#New Deluxe Music At Last
16 messages in this thread
THIS IS A REPOSTING FROM BIX, Copyright (c) 1992 by General Videotex Corp.
amiga.user/main #77, from talin, 3699 chars, Mon Dec 21 22:27:16 1992 There
is/are comment(s) on this message. ————————–
TITLE: Merry Christmas Amigans! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For over a year now, I've been working on an exciting project which,
unfortunately, I could not tell you about.
Last October, my company (The Dreamers Guild) was hired by Electronic
Arts to update Deluxe Music Construction Set for the Amiga. After some
review, it was decided that nothing less than a complete rewrite would
suffice. (None of the existing Amiga code was used — instead, I used the
current Mac version, written in Pascal, as a reference).
The project is now in testing, and is expected to be released in March
of next year. (BTW, the beta-testers have already been selected and
approved by EA, so please don't send me mail asking if you can be a
beta-tester).
Here just a few of the features of the new version:
o Complete new user interface design, in accordance with the Amiga
User Interface Style Guide. All aspects of the user interface
are now font-aware and resolution-aware.
o Complete ARexx implementation. Not only can you control almost
every facet of the program via ARexx, but you can also write
scripts that scan through the score, adding notes and making
changes. This allows you to create filtering scripts, or write
algorithmic composition programs. Also, an ARexx console, similar
to the one in TurboText, is provided, as well as the ability
to assign ARexx scripts to the Amiga function keys.
o Supports multiple display modes and public screens. (Should run
fine on a Moniterm-type monitor, where you'll be able to see
a full page of music at once!).
o Runs under both 2.0 and 1.3 (1.3 compatibility provided by
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emulation libraries).
o Vastly improved print quality. (From about 18 inches away, I
can't tell that it didn't come out of a music book!)
o Multiple documents (limited only by available memory).
o Many limitations removed or expanded.
o Improved memory use. Deluxe Music only takes what memory it needs
for the current music in memory, and uses a memory-block management
system to avoid fragmentation.
o Deluxe Music will come with a freely-distributable, stand-alone
player utility that can be used either from the CLI, or can be
used as a default tool for workbench icons. (Now you can upload
your songs to BIX, and upload the player as well!)
o Fully localizable using locale.library (emulated under 1.3).
o Supports the new "camd.library" and "realtime.library". Now Deluxe
Music can coexist with other MIDI programs, and use 3rd-party
serial cards. In addition, Deluxe Music will be able to synchronize
with animation players that use realtime.library for interactive
multimedia presentations.
o Uses a new file format, "FORM CMUS" (Common Musical Score) which
replaces the old SMUS score. CMUS will be a public file format,
unlike the old DMCS file format. (And I bet you all thought that
my big CMUS discussion in amiga.dev/standards had something to do
with Music-X, didn't you?)
o In addition to the new CMUS format, Deluxe Music also imports the
following file types:
— Old DMCS (FORM DMCS)
— Simple Musical Score (FORM SMUS)
— Standard MIDI (SMF)
— Music-X (FORM MSCX)
File type is automatically detected at load time — no need for
a seperate "import" command.
o Deluxe Music can save out CMUS, SMUS or Standard MIDI Files.
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o Deluxe Music will use the Commodore Installer utility.
========================== amiga.user/main #83, from pwright, 150 chars,
Tue Dec 22 00:11:15 1992 This is a comment to message 78. There is/are
comment(s) on this message. ————————–
Sounds wonderful!
What type of instruments does it use? Same DMCS instruments as before? Can
the instruments be included in the score file?
Phil
========================== amiga.user/main #97, from talin, 459 chars, Tue
Dec 22 04:39:46 1992 This is a comment to message 83. There is/are
comment(s) on this message. ————————–
It will use IFF sampled sounds, like before, although I'm hoping to get
some better instruments to ship with the product. YES, you will be able to
embed instruments within a score file, or not as you choose.
Also, in addition to supporting MIDI (using the camd library), I'm going
to be creating a driver to support Blue Ribbon's "One Stop Music Shop"
sound board. (And if anyone wants to send me hardware to play with, I'll
write drivers for them too 🙂
That is GREAT news about DMusic! It is a program that really deserves
the upgrade! I'm also glad Electronic Arts hasn't forgotten the Amiga
community completely.
Les, This is good news, now if EA could only be convinced to upgrade Deluxe
Video. Does anybody else like DV as much as I do?
Howard
– via Whap!
Howard,
I've made several videos with DVIII and find this program quite easy to
operate.
DVIV sounds great!!!!!!!!!!!!
Patrick White
{{{{{{{{{{ Auto Dispensing>>>>>>>>>>>>
I have DVideo3 but use The Director 2 instead. I probably should putz
around DVideo3. I seem to remember it having some nice features including
the VCR-like controls and the easy intergration of sound.
Art,
The new DMCS sounds great. Thanks for the info. How about adding
support for importing Bars&Pipes Pro files?
Happy New Year!
Dom Fontana
<– Sent from New York via AutoPilot –>
Is someone forgetting MOD files. Is there something inherently
incompatable between MOD and DMCS/SMUS that makes compatability not worth
the hassle?
MOD files and DMCS scores are inherently very different in layout.
MOD files are given as blocks of actions which are performed at
discrete time intervals, while DMCS scores are basically standard
music scores. It might be possible to translate from one to the
other, but not at all simple. It would be significantly easier to
convert from DMCS scores to MOD files than vice versa, but you'd
probably lose some information in the process. The other way you're
faced with quantizing problems, etc.
For example, does the note which gets played for 7 ticks get
translated to a quarter note? A sixteenth note? A quarter note
slurred with a dotted eighth? And how do you handle the fact that
the volume starts high, drops at the second tick, peaks up again at
the fourth tick, and drops to low by the end of the note? MOD files
let you do this, but it doesn't translate very well to common music
notation…
I sorta had that feeling it would not be so easy! Too bad someone doesn't
combing the note writing GUI of DMCS and integrate it with the
functionality of Octamed. Sounds like a job for Arexx somehow.
Bradlee,
Yes, MOD files would be great too. Sorry, but I don't know what would
be involved to implement this in DMCS.
Dom Fontana
<– Sent from New York via AutoPilot –>
Aloha from a Fellow New Yorker.Are you any Relation to Louis Fontana
who works in the Ave X Truck shop for the TA?
Hi, Peter! Sorry, but Louis Fontana is no relation.
GREAT NEWS!
Is the new program more sophisticated musically than the old DMCS? Things
like double sharps or flats, arpeggios, etc.?
Count me in.
Eugene This is coming your way simple because yours was the last message
in the thread. But to anyone who would know has the Midi support for the
new DMCS been improved. I.E. can the new DMCS record real time keyboard
input, or are you still limited to "step time" input?
…AutoPilot Engaged…
-Paul-