One of the results of the introduction of a sync-to-tape facility on sequencers and drum machines was to free tape tracks for other uses. Shirley Gray examines an 8-track computer-based sequencer system which can increase the potential of your studio.

Firstly, a little clarification. An 8-track computer based sequencer package like the Joreth will allow you to digitally record, play back, drop in, overdub, bounce and edit, but here its similarities to a conventional multitrack tape recorder end. It will record only information from MIDI keyboards, and other MIDI system commands and is not a recorder of acoustic sound sources. However, if your music is synthesiser-based or even if you use MIDI keyboards as part of your set-up, such a system can prove to be a useful recording tool.

The programmable sequencer also has another advantage for the studio user in that all the relevant parts can be written in and perfected beforehand, thus saving valuable studio time. With the combination of the ability to sync-to-tape and the introduction of MIDI it has become possible to run virtually any number of MIDI-equipped sequencers and drum machines off a synchronisation code which has been previously recorded onto one track of the multitrack machine. This means in effect that all the drum and keyboard parts can be run live on the mix and recorded first generation onto the 2-track master at the expense of only one track, leaving the remainder free for other instruments. Unfortunately polyphonic MIDI sequencers don't come cheap. Due to the substantial amount of memory required you can expect to pay a good few hundred pounds for one with only a couple of channels and a limited number of notes. But many musicians have enough memory for a sophisticated fully polyphonic multitrack sequencer available to them already, in the shape of a home computer. All that's needed is the appropriate software and an interface to convert the digital codes the computer uses into MIDI messages.

Music Software for home computers has been available in various forms for as long as home computers have been around, but the earlier attempts made use of the somewhat limited sounds which the computer itself could produce. It wasn't until the introduction of MIDI that it became worthwhile to write the extremely complicated software required for programs enabling the home computer to control external synthesisers. One firm who have taken the plunge are Joreth Music, and this brings us (at last) to the item under review.

The System

Basically, it's a MIDI software and interface package for the Commodore 64, with which you can record up to 9000 notes polyphonically on eight tracks in real-time (physically playing your part in), with or without velocity sensing from a MIDI keyboard. You can also do the same in step-time (keying in notes and note values) from either a MIDI keyboard or the CBM64 keyboard. Any combination of the eight tracks may be played simultaneously. Full editing facilities are available and data may be saved onto disk. If recording in step-time you also get the benefit of a 'score-writer' on the screen, and if in possession of an MPS801 printer or its equivalent, you can print out a file in musical notation. In real-time, your timing may be tidied up (quantised) by ten different degrees. The interface has sockets for synchronising non-MIDI equipment as well as three MIDI outputs enabling the system to run up to three MIDI instruments directly. Of course you can connect any number of instruments provided they are equipped with MIDI Out or Thru sockets.

Several disks are available each with corresponding explanatory pamphlets. The main system involved here is the Music Composer System itself (MCS), which encompasses the Real-Time System and the Composer System (steptime) with Score-Writer. Also available is a Real-Time Linker System which is a modified version of the Real-Time System and may be used individually or with the MCS. To operate any of the systems you have to read the pamphlets thoroughly, as there's very little given away on screen for the first time user. Joreth's priorities for the use of the 64K bytes which constitute the available memory have been to store the largest number of notes whilst keeping the system as versatile as possible. The initial file you are presented with is a 'Help' file which includes an introduction to the various files and instructions on how to load them, but rather than guiding you step-by-step through initial operation, it gives you tips and news of latest improvements to the software design. It's possible to load it in for reference while you are using the main system. As a purchaser of any of the Joreth products you may have your files updated regularly upon an additional payment of £10.

Terminology

Joreth have understandably found it necessary to introduce quite a lot of their own terminology and it would be very difficult, indeed confusing, to try to describe the system without first explaining some of the terms used. They have chosen to dispense with multitrack tape recorder analogies (after all, computers don't have tracks) and have called each 'track' a Part. A combination of Parts played simultaneously is called a Tune, while a string of Tunes played one after the other is called a Song. When using the Real-Time Linker each of 16 commands concerning the selection and repetition of certain sections is called a Link, and a sequence of Links is called a Track. Up to eight Tracks can be performed simultaneously, with the sequence of Links in each Track being independent.

The AL25 MIDI Link

As I mentioned in the introduction, in order for the computer to be able to converse with MIDI instruments there has to be a piece of hardware (the 'interface') to translate the MIDI signals into computer data (and vice versa). It would have been nice if software writers had all got together and decided upon a standard so that with the one interface you could use many different items of software. Of course this hasn't happened yet, so when you buy MIDI software from a particular firm you are usually obliged to buy their interface though there are exceptions. The Joreth version is connected into the user port on the CBM64 via a ribbon cable. However they have thoughtfully included in their program an option for you to use cartridge port interfaces made by other manufacturers such as Microvox, Steinberg, Siel and Jellinghaus. Joreth opted to use the user port as employing the cartridge port instantly swallows eight Kbytes of the available memory.

