Question: Timing
I am married, and my wife Vera helps me to decide what
sounds good as far as voices go when arranging pieces of music. However, my
mother visits us now and then and has taken an avid interest in the 'synths'.
Until about two months ago, mum said that the music I arranged sounded
mechanical, but after spending a few hours with me and my trusty Music 5000 and
3000, she came up with the answer - variation of timing on each 'phrase' of
music.
So, bearing in mind what she told me, I proceeded to alter
the timing of phrases. I found the difference to be very pleasing. She also
said that every time she plays a piece at home, it is different (owing to
timing variations) which led me to think about a random capability. This is where
I came unstuck.
I looked up the 'RAND' instructions, and was able to create
random timing - but I could not find the method for adding (or subtracting)
just a couple of digits per bar. For instance, if you have a 'mix' timing of,
say, 100 I would like to give the choice of either adding or subtracting a
random figure of between 1 and 3 from the principle figure of 100 then at the start
of the next phrase of music have the same random figure of 1 to 3 either added
or subtracted from the result of the last equation. Oh, and have a top and
bottom limit of, say, 86 and 116.
Can anyone help? Incidentally, I would like to thank all the
members who send in Hints and Tips and such things - they have helped me to
gain as much pleasure from the system as I do at this time.
Don Buckley
Answer: Santa Barbara Cruisin' (1)
Andy Knight asks a question (in the 'help' word of his
'Santa Barbara Cruisin'' piece in AMPLINEX 027) about a pause during play. I
expect he's found it by now, but in case not I have a cure. The pause is at 4f
in the PLAY word, not at 3g. To get rid of it, go to part1e, find the two occurrences
of '^(^)' (half-way down and at the end), and change them both to '0,^(^)'.
It's a nice piece! And I liked it more after all the
replaying and searching, and that can't be bad.
Ted Kirk
Answer: Santa Barbara Cruisin' (2)
I've found the answer to Andy Knight's problem mentioned in
AMPLINEX 027. It concerns a pause during play of 'Santa Barbara Cruisin'' when
moving from one section to the next near the end of the piece.
There are two errors in part1e. The first on line 10 where
there's an extra beat - it should read
+g(C)/// g(+A)//// ^(^)
and the second is the bottom line which should be
0,^(^)
I discovered these by hearing parts 1 and 2 together and
hearing them go out of step in part e.
Tim Sketchley
Question: Manual explanation
Does anybody understand the paragraph on notation for spare
structures on page 27 of the Music 4000 manual? This is using part8 as a master
player without voices and uses / to mark the passage of time.
David J Barton
Question: Music expression
I am not awfully clever at composing original pieces of
music, but I gain a lot of pleasure from transposing sheet music into AMPLE
format. I spend hours, no, days messing with different voices to get the Music
5000 and 3000 'singing' my new arrangements. However, I always come a little unstuck
when trying to deal with such things as appassionato, crit, con moto, dolce
etc.
I was advised to look up the expressions down at the
library, but could not find a 'music dictionary' that could explain what I am
after. Is there any AMPLINEX member who has this knowledge? I would be grateful
for it.
Don L R Buckley
Answer: 'Volga Boatman'
In AMPLINEX 027, Bryan Anslow asked about apparent 'rubbish'
in the middle of the music file of 'Volga Boatman' from AMPLINEX 025.
If this file is LOADed in the normal way, and the SHOW
command issued, then you can see that instead of 'no data', there is TXT data
instead.
This would probably have originated from the use of the Text
Editor from the AMPLE Toolbox - if you have this, type "TEDIT" MLOAD,
followed by TEDIT, and you can see the contents of this editor, in this case an
earlier version of the 'blurb' word.
The original file had been saved without the editor having been
CLEARed, resulting in wasted disc space.
Even without the Toolbox editor, it is possible to remove
this 'rubbish' just by issuing the CLEAR command, with the Main Menu screen
active.
'Clearing public data' (in Hints and Tips AMPLINEX 020) had
more information about this and a warning about wasting space when using the Image
Editor, IEDIT.
Tony Walduck
Question: Music 5000/3000 switch
After loading Ian Hubbard's 'Chariots Of Fire' (AMPLINEX
026), I noticed 'Music 5000 mix' displayed on the title page. So, after playing
it, I then loaded my Music 3000 system, and re-loaded the file. It then came up
with 'Music 3000 mix', and played the Music 3000 version. I have bought the AMPLE
Toolbox from Hybrid, but am unable to find how the system sensing works. Would
Mr Hubbard like to share the knowledge of his Music 5000/3000 sensing switch
please?
Don L R Buckley
Question: Instrumentals
Has anyone found any good books of instrumental hits from
the past? The only one I have seen so far is 'Great Hits of the Shadows'. This
has such hits as 'Albatross'! A great tune but not a hit for the Shadows I
think. It does not have 'Apache' or 'Wonderful Land', which seem serious
omissions. I would love to hear AMPLE versions of 'Pipeline', 'Wipeout', 'Rebel
Rouser', 'Peter Gunn' and, if anyone can make a good set of drum/cymbal sounds,
'Let there be drums', which is an all-time favourite of mine.
Also, is it possible to make the music I enter from simple
keyboard books sound better? I suppose what I want is a book with arrangements
for more than one instrument. Are they easy to follow for someone who knows
very little about music?
David J Barton
Question: Music 2000 and MIDI files
Have any members ever managed to transfer their AMPLE files
to other systems (and computers)? I presume this is only possible via a Music
2000 equipped system using MIDI files. What are the limitations and is it
possible to go the other way and import non-AMPLE music into a Music 2000?
Jack Wrigley
Question: AMPLE module initialisation
Is it possible to initialise the Sideways RAM image of AMPLE
modules found on a back issue disc without pressing Ctrl+Break? I have tried a program
from Micro User without success. It shows the ROM images installed but on
calling the Mixing Desk or Notepad it still tries to load from disc. I would
like to be able to build a !BOOT file to setup the modules from scratch.
Pressing Ctrl+Break does work and modules are loaded from Sideways RAM.
David J Barton
Published in AMPLINEX 028, September 1992
