AMPLINEX 026

AMPLINEX issue 026 was published in May 1992. Each AMPLINEX magazine is stored as a 200K single-sided 80-track disk image file (.ssd file type). The image can be used to create disks for a BBC Micro or can be loaded into a BBC emulator. For the disks to run, the BBC (real or emulated) must have an AMPLE Nucleus ROM installed and be running the Hybrid Music System.

News and reviews

In this issue we have a review of the new Music Publisher software from Hybrid. We hoped to have two reviews of this product but the second has been delayed awaiting a reply from Hybrid about problems experienced with the package. We hope to carry the second review in our next issue.

Hybrid's Music Publisher package

Lol Taylor

Overview

The package is a highly automated, user friendly, set of programs for the preparation and printing out of musical scores. The standard is intended to be competitive with other desktop music publishing packages, whilst being much simpler to use.

The package consists of a ROM, a 5.25" DFS issue disc, and a user guide, packed in a plastic book-shaped box. There are also three labels for the user to stick on his own discs.

The requirements are a BBC, BBC+ or Master computer, a monitor or TV, a disc drive, and an Epson graphics compatible printer.

Setting up

Instructions for fitting the ROM are given in the user guide. Note that the AMPLE ROM is not required. If there are no ROM stations free, AMPLE could be prised out and the space used. Master users can buy an interchangeable cartridge to plug into their computers. Many dealers, including BEEBUG, are able to supply cartridges.

Although the user guide advises the user to note the ID number of the ROM at the back of his guide, I couldn't find any ID number on mine.

The user is expected to make his/her own system disc(s) from the issue disc. Most of us have experienced this sort of thing with Hybrid products before. It is quite simple and the instructions are very clear. The issue disc supplied is 40- and 80-track compatible.

The files

Once the user's system disc has been prepared you will find on it a boot file, 8 program files, 9 example files, and 5 template files.

Of the program files, 3 are in BASIC, one is *LOADed by one of the BASIC programs to page 4, and the other four appear to be MODE 7 screens. All this is invisible to the user. He doesn't need to do anything apart from follow instructions as they appear on the screen.

The example files are a great help. They can be experimented with as a means of learning.

The template files are there to give the user a selected layout for starting each of his/her own pieces.

Switching on

On boot-up the main menu appears on the screen. Here we have the pivot for all that follows. Scores can be cleared, loaded, saved, edited, previewed or printed. There is also a choice to change the printer settings if the defaults are not suitable for the one you are using. All this is explained in the user guide. Most people will use the default settings.

Getting started

There are three very clearly written chapters which lead the new user into the system by easy stages. I had no difficulty in mastering these within an afternoon.

Serious use

Codes are divided into two groups, out-bar codes and in-bar codes.

Out-bar codes

Out-bar one-letter codes include such things as alignment for the main title (double width), and other titles, left, centre or right justified.

The stave type comes next. There are 4 available: G, F and two C clefs. If braces are required, as in a piano score, they are entered by double brackets at this point. You may ask for 1 or 2 parts for each stave. More about that later.

Then comes the metronome marking if you require it.

Key signatures consist of negative or positive numbers. For example (-3) sets up automatically an E flat major key signature at the beginning of every stave. (+5) provides B major.

Time signatures are also very easy to enter. (3/4) will enter three over four, for example. You can even ask for strange time signatures such as 17/64, if you can find a use for them!

There is also an optional beat indicator. This tells the computer how the shorter notes should be grouped together with beams, or have separate tails. This selected standard can be overridden if need be at the time the notes are entered.

The number of every fifth bar is automatically printed in the final print-out, without the user having to do anything about it.

Some other out-bar codes are also available.

In-bar codes

Bars are usually entered to completion one at a time. The first code is the opening square bracket [ followed by the bar number.

Then on the next line you enter the uppermost part, followed by a vertical bar, then the next part down and so on until the lowest part which ends with the closing square bracket. Once that bar is complete, pressing TAB will display what the print-out will look like for that bar. You will see on the screen one or two staves at a time depending on where the cursor is resting.

The first code for each part is the length of note. This is a lower case letter, w m c q s d or h. See if you can guess what these letters stand for.

