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Quality Control

Labyrinth Video Manuals

for Cubase, Notator and Breakthru

Article from Music Technology, November 1993

Grab a pizza, shove in a video and learn about Cubase, Rotator or Breakthm with these new manuals for the TV age.


Video may have killed the radio star, will it kill the instruction manual?


Video manuals, most people would agree, are a 'good idea', but to date few company's seem to have regarded them as worth the investment in time and effort. It's interesting, therefore, to see a video production company getting involved, particularly as they have no axe to grid about promoting any specific product.

Labyrinth currently have six videos on release with more in the pipeline. Up for review here are the three which offer tutorials on popular software sequencers so let's break open the six-pack, grab the peanuts and see if they're more interesting than Neighbours.

The Cubase video runs for an hour and a half and is presented by Chris West, who was head Steinberg honcho at Harman until he left. It's a guide for the complete beginner and starts by telling you how to install Cubase in your chosen computer platform - PC, Mac or ST - and includes a few basic computer and mouse functions.

Chris then moves onto basic sequencer concepts such as tracks and patterns, copying and pasting, and gives you a taste of the four main edit screens - Score, Key, List and Drum.

Because of the relative brevity of the video (and the complexity of Cubase), there isn't time to be able to go into too much detail. Chris' presentation is relaxed and a somewhat 'ad-lib' but it's an easy watch. If you haven't used a computer before, it's an excellent introduction to Cubase. If you have, and already have the program up and running, you may be better off waiting for a more advanced video which Chris hints is to come.


The Emagic Notator video runs for two hours 20 minutes and is presented by Tim Walter, who runs a music production company. Again, the sheer number of features in Notator means it's impossible to cover everything, but this video is longer and you do get a good taste of what the program can do.

There are 28 Tutorials which cover most of the major program areas from basic recording to synchronisation and SMPTE. It's nice to see Tim tackle some less well-known topics, too, such as polyphonic staves, fonts, the Process Note Attributes and Midi Meaning screens. You also get a look at Graphic Arrange Mode and the Hyper Edit screen.

The Score editor features quite highly and you're given a real feel for its potential, although Tim himself could do with a few pointers about drum notation. That aside, the presentation is very good and though fairly off-the-cuff, not without its touches of levity. It certainly covers more ground than the Cubase video - although, again, a more advanced production is hinted at and if you're already comfortable with the program you may prefer to wait for this.

At two hours 27 minutes, the Breakthru video is another long un', this time presented by Alan Ackers, one of Gajits' directors. It's interesting to note that the presentation concentrates solely on the ST, even though I believe an Amiga version is due any day. However; the two formats will work in essentially the same way.

Four introductory sections tell you how to connect your MIDI gear, get the sequencer up and running and give you a fairly comprehensive overview of the program. Then come 12 lessons which take you through virtually every feature of the program ending with a troubleshooting section.

Alan's presentation is both clear and lucid. He must be reading from a script, but it's not at all apparent. There's none of the mistakes, hesitation or repetition you find in the other videos and Alan moves from lesson to lesson with purpose and some light whimsy.


All three videos come with an insert card listing the various sections of the programs and the time they last - although only the Cubase insert gives you a running time so you can fast-forward to a particular section without doing sums.

One of the problems with video manuals is that although they may be easy to watch and learn from, they simply cannot cram in as much information as a printed manual. The exception here is the Breakthru video which is, indeed, a complete video manual. Of course, Breakthru is a much less complex program so the task is not such a daunting one. Nevertheless, the writers and designers are to be congratulated for making full use of their time.

The price is obviously a major factor. With a Cubase Handbook available at £24.95, the higher price of a video which doesn't 'reveal all' could be off-putting. The Breakthru video is the exception content-wise - though its price does represent a higher percentage of the cost of the program it supports than the other videos. Still, if you hate manuals, the videos offer the sort of instruction a couch potato will love and they could do well in education, too.

After all the cuffuffle in the music business among £million companies over video manuals, it was left up to an independent company to take the initiative. And more power to their elbow. Let's hope the more advanced videos become a reality and we see the trend spread. Who'll be first to bundle a video with the software?

THE LAST WORD

Ease of use Easy as watching TV!
Originality Fairly typical of the genre
Value for money Printed manuals offer more detail, less fun
Star Quality More OU than Royal Command Performance
Price Cubase First In Series £34.95
Emagic & Notator £44.95
Getting the most from Breakthru & Breakthru Plus £39.95
More from Labyrinth Video Manual, (Contact Details)



Previous Article in this issue

Korg i3

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NJD MP820


Publisher: Music Technology - Music Maker Publications (UK), Future Publishing.

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Music Technology - Nov 1993

Quality Control

Review by Ian Waugh

Previous article in this issue:

> Korg i3

Next article in this issue:

> NJD MP820


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