will load and the title screen will be displayed. If a file called
MMM.MID is present, music will play after the title screen appears.
After the music finishes a menu bar will appear across the top of the
screen. You can stop the music and display the menu bar faster by
pressing the escape key while the music is playing.
2.1 Displaying names: Before you can play music a list of song file
names must be read and displayed. These are accessed through the Select
menu. First determine which disk drive contains your music files.
Insert a disk with music files into a disk drive if necessary. There
are three menu options that permit file name reading.
2.1.1 When you click on Read Directory the file names in the current
active disk or folder will be read and displayed in a long vertical
window along the left side of the screen. This includes all files, not
necessarily only music files. This will be the same drive that you
started the program from if you have not yet used Locate and Read.
2.1.2 When you click on Locate and Read with your mouse a file selector
box will be displayed. This selector box is not used to choose a file,
but instead to determine a new drive or folder that contains music
files. To do this use your mouse in the standard way to display the
contents of any drive or folder. When you are satisfied with the file
names in the selector box click the mouse on OK (without a file name
showing on the right) and the contents of the folder will be displayed
in the window at the left side of the screen.
2.1.2.1 The standard way of choosing a directory or drive using the
Atari file selector box, for those not familiar, is as follows:
2.1.2.2 To change to a folder at a lower level simply click once on the
folder name.
2.1.2.3 To back out of a folder to a higher level directory simply
click once on the X in the upper left hand corner of the file selector
box.
- 5 -
2.1.2.4 To change the drive click your mouse on the X in the upper left
corner of the box until only the drive letter and wildcards show, for
example A:/*.*. Use the left arrow key to move the line cursor to the
right of the drive letter, press the backspace key, then type the new
drive letter, the click your mouse on the horizonal bar at the top of
the file selector box.
2.1.2.5 An example of how to change from drive A to a folder in drive B
is as follows: Click on Locate and Read. A file selector box appears.
In the file selector box click on the A: line. Type backspace until the
line is erased and type B:. Click on the bar above the file names. The
contents of the B drive are displayed. Click on the folder in the B
drive. Click on OK.
2.1.3 The third way to select music file names is by reading a file
that contains a list of predetermined names. This option is shown as
Read Select File in the Select menu. This file is created as will be
explained below using Save Select File. To use this click on Read
Select File. A file selector box will appear. Then choose the name of
the Select file, it will normally end in .SET. Click on that name, then
click on OK. This causes the list of names in the file to be displayed
in the window at the left side of the screen.
2.2 Selecting songs to be played: Before music files can be played the
songs must first be selected. File names are shown in the box on the
left side of the screen.
2.2.1 Use the up and down arrow keys to move the selection cursor to a
name. If there are more names than will fit on the screen, the window
will scroll when you reach the bottom or top. You can select a song
using the left arrow key. A number will appear to the left of the name.
The number is an indicator for the sequence of play. You can deselect a
song using the right arrow key.
2.2.2 The mouse can also be used to move and select or deselect a song.
Just click the left mouse button over a file name to select it and move
the cursor bar. You can also scroll the window with the mouse by
clicking below the bottom of the window.
2.2.3 All songs may be selected in the order that they are shown on the
screen by using your mouse to click on Select All in the Files menu. If
they may be deselected by clicking on Select All a second time.
2.2.4 All songs may be selected in random order by clicking on Select
Random in the Files menu. Use Select all to deselect all songs as in
section 2.23 and set the sequence numbers back to zero again.
2.3 Starting the music: After songs have been selected they may be
played by selecting Play with the mouse in the Select menu. You can
also use the P key to start the music.
- 6 -
2.3.1 Each file selected is read. This happens even if it not a music
file. If a file is not one of the recognized music files it is skipped
over. If it is a recognized music type the song will begin playing.
Information about the song title or song file name will show in the
window at the top right side of the screen. The type of music file will
show in a smaller window below it on the left. Because music type is
detected automatically you can mix any type of music files together on
your disk.