The next code for each part is the number of the octave that the note is in. There are six octaves available spread around middle C. Each number covers the rising notes C to B. Therefore to enter a quaver on middle C you would enter q4C.

If the length of note doesn't change for the following notes a rising scale would be q4CDEFGAB5C. These quavers would have beams connecting them in groups depending on your previous choice of time signature or beat indicator.

While on the subject of beams I need to mention that the programming here is very powerful. The beams follow the direction of the notes, sloping up, down or horizontal. Where the notes connected to the beam vary in length (quavers with semiquavers as an example) this is catered for, and the spacing between the notes is accurate. Any other parts above or below are also aligned correctly in the final print-out.

Chords can be entered - for example, C&E&G for the major triad in C. Rests are entered as R and percussion notes as x.

There are codes for dotted notes, triplets, arpeggios, sharps, flats and naturals. Also ties, staccato and tenuto, trills, 8va, 15ma, pedal marks and fermata.

Lyrics can be entered and appear automatically under the correct notes with accurate spacing.

So far, everything has been a gift for preparing a score. All the neat setting out is done for you.

Performers' parts

As far as I can see the best way to prepare parts for each performer, take a string quartet for example, is first to save the complete user file. This is in pure ASCII, so it can be loaded into a word processor. Using VIEW say, you could quickly delete all the lines not required. For the first violin part: the second violin, viola and cello parts could be deleted a line at a time.

Then the file could be saved with its own filename. Running it in the Music Publisher program would produce a neat printed part for the first violinist only. Similarly with the other performers' parts.

If you don't have a word processor the unwanted lines can be deleted using the Music Publisher program, but it will not be quite as quick.

Comments

Within a couple of days I was entering some of my own compositions which up to then had been untidily scrawled in the heat of creation many years before. That was a hard test for the package.

The facilities I miss are phrasing and dynamics. These should be catered for by slurs, pp to ff, and 'hairpins' (~ 0 Len -4 Len and =L +L -L in AMPLE). I entered some words like mf, cresc, dim and rit as 'lyrics'. For single staves they appear below; for braced staves below the lower stave. Then I couldn't find how to enter double sharps and double flats.

Six parts are available, but in contrapuntal music that may only allow three staves. The program has been arranged so that single notes or block chords only are possible in each part. If in the stave we find two voices of a chord remaining while a third voice moves in passing notes, it means that two parts need to be allocated to that stave to accommodate it.

There are no facilities for the different key signature of a transposing instrument included within a group, nor could I see how to enter the name of an instrument at the beginning of each line. Changing clefs within a bar is a problem I have not solved yet.

The package is very new as yet and Hybrid seem very willing to listen to suggestions for improvement. I foresee the possibility of these coming out in time.

Conclusions

In its present form the package should prove very useful to those of us who wish to get our pieces neatly on to paper, with the view of them being read or played by other people. For many pieces no manuscript amendments will be necessary.

However, in my case, I will have to enter some signs such as slurs (which my type of music uses extensively) freehand. Then it will be a matter of photocopying the amended master print-out, rather than making more prints from the computer.

All in all I'm very glad to have the package.

The Music Publisher package costs £70.50 inclusive of postage and packing and is available from Hybrid at the address below:

Hybrid
88 Butt Lane
Milton
CAMBRIDGE
CB4 6DG

Tel: (0223) 861522

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

Zebrano

by G Adams

Source: AMPLINEX 026 disk, file $.ZEBRANO

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

Two Part Invention number 6

by Leslie Gardener

Composed by: J S Bach

Source: AMPLINEX 026 disk, file $.2PARTIN

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

Twelve Noon

by Andrew Smith

Source: AMPLINEX 026 disk, file $.12NOON

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

Slumbering Deep

by Jim Redfarn

Thanks to Philip Wormall for the "seacym" sound which I extracted from his piece entitled "Ocean" published in AMPLINEX 004.

Jim Redfarn

Source: AMPLINEX 026 disk, file $.SLUMBER

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

Since First I Saw Your Face

by Dave Hall

Composed by: Thomas Ford

I liked the sound of this when I first heard it and managed to get the score. It was edited and marked by T Tertius Noble and written by Thomas Ford (1695).

