Korg M1 Ed/Lib, Emu Proteus Ed/Lib, Librarian DA, & Vision Sequencer Update:

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1 Music News: Opcode Systems - New Releases: Korg M1 Ed/Lib, Emu Proteus Ed/Lib, Librarian DA, & Vision Sequencer Update: The Korg M1 Editor/Librarian for the Macintosh includes editors for each of the synthesizer's specific abilities. The Program Editor has graphic display of all parameters including envelopes and key tracking curves. The effects editor has graphic display of signal flow. The Combination Editor features an Opcode exclusive feature called TimbreDraw. The program allows user programmable PCM card names that are stored with programs and drum kits. The Drum Editor has graphic editing and display of note ranges for each drum sound. Also, Effects Banks and Libraries (of any number of items) can contain user definable names. The Proteus Editor/Librarian for the Macintosh is the first available on any computer. The new Editor/Librarian includes a Preset Editor for changing aspects of the timbre, a Master Parameter Editor, a Program Map Editor, and a Tuning Editor. Because of the sophisticated internal processing of the Proteus, and the fact that all RAM banks are full of presets, the Editor/Librarian becomes not only an extraordinarily useful companion, but a necessity for creating and storing new presets. A Librarian Desk Accessory (DA) program is now available free from dealers, and is also included free with every Opcode Editor or Editor/Librarian package. This program allows the user to open and send either single memory patches or banks to any MIDI device for which the user has an Opcode Editor or Editor/Librarian. The desk accessory may be used at any time, no matter which program is running on the Macintosh. An important feature is that patches may be sent to MIDI devices while Vision sequencer is playing a sequence. This allows the user to try out different sounds as the music plays. The update to Vision includes moving faders, scrolling graphic and list editing windows, a curve and pencil for "drawing" data in the strip chart, and a "play note" option when selecting in either editing window. In addition, the update allows the user to name programs and notes or import the names from Opcode Librarians and display them in editing windows with custom pop-up menu access. Each of the 32 MIDI Instrument setups can now have their own Program and Note maps. Vision's famous "bouncing ball" (which follows as the music plays) has a companion vertical line that can be used instead of, or along with the bouncing ball. Also, a speaker icon follows each event as it is played in the list editing window. Both of these enhancements work with the new "scrolling" edit windows.

2 The Korg M1 is currently one of the most popular instruments available, and the E-mu Proteus is all set to become the next. This is a timely release from Opcode of two Editor/Librarian packages which are sure to be in demand. The Librarian Desk Accessory is a great idea to make the process of selecting sounds for orchestration purposes while running the actual sequences much easier. The updates to Vision have come very quickly after the original release of this program, and demonstrate that Opcode are paying close attention to feedback from their users - a sign of a very excellent and responsible approach by this well-established company. Paul de Benedictis Opcode Systems 1024 Hamilton Court Menlo Park, CA (415) Hybrid Arts: GenWave/16: Universal Stereo Waveform Editor for Atari ST: Interval Music Systems has announced a new update to its popular GenWave Waveform Editor for Atari ST and Mega computers. GenWave/16 is the first universal stereo waveform editor available for the Atari ST computers, and features new digital processing functions previously unavailable on the ST. Sound samples can be edited in either the frequency or time domain under an extremely intuitive user interface. Time domain editing functions include visual looping, waveform drawing, mouse drawn digital enveloping and stereo panning, waveform replication, gain normalisation, phase inversion, mixing, cut & paste and 5 different crossfade loop algorithms. Frequency domain editing functions include digital EQ, hi-ordr sample rate conversion, and pitch drawing. A hi resolution rate conversion 3-D Spectral Analysis module performs a Fast Fourier Transform (FT) on any part or the whole sound. GenWave/16 supports up to 8 loop points and loop fine tune controls in an interactive Loop Overview screen; also a simultaneous loop window is linked to an overall memory display and users can save and recall all loop settings. Stereo editing functions allow any two mono samples to be combined to create a stereo sample. Users can draw a stereo panning curve between two channels, and all waveform editing functions can be carried out in stereo. There is sample playback monitoring via the internal Atari speaker, externally through an