2.3.2 EZ-Track files play differently. The program is set to play
single track only EZ-Track music. For this reason when an EZ-Track file
is read the music will not immediately start. Instead a list of the
track titles is shown in the window on the left side of the screen. You
then must select the track to be played and the order as in section 2.2
above. You then must select Play again to start playing the track
music.
2.4 After songs begin playing they will be played in the indicated
sequence, sequentially without stopping.
2.4.1 If an EZ-Track file is encountered it will stop this automatic
play because the individual songs in the EZ-Track files must be chosen.
To eliminate this interruption go to the Select menu and click on Skip
EZ-Track. Then EZ-Track files will not be played.
2.4.2 Normally after a song has finished it's sequence number is reset
to zero and it will not play again. You can modify this so that songs
will be repeated over and over. Use your mouse to select Loop Play in
the Options menu. Each numbered song will play in sequence, then after
the highest number is reached the lowest one will begin again.
2.5 The following keyboard keys are active while the music is playing.
The ESCAPE key stops playing and gives you access to the menu bar,
mouse and keyboard. The DELETE key stops the song that is playing and
skips to the next one in sequence. The SPACE BAR pauses the music. To
resume it press the SPACE BAR a second time.
2.6 The mouse cursor (arrow) is turned off at the start of each song.
It can be used when controling the play as outlined below. To make it
visible press one of the mouse buttons while the song is playing. It
can be hidden by pressing a button a second time.
III. Controling the play.
3.0 The way a song plays on your synthesizer is determined by the
contents of the music file, other settings in Midi Music Maker, and the
settings and capabilities of your synthesizer.
3.1 Tempo: The tempo is normally set according to the music file. The
current tempo value is displayed in a small box at the right side of
the screen below the large song title window. The tempo displayed in
this box will change when a change occurs in the music.
- 7 -
3.1.1 It is possible for you to modify the tempo while the song is
playing. To do this click a mouse button if the mouse arrow is not
visible. Move it to the tempo box and use the left mouse button to
increase the tempo or the right button to decrease it. This feature has
been disabled for SID music since it can put voices out of sync.
Changes in tempo in the song will modify your setting.
3.1.2 A more permanent way to change the tempo is to use the tempo
multiplier. This is the number shown two spaces below the tempo. It is
initially shown as 1.00. This number is multiplied by the song tempo
and so will modify the tempo through out the song and for all songs
until you change it. The tempo multiplier must be set before you start
playing music. Use the mouse as with the tempo above to change the
tempo multiplier digits.
3.2 Velocity: There are two basic ways that MMM gives you control over
the loudness of the music. The first way involves altering of the
dynamic range of loudness. The second relates to fixing loudness levels
on each of the output channels. This section does not apply to certain
synthesizers that are not velocity sensitive.
3.2.1 Velocity Compression: The volume or velocity is usually set
according to information in each music file. This value may change
throughout the music. You can to expand or compress the dynamic range
between the loudest and softest parts of the music.
3.2.1.1 To do this you locate the V.C. window. It initially shows a
value of 1.0 and is located to the left of the tempo window. Like the
tempo, you can use your mouse to modify the numbers shown in the box.
This must be done when a song is not playing.
3.2.1.2 A reading of 1.0 means that the volume of the music is "normal"
as set by the file. Readings of less than 1.0 mean that there is less
variation in loudness, the maximum loudness stays at 127 but the
minimum values are increased. At a reading of 0.1 the minimum loudness
increases to 115 from zero. At a reading of 2.0 the lowest half of
levels will all be set to zero so if the music normally has any quiet
parts don't get too close to 2.0 or they will be completely cut off.
3.2.2 Fixing Levels: You also have the option to individually control
the velocity or the level of each of the midi channels. When you do
this it will totally override any level changes built into the music
file. So for instance if the music fades out at the end, this will not
be heard.
3.2.2.1 To adjust the levels of each channel you must use your mouse to
Select Levels from the menu. When this is done numbers will appear in
the horizontal box below the channel map box at the lower part of the
screen. Use your left mouse button clicking on the digits to increase
them, or the right mouse button to decrease them. You can also use the
space bar to position the cursor and arrow keys to do the same thing.