Dave Hall

Source: AMPLINEX 026 disk, file $.SINCE

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

R.I.P.

by P W Scott

Source: AMPLINEX 026 disk, file $.RIP

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

Prelude and Fugue in C minor

by W Robert Ord

November 1988

PRELUDE

Uses falling tones and semitones throughout, modulating to G minor in bar 9 and back to C minor in bar 17. Bars 17 to 20 use a tonic bass to re-establish the key.

FUGUE

1. The two bar 1st theme starts in the alto, with subsequent entries in the tenor, bass and soprano.

2. Re-statement of this theme in the dominant key starts in the bass, followed by entries in the soprano, alto and tenor.

3. An eight-bar sequence back to the tonic key follows next.

4. The stretto section consists of re-statements of the theme in double time and various keys over a slow statement in the tonic key in the bass.

5. The fugue re-states sections 1 to 3 before going into a coda.

Source: AMPLINEX 026 disk, file $.PRELUDE

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

Poinciana

by Graham F Firth

Composed by: Nat Simon & Buddy Bernier

Arranged by Klaus Wunderlich

Source: AMPLINEX 026 disk, file $.POINCIA

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

Minuet in G

by Pete Holdroyd

Composed by: J S Bach

Source: AMPLINEX 026 disk, file $.MINING

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

Londonderry Air

by John Bartlett

Composed by: Traditional

Just a quick arrangement of this lovely tune. The AMPLINEX deadline is calling (from over the glen).

Source: AMPLINEX 026 disk, file $.LONDON

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

Living in the Past

by Paul Moore

Composed by: Ian Anderson

This tune was in a book of music by various artists that I bought in 1988. Being a Jethro Tull fan I had to have a go at programming it in AMPLE. This was done in 1989 and it has been developed since then. It was written using the Staff editor as I have not got a keyboard and probably wouldn't be able to play it if I had.

Paul Moore - January 1991

Source: AMPLINEX 026 disk, file $.PAST

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

Little Town

by Paul Williams

Composed by: Chris Eaton

From a transcription by Mike Beecher

I spent a good deal of time on this program mainly, I am afraid, because I am still trying to get to grips with my new Hybrid Technology system.

I am fairly pleased with the end result, apart from the appalling programming, the occasional 'lumpiness' of mix changes etc. and the dubious fade out... wait for it!

This excellent piece otherwise needs no introduction...

Source: AMPLINEX 026 disk, file $.LTLTOWN

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

A Little Respect

by C M Homer

Composed by: Andy Bell & Vince Clarke

A LITTLE RESPECT, is one of the many songs in the music book called 'The innocents'. It is copyright '1988 Musical Movements-sonet'. The original is brilliant, but somehow I haven't been able to convert it to my 5000 very well. I've had problems with some parts of the song because portamento was needed and I haven't a clue how to use it. Does anyone else know?

By the way I'm 15.

Source: AMPLINEX 026 disk, file $.RESPECT

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

The In-Laws

by Carl Robinson

This piece was composed in the late 1970's whilst I was living with the In-Laws.

The piano was added in 1989 in the arrangement for the Music 5000, the original being guitar chords.

Again Bonks on the doorstep with this tune. Good job he's not here before I send this in.

Rob (of ROBONK)

Source: AMPLINEX 026 disk, file $.INLAWS

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

The Happy Mosquito

by G H Richardson

I was developing a theme for a piece I was working on when this little thing came out of the air as it were. It did not fit the theme I was working on and as it seemed attractive enough in itself I added a beginning and an end and called it 'The Happy Mosquito'. Alas there is usually someone waiting to spoil one's fun so I callously finished it off with 'splat'. If you can't bear the thought of this happy little creature coming to such a sticky end remove '3' from the '123-etc' RUN sequence.

G H Richardson

Source: AMPLINEX 026 disk, file $.MOSQUIT

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

Future Music Marching Up

by A F Mulch

This program can use a little more programming techniques.

I spent a lot of time in this number so I hope that you will like it.

Bye for now!

