In this issue's News and Reviews section we have the latest
news from Hybrid Technology as well as reviews of the Music 1000 amplifier, the
Roland D-110 MIDI expander and a new AMPLE music disc from an AMPLINEX member.
Hybrid Technology news
Hybrid Technology have pulled out of this year's 'Acorn User
Show' (which is taking place as we 'go to press'). In a letter to customers who
were expected to attend, Hybrid explained their belief that the show was no longer
a suitable event for BBC micro products and that it was instead a promotional
event for the Acorn Archimedes range.
We are no longer planning to review the Music 5000 Junior
since Hybrid Technology have decided not to release the product. The Music 5000
Junior was announced last November as a low-cost, easy-to-use package using an 'icon-driven'
graphical presentation. The package was not AMPLE-based and had its own 32K ROM
and disc. Hybrid have now decided to shelve the product in favour of other 'new
developments'. Whether the attractive mode 4 graphical display will make an appearance
in another guise remains to be seen.
Review of the Music 1000 amplifier
Tony Walduck
This unit comes in the same sized box as the Music 5000. At
the front are two volume controls (for two inputs), a power-on indicator (red
LED), and three quarter-inch jack sockets for headphones (use of the left-hand socket
will mute the loudspeaker outputs).
At the rear are three 5-pin DIN sockets: two are used as
independent stereo inputs, and the third is an amplified mixed stereo output, presumably
for tape recording, further mixing or external amplification. There are also
two DIN loudspeaker sockets (switched by the left-hand jack socket on the
front), and the mains on/off switch (single pole).
Within the box is a circuit board very sparsely populated
with components. The power supply consists of just a 240v to 6v-0-6v
transformer, four 1N4002 diodes and two 3300uF 10v electrolytic capacitors. The
amplifier circuitry consists entirely of one NE5532N dual low-noise op-amp, two
TDA2030 audio class B amplifiers on a simple heatsink, eight electrolytic capacitors,
twelve other capacitors, and nineteen resistors apart from the two 2-gang Log
volume controls.
The circuit board is labelled '(C) 1986 HYBRID TECHNOLOGY
LTD M100 ISSUE 3' - the Music 100 was the amplifier back in Music 500 days.
My first experience of the output was via headphones (RS
dynamic headphones, 20Hz to 20kHz, impedance 8 ohms). My initial reaction was
of dismay as I encountered an unacceptably high level of noise (hiss) and hum.
I still can not achieve an acceptably quiet background for headphone use.
In addition the volume control has to be turned right down
for comfortable headphone use, and at this setting severe subjective
attenuation of the high (and lower) frequencies occurs giving a very dull,
'lifeless' reproduction. These subjective effects diminish as the level is
turned up, with the result that an acceptably flat response is only achieved at
an uncomfortably loud level.
When driving loudspeakers the volume control has to be
advanced further and the noise problems, in effect, disappear. The response is
acceptably clear until high volumes, when some distortion can appear.
There is no documentation whatsoever with the unit and
therefore no published specification - so presumably no unit can fail to reach specification!
In fact, one of the problems that I found with the Music 1000 is that I had to
buy one before I found out the details of operation (e.g. loudspeaker muting
when using headphones).
I would expect the minimum acceptable documentation to give
the levels and impedance of all inputs and outputs, and indicate whether the
output is short-circuit protected. I can only guess as to the input level and impedance
needed for the DIN output.
At £169, the Music 1000 is an expensive amplifier for the
limited facilities offered. However, for amplifying the Hybrid Music System other
considerations, such as size or arrangement of controls, may assume more
importance.
A look inside the unit shows at a glance that it is grossly
overpriced for what it contains (I would estimate component costs at way below £50).
There are a mere three ICs within this unit, compared with the Music 5000's count
of 38! In addition the Music 5000 comes complete with an EPROM, a disc, and a
160-page bound manual. This unit comes with nothing extra.
As far as performance is concerned, whereas for loudspeaker
use the unit may be perfectly acceptable, when you have to use headphones (and
the unit is specifically designed for headphone use) the quality is of an
unacceptably low standard.
I am sorry, but I cannot recommend this unit to others.
A review of the Roland D-110
Roger Sapolsky
My computer-music system has recently been completed with
the addition of a Music 2000, a Roland D-110 expander and a Boss BX-600 mixer.