- 8 -
3.2.2.2 The numbers range from 127, maximum loudness, to zero, maximum
softness (no sound). The midi channels that are affected by the
settings correspond to the numbers shown in red at the bottom of the
screen directly below. You can use your mouse to change these level
settings while the music is playing. If you are creating a SMF file
your setting changes will go into the SMF file.
3.3 Presets: The preset window is the long box at the bottom of the
screen. This window will appear blank when preset data is not sent by
the MMM program to the synthesizer. When not blank there are 16 groups
of three digit numbers. These groups correspond to the preset settings
for each of the 16 midi channels. The midi channel numbers for each
setting are the red numbers located directly below the preset values.
3.3.1 The numbers displayed for the presets depends on the type of
synthesizer you use. If you have a Yamaha FB-01 the numbers will
initially appear 301 301 301 301... etc. For this type of synthesizer
this means voice bank 3, preset 1 for each of the channels. Voice banks
may be set from 3 through 7 using the mouse. For other synthesizers
numbers initially appear as 000 000 000 000... etc which means
instrument preset 0 on each channel. You can force the synthesizer type
(detected automatically with both midi cables connected) by selecting
Synthesizer Type in the menu. If you use an FB-01 and force the type to
non FB-01 then bank 1 (RAM bank) presets will be used (but you can't
define other banks.)
3.3.2 You can control how the presets are used. Select Use Presets in
the Options menu. You have three choices for setting instrument presets
on your synthesizer. The choices include NONE (the presets currently
set on the synthesizer will be maintained), MMM (the synthesizer will
be set to the preset values shown in the preset window before the music
starts), and FILE (the presets as specified in the file, if any, will
be used and these values will be displayed in the preset window.)
3.3.3 The values in the preset window can be modified when a song is
not playing using the keys or mouse. To changes these values use the
space bar to move the cursor to this window box, then use the left and
right arrow keys to move to a preset number group. Use the up and down
arrow keys to increase or decrease numbers in the settings. You can
also use the mouse to increase or decrease the number in each preset.
Move the mouse pointer to a preset digit and press the left button to
increase it or the right button to decrease it.
3.3.4 It is also possible change presets on the fly while a song is
playing using the mouse only. This feature is provided to make it
easier to try different presets without having to restart a song. You
first have to select MMM as the source of the presets in the options
menu. The mouse cursor is made visible by clicking a button while a
song is playing. The presets are changed as explained in 3.3.3.
- 9 -
3.3.5 Each song file can have individual preset values. If you want to
use the same presets for all songs there are two ways to do it. The
first way is to set them with one song and then to select NONE under
Use Presets in the Options menu. The presets in the synthesizer will
not be changed by any following songs. The second way is to set the
presets for one music file. Then with these numbers showing in the
preset window use Equalize Preset Maps in the Options menu. This will
make the instrument preset values for all songs the same without having
to retype them for each song.
3.4 Remapping voices: In the music files a voice or channel may range
from 1 through 16 and may include multiple notes on one channel.
Normally channel 1 or voice 1 in the music file is sent to channel 1 in
the synthesizer, 2 to 2 etc. These values are displayed in the third
window from the bottom of the screen. The numbers that are shown in
this box indicate the output synthesizer channel that a music channel
is mapped to. The 16 groups of numbers correspond to the 16 channels of
the music which are referenced by the red numbers at the bottom of the
screen directly below. This differs from their use for presets and
levels.
3.4.1 Music for synthesizers that are restricted to fewer than 16
channels may be remapped so that the higher channel notes in the music
file can be played on lower channels on the synthesizer. Use the space
bar to move the cursor to the channel window. The left and right arrow
keys will then move the cursor to the desired music channel. The up and
down arrow keys will increase or decrease the value of the synthesizer
channel. The mouse can also be used by positioning the mouse cursor
over a digit in a channel number and pressing the left button to
increase it or the right button to decrease it.
3.4.2 Each song file has an individual channel map. That means each
must be changed from the default values when you want a change. You can
save time and make all the remaps for all the songs the same without
having to type in values for each one. To do this set the desired
values in the channel window. Then select Equalize Channel Maps in the
Options menu.