Source: AMPLINEX 026 disk, file $.FUTURE

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

Chariots of Fire

by Ian L Hubbard

Composed by: Vangelis

Music 5000 version recorded

Source: AMPLINEX 026 disk, file $.CHARIOT

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

Abaddon's Bolero

by Bernie Dawson

Composed by: Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Abaddon: Hebrew for 'destroyer'.
Bolero: A hypnotic dance.

It starts very quietly with the one main tune being repeated several times. It gradually increases in volume and instrumentation. By the end it is supposed to be very wild in character and the dancer is supposed to have danced herself to death!

Programming it nearly did me in!

BJD

Source: AMPLINEX 026 disk, file $.ABADDON

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

Hints and tips

Compiling large programs

Bo Hanson

A problem I have often come across is the '! No room' error while using the AMPLE Toolbox compiler with very large programs.

After finishing a tune and adding a title screen and a page or two of 'info' (blurb, waffle etc), there is sufficient memory for the program to run but not enough for the compiler to work, even after deleting all unnecessary modules and words and compacting the program. A full screen title page takes about 1.1K and the compiler needs about 2.2K workspace to knock this down to 0.9K. This may not seem a big saving, but 2K or more can be removed from a large program of 10K or more and this could be enough for the Mixing Desk module to be used. The method below describes how to get around the '! No room' problem. It works, although it is a bit messy.

It is necessary to save the complete song to disc (just in case!), then to split the program into two parts: all the words that are concerned with the music itself in one part and the fancy bits in the other.

*SPOOL the title page(s), info page(s) and RUN to a separate file on disc. Any words that are used by these words must also be included.

For example, if you have two 'info' words, a word to wait for a key press between the 'info' screens, and a title screen word:

"RUN" [ 12#OUT title
"123etc-abc-etc"PLAY ]

"info" [ %blurb...
rtn info2 ]

"info2" [ %more blurb... ]

"title" [ "title information"$OUTNL ]

"rtn" [ REP(#IN13#=)UNTIL()REP ]

These will need to be *SPOOLed to the new file taking care that words which are used in other words are done first (so that they are found when read back in). For example,

*SPOOL newfile
"rtn" TYPE
...
"info2" TYPE
...
"info" TYPE
...
"title" TYPE
...
"RUN" TYPE
...
*SPOOL

After these words have been *SPOOLed, they should be DELETEd from the program:

"RUN" DELETE
"title" DELETE
"info" DELETE
"info2" DELETE
"rtn" DELETE

leaving just the music score, mix(es) and instruments in full.

These are then compiled and *SPOOLed to yet another file on disc:

*SPOOL newfile2
WRITE
...
*SPOOL

Type NEW and *EXEC the file with the title, RUN and info words and then compile these too. Then, the file with the compiled music words can be *EXECed back to give a complete compiled program.

The reason I use *SPOOL and *EXEC rather than using the AMPLE Toolbox MERGE facility is that MERGE will duplicate any existing word names which can create untold hassles when trying to DELETE the unwanted definition of two. Using *SPOOL and *EXEC does away with this problem. Also, it is the easiest way to save just part of a program.

Finally, save the compiled program (I prefix my compiled filenames with a 'C.') and delete the two part files from the disc.

Happy compiling and many saved returns!

Using the Recorder over MIDI

Bernie Dawson

1) The Music 2000 manual does not seem to state that the Recorder works over MIDI provided you put 9 in front of the section letter you allocate.

2) When using MIDI instruments and the Recorder you sometimes want the part you are practising to sound louder than the backing you may have already built up. A convenient way of doing this is to put xxx VEL on the instrument line where xxx is a number up to 127.

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

Music 5000 and a hard disk

Bryan Anslow

Note that although the reason for writing this article was the need to change Richard Bettis' !MENU program, (Features, AMPLINEX 015) for a hard disk, it may be of use to anyone with the new '!SYSTEM' type of Hybrid software release.

Setting up

Prompted by the purchase of a hard drive for my Master 128, I needed to re-organise the many floppies which had various versions of Music 5000 software with and without the Music 4000, Music 3000 and Music 2000 add-ons, not to mention the AMPLE Toolbox utilities and vast amounts of Music 5000 programs obtained from various sources.