The interface has the following sockets: MIDI In, three MIDI Outs, Line Sync In, and Line Sync Out. Therefore this system can synchronise with both MIDI and non-MIDI equipment which is good practice. (Other manufacturers please take note.) The Line Sync Out may also be used for syncing to tape if used in conjunction with a conversion device such as the modestly priced MPC Synctrack although in fact some users have achieved tape syncing from this socket without such a device. Many potential customers will in any case have the tape sync facility already fitted to their drum machines, which they can link up to the interface.

The unit also possesses an Ext Sync switch for use when using non-MIDI equipment. This selects whether the starting, stopping, and tempo of the performances will be controlled internally by the computer or externally via the line sync input. There's also a Mixdown switch which enables you to mix together Parts you have previously recorded in Real-Time onto a vacant Part. This is analogous to bouncing tracks together onto a spare track on a multitrack tape recorder. Thirdly a Panic button is fitted, whose function is to recover the program in the event of a system crash and keeps unharmed any data you have in the memory. Finally we have a socket for a single pole non-latching footswitch. This is not supplied, but you can pick them up quite easily from electronic stores, and if you're a keyboard player you may have one already disguised as a sustain pedal. With the footswitch you can drop in and make corrections or extensions to a Real-Time Part. This is done by copying one Part over to a vacant Part, and making the change as you copy. Your original Part is not erased, and because the recordings are stored in digital form you can make as many bounces as you like without any loss of quality, which is certainly not the case with conventional tape recorders.

Okay, so that's the hardware part of the package dealt with. Now what about the software?

The MCS Real-Time System.

This system is basically designed for people who have a reasonable keyboard technique and wish to use the computer as a real-time 8-track recorder. Recording resolution is up to 96 units per metronome beat. Once your interface is connected to your MIDI keyboard, selected the relevant disk and loaded the Real-Time system into the computer, the initial screen display will appear. Recording your first piece is just a matter of pressing a few cursor keys, answering a few questions and playing. Before you start you choose the tempo, ranging from 20 to 999 beats per minute with a default value of 100. For the first Part of each new Tune you also have to tell the computer after how many 'beats in' you wish the recording to commence. Upon entering this your television or VDU will emit metronome clicks for you to play in time to. For this occasion only you can leave the metronome going for as long as you like before you start to play as the computer knocks the extra beats off on playback automatically. Recording is stopped by pressing the space bar when you have finished, and unlike many other sequencers, there is no hurry to do this as any blank recorded after the last note entered is not retained in memory. Overdubs on to other Parts can be performed whilst listening to previously recorded Parts which are numbered 0-7 and may be recorded in any order. Your second and subsequent Parts may be longer than the first if necessary. It's a very quick operation to play back any particular Part as soon as you've finished recording it, but in order to re-record a Part it is first necessary to erase that Part which involves nine key operations. This is a good protection measure but means that getting a good performance down can take quite a while until you are very familiar with the operations.

Once several Parts have been laid down, any combination may be played simultaneously by allotting them to a Tune, and playing that Tune. There are eight Tunes, so you can have eight possible combinations of Parts. (Any, all, or indeed none of the Parts may be allotted to each Tune.) If you want to perform Tunes end to end in a specific order you first write this order (a 'Songstream') into a Song, which in itself may be up to 80 Tunes long.

If we look at the top line of the initial screen display we see a number on the left displaying the current metronome speed. When playing the Tune or Song, the number of elapsed metronome beats is displayed on screen on the line below this. The contents of the top line are concerned with the synchronisation of drum machines and the like with the computer. I won't go into them in detail, suffice it to say that you can start, stop and run both MIDI and non-MIDI drum machines and sequencers from the computer, or vice versa. It's also possible to designate different time values for the metronome beat, making it possible to solve virtually any time-base mis-matching between different units. For instance if a drum machine part and a sequenced keyboard part are written independently and there's a time-base mis-match, you could find that the drum machine is running twice the speed of the keyboard part. Under normal circumstances you'd have to re-program one of the units, but this is not the case with the Joreth system.

One other option open too the user is whether or not to record key velocity information (touch sensitivity), as it uses up extra memory. If you have already recorded velocity information, you may also choose whether or not you wish to impart it on playback.

Editing

Editing your music is possible via a special edit screen which can be selected as soon as the first Part is completed. The display lists the contents of the memory file line-by-line, including metronome beat number, note on/off time and pitch. You can list from any line number you choose, but unless you list from the beginning, the metronome beat numbers displayed bear no relation to where you are in the music; so if you start from the middle, the first one listed will be beat 0, the second beat 1 and so on. The editing method consists of finding the relevant line and over-writing it and this can become a long process as not only is it hard to find the relevant line but you can only edit one screen-full of lines at a time.

