Technical questions answered by Ian Waugh

Q Would you please answer a couple of questions regarding Atari computers as I have trouble finding a local music shop able to help me?

I want to purchase an Atari STE and a synthesiser with Cubase software. I don't have any computing experience but I have experience of keyboards and sequencing. I am puzzled over the different music software available.

What sounds can I purchase on disk for the Atari STE and would I be able to use other synth sounds, regardless of what synth I have? A sales assistant in a local music shop told me I would be able to use disks with sounds for Korg, Roland etc., even without the relevant synth, as long as they were on Atari self-loading disks with the relevant editors.
John Cole
Liskeard

A If your local shop can supply you with such a system - buy it! Get me one, too, please! However, I suggest we'd all be better served if your local music shop finds itself a new assistant...

I think there is some confusion over the role of the STE - or any computer for that matter - in a music set-up. You seem fairly happy with its use running a sequencer program so we'll take that as read. There are computer-based Voice Editors for most synthesisers. They basically offer an alternative to the small LCDs found on most synths but all they do is alter a synth's parameters, just as you can do from the synth's front panel. Editors are generally quite graphic and make voice creation easier than wading through nests of numeric menus.

It's important to realise, however, that the actual sounds are still produced by the synth, and not by the Editor. When you save a 'sound' to disk, all you are saving are the parameters or a set of numbers which define the sound - not the sound itself.

Each synth has its own very individual method of producing sounds so you cannot send the parameters which create, say, a piano sound on one synth to another synth and expect to get the same sound. Like it or not, the other synth will ignore the parameters completely.

There are sounds available for most synthesisers - check out the ads in MT on Atari disks. These may come in a self-loading format which means the disk contains a program which will send the sound data to the synth automatically. A separate editor is not inquired but you do need the relevant synth! They may also be available as a MIDI file which you would have to load into a sequencer before sending.

However, and perhaps this is where some confusion has crept in, the STE can play sampled sounds using programs such as Tracker - although the quality is not the highest (technically, the samples are 8-bit) and there are limits, such as how many notes you can play at once and so on. But using samples you can play any sound from any keyboard using only your STE - providing someone has sampled it first, of course. However, because of quality and playback limitations, such samples are of limited use for 'serious' music production. There are many Public Domain disks containing STE samples and sound demos, available from most ST PD Libraries.

Before you buy an STE, check out Atari's new Falcon. It's more expensive and not all ST software runs on it - although Cubase does - but it has direct-to-disc recording facilities built-in. Of course, for the price of a top-end Falcon you could also buy a low-end Mac or a pretty powerful PC! I'd also read up a bit about sequencers and voice editors, and decide exactly what you need from a synth.

Q I have an SY77 and I'm considering buying an Alesis D4. Can I use the SY77 to trigger sounds from the D4 with Cubase so that I can have Cubase controlling the SY77 and D4 simultaneously? If so, which MIDI connections do I make and can I assign any D4 sound to any key on the SY77 so that the D4 sounds whilst the SY77 is in Multi mode, allowing Cubase to control the SY77 sounds along with the D4 via the SY77?

Is it possible to store drum maps for the D4 in the SY77's internal memory and use them in Multi mode with the D4? Finally, does the D4 have effects such as flange, chorus, reverb, delay and so on?
Robin Grant
Lytham

A I think there's a couple of concepts which need clearing up here. The D4 is just like any synth in that you can control it from the SY77 - or from Cubase. It responds to note numbers, just like a synth, except each note triggers a different drum sound rather than playing one sound at different pitches.

Now, the assignment of the drum sounds to the note numbers (keys!) is known as the drum map. This is set up in the D4 and has nothing to do with assigning "any D4 sound to any key on the SY77".

As the D4 works just like a synth you can control it and the SY77 from Cubase and there are a number of ways you can connect the equipment. One is to connect the SY77's MIDI Out to the ST's In, the ST's Out to the SY77's In and the SY77's Thru to the D4's In. However, in order to trigger the D4 from the SY77 you have to play it through Cubase so you must switch on the program's MIDI Thru function. Also, switch Local Control Off on the SY77 so that the notes you play are not echoed back from Cubase.