Fortunately, help was at hand from the !MENU program and !BOOT files which appeared in AMPLINEX 015. Now, as I recently obtained a software upgrade from Hybrid, and have a BBC Master, things are not quite as they were when that previous article appeared.

The 'M' directory contains only one file called !SYSTEM and the 'C' directory contains everything else: ROM image, loader etc.

Even when the Music 2000 and Music 3000 code is installed, it is just absorbed into the existing files and is not visible externally, only the sizes of the files change.

I decided, therefore, to create a directory for each system: M50 for the old Music 5000-1 (which I still use sometimes), M54 for the Studio 5000-4, M53 for the Studio 5000-4 plus Music 3000, M52 for the Studio 5000-4 plus Music 2000 and M51 for the Studio 5000-4 plus Music 2000 plus Music 3000, each with their own 'C' and 'M' sub-directories. Note that the short directory names are required as the MPREFIX command will only accept a maximum of 9 characters.

I have even set up a directory for good old AMPLE BCE, having renamed the AMPLE file to 'BAMPLE' to prevent conflicts with the AMPLE ROM.

Then, having copied all of my music and instrument files (obtained from AMPLINEX, Hybrid, Telesoftware, etc.) all to the same disk, things really seemed to be more manageable.

Using the !MENU program as a basis, I wrote a new version which would display an endless number of menu selections. When a menu item is selected, a directory 'path' which is associated with it is switched to, and a !BOOT file in that directory is *EXECed. The menu names and directory paths are held as DATA statements within the program, making it extremely easy to add, delete or move entries within the menu.

This can obviously be extended to almost any software, as most software arrives with a !BOOT file, or one can easily be written to run a particular package. If a package does not have an *EXECable !BOOT but, for example, a *RUNable !BOOT, then it is a simple matter to rename the supplied !BOOT to !RBOOT and write an *EXECable !BOOT to *RUN !RBOOT.

In operation

Loading of system software and music programs is now extremely quick and almost silent. Just as though everything was resident and ready for use.

Switching between, for instance, AMPLE Nucleus and AMPLE BCE is a breeze. Before it was a case of searching for the disc in an enormous pile.

The ribbon cable of the hard disk fits into the 1Mhz Bus, ahead of the Hybrid boxes. However, it seems to cause little problem to the Music 5000/3000/2000 hardware, even while doing a directory change for instance. Commands like *FREE and *MAP seem to blow AMPLE away though, requiring a re-boot to sort things out.

Sometimes, doing a *MOUNT4 to access a floppy, especially when the Wordwise Plus and Printmaster ROMs are present, causes AMPLE to switch to the Edit ROM, even when it is 'unplugged'.

AMPLE BCE programs, especially those which use 'Preset1' (which I have always found to be a bit sensitive), do slow down a bit, or sometimes a lot, when any access of the hard drive is done.

Otherwise, everything seems to be running fine at the moment, although now I have received AMPLINEX 024, I am investigating the possibility of using the program to separate out the various parts of the !SYSTEM module, and re-vamp some of the !BOOT files.

With the capability to store so much data on a hard disk, it is essential to organise the directories so that a logical structure is formed. I even, periodically, run the Welcome disc 'EXALL' program and direct the output to a floppy disk. This was extremely useful a couple of weeks ago when the archive utility overwrote the first &70 sectors of the disk, corrupting the root directory and making all of the data inaccessible.

I had to use a disc sector editor to rebuild it from the disk addresses in the 'EXALL' listing. In this way I managed to copy about 90% of the data to floppies using the Welcome disc 'COPYDIR' utility, then re-format the hard disk and copy it all back, again with 'COPYDIR'. All I need now is enough floppy discs to archive it without corrupting anything again.

