MIDI IN THE HOME

Talented? Musically frustrated? Read on...

There is a growing trend towards using the computer as a tool in the composition and performance of music using the new range of low cost keyboards and synthesizers. We decided to keep up with this trend and present a guide to what is available and how it can be used for both expert and newcomer alike.

As we are a computer magazine we are concentrating on this aspect and our information on the instruments is not "in depth" - this could be the subject of a magazine in its own right!

Arguably, CASIO are the Sinclair of the keyboard world, three years ago their £40 machine caused as much stir as the ZX81 in its day, and even now their CZ101 is the cheapest MIDI machine on the market at around £350.00. I know several people personally who owned an early Casio, went into computing and, returning to bigger machines have now linked both interests together, and they are not all millionaires either - one is a schoolboy and another is unemployed!

SIEL PROGRAMES
Live Sequencer £122.00
Sound Editor £54.35

Two variations on each of these programs, each designed for the Siel instruments, either the DK600 range (£999.99) or the MK80 range. Although primarily for their synths, they often work with other instruments, this is well worth checking especially for the Editor which is superb! (but I couldn't get it to work with the Korg).

But first, a mention of the Sequencer, this does the same job as the others mentioned, neither better nor worse, so what else is there to say except that it worked on the JVC as well as the Siels?

SOUND EDITOR

This is the "Ultimate" program of the synth world. It has everything, great graphics, user,-friendly and (eventually) what sounds!

The program is menu driven and every screen allows you to access an appropriate help page. Most of the program operates from screen pictures selected by cursor. From the larger master displays you change to more detailed panels and as you alter the settings of the graphical knobs they change to the correct position.

The DEG shape is displayed and modified as you alter the parameters, and there is also a histogram and numeric representation of the parameters. Colour is used well to highlight all these displays.

The only blemish on the horizon is a warning they give that some issues of Spectrums cause a problem with the CHORD option, the synth doing a Sinclair type reset. This did in fact happen and, as I was using a Spectrum +, it is likely that this option is 95% useless.

I loved the PLAY test option which arpeggios up and down and around the scale to try out the sound, I could listen to it for hours. You guessed it, I'm impressed.

If you've got a DK80 then this program is a must, and if you haven't then it's a good reason for considering buying one! All their documentation is on double thickness printer paper, (rather down-market) it is easy to understand yet enough information is also provided so that a machine code expert could write his own programs.

AND FINALLY...

The prices of the instruments will vary quite a lot from place to place so don't take them as gospel, they are meant as a guide.

I must say a sincere thank you to all those who lent me all this very expensive equipment, Vince Hill Associates and Siel, Mr. Chapman and Rosetti, Richard Young and Casio, XRI (who have just brought out a Juno 106 and DX7 editor and are about to release a composer program) and Paul Waby for lending me his Korg.