3 optional D/A converter (ST Replay/Master Sound ST), or via triggering notes on the sampler itself. GenWave/16 also functions as an audio-midi note trigger when used with the optional external D/A converter. GenWave/16 supports nearly all popular 12 and 16 bit samplers, and has complete 16 bit file compatibility with its forerunner, GenWave/12. The Genwave/16 will also convert waveforms for sending to a Sequential Prophet VS. MegaSTations: These are custom 19" rackmount units for Atari Mega ST computers. Up to 4 Mega ST's can be put into a rack, with a shared QWERTY keyboard and monitor, together with a switching facility allowing you to switch between any of the Mega ST's. The MegaSTation takes a stock Atari Mega ST and adds an Audio Out allowing a metronome tick to be routed to your desk or to an amplifier. In addition to MIDI In and Out sockets, there is a proper MIDI Thru, and the QWERTY keyboard is fitted with a warm reset button. An optional extra 3.5" floppy disk drive can be added above Floppy Drive A, and an extra long QWERTY keyboard cable and extra length monitor cables can be provided. A rack mounted SM124 Hi Res Mono Monitor is available also. Packages are available at competitive prices to include Hybrid Arts SMPTETRACK, MIDIPLEXER, or ADAP 1 with the racked computers. GenWave/16 is a very powerful program with a host of professional features. It supports all the latest 16-bit samplers, and makes a welcome addition to the range of popular MIDI software from Hybrid Arts, who are probably the most popular Atari MIDI software publisher in the USA. The MegaSTation and its optional extras provide a long-awaited solution for racking Atari computers and monitors in the studio or on stage. Hybrid Arts (UK) Ltd 24/26 Avenue Mews London N10 3NP Atari ST Music Desktop Accessories from ADO: These will run simultaneously with any GEM sequencer, such as C-Lab, Steinberg, MasterTracks Pro, etc. MPLAN 24 is a 24 track, 16 song, track planner. It prints and saves, and features track and song copy functions. It is useful for multitrack tape or Sequencer track info.

4 PC128 is a remote patch changer and viewer. Providing patch changes for 128 sounds on each of the 16 MIDI channels, it has the unusual feature of displaying the previously entered names of the sounds. Song setups can also be saved and recalled from disk, allowing single operation song patch change setups. These desk top accessories should prove invaluable to studio users who often need tracksheets and session notes, as well as instant availability of patch changes and song setups. ADO Distribution 4 Auckland Court London SE27 9PE Tel Sweetwater Sound soundblocks for the Kurzweil K250: The SW800 Soundblock works with the Kurzweil K250, Expander, and RMX units. Featured instruments include the Yamaha DX7 Electric Piano, Wurlitzer Electric Piano, Orchestral Hits, Orchestral Glockenspiel, Harmonica, Fairlighttype and Roland LA-type sounds, Drum sets and basses, and more. The SW800 adds a total of 55 new keyboard setups to the existing sounds. This new soundblock consists of ten IC chips that install just like the factory blocks A, B, C, and D, and can be installed in any machine regardless of age or current options. The SW800 becomes resident and can be edited and combined like all other Kurzweil blocks. The SW800 is the first non-factory soundblock to be developed by any company, and more custom blocks are planned. Sweetwater have chosen a 'workhorse'-type selection of sounds for their first soundblock for the Kurzweil K250. The Kurzweil units are popular with professional users because of their excellent sound quality, and existing users will almost certainly wish to obtain one of these new soundblocks to extend their range of available sounds. Sweetwater Sound Inc 4821 Bass Road Fort Wayne Indiana 46808

5 Tel: (212) E-mu Systems: E-mu Systems are now shipping their latest product, the Proteus Digital Sound Module. Proteus is a 16-bit, 32 voice digital sound module that uses E-mu's new generation of custom VLSI technology to combine true Emulator III sound quality with a high level of creative control at a price of under 1,000. Proteus contains 4 megabytes (internally expandable to 8 meg) of high quality 16-bit samples selected from the Emulator III sound library and stored in ROMs for instant access. Samples include pianos, organs, strings, horns, guitars, basses, drums, Latin percussion, and much more. Proteus contains 192 sounds and has the ability to literally take these sounds apart and reassemble them into an almost limitless number of entirely new sounds. You can combine parts of one sound with another or with any of a selection of digital waveforms also stored in Proteus' ROMs. All programming can be done directly from the Proteus front panel. Proteus also features MidiPatch, a very powerful modulation and control structure functioning much like a digital patch bay. MidiPatch gives you realtime access to over 40 of a sound's parameters, either from a keyboard, other MIDI controller, or from Proteus' internal LFOs and envelopes. Other Proteus features include 6 polyphonic outputs for individually processing sounds (also configurable as 3 stereo submixes with fully programmable panning), integral sends and returns to allow the addition of external effects units without the need for a separate mixer, user definable alternate tunings, and extensive MIDI implementation. Editor/Librarian software packages have been developed by Opcode Systems for the Macintosh and Atari ST computers, and other manufacturers are working on versions for the IBM and Amiga. The Proteus is all set to become the next big-seller in the multi-timbral expander market, and will probably appear in most studios by the end of the year. Professional users will almost certainly wish to use editor/librarian software to get the most out of such a powerful instrument. Emulator III version 2.2 Software Update: The update comes on a floppy disk and includes a user manual addendum. It is available from all authorized E-mu Professional Dealers and Service Centres, or directly from E-mu Systems.