Some files

The !BOOT file which is in the root directory and which is *EXECed at switch on is:

*MOUNT0
*DIR $
CHAIN"!MENU"

The boot file in the M5000-1 directory is:

*BASIC
*/C.PREPARE R S K
*FX 202,48
*FX 118
*AMPLE
% Release 1
"$.M50.M." MPREFIX
"INT" INSTALL
"M5" INSTALL
"EW" INSTALL
"MENU" INSTALL
"FX1A" INSTALL
"INS1" INSTALL
*DIR $.MSAMP
MAIN

The !BOOT file in the 5000-4 directory (which is similar to those in the other 'Studio' directories) is:

*BASIC
*/C.PREPARE R S K
*AMPLE
% Studio 5000-4M Release 2
"$.M54.M." MPREFIX
*/C.INSTALL
MAIN
*DIR $.MSAMP

Related file on this disc:

F.!Menu - BASIC program to allow choice of AMPLE system set-up

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

Questions and answers

Question: Transposition

Occasionally, I come across songs I would like to sing, but they are in too high a key and are not published in a lower key. If I were to enter the music as written, using the Staff editor, is there any way to get the music printed out correctly in a different key? Would the new Music Publisher allow me to do this?

Jim Brook

Question: SoundSculptures?

Does anyone know where a version of the 'SoundSculptures' package may be obtained? Having read the notes and reviews in AMPLINEX 002, 004, 006 and 012 I wrote to Mr J Stockdale some months ago, at the address given in AMPLINEX 006, to ask if it was still available, even enclosing a first class stamp for a reply, but, as yet, nothing has been received.

Bryan Anslow

Question: AMPLE Toolbox

Being thick as a brick, I inadvertently deleted some music files. I got out the 'AREC' program recoverer (part of the AMPLE Toolbox disc), which worked fine - for a while. Unfortunately, I use ADFS and have in excess of 80 music files on the disc in question. AREC only recovers programs to the limit of the destination directory, some 47 files. I can't figure out how to get it to continue on a new directory with the rest.

Is there a way to achieve this? I only deleted about 5 programs, none of them included in the 47 that were recovered. As it happens, all the lost programs were in one particular directory; if I could just get the recovery to work on that particular directory, the problem would be solved, but AREC only asks for a source drive and doesn't accept a directory as well.

Jim Brook

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

Printing out AMPLINEX information

There are three ways to print out the information seen in AMPLINEX.

You can print out an AMPLINEX file as it is displayed on the screen from within AMPLINEX; you can print the files themselves as you would any other text file; or you can load the files into your own word processor and re-format them as required before printing.

1) To print a file from within AMPLINEX choose the 'SET PRINT ON/OFF' option from the Introduction menu. This allows you to toggle a software 'print switch' on or off. If the switch is set ON then any AMPLINEX file which is displayed on the screen will be sent to the printer. This will continue until you set the switch off again using the same Introduction option. An asterisk is displayed at the top of the screen next to the issue number when the print option is ON and the print status is shown at the bottom right of the screen as text is displayed within AMPLINEX.

It is now also possible to print out part of a file from within AMPLINEX. There are two ways to do this:

a) To print a single page of an AMPLINEX file, make sure the 'print switch' is OFF and then select the menu option which displays the file. When the page you wish to print is displayed, and the 'Press RETURN to continue' prompt is showing at the bottom of the screen, press the letter 'P' on the keyboard. The page being displayed will then be sent to the printer. Pressing RETURN will then continue to display the file without printing.

b) To start printing part-way through a file, you can turn on the 'print switch' by pressing the CTRL and 'P' keys together when the 'Press RETURN to continue' prompt is displayed. Subsequent pages which are displayed will then be sent to the printer. The 'print switch' can be turned off again in the same way.

2) If you prefer to print the parts you require outside of AMPLINEX - all the data is held in files on the AMPLINEX disc. The files are in directories named according to the sections in which they appear and the file names can be seen at the foot of the screen as they are displayed in AMPLINEX so you can make a note of the ones you require.

The file directories allocated to each section of AMPLINEX are as follows:

$. for Music

A. for the Introduction and Adverts

F. for Features

H. for Hints and Tips

I. for Instruments

N. for News and Reviews

Q. for Questions and Answers

U. for Utilities

In addition to the text files, the AMPLE instrument definitions can also be printed directly from within AMPLINEX. Music and utility programs written in AMPLE can only be printed by LOADing the programs into the Studio 5000 and using the WRITE command (see Studio 5000 User Guide page 100).