3.4.3 An example of using mapping would be to take a multiple voice
monophonic song and convert it to a single channel polyphonic song. By
setting all the numbers in the channel window to 1 you would cause all
music notes in the song file to be played on synthesizer channel 1.
3.4.4 To turn off a channel set the the synthesizer channel displayed
in the box to 00.
3.4.5 Music Studio files include a built in file channel map. You can
cause the music voices to be mapped by this instead of the numbers
indicated in the channel window. To do this select Use File Channel Map
in the Options menu.
- 10 -
3.4.6 Remapping is most often necessary for the following type of song
files: Music Studio, Standard Midi Files, Midi Music System Files and
possibly EZ-Track. Remapping will also affect the ST internal speaker.
3.5 Note control: Settings in the note control window that may be
altered include note range, note or octave transposition, and music
inversion. The values can be changed using your mouse whether the music
is playing or not.
3.5.1 The highest and lowest allowable notes sent to the synthesizer
can be set. The reason for doing this is that some models, for instance
certain Casios, have a note range limit of 36 to 96. Notes above or
below this range produce incorrect tones causing the music to sound
bad.
3.5.2 To set the lower note limit move the mouse cursor to the number
below the LL in the note control window. Press the left button to
increase the number or the right button to decrease it. When set notes
below this value will be unheard. Similarly you can change the upper
note limit by setting the number below the UL.
3.5.3 You can also translate the music up or down in steps of single
notes or whole octaves. To do this, move the mouse cursor to the note
control window. Point it at the numbers below Octave or Note and use
the left mouse button to increase number or the right mouse button to
decrease them. Values of 0 and 0 indicate normal song play. Certain
combinations of Octave and Note translation give music in the same key.
For instance octave -1 and note plus 6 is the same as octave 0 and note
-6. The music translation affects all songs and cannot be set
differently for different songs without stopping the music.
3.5.4 The music notes can be modified in another way. The modification
is called note inversion. To select this click the mouse on the N or I
below the word Inversion. The N indicates normal play, the I indicates
inverted play. What inversion does is to take all the high notes above
middle C and make them low while taking the notes below middle C and
making them high. For instance a note 5 above middle C (F) in the same
octave becomes 5 note below middle C (G) in the octave below. There is
really no practical application for this, it is included for
experimentation only.
3.6 Alternate Format: Alternate Format in the Options menu currently
applies only to Music Studio and SID songs.
- 11 -
3.6.1 With Music Studio selecting Alternate Format forces higher
channel tracks to the lowest channels and splits multiple notes on a
channel to single notes on separate channels. This enables more of the
music to be played on through the ST speaker or on synthesizers with a
limited number of channels. The disadvantage of doing this is that the
music voices will not necessarily remain on the same synthesizer
channel thus possibly causing a change in instruments for a note
series.
3.6.2 To play Music Studio songs exactly the same way that the Music
Studio program does do the following: Select use File Channel Map and
Use Presets - FILE in the Options menu. If these are not selected you
will get different effects.
3.6.3 With SID music Alternate Format is used to select the a second
file containing stereo data. To do this click on Alternate Format in
the options menu. Then select a SID file that has a second stereo file.
The convention for naming must be followed for this to work. The stereo
file must be the same as that for the original music file with the
extender changed to .STR. Then when you play a song with the .STR file
present the 3 voices in the stereo will be played through channels 4
through 6. When Alternate Format is not selected SID files are played
normally and the .STR files are ignored (but can be played by them
selves also.)
IV. Other Features.
4.0 Analyze song: In order to know how you want to remap the channels
you must first know which voice numbers are being used in the music.
Select Analyze Voices in the Options menu. Then play the song. Sixteen
numbers are shown in the words/channel window below the song type box.
These correspond to the 16 possible channels in the song file.
4.0.1 When the music plays the channels that are being used are shown
and the number of notes on each channel is displayed as well. A blank
shows no note has ever played on that channel. A 0 shows a note has
played but is not currently playing. Any other number shows the number
of notes currently playing on the channel. This information can be used
to help you make the proper decision on how to remap the channels.
