Home -> Magazines -> Issues -> Articles in this issue -> View
Bit by Bit MIDIDrummer | |
Software for the Atari STArticle from Music Technology, February 1988 |
If you're looking for a visual aid to drum pattern editing or a means of turning your Akai S900 sampler into a drum machine this Atari software could be the answer. Chris Jenkins investigates.
The missing link between your MIDI drum machine, your Atari ST and graphic editing of your drum patterns could be this software package from a new British company - and the price is right.
SO WHATS IT all about? MIDIDrummer is a form of sequencer, but, as the name implies, it's a "vertical" application, meant to solve specific problems which other sequencers aren't designed to handle. Very much like the Fairlight's famous "Page R", MIDIDrummer is a visual composition and editing system for percussion patterns; although, by careful editing of MIDI note values and synthesiser settings, you could persuade it to play "tuned" patterns. The nearest comparison is the $150 Intelligent Music UpBeat package for the Apple Macintosh, but even that doesn't yet seem to be available for the ST.
MIDIDrummer is especially useful in two situations. The first, controlling MIDI drum machines, may seem redundant; after all, drum machines are capable of creating and memorising patterns themselves. MIDIDrummer, though, adds an invaluable visual dimension to the process of creating patterns and songs, and also allows you to safely store the fruits of your labours on disk rather than depending on the drum machine's (limited) memory capacity. A more useful application of MIDIDrummer is in conjunction with multi-point samplers such as the Akai S900. These multiple-output devices are often used to provide percussion effects, but of course lack the pattern and song creation facilities of a drum machine. While any hardware sequencer or software package could theoretically do the job for you, MIDIDrummer is better designed for this specific application.
MIDIDrummer is supplied on a single undongled disk in a simple folder with an uncomplicated manual. The program is fully GEM-based, using all the mouse and menu functions which make the Atari ST so easy to operate.
LOADING THE PROGRAM (which runs in medium resolution in colour, or high resolution on a mono monitor) brings up a comprehensive main display which includes the function menus, current drum pattern with default instrument names, Pattern Selector Grid, Song Display, and Tempo and Function controls.
SO FAR SO good, but how about more precise editing? Apart from the fact that you can also enter data in real time (tapping the STs A P keys) you have full velocity control over every beat.
Select Velocity Display on the Pattern Information menu, and the asterisks on the box change into figures 0-9. Each figure corresponds to a velocity which can either be a default value or one you define yourself. The Velocity Default dialogue allows you to assign each value a velocity from 0-127.
Default velocity values (0-9) for each beat can be entered on the grid, or for exact results you can use another dialogue box to enter any velocity value, 0 127 at any beat. You have the best of both worlds, then: quick operation using the default values or precision using the dialogue boxes. By editing the velocity values, I was soon able to build up convincing-sounding patterns which would have taken considerably longer to program on any other system I'm aware of. It's also possible to change the nature of the trigger output, depending on the type of drum machine, sampler or synth you're using. The Trigger option transmits a MIDI note off signal immediately after the MIDI note on; most drum machines work best, in this mode. There are also options that turn the note off after one beat (three MIDI clock signals) or sustain it. In this last case, the voice will keep playing until it is triggered again, or retriggered at zero velocity. This is usually the best option to use with synthesisers.
SEVERAL OTHER UPDATES to MIDIDrummer are in the pipeline, and will be supplied free to registered users. These include an increase in the number of voices available, to 32.
The main drawback to the existing version of MIDIDrummer is its lack of fine timing resolution. While most drum machines and sequencers will resolve at least 96 beats to the bar, MIDIDrummer, partly due to the nature of the visual display, is limited to 32 beats to the bar. Improving this would mean major changes to both the display and the data structure, so it will probably be presented as a more advanced version of the program rather than a free update to the existing one.
The programmer also plans to incorporate in future programs a "humaniser" feature, which would imitate the facility on many drum machines to offset alternate beats by random amounts, in order to escape from the metronomic precision of the rhythm.
While bearing in mind the resolution limitation, MIDIDrummer is flexible, easy to use and remarkably inexpensive. Already in use in several studios, it's fun, and it's a valuable addition to the computer musician's range of software tools.
Price £39.95 (currently available only by mail order)
More from Bit by Bit Software, (Contact Details). Square Dance Audio, (Contact Details).
Review by Chris Jenkins
Previous article in this issue:
Next article in this issue:
mu:zines is the result of thousands of hours of effort, and will require many thousands more going forward to reach our goals of getting all this content online.
If you value this resource, you can support this project - it really helps!
New issues that have been donated or scanned for us this month.
All donations and support are gratefully appreciated - thank you.
Do you have any of these magazine issues?
If so, and you can donate, lend or scan them to help complete our archive, please get in touch via the Contribute page - thanks!