Bars & Pipes Pro2, in addition to its unusual graphic user interface, boasts a host of multimedia features you don't usually expect of a MIDI sequencer. Paul Austin can hardly contain his excitement about this Amiga wonder-package...

Before the guided tour begins, now might be a good time to explain the basic concepts of the Bars & Pipes package before the sometimes confusing combination of music, plumbing and DIY has you reaching for valium.

If you've used sequencing software in the past you've probably already noticed that B&P Pro2 isn't exactly standard. Rather than assigning a simple track to each MIDI channel, the software allocates a separate pipe which sandwiches the track between an input and output. The significance of the assorted pipe-work will be revealed as we progress but for now we'll stick to the program's primary concern, which of course is MIDI.

Due to the program's MIDI tendencies, every track has a 'MIDI In' tool by default — without which you can't even squeeze a solitary note into the sequence courtesy of your keyboard — but leaving the various tools aside for the moment, we'll continue into the sequencer itself, bypassing the toggle play, mute and record button and moving straight into the sequence window where the editing can begin.

EDIT OPTIONS

With the assistance of a well-placed mouse click, each sequence opens its own unique edit window complete with the entire passage for that particular track. This can be viewed, edited or printed as either classical notation, Hybrid notation, piano roll, or using the latest addition of tablature — notes displayed as fingering positions on a guitar fret board. If one display mode isn't enough, a combination can be used to suit any taste. In addition, a whole host of less traditional features can be added, including volume, pitch bend, mono and polyphonic aftertouch, control change, program change, chords, rhythm, lyrics, time signature, key, scale and even dynamics.

In short, if you want to view, print or edit any aspect of the piece it's simply a matter of selecting the option from the pull-down. Assuming the environment is now to your taste, editing can begin.

The available edit options include a magnifying glass allowing access to specific note information, a pencil for note addition, a magic wand for altering existing notes, a hand for dragging notes, an eraser for deletion, a toolize option which applies a specified tool to selected notes, a bounding box to make the aforementioned multiple selections and, finally, definable step time recording.

The next four icons allow adjustment of the aforementioned definable settings; as a result, any note length or volume can be set for note entry in both step-time or during free-hand editing. The final four buttons further enhance display and editing via twin zoom buttons, a playback option — either with or without additional tracks — and finally a toggleable measure-to-SMPTE time display. Assuming any editing is complete, the window can be returned to its sandwich whilst we move on to the tap at the start of the output pipe.

MULTI-EDIT

Above the afore-mentioned tracks come the program's group, playback and multi-edit features. There is a solo selection button which toggles the output of the sequence, dependent on track selection — for example, if just one track is selected, the sequence will cut and re-connect the valves to either solo or cut as required.

The same situation applies to group selections, and as a result it's possible to place all the percussion tracks in a group, select them by their group number and then solo or remove when appropriate.

Global editing is taken to its logical extreme next with the 'toolize' feature which applies a specified tool across all the tracks in the sequence — quantise being a perfect example. After toolize comes the aforementioned group feature, allowing up to eight different track groups to be defined and then played back or edited as independent units.

Next up come the transport controls and tempo options — although the controls offered in the Track window are really only a cut-down version of the full transport options well look at a little later. From here all the basics are possible, with mouse-driven tempo adjustment plus point and click tape deck control for playback, record and rewind, alongside a counter showing present song position.

Although single track editing has had a brief mention it by no means offers the powerful multitrack cut and paste we've all come to expect. As a result, it's here that the program's fairly unobtrusive multi-edit options come into their own. Multi-track cut and paste and general sequence management is probably the most important function on offer, with 12 assorted flags allowing four definable key song positions, definable punch-in and punch-out, looped sections, edit markers for multiple cut and paste, plus a moveable stop button ready to terminate playback at any point.

Although rather confusing initially, all 12 flags follow exactly the same principles of placement. As a result, a simple click and drag to the appropriate point is all that's required to set up the option, whether it be a key position, looped section or a cut and paste area. Though closely linked to the transport window mentioned earlier, the so called 'flags' have their own window, allowing numerical adjustment while activation of the specified punch-in and loop sections is handled by the main transport.

TOOL TAILS...

Although rather innocuous, it's the 79 tools briefly touched on at the beginning that make B&P Pro2 really special. Due to the numbers involved, a complete explanation of each is out of the question — however, it's safe to say that if there's a specific need, either an individual or combination of tools will fit the bill.

Obviously, with the addition of Media Madness, a fair selection of the supplied tools are related to such things as anims, stills, Scala, genlocks, samples, the IV-24 and so on. However, even with the sizeable multimedia collection the vast majority remain musical, fitting very roughly into three basic categories:

• First come the fairly familiar special effects such as echo, delay, reverse, harmonise, chord builder and so on. In short the sort of effects you'd expect from a pseudo signal processor.

• Next come the splitter effects which — by reading either the velocity or pitch — filter certain notes to another track or perhaps replace one patch with another after a specific volume.

• Lastly come the pipe-orientated tools such as branch out, merge, transpose, feedback and so on. Although not usually responsible for altering the sound directly, these channelling tools provide an invaluable link to other tracks. As a result it's possible to build huge sounds from just a single note which feeds through a network of tools and tracks, picking up effects and additional sounds in the process.

The final twist in the tool tail is the program's macro option, which allows you to build totally new tools by combining existing ones within a special window. Once complete, the new tool can be saved and installed just like any other. If by pure chance you create a really great effect, the assorted tools and pipe-work can be duplicated within a macro tool and saved for posterity, ready to be re-installed — complete with designer icon — alongside your existing collection.

Just like MIDI tools, the program's multimedia options are simply too diverse to cover fully in the space available, but to give you just a taste of the power on hand, here's a guide to one of the simplest Media Madness options — the IFF viewer.

IN A NUTSHELL...

Although noted for my less than enthusiastic closing paragraphs, I must admit that I'm at a loss to knock what is one of the best releases in months, if not years.

On the musical side, the package is near faultless and with the much improved printing and, of course, the incredible Media Madness option, B&P Pro2 is without doubt the hottest item in both the sequencing and multimedia market. It's true that you'll need a really powerful machine to run the sequencing and multimedia elements in tandem, but to be fair that's the case with all the better multimedia systems — which at best only offer minimal MIDI options.

If you can possibly scrape the money together and invest in B&P Pro2, I guarantee you won't be disappointed. Quite simply the most flexible sequencing environment for the Amiga.

Further Information

Bars & Pipes Pro2 £299.99 inc VAT; £199 os on upgrade or in exchange for any Amiga sequencing software, complete with original manual.

Meridian Software Distribution, (Contact Details).