4.0.2 It is not advisable to use Analyze Song to listen to music since
it could degrade the music for fast tempo, short duration note songs.
It will also interfer with the words display.
4.1 Lyrics: Words can be displayed if included in Music Studio files,
in Antic Music files, or if a .WDS files exists for a SID file. In
order to activate the word display use the mouse to select Display
Lyrics in The Options menu. Words will show as the music plays in the
same box used for analyze voices. Don't try to show the words when you
are analyzing a song.
- 12 -
4.2 ST speaker: The ST speaker can be turned on or off by selecting
Internal Speaker with your mouse in the options menu.
4.3 Save Select File: After you have read a disk or folder directory
and it is displayed in the left window you can choose songs, set
presets for each, and remap channels then save these values as a file
on the disk. This enables recall at a later time and saves retyping the
values.
4.3.1 To do this first select only the song file names that you want to
be listed later with the arrow keys or mouse. They must not show a zero
to the left of the name to be selected. They will be written in the
order of selection. Also make any preset settings or remapping of
channels that you want for each song. Next select a disk to write the
select file to. It is a good idea too put it on the same one as the
music it will play. Then go to the Select menu and select Save Select
File. A file selector box will be displayed and you must choose a name
for the file. It should normally end in .SET. After you save it you may
then recall it using Read Select File. Upon reading it should restore
the settings in the windows to the values before saving.
4.4 EZ-Track Files: This program plays only single track EZ-Track
files. That is if a file has part of the music on different tracks it
all cannot be played at one time. But fortunately there are many EZ-
track files that contain all channels mixed into one track. Because
these tracks can only be played singly, you have to use the mouse or
arrow keys selecting process to specify which ones and the order of
play. So this means a double selection. First you read the current
directory. Second you select the file. If it is EZ-Track it is read
from the disk and then the individual tracks in the EZ-Track file are
shown in the left window. You then select songs, presets, etc. This
works fine but if you have EZ-Track and other types of music on the
same disk it will interrupt the normal sequence of play when an EZ-
Track file appears. If you want to avoid this interruption and want
continuous music select Skip EZ-Track in the Select menu before playing
begins.
4.5 Creating standard midi files: You have the option of playing and
listening to the different types of files Midi Music Maker plays or
playing and writing the output to a format 0 standard midi file which
is saved to the disk. This works for all file types including standard
midi files in formats 0 and 1. The advantage of converting a standard
midi file to itself is that initial, presets, channels, and tempo can
be different in the output file. The standard midi files you make can
also be used with other programs and with other types of computers.
- 13 -
4.5.1 The procedure requires selecting Convert to SMF Format 0 in the
Options menu. Then make any settings such as presets, mapping channels,
etc. the same way you would before you played the song for listening.
The select Play or press the P key. The song will be played (but not
heard) and the output written to a file. The name of this file is made
automatically and will be the same as that of the original file with
the extender changed to .MID. If a .MID file of that name already
exists a different extender will be used. Extenders used are .MIE,
.MIF, .MIG, etc through .MIZ.
4.5.2 The conversion process normally occurs faster than the music will
play through your synthesizer. However, you can slow it down and
monitor it as it converts by selecting the ST speaker in the options
menu. The advantage in doing this is that you can make an abbreviated
SMF output file and stop at any desired place in the music. Press the
delete file to stop the conversion and close the file.
4.6 If you have a Roland MT-32 sound module there are two features in
the options menu that can be used. These are Save MT-32 data, and Load
MT-32 data. To use this you must have both the midi in and midi out
cables connected.
4.6.1 When the save feature is selected the system settings and patch
temp settings of the MT-32 are saved in a file called MT32.DAT. The
file is saved in the current working directory and the disk must not be
write protected. The parameters saved include master tune, and volume,
fine tune and output level for each of the 8 channels, reverb settings,
bender, keyshift, timbre number, timbre group etc. The partial
parameters of the timbres (i.e. waveforms, envelopes etc.) are not
saved.
