The only criticism I have of System
Software's Music Editor is its name. It
should be called the Music Maker
because that is exactly what it is - an
easily-used utility which allows you to
compose tunes on your BBC Micro.
You write the tunes using two modes
of operation. The first is edit mode in
which the actual composing is done.
The skeleton of a piece of sheet music
(technically known as the bass and
treble staves) appears on the screen and
you can use the keyboard to enter in a
tune, note by note.
When you enter a note it not only
sounds but also appears on the staves in
the right position with the right value. If
it's not what you want then you can just
press a key to delete it and try another.
It's not just the pitch of the note you
can alter. The program allows you to
alter the duration and loudness of the
notes, simply and quickly. You can even
choose the key and tempo of your tune.
And if that's not enough you can
have up to three parts or "voices" to add
harmony to your composition. It may
The second mode is the command
mode and by using this you can
"command" the micro to play back
your masterpiece. You can have the
whole tune or just a part of it and the
program even allows repeats of sections
of the piece. If you like what you hear
you can save it for posterity. If you
don't it's back to editing mode and the
throws of creation! And if you need
inspiration you can always load one of
your previous efforts and play it.
As if all this weren't enough, when
you first run the Music Editor you get a
choice of 16 ready-to-use sound
envelopes. If you don't like these you
can alter them easily from the keyboard
or load envelopes that you have
previously altered and saved.
These are just the major facilities that
the program gives you. There are lots
more, all useful. And if you get lost you
can always press the H key and get a
crib sheet.
But you shouldn't need it. The
instruction booklet is excellent and the
whole program an example of what is
meant by "user-friendly". People with
no musical knowledge may be a little
daunted at first but the Music Editor is
so easy to use that it encourages
experiment and with it learning.
You can write tunes by ear while the
display gives you the correct musical
notation. It's a gift to every frustrated
composer, thwarted music teacher and
parent who wants to give a child
something that is amusing yet educational.
And it's so much fun to use!
This excellent piece of software was a
pleasure to review. Thoroughly
recommended.
1st August 1984