This could be my ultimate step, unless a future review of some apparatus, say a
D-110 programmer, is convincing enough to make me look again.
The need for a mixer was brought to my attention through
AMPLINEX - it is amazing that the Music 2000 User Guide doesn't say a word
about it. The mixer makes possible the separate adjustment of the volume and
stereo position (PAN) of 2 (or even 3) synthesisers and connects them to a
common amplifier or tape recorder.
After a straightforward installation, the Roland D-110 will
entertain you with its excellent ROM-based example programs, at the push of a
button. The sounds are amazing: the brass-section riffs and drum-breaks of a
jazz standard, the guitar in a folk number, all sound like the real things -
well, almost!
A few weeks of experiment have disclosed some of the D-110's
secrets. First a few definitions. A 'Timbre', or 'Sound', is a 'Tone' plus 5 parameters
(key shift, fine tune, etc). The Tone is the basic unit of a sound. The 'Patch'
is a selection of 8 Timbres each assigned to a player, readied for 'ensemble
play'. Compare this with the Roland MT-32: its timbre is called a Patch, its
tone is called a Timbre and it has no patches as just described.
After setting up the synthesiser with the Music 2000,
beginners will probably start to work through the Music 2000 User Guide. One of
the first suggestions is to assign the MIDI instrument to one of the voices in
the example piece, 'Manor'. However, because the slurs in the score are ignored
by MIDI, some people may be disappointed by the unpleasant hiccups in the
MIDI-instrument version.
This fact is mentioned much further on in the User Manual
and fortunately, there is a MIDIBEND instruction to take care of slurs (and slides).
The AMPLE music words dealing with the setting of dynamic
levels are also ignored by the components of a drum kit, unless it includes
only one instrument but this can be worked around using a system exclusive command
(see Hints and Tips in this issue).
The D-110 has 127 preset 'timbres' plus 63 preset 'rhythmic
setups'. These may be increased two- or three-fold by optional ROM cards. To select
a timbre, you simply write its 'program change number' (CP) before the
'MIDIPROGRAM' command, either in mix9 (the MIDI assignment mix), or the place
in the score where you want to select a new instrument.
A 'CP MIDIPROGRAM' command makes the D-110 fetch one of the
preset timbres from its own memory, but there is no instruction to access one
in a ROM card. Using the front panel controls seems to be the only solution,
unless you transfer the chosen timbre from the card into memory. This action wipes
out an existing timbre, but not its companion tone which is stored in memory
(sections 'a' and 'b'). Tones in these sections may not be written to, in
contrast with section 'i' which stores 64 programmable tones.
A consequence of the increase in available players and
sounds, plus the time-saving brought by calling 'patches' is that programming
becomes simpler. With a few hundred 'instruments' at his or her disposal (including
the AMPLE presets and user instruments - often as good as their D-110
counterparts), the average amateur musician may seldom feel the need to create
new sounds.
It is true that the selection of the 200-odd parameters to
define a sound is difficult in the absence of a text-book giving the user a
guideline. The sound programs which are regularly published in French magazines
(to which I have access) unfortunately ignore the D-110. I have the consolation
of being able to program pieces of music intended for the Atari, without
sacrificing any of the players or reducing the number of notes in the chords. I
have an interest in jazz music and I have been able to use arrangements for 3
horns, piano, bass and drums, with provision for solos, to good effect.
'Jazz Disc Volume 1' by John Bartlett
Roy Follett
It makes a nice change to review a music disc compiled by an
AMPLINEX member - and the pleasure was increased by its content.
There are eleven tunes, nine of which are original, the
other two being 'Black Eyes' and 'Swing Low Sweet Chariot'. The arrangements
mostly have a guitar flavour.
The most striking feature of this disc is the way John
Bartlett has captured a sound that is most definitely a performance, with the
nice touch a musician can bring to a tune. If you want to hear what AMPLE, in
the hands of a musician, can really do, this is the disc for you.
Personally, I never thought I would hear tunes programmed on
a computer that did not sound precisely that; i.e. with the pedantic, rigid timekeeping
that a computer can do so well. John has broken the mould. Here is a collection
of good tunes, good programming, and above all a pleasure to listen to.
'The Jazz Disc volume 1' costs £3.50 - see the advertisement
this issue for details on how to obtain the disc.
Published in AMPLINEX 012, July 1989