4.6.2 When the load MT-32 data is selected you must have the MT32.DAT
file present in the current working directory. The file will be read
and the parameters will be reset in the MT-32 module. This enables
previous settings to be quickly restored after you power up your MT-32
(since, unfortunately, they did not provide a battery back up to save
them onboard the MT-32.)
4.7 You can change or eliminate the music that Midi Music Maker plays
when the title screen is displayed. If the file MMM.MID is present it
is played. If it is not present no music is played. You can change this
to any music file provided that it is in standard midi file format and
that it is named MMM.MID. You can also abort the intro music type
pressing the Escape key.
4.8 To terminate the program and return to the desk top do one of the
following: Select Quit in the Options menu, press the Escape key when
music is not playing, or press the Q key when the music is not playing.
4.9 Help: A brief description of the program functions are included in
the Help and More Help menus.
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V. Additional Information.
5.0 The following table lists the maximum number of voices or single
notes playable at a time and how Midi Music Maker allocates each voice
number. The default channels are the ones indicated when you use
Analyze Voices.
Music Type Maximum Voices Default channels Lyrics
--------------------------------------------------------------
SID Player (C64) 3 1,2,3 Yes
Master Composer (C64) 3 1,2,3 No
Advanced Music System (Atari XE) 4 1,2,3,4 No
Antic Music Processor (Atari XE) 4 1,2,3,4 Yes
Orchestra-85/90 (Color Comp) 5 1,2,3,4,5 No
SID Player with stereo (C64) 6 1,2,3,4,5,6 Yes
Lyra (Color Comp) 8 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 No
Music Construction Set (Atari ST) 3 1,2,3 No
Music Studio (Atari ST) 15 Set by music file Yes
EZ-Track (Atari ST) 16 Set by music file No
Standard Midi File (All) 16 Set by music file No
Midi Music System (Atari XE) 16 Set by music file No
Midi Music Maker has a limit of 20 to the number of tracks that it will
play using Standard Midi Files format 1 and with the Midi Music System.
Multiple tracks will not play simultaneously using EZ-track. All 16
synthesizer channels can be used for any music type.
5.1 Errors: The program has been tested thoroughly. Error messages are
very infrequent. Any error message that might occur would likely occur
because of corrupted music files. Corrupted music files could also
result in long pauses in the song and seemingly random notes. In most
cases these files would also not play correctly for the program for
which they were made.
5.2 Problems: There are certain limitations that may cause music to
play incorrectly on your synthesizer.
1. AMS, Orchestra 90, Master Composer and SID files have data in the
files that controls the sound chip hardware. The internal sound
chips can be made to simulate certain instruments or can produce
sounds with specific tonal qualities. It is not possible to
reproduce the same sounds through midi. Instead synthesizers have
their own instrument presets which you may have to experiment with
to find the most pleasing sound.
2. Some synthesizers are not velocity sensitive. That is, the notes
that are played play only at one volume level as controled by the
computer. Some of the file types that can be played do use volume
variations in the song and some channels may a different volume
setting that others. For the best effect your synthesizer must be
capable of playing each channel at a different level.
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3. Your synthesizer must be set at the correct polyphonic or
monophonic mode. Songs may have multiple notes on a single
channel, single notes on multiple channels, or a mixture of
multiple or single notes on multiple channels. Your synthesizer
must be cabable of playing the maximum number of notes on the
channels that have music. Use the feature "Analyze Voices" to help
you determine the correct settings. You can, of course, remap the
music channels to addapt to your synthesizer.
4. All music files are not perfect. I have noticed music that does
not sound quite right, for instance has a flat that should have
had a sharp. That is just the way the person who transcribed the
music did it. In most cases it cannot be changed without the
program that orginally created the music file.
5. It is possible for a music file to have corrupted data that will
either cause the playing to hang, that will give an error message,
sound weird, or combination of these. If so get rid of the file.
6. Finally, it is always possible that I over looked something in the
programming. I would appreciate hearing from you if you have
persistent problems with more than one file.