The really good news about the editor, though, is that the user can change every aspect of the MIDI information. Parameters that can be altered include the notes, the timing, the amount of pitch bend. Lines (and hence music) may be repeated, inserted or deleted, and it's even possible to add extra commands to select a particular tone-bank, start and stop a MIDI or non-MIDI drum machine, change metronome speed, transpose and change the program on effects units. This capability represents a powerful tool in a mixdown or even a live performance situation as a master control unit.

In the Real-Time system, extra facilities available include the ability to save the entire contents of memory on disk and load from disk, although Songstreams will not be memorised. Also any part may be transposed on playback by 24 semitones up or down, and any erroneous timing may be corrected without the original data being altered. You may also assign each part to a particular MIDI channel, but it should be noted that some synths are designed to receive on only one channel and in order to achieve a multitrack effect (as against a multi-timbral effect) you need to use MIDI channel assignable synths. The Real-Time system also has its own special editor called the Trimmer whose prime function is removing count-in beats. This becomes necessary sometimes because if when recording your first Part you anticipate the first beat (no matter by how small an amount), when automatically adding the count-in the computer will add one more than you asked for. It expects you to play on or after the first beat of the Part, not before. So if your song starts on an upbeat, this will have to be taken into account. The Trimmer also gives control of the key velocity handling system and in addition allows you to alter the note 'off' times, thus modifying the feel of the performance.

The Composer System

This is the Step-Time system and it bears more than a passing resemblance in operation to the Casio CZ5000 step-time sequencer which, incidentally, it pre-dates. The notes or chords themselves (within a 5-octave range) are entered by playing the MIDI keyboard and can be displayed in a key of your choice, while the note lengths are obtained by either selecting a particular tone-bank on your MIDI keyboard, or using designated keys on the computer. The note value defaults to the value for the previous note, but if a combination of time values are to be repeated this can be done automatically. Seven basic values are available from semi-breve down to hemidemisemiquaver (1/64th note in American notation), and certain tonebanks and computer keys have been designated for rests, triplets, dotted notes, double-dotted notes, pauses, accents, ties, and staccato. Pitch information may also be entered on the CBM64 keyboard, so it's possible (although rather long-winded) to write a piece of music into the computer without a MIDI keyboard. Once your file is completed, in order to be performed it has first to be saved to disk and then loaded into the Real-Time system. If you then find you've made any errors they may be edited whilst in the Real-Time system or loaded back into the Composer system and edited there, so you have a choice. Once in the Real-Time system you may overdub in real-time, so it's possible to combine the two methods of writing: a very useful feature indeed. As with the Real-Time system, full editing is available via a special editing screen. Corrections or alterations may be made at will although, like the Real-Time editor, you can only edit one screen of lines before you have to re-list. The lines may be renumbered at any time, which gives you scope for inserting information between previously consecutive lines. While in Edit mode it's possible to save and load composer files from disk (even unrelated files may be loaded and run) and with the Merge facility you can combine two or more composer files which have been previously saved. There's a long list of commands which may be added, defining Part number, clef, tempo, key and time signatures, transposition, tone-bank, quantisation, sustain pedal operation, MIDI channel, MIDI and non-MIDI clock start/stop and time-base, non-MIDI sync off/on and just about anything else you can think of. There is also a Syntax checker which locates illegal entries automatically for you.

Score Writer

The Score-writer associated with the Composer system can be quickly displayed on screen and is useful for checking your input. As an aid to checking, the screen displays the line numbers from which the music is being taken above the relevant part of the stave. Two display modes are available, normal and compacted, and the print-outs from them seem to be of surprisingly good quality. One or two parts may be displayed simultaneously, and things like bar lines, time signatures and clefs appear automatically provided you have remembered to add the relevant information to the composer file.

If you can't read music but you are a songwriter you could find this a useful tool to prepare your songs for copyrighting purposes. Professional bodies like the PRS who collect royalties from television and radio broadcasts always require some sort of musical score. Furthermore, the score writer would be useful as an aid to help you learn to read music.

The Real-Time Linker

This can be considered to be an expansion of the Real-Time system and was designed primarily for writing music with many repetitions: verse, chorus, verse etc. If you refer to the terminology section earlier you will see that a Link is one of 16 possible elements of a Track. Each Link is simply an instruction for the computer, telling it to play (or loop) a certain section of one Part a defined number of times. You can also include commands to repeat a series of Links, so it's a flexible way of linking bits of Parts together into any order you wish.