6 New features include a 20 band Digital Equalizer which works exactly like an analog graphic equalizer with variable frequency bands, except that it works entirely in the digital domain allowing a 12 db cut or boost; there is also a Digital Compressor which is a digital simulation of an analog compressor having many different uses including Limiting, Noise Reduction, or Musical Compression/ Expansion. Functions include variable Threshold, Compression Ratio, and Attack and Release times. The Dynamic Digital Filtering feature allows the EIII to digitally process samples thereby changing the harmonic content of the sound over time. The filter is a digital implementation of a swept, 2-pole filter which features variable resonance and either low-pass or notch configurations. The 2.2 update also offers improved stereo phasing capabilities. Software version 2.2 is free of charge to all registered EIII owners. Significant new sound-processing capabilities have been added to the EIII in this software update, taking its functionality another step along the way toward total 'Audio Workstation' status. With Fairlight's future still uncertain, the E-mu system is now positioned midway between the lower priced keyboard and rackmount sampler systems such as the Akai S1000, and the much higher priced Synclavier systems. Jim Rosenberg E-mu Systems, Inc Green Hills Road Scotts Valley California Tel (408) Voyetra Sequencer Plus Version 3.0: This popular IBM sequencer package for the IBM PC and compatibles has been significantly upgraded with the release of this new version. Voyetra are now referring to it as an "integrated MIDI control program", and have reduced the retail price by nearly 50%! Version 3.0 integrates an enhanced version of the original Sequencer Plus with Patch Master Plus - their Universal Librarian.Midi Data Analyser program -and Conversion Plus - a Sequencer Plus to Personal Composer Songfile Converter - to form a very powerful combination. On a typical recording session, the program aims to enhance your productivity in the studio by providing a uniform environment within which you can create songs, manage your Midi instrument sounds and patches, and diagnose MIDI

7 network problems. These tasks were previously accomplished by switching between multiple programs, interrupting the creative process. The Universal Librarian functions are predefined for nearly 100 MIDI instruments from more than 20 manufacturers, replacing expensive RAM cartridges and inconvenient cassette tapes with the PC's disk logging power. It allows patches to be auditioned, named, and grouped into banks in any order, making it easy to create an organised inventory of sounds for every supported instrument. The Network Organiser allows the PC to download patches from disk to as many as 32 MIDI instruments with a single key stroke. Multiple instrument settings may be saved as a "Setup" specific to the song, assuring that the correct patches will always be loaded in each device for every composition performed with the sequencer. The MIDI Data Analyzer allows MIDI data streams to be viewed, captured, analysed, saved to disk and retransmitted. In addition to these diagnostic functions, multiple MIDI data strings may be defined and transmitted from the PC keyboard for directly controlling MIDI devices. Sequencer enhancements include "Trackscan", which allows the number of sequencer tracks to be defined when the program boots. Over 3000 tracks can be used, and the program defaults to 64 when Trackscan is not used. There are various other small, but useful, enhancements to the sequencer software. Programs purchased after May 15, 1989 will be updated free of charge, with others supplied at nominal cost. The Voyetra Sequencer Plus has long been established as the best sequencer available on IBM compatible machines. These new features include just about everything you need to allow you to have complete control over your entire MIDI setup in the studio. And the price has dropped substantially as well! Fred Romano Voyetra Technologies 333 Fifth Ave Pelham NY Tel (914) Digital Muse VIRTUOSO Sequencer for the Atari ST: Released at the end of summer this year is the first professional sequencer package for the Atari ST written in the UK. VIRTUOSO has been written entirely in machine code to get the fastest possible response time and to allow very powerful realtime processing. The program features a scrolling Grid Page which