3) If you wish to re-format the text before printing you should load the files into your word processor. The files contain unjustified text restricted to 38 columns width. The files contain only printable ASCII characters except for a control code (ASCII 11) which marks the screen page breaks. View treats these as left margin tabs and if necessary they can be removed with a C/^L// command.

Two utilities have been published in AMPLINEX to aid with the re-formatting of text files:

In AMPLINEX 003 'Hints and Tips' (H.ints003) there were instructions for a Wordwise segment program to automatically format AMPLINEX text files. The segment itself was included in AMPLINEX 004 (H.WWconv).

In AMPLINEX 005 there was a utility to print formatted 80-column text direct from an AMPLINEX text file. The instructions (U.print/i) and the BASIC program (U.print80) are both within the 'Utilities' section. A modification to this program (to provide a wider margin) was included in the 'Hints and Tips' section of AMPLINEX 006. See also the Update section of AMPLINEX 008 for a note concerning BASIC 1 users.

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

Next issue news

The next issue of AMPLINEX will be for July 1992. We plan to publish at the end of July or the beginning of August.

All applications for a FREE copy (i.e. those with discs containing contributions) must be received by MONDAY 6TH JULY. Anyone paying the £2.00 fee should apply by Friday 24th July.

More than ever the content depends on your contributions between now and then - so please let us have an example of your music, or that question, answer, hint, or comment which might spring to mind when reading this issue. You can record your thoughts right now using our Feedback utility, or copy your latest piece of music on to another disc ready for contribution.

We look forward to reading and hearing your contributions.

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

How to contribute to AMPLINEX

To receive your next issue of AMPLINEX free of charge you must send a contribution of your own.

This could be an AMPLE music program, an instrument definition, a question or an article about some aspect of the AMPLE language or Hybrid Music System hardware or software, an AMPLE utility, a useful hint about AMPLE, or an answer to another member's question.

Under copyright law we cannot publish programs or music unless we have the permission of the copyright owners or their licensing agent. It is important to realise that in the case of an AMPLE music program, copyright exists in both the program itself and the music it represents. There may even be a separate copyright in the arrangement. If you wish to contribute transcriptions into AMPLE of someone else's music you must credit the copyright owner(s) of the music and the arrangement (if applicable). Please do not include lyrics as it is not feasible for us to obtain separate copyright clearance for these.

To protect ourselves from copyright actions we must ask you to sign the copyright declaration on the 'next issue request form' which was sent to you with this issue of AMPLINEX. All submissions made to AMPLINEX will be regarded as permission to publish within the AMPLINEX membership. Beyond this, the submission remains the property of the author.

As part of an exchange arrangement, we may wish to pass on your address if any of your contributions are of interest to other software publishers.

If you do NOT wish your contributions to be considered for publication elsewhere (and thus your address not to be passed to anyone else) please indicate this on the request form in the place provided.

You can also use your return disc to pass on questions which you would like answered on any issue relating to the Hybrid Music System or AMPLE language. We will do our best to answer them (or will pass them over to the other members for help) and publish the results in the Questions and Answers section of AMPLINEX.

You can also use AMPLINEX to advertise any (un)wanted items or to make contact with other members. Just put the details of your advertisement on to the return disc and we will try to include it in the next issue.

The 'Feedback' section of AMPLINEX contains a utility to allow a note to be written on the screen which can then be saved to disc. This 'note' file can then be included on your disc sent for the next issue of AMPLINEX.

'Feedback' notes can be used to make contributions to any of the text-based sections of AMPLINEX as well as to make comments or suggestions on AMPLINEX itself.

Send all contributions, on a standard DFS format disc (40- or 80-track).

It is not necessary to send printed copies of your contributions - any copies required are printed locally to minimize postage costs.

40-track disc users please note:

The AMPLINEX magazine is designed to fit on to one side of an 80-track disc. If you use 40-track discs you should send one double-sided or two single-sided discs.

Suggested file formats are:

a) AMPLE music programs - save these in normal Studio 5000 format (e.g. by selecting 'Save program' from the Studio 5000 Main menu). Since many members do not have the Music 4000 keyboard please ensure that your program has no M.M4 or M.KFX module words present. To make sure, try loading the program using your Studio 5000 system disc.