VI. Sources of Music.
6.0 There are thousands of music files that Midi Music Maker will play
available in public domain. Sources of these include computer user
groups; major telecommunication networks such as GEnie, Delphi and
CompuServe; private BBS systems; and certain mail order distributors.
6.1 In general the greatest variety of music can be found with the most
available music types. There is probably more SID music available in
public domain than all the other types of music put together at this
time. Orchestra 85/90, Music Studio and Advanced Music System files are
also widely available and have the next best selection. EZ-Track is
quite as easy to find. Some of the music has been converted from other
file types such as Advanced Music System. The Standard Midi File format
is relatively new and the number of available files in this format will
probably increase as software for music programs on other computers is
developed to handle it.
6.2 Some of the best music comes from Midi Music System files. The
music is often 8 to 16 note pieces and sounds great on a synthesizer
that has the capability to handle the larger number of notes.
Unfortunately this music is not as easy to obtain through public domain
channels. It can be purchased for a reasonable charge from:
M and D Enterprises
7700 N.E. 120th Avenue
Vancouver, WA 98682-4129
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6.3 Some of the music is available on other computers. The disks are
not interchangeable with the ST. When this music is downloaded from a
BBS there is usually no problem. When music is on different disks two
methods of transfering song files between the ST and other computer
include running communication programs on each and connecting together
through two modems, or connecting the computers using a null modem
cable and using appropriate software.
6.4 Here is information on music files available on the major on-line
computer services.
6.4.1 Delphi.
6.4.1.1 The Orchestra 85/90 files selection on Delphi is good but they
are mixed in with other types of music files for the Color Computer so
if you are interested in these you have to check each to find out if it
is an Orchestra file.
6.4.1.2 The Lyra files are listed with the other music files. They is a
selection but it is not very large.
6.4.1.3 There is a very good selection of SID files including some with
words. They are found in two different directories. The main problem is
that if you do not have a Commodore computer some of these are
compacted in such a way that you need one. Those with extensions .SAL
(words plus SID music), SDA (self dissovling archive), MSW (SID plus
stereo channel), PIL (SID with picture), ARC (not compatible with ST
ARC) require a Commodore computer to break down these files into those
that you actually play. Look for the extenders .MUS and .WDS.
6.4.1.4 The selection of Master Composer files is adequate. They are
mixed in with the SID files and tend to be older.
6.4.1.5 The AMS selection on Delphi is not as complete as GEnie or
CompuServe.
6.4.1.6 The number of Music Studio songs is not as large as GEnie or
CompuServe. Many of those I have checked on were the same as those
available on the other on-line services.
6.4.1.7 The Music Construction Set files are fairly limited.
6.4.1.8 If there is a library that specializes in midi with songs in
standard midi file format, I haven't been able to find it.
6.4.1.9 As I recall the selection of EZ-Track files on Delphi is poor.
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6.4.2 GEnie.
6.4.2.1 Some of the Orchestra 85/90 files on GEnie are usable but there
are problems with others. The ones in arced format did not dearc
properly using Arc version 5.21B. Blocks of data were decoded properly
but were arranged in reverse order. I had to make a program to correct
the error and rewrite the files. Other files although they will play
correctly with Midi Music Maker do not have the normal carriage return,
line feed so although they are ascii data they will not list correctly
on your screen. There is a good selection of these files but the list
is not extensive.
6.4.2.2 There was only one Lyra file I was able to locate on GEnie.
6.4.2.3 The SID selection on GEnie is not quite as good as Delphi. But
same problems exist about files requiring a Commodore computer to
dearc.
6.4.2.4 The number of Master Composer files is relatively small on
GEnie. They used to have more but some were deleted.
6.4.2.5 There is a good selection of AMS music. There are not many new
songs being done in AMS.
6.4.2.6 The Music Studio collection on GEnie is very good. Most of the
songs are not arced.
6.4.2.7 Music Construction Set files are much fewer than Music Studio
and the quality is not generally as good. But there are a few nice
songs.
6.4.2.8 GEnie has a very good midi roundtable with an increasing number
of files in standard midi format 0 and format 1.
