Does the plucky newcomer have a chance in the fight between music micros? Gary Herman referees.

Beginners in the fascinating world of computer-generated music should not be put off by the ORIC-1's few shortcomings. In common with many of today's micros, the quality of its documentation is a major fault. The novice may find the manual's chatty, simple style welcoming but, unfortunately, this introduction to the computer and its programming language, BASIC, is... well, basic. The manual seems to have been a rush job with many topics missing and others — notably, for our purposes, sound generation — covered in the most cursory manner. Potential owners should prepare themselves for some long hours of exploratory key-tapping if they want to utilise the ORIC's capacities to the full.

Such exploration will prove fruitful because, on the whole, the ORIC is an attractive and powerful machine. It will be worth trying out any brainy ideas you might have — the worst that can happen is that the machine will refuse to do anything and you'll have to turn it off and start again, but you might discover some facility in the machine that even its makers don't know about.

At around £140 (discounted price), for the 48 K-byte version, the ORIC is more than a match for the overrated Sinclair Spectrum. For the computer musician there is no contest. The ORIC looks good, has an uncluttered keyboard using relatively comfortable calculator-type keys, runs fast and generally smoothly and includes a version of BASIC which successfully combines simplicity and power. It also has a healthy-sounding on-board loudspeaker and an output socket to play sound through an external amplifier or direct on to tape.

Quirks And Sounds

My main objections to the machine centre on the quirky screen editor (for correcting or changing program lines) and the fact that the reset button (used to restart the computer when it 'stalls') is hidden in an inconvenient place on the ORIC's base. But these problems (and the lack of a simple on-off switch) pale into insignificance beside the many thoughtful design features.

The standard printer interface is good news for any computer user while computer musicians will be glad of the 34-pin expansion port for attaching a disk drive or even a proper musical keyboard (you may have to build your own). The software features — especially in the sound department — are a joy compared to most other machines in the same price range.

Software control of a complex generator chip gives access to three tone channels (which can be mixed together and combined with a fourth, white-noise channel). Three-part harmonies and rhythm effects are simplicity itself.

The sound generator covers six octaves (not quite the span of a full-size piano) and can produce a continuous spectrum of tones (using the SOUND command) or preset notes (using the MUSIC command). Although only one voice is provided, combining tones and noise can produce a range of effects. The SOUND and MUSIC commands allow you to select a channel and control volume as well as pitch. By using a mathematical variable to specify volume you can create envelopes for individual tones.

The PLAY command allows you to mix tones and gives access to eight preset envelope shapes. After using MUSIC and SOUND to set channel and select the tones and noise you want, you use PLAY to mix the channels, select an envelope and control the duration of the final sound. In this way, quite complex sounds can be built up even considering the limitations of the single voice and the pre-set envelopes. The three main sound commands can be used in programs written in BASIC (which is built-in to the computer) and in FORTH (a powerful language provided in a cassette-based version with the 48 K-byte ORIC).

As if to demonstrate some of the ORIC's capabilities, the BASIC also includes four additional sound commands for the benefit of games players — ZAP, PING, SHOOT and EXPLODE. These can be combined and used with self-produced sounds, often to good musical effect (SHOOT gives a passable impersonation of a snare-drum).

Soft Music

Unfortunately, there seems to be no ready-made software available for the musician with the exception of TUNESMITH — a demonstration program included on the FORTH cassette which plays a three-part harmony tune and can be simply modified for use as a compositional aid. No doubt software will soon become available but, at the moment, the ORIC will be of most interest to those keen on writing their own programs to produce music. Its memory capacity is sufficient to store a lengthy piece and, at less than half the price of the admittedly more versatile BBC micro, the ORIC may well be the best available introduction to computer music for any would-be composer or performer.