Mike Barnes provides a comprehensive rundown of available music software for the Atari, Macintosh, IBM PC, and Amiga computers.

Since the Commodore 64, and to a lesser extent the BBC micro, first introduced MIDI to the personal computer user in the UK, the music software market has steadily grown and become (reluctantly in many cases) accepted as a serious, almost invaluable tool for music making. However, it was not until the past year that there has been a substantial national interest in this particular area of music. The unreliability of early music software meant that a great number of studios were slow on the uptake of software-based music systems, preferring to stick with the tried and trusted hardware sequencers. Additionally, the original software situation was such that there were only a small number of software manufacturers, who tended to market towards extremes such as providing an advanced IBM-based sequencing system for the professional studio user, and an extremely stripped down budget version for the home Sinclair Spectrum/Commodore 64 user. There was no middle ground presence of a high performance, low-cost computer to attract a pool of software affordable and available to the masses. The advent of a cheap but powerful computer in the shape of the Atari 520/1040ST, which could fulfill the needs of both professional and home user alike, has radically altered this situation.

The popularity of the Atari ST machine has given the music software manufacturers the necessary impetus to provide advanced and relatively inexpensive music tools. This has had an enormous knock-on effect for other software manufacturers, who have been forced to become more and more innovative and to exploit the music capabilities of whatever computer they write for. The combined effect of these and other related factors has been to push software-based samplers, sequencers, voice editors and librarians into the limelight, and forced the music industry to sit up and realise that computers have finally come of age. It has become apparent that to ignore this technology is to ignore a music tool with the biggest creative potential seen this century.

Obviously there are both pros and cons attached to music software as the current situation stands. Even today, after a few years of practice, the software manufacturers have been unable to instill the necessary confidence in a product such that bands will happily tour with a computer. Dedicated hardware still offers robustness and, hopefully, 100% reliability. To many people, these two fundamental 'features' are still a pre-requisite for any equipment which lays claim to being 'professional'. For others, bugs, crashes, and gremlins are an acceptable part of everyday music life. The open-endedness of a computer and the limitations of dedicated hardware are being juxtaposed more than ever, such that the whole way that users look at equipment is changing. The fact remains that your local music shop won't be able to do the 'mod' to turn your humble but rock-solid QX5 into a word processor/games machine to occupy those odd pensive moments which interrupt inspired composition.

THE HARDWARE

In Britain, there are really only four computers currently competing for a share of the music-related market: the Apple Macintosh, IBM PC (and clones), the Commodore Amiga and, of course, the Atari ST. Due to a highly competitive pricing policy and an excellent distribution network, the Atari appeared with, and has maintained, a very high profile amongst music retailers and conventional electronic retail stores alike. It has consequently stolen the lion's share of the total market (ie. home user/semi-pro/pro). However, because of the ubiquitous international presence of IBM, many top studios with international clientele have opted for an IBM PC (or Amstrad!) installation. Additionally, the popularity of the Macintosh amongst many top American and British producers, and within the US PAN network, has given this machine its reputation as a high quality music workstation and ensured its popularity amongst music professionals. Similarly, the reputation of the Commodore 64, with its consistent involvement with MIDI from its inception (eg. through Sequential products), has meant that a large number of devoted Commodore users are switching to the newer Amiga for music applications.

There are, of course, newcomers such as the much raved about 32-bit Acorn Archimedes, with its incredibly fast RISC technology which threatens to become an enormous seller. But from a music point of view, the software houses have promised much but, so far, have delivered almost nothing. We also should not forget 8-bit oldies such as the excellent Apple II, which is competitively priced and is still well served from all software angles. However, these latter two machines are in the minority, and it is therefore appropriate here to focus on the 'big four'.

This article assumes you've weighed up your budget and feature requirements to a particular computer and thus selected your machine from the relatively small group of choices mentioned. This available hardware is well publicised and documented (see 'Choosing A Computer For Music' SOS March 88 for further guidance) and no attempt will be made to argue in favour of any of the alternatives here. What will be provided is a survey of available music software for each of the 'big four', to enable the user to keep his/her head above water on wading into the sea of MIDI software. Don't let anyone tell you differently - the market is vast, with big and small fish rubbing shoulders and coming up with some very innovative products. When you've cast your eye over the following summary, you'll be fuelled with the necessary information to outwit the salesman who says: "Of course, you know there's only one pro sequencer for the ******** computer!"

Please bear in mind the following points when choosing your software, they might save you making an expensive mistake!

10 COMMANDMENTS

The Software Buyer's Bible:

1 As you might expect, there are particularly 'popular' music programs for each make of computer. These so-called 'industry standards' feature in many professional and semi-pro recording studios around the country, and will therefore be familiar to the engineers and producers at these studios. If you intend to compose/arrange your music via computer at home and then record and mix in a studio, it may be advantageous to use one of these programs.

2 Established software will provide the opportunity to trade or borrow, for example, synthesizer voice libraries with other users. This can be extremely cost-effective.

3 If you are particularly interested in experimental algorithmic music, then you may be better suited to one of the more innovative (but more uncommon) sequencer products, rather than the conventional 'tape recorder' simulation environments most sequencers adopt.

4 Software companies appear to emerge and disappear on a frighteningly short time-scale. Be careful to check up on longterm software support of a particular product. New, small companies are particularly liable to this type of ephemeral existence.

5 Take a good look at all the possibilities on offer. Don't buy a feature-packed product that has a manual like the Encyclopaedia Britannica and that you will probably never bother to work out how to use. At the same time, don't buy anything that you will outgrow as soon as you buy another multitimbral expander.

6 Make sure the dealer knows what he's talking about! If the program crashes, you will need a reputable dealer who can offer constructive advice on the other end of the phone (ie. beware of cheap mail orders, they can sometimes backfire on you).

7 Always bear in mind future expansion of your computer music system. Certain programs are designed to work in conjunction with one another, and can sometimes both be resident in memory simultaneously. For example, if you buy a sequencer without score transcription facilities, make sure that the MIDI data is saved in such a format as to be able to be interpreted by another program offering these facilities.

8 Beware that certain software updates require more memory than earlier versions. In other words, a software update can effectively 'outdate' your hardware. The Steinberg Pro-24 is a classic case. Anyone who bought a standard Atari 520ST could run early versions of the program but would be unable to run the most recent (memory intensive) version without first adding more memory to their computer.

9 If you have seen what appears to be a good software demonstration, it is advisable to check what type of interface hardware is being used for the demo. For example, is there a MIDI merge box or splitter box (ie. some 'extra' interface requirement) hiding somewhere that is required to make certain facilities in the software really usable?

10 Remain calm even after what appears to be a stunning demonstration! The demonstrator nearly always (as he should, of course) shows off the best features of a software package, hooked up to the best expanders, with the best effects processors in-line. He will have honed the demo down to a fine art - two mouse clicks, a few lines of 'spec' dialogue, a pause for you to hear a few stunning sounds, followed by a hint of a special 'today only' offer, a quick look at his watch to tell you that he's really busy, and then an expectant glance which means 'It's decision time folks!" Don't rush in with a flurry of ten pound notes and a Cheshire cat grin on your face. Instead, nod knowingly, ask a few probing questions (gleaned from reading magazine reviews, of course!) and - most importantly - keep a clenched fist around your wallet. Spontaneous purchase is a salesman's dream!

About the author: Mike Barnes is a musician, programmer, and freelance MIDI Product Specialist for Yamaha R&D, London.