Please include some comments about the music - how or why it was written, how it could be changed - and put them into a word as comments following a DISPLAY statement. Use of the word 'info' to contain such text is common practice and we would suggest that it is NOT displayed automatically every time the music is played.

b) AMPLE instruments - save these in text form via *SPOOL using the AMPLE 'TYPE' command to save the word(s) you want.

Some description of the sound itself and hints on its use (e.g. which parameters could be changed, which are the most suitable octave settings) would make it more useful. This can be done using comments within the instrument definition itself (by preceding them with a '%').

c) Text (hints, questions etc.) - use the 'Feedback' note facility for short contributions. For longer pieces use View, Wordwise or other word processor (without embedded format codes or commands). Do not right justify the text.

You can help us operate AMPLINEX more efficiently by careful naming of the files which you send us. Receiving several files called 'hint' or 'quest' can cause us problems in trying to keep track of which contribution came from which member.

Wherever possible, please try and make the filenames of your contributions unique especially where they are for a regular section of the magazine.

Putting a combination of your name or initials and the section for which the contribution is destined is one way of doing this. So if your name is Fred Bloggs you could use FBquest or BlogH&T for contributions to the Questions and Answers or Hints and Tips sections.

Whatever filenames you use, please remember to include your name somewhere in the contribution - this can save us many hours annotating lists and cross-referencing filenames with contributors.

Ensure that your disc is well packed as we will be using the same packaging to return it to you.

Make sure you enclose a return address label and postage and that both the packaging and the disc are marked with your name and address.

Send it to:

AMPLINEX
26 Arbor Lane
Winnersh
Berks.
RG11 5JD

to arrive by the date specified in the 'Next issue' section.

We look forward to reading and hearing your contributions.

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

Update – changes/corrections/comments

This section is a focus for news about the workings of AMPLINEX, corrections to items in previous issues, and other small items of information which might otherwise be missed amongst the details of each issue.

G H Richardson tribute discs

In AMPLINEX 024 we reported the death of one our regular contributors, George (G H) Richardson. Jack Wrigley has now written to us with details of a tribute to George.

AMPLINEX members who have enjoyed the musical contributions of the late George Richardson over the years may want to acquire two tribute discs to George and help Cancer Research at the same time. The first disc contains all of George's original compositions, while the second is a selection of classical and dance pieces. Some have already been published in AMPLINEX, but George's family and myself think it would be a fitting tribute to release his entire AMPLE work as a collection.

Just send (AMPLINEX-style) two 80-track or three 40-track formatted discs in a re-usable carrier with stamped return address label to:

Jack Wrigley
187 Bramhall Lane
South Bramhall
Stockport
Cheshire
SK7 2NG

All we ask is that you enclose a cheque for £3 (or more if you can afford it) made payable to: "Christie Hospital & Holt Radium Institute". This is the Manchester hospital that treated George. Please give generously to help combat a disease that claims far too many people every year.

It seems more than 4 years ago since I first struggled to get to grips with AMPLE and in desperation made contact with George via AMPLINEX. Needless to say, George soon put me on the straight and narrow until I blundered into the next problem, usually the day after. As John Bartlett has already said, George put a lot of his time into AMPLINEX and it was part of a long and happy retirement.

In putting these discs together I have been reminded of the great love George had for music and the helpful nature of the man himself. Quite simply these discs contain music that one can listen to many times over. I'm sure you'll enjoy what George has left us to remember him by.

We always welcome suggestions for improvements in the workings or contents of AMPLINEX - most of the changes made to date have originated from members' suggestions. So, if you have an idea to improve AMPLINEX, let us know.

Also, please let us know if you spot an error or omission in the content of AMPLINEX - you may be the first one who has noticed.

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992

Welcome to AMPLINEX 026

Kevin Doyle and Roy Follett

In this issue we have our regular sections of Questions and Answers and Hints and Tips as well a feature on running the Hybrid Music System from a hard disk.

We also have a large selection of AMPLE music (18 pieces), a staff printing utility, and a review of Hybrid's new Music Publisher package.

We look forward to receiving your contributions to the next issue of AMPLINEX - details of our deadlines are in the Next Issue News section.

Published in AMPLINEX 026, May 1992