This set-up means that you can't play the D4 from the SY77 without repatching everything. It also means you have to switch Local Control back on if you want to play the SY77 without booting up Cubase. Another option would be to use a MIDI switcher which would allow you to select a number of different sources to trigger your instruments. I can recommend heartily the Philip Rees 5X5 which is very good value at £99, although there are other units. The 5X5 allows you to connect five Ins and Outs. Switchers are useful as soon as you have three items of MIDI equipment to connect together. More than three and they are essential. Philip Rees does produce smaller (and cheaper) boxes, too.

As far as playing the D4 with the SY77 in Multi mode goes, the easiest way is to set the D4 to MIDI channel 10, for example, and simply don't assign any sounds to channel 10 on the SY77. An alternative would be to use a separate MIDI Out. You don't say which computer you have. If it's the ST you can buy a MIDI expansion unit for £25-£30 from companies such as Tesseract ((Contact Details)), Hands On ((Contact Details)) and the UKMA ((Contact Details)). Other computers generally require a special interface with separate Outs (as opposed to multiple Outs) which are more expensive. The D4 doesn't have built-in effects but some of the sounds have been effected - there are flanged and phased snares, for example, and reverb has been added to many sounds.

Q Help! I recently bought a second-hand Peavey DPM V3 rackmount synth which I was very impressed with until a few days ago! When I turned it on the other night it inadvertently initialised itself. This involves wiping all 200 sounds and drums from the memory! This would have been okay if I had saved the data but having just bought the thing I had not yet acquired any memory cartridges.

I would be extremely grateful if anyone out there who happens to own a DPM V3 or keyboard equivalent which has the original patches or memory cartridge who would be willing to lend me some so I can resuscitate my synth. Otherwise I may have to fork out a hefty sum to recover the sounds, or start programming. On a related subject, I have a PC running Voyetra Sequencer Plus at the centre of my set-up. I know it should be possible to download data from either the DPM V3 or my Roland R5 drum machine to the PC and save it to disk, but I'm buggered if I know how to do it! Do I require some extra software or should I be able to do a bulk dump to the sequencer? I can't find anything in the manual about this.
Peter Morton,
Liverpool

A Unfortunately, the DPM V3 does not store the programs in ROM but uses a rechargeable battery to hold the sounds in RAM. From your letter it's not clear if the unit had lain unused for any length of time (although it sounds unlikely) in which case the memory loss would be understandable. If the unit is left switched on for two or three hours, the battery should charge and store the sounds for two to three months.

Another possible cause of memory loss is a DSP error which could occur if the unit has had a knock and a chip edges out of its socket enough to make a bad contact. Repair would require opening the unit and gently pushing all the chips home - if you're not happy about doing this you may need the help of a friendly service engineer.

Finally, the battery may have given up the ghost and if so you will definitely need to visit a friendly service engineer.

So much for the cause of the problem. The solution is easy - contact Peavey ((Contact Details)), ask for Jock and he will send you a disk containing the factory sounds. But do say it's in response to my reply to your letter in MT to jog his memory (batteries not included with technical personnel!). The sounds are supplied in Satellite format for the ST and as a standard MIDI dump on an ST/PC disk. You need the latter.

Which brings us to your sequencer. There are actually several versions of the Voyetra Sequencer Plus but only the Gold version supports System Exclusive data. As you can find no mention of SysEx in the manual, it sounds as if you have one of the other versions. Voyetra distributor Computer Music Systems ((Contact Details)) have a good upgrade policy, so you can move up to Gold if you wish. If you don't, send them a tenner and they will send you a copy of SYSEX.COM which will let your PC handle SysEx dumps.

Finally, memory cartridges are very useful, if somewhat more expensive than floppy disks, and give you instant access to programs. They should be readily available from your local music shop or from Peavey.

Q I have an RTL Event MIDI SMPTE machine and I'm wondering where I can get a manual for it. I have tried everything. It feels like I have been running my head into a wall. I'll be grateful for your help. Greetings from the land of the Polar Bear.
Thomas Hellstrom
Vasteras, Sweden

A Gosh, I'll bet your head hurts. Dig out the bandages and run around no more. The unit you mention has not been produced for about three years but those awfully nice people at Computer Music Systems ((Contact Details)) just happen to have a manual for it which they promised to photocopy and send to you. You should, in fact, have it by the time your read this. Are they good guys or what! Greetings from the land of the lager lout...