6.4.2.9 GEnie also has the best selection of EZ-Track files. A large
number of these were made from AMS and a few from MS songs.
6.4.3 CompuServe.
6.4.3.1 CompuServe has the largest number of Orchestra 85/90 files.
These are all in ASCII format and should play without any problems
using Midi Music Maker.
6.4.3.2 They have the best selection of Lyra files but it is not nearly
as large as the Orchestra 85/90 section.
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6.4.3.3 The SID selection is fairly large. There are SIDS in five
different libraries. The problem of the .SAL, .MSW, .ARC, .PIL, as on
GEnie and Delphi is here also, but there is also another problem. The
Commodore files on CompuServe generally end in .BIN or .IMG and this
refers to the protocol used to upload them, not to the actual file
extender. The .BIN files can be downloaded using Xmodem, Ymodem, or
with just about another protocol including the VIDTEX mode of Flash.
The .IMG files have a 6 byte header. If you download these with
anything I know of on the Atari ST you will have 6 bytes at the first
of the file that are not supposed to be there. If you try the VIDTEX
mode of Flash to download you will get an error message from
CompuServe. They are supposed to work file with VIDTEX on a Commodore.
Anyway, what I did was to make a short program that removes the first 6
bytes of each file which I run after I have downloaded the .IMG files.
The only other thing is to make sure you read the descriptions of the
files before you download to make certain what the file type it is.
6.4.3.4 The Master Composer selection is good but the problems of IMG
files as with SIDs as mentioned above still exists. As with other song
types there is repitition to some extent with files on Delphi and
GEnie.
6.4.3.5 There is a good selection of AMS music. The newer Atari 8 bit
music is in AMP format. Midi Music Maker cannot play it at this time.
There are also a few MMS songs in the Atari 8 bit music forum.
6.4.3.6 The Music Studio selection is great. There are a lot of .ARC
files with multiple songs.
6.4.3.7 There is an adequate number of Music Construction Set files in
arced format.
6.4.3.8 There is a midi forum however the selection of music in SMF
formats is not as good as on GEnie.
6.4.3.9 There are some EZ-Track files, but not many compared to GEnie.
6.4.4 Q-Link.
6.4.4.1 This is a Commodore only on-line service. It has the largest
selection of SID music available. It is not accessible with your Atari
ST. It requires a C-64 and C-64 software. You then have to be able to
transfer the music files from the C-64 to your Atari ST, difficult
without the right combination of software and hardware.
- 19 -
6.5 I will make copies of any of the music disks I have. I charge $5
per disk to cover the time and trouble to do the coping and to cover
the postage cost. I am not selling the music. All disks are double
sided. The number of songs vary from about 50 to nearly 300 per disk
depending on the file type. There are more than 100 disks available and
more than 15000 songs with some duplication. Specify the file type,
AMS, MS, MCS, EZ-Track, SID, Orch 90 or SMF. This music was collected
from sources mentioned above and through trading with other collectors.
I will also trade music disks, one on one, for anyone interested.
7.0 Screen Identification:
__________________ ______________________________________________
| P | | |
| l | | |
| a | | Song Title and Information Window |
| y File | | |
| Name | | |
| o Window | ----------------------------------------------
| r | _________________________ ______ _______
| d | | Music Type Window | |V.C.| |Tempo|
| e | ------------------------- ------ -------
| r | ___________________________________________
| | | Words and Analyze Window |
| c | -------------------------------------------
| o | __________ _________
| l | |Note Rng| |Tempo x|
| . | ---------- ---------
| | ___________________________
| | | Note Control Window |
------------------ ---------------------------
_____________________________________________________________
| Channel Map Window |
-------------------------------------------------------------
_____________________________________________________________
| Velocity Level Window |
-------------------------------------------------------------
_____________________________________________________________
| Instrument Presets Window |
-------------------------------------------------------------
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8.0 This program is copyright 1990 by David M. Henry and is distributed
as shareware. $10 is considered an appropriate contribution if you use
it.
Send correspondence to:
Dave Henry
1720 Wickersham Drive
Anchorage, AK 99507