You may write up to eight Tracks, a combination of which replaces Tune 0. Other Tunes which you may have previously written with the Real-Time system are unaffected. These Tunes may be strung together to form a Song, but unlike the MOS the Songstream may be saved to disk, as can the Links on their own, or the Links plus the music data. The Linker also has a much improved editor which includes metronome beats numbered from the start of the Part. As well as listing from a particular byte you are now able to list from a particular beat, which the musician would find far easier to relate to.

Additional Products

There are some extra utilities which are available from Joreth for use with the Music Composer system. The Real-Time Part Loader allows you to load previously dumped Parts separately in any order into the Real-Time system, from different disks if necessary. It comes either as a separate disk or as an extra file on the Real-Time Linker disk. The Key Programmer software allows you to shift the key and reset transposition of Composer files, while with the Style software you can define the meanings of normal and staccato notes to change the style of playing to give a more clipped or sustained effect. This may also come in useful with certain synthesisers which are unable to respond quickly enough to note 'on' commands immediately following the same note 'off' commands.

Joreth software disks include an operation check for the AL25 interface, and alternative software versions for a number of different printers, as well as providing alternative software for CBM64s with American specifications.

In Use

Joreth Music are quick to point out that the introduction of an all-encompassing 'Help' section for beginners into the basic program would have necessitated an unacceptable compromise on the amount of memory available and the flexibility of the system, and my first comments on the Joreth Music Composer system have to be that it certainly has a large note capacity and is extremely versatile indeed. Joreth have had the foresight to supply quick reference guides so that you don't have to spend ages flicking through the 68-page manual.

Something I found annoying was having to remove metronome beats because you'd slightly anticipated the first beat. I would have preferred to have been able to specify the count-in and sacrificed the facility of being able to let the metronome go on for as long as I liked before starting. Also, as virtually no one is going to do a satisfactory 'take' first go every time, so parts are going to have to be re-done frequently, and it might have been an idea to have incorporated a quicker way of doing this.

On the plus side it was very thoughtful to include every possible option for syncing MIDI and non-MIDI instruments, as this has been quite a problem in the past. Also the editing capabilities in both the Real-Time and Step-Time systems are pretty phenomenal. Imagine being able to run a mix with the Joreth synchronised to tape controlling drum machine start stop and tempo, MIDI keyboard parts and patch changes, and MIDI effects unit program changes. (Echo on the vocal every time there's a chorus, changing to ADT for the verses is a simple example.) There's no doubt that this would take a while to program, but once saved to disk you've always got it. This would give the engineer a lot more freedom on mixdown as well as extending the capabilities of the multitrack tape machine and ensuring a first generation sound onto the master for keyboards and drums. Your own computer effects mix for under £250!

Given the potential of this system it was a pity that the actual process of editing had been rather glossed-over in the manual and it's quite difficult to know what to do if you have never done any programming on a CBM64. Indeed it's rather assumed that the user is familiar with editing Basic programs. This is a shame because it's actually very easy once you know what to do. An additional problem is that it's quite difficult to find the correct line to edit. In the Real-Time system the beat numbers are only relevant if you start from the beginning every time, so to find out which line a particular beat is on can take ages as scrolling is fairly slow. Also if you pass the relevant point you have to re-list as you can't scroll backwards. Happily with the Real-Time Linker the problem with beat numbers has been corrected, which helps matters enormously. Musicians who are used to using drum machines and other sequencers might find it a bit strange to have to think in beats rather than bars, but that's not difficult to get used to.

Conclusions

As a system the Joreth MCS enables you to do just about anything you might want to do with an 8-track MIDI sequencer including changing tone-banks automatically and running MIDI and non-MIDI equipment in sync. There's the added bonus in that you can obtain print-outs with the Score-Writer. The editors are very flexible indeed, Joreth have enabled you to have total control over all the MIDI information whether you've used the Real-Time or the Step-Time system. To improve on the long-winded editing procedure, the improvements included with the Linker system have made editing a lot simpler as well as making it possible to sub-loop sections of data when recording repetitive phrases. I think there should be more information on screen in general, though, and the manual is occasionally somewhat vague in places although extremely detailed in others.

If you have a CBM64 and are looking for a MIDI sequencer this is definitely a system worth considering, although it's relatively complicated and you have to be prepared to spend not a few evenings learning how to use it if you want to get the most out of it. It must be noted that you will need a disk drive to run this software; it's not possible to run the system from cassette. Joreth welcome feedback from users and are continually up-dating and improving their software based on this feedback and if you do get a problem, you can always phone for advice. They also provide a very strong back-up service where for a single payment of £10 they will continually update your software as the system evolves, which has to be a point in their favour.

The MCS plus interface costs £225. (They are available separately.) The complete system (everything mentioned in this review with the addition of a Casio CZ series Tone Editor) is available for £325. Both prices include VAT.

For further information contact: Joreth Music, (Contact Details).