8 offers very powerful on-screen editing via clever use of both mouse buttons in conjunction with a horizontal keyboard image. All the usual sequencer features are implemented, and, in addition, VIRTUOSO has 8 parallel Arrange streams, DDL processing, independent track looping, conditional and non-destructive editing, feel-capture quantising, a built-in word processor with 3 text sizes, and the program also allows you to format disks while you perform any other program functions! VIRTUOSO is MIDIFilecompatible; you can have up to 99 tracks; and Event list editing is also supported. The resolution is 480 ticks per quarter note, more than any other Atari ST sequencer - the same as Performer and Vision on the Macintosh. Online help is available, and the program allows for drum-style loop recording. It is very encouraging to see that a professional sequencer package has been developed here in the UK at last! No more crazy translations of German or Japanese manuals to contend with, and no more transatlantic calls for software support! VIRTUOSO is a well-designed program which should provide stiff competition to all the other popular Atari packages with its powerful mix of features. The Digital Muse Ltd 44 Gloucester Avenue London NW1 8JD ]Tel Casio ProTech Range: The VZ-8M synthesizer is an 8-note rack-mount polyphonic module with autopanning facilities. The FZ-20M rackmount sampler is an upgraded version of the popular FZ10M sampler with much greater memory capacity. The new DH-500 Digital Horn is aimed at the professional player. It has improved MIDI specifications, digital reverb, delayed vibrato, and variable breath sensitivity, and provides a very affordable entry to the world of professional wind synthesis. As memory needs grow ever larger to allow longer sections of music to be sampled and then 'spun in' on many of today's recordings, the FZ-20M will be a welcome addition to Casio's range of professional samplers for studio use. The VZ-8M offers an interesting alternative digital synthesizer to rival the currently popular models from Roland, Korg, Yamaha, and Ensoniq. The new Digital

9 Horn provides a cost-effective entry to MIDI wind synthesis, and the DH-500 compares well with the models on offer from Yamaha and Akai. Dave Clancy Casio Electronics Unit North Circular Road London NW2 7JD Tel: Roland A-80 and A-50 Mother Keyboards: The two models both have polyphonic aftertouch, four overlapping split zones, and 128 memory locations for setups. The A-80 has an 88-note weighted-action keyboard, and the A-50 has a 76-note synthesizer-style keyboard. There is a backlit 240x64 dot LCD featuring 8 lines with 40 characters each. There are 25 'screens' available in the display to allow you to monitor all the functions. The user may define and store separate velocity, channel aftertouch, and in the case of the A-50, polyphonic aftertouch curves, to allow very comprehensive control of expression on any sound modules or instruments connected to the keyboard. Four separate zones may be assigned to the keyboard to allow transmission on four separate MIDI channels, and each zone can contain independent velocity and aftertouch curves, program change numbers assignable to each channel, and a variety of performance controller functions. Zones or split points can overlap one another or may be layered across the entire keyboard, and zone solo or mute may be switched on or off during performance. Two sets of pitch bend and modulation controls, the standard Roland type as well as Moog-like wheels, are provided. Bulk Dumps of your MIDI device memory data may be stored to internal RAM or onto RAM cards via the mother keyboards. Thus your entire MIDI system can be reconfigured exactly the way you want it at any time. The keyboards each feature 4 MIDI outputs, each capable of transmitting on 16 MIDI channels independently. Each have a Thru socket and two MIDI in sockets which may be used to merge incoming data. There are 4 assignable sliders and 4 assignable switches on the front panels, and any combination of 4 expression pedals or 4 footswitches can be used to control user-defined MIDI Control Change numbers such as Sustain Pedal, Panning, or Portamento. There is also a Panic Button to send out All Notes Off and Sustain Off messages. Mother keyboards make much more sense now that there are so many rackmount midi devices available. These two new keyboards from Roland represent the latest generation of such keyboards with extensive control features built-in.

10 The A-80 will appeal to those who prefer a piano-type action, and the A-50 will appeal to those who prefer a synthesizer-type feel to the keys. RolandCorp US 7200 Dominion Circle Los Angeles CA Tel: (213) Mike Collins 18/8/89