ZX Computing


Music Maker

Author: Paul Holmes
Publisher: Bellflower
Machine: Spectrum 48K

 
Published in ZX Computing #10

Music Maker

Being somewhat musical myself, I loaded up this program hoping to find something to lighten up my life. After choosing my key and time signatures (from eleven major keys and twelve times), I eagerly entered my first tune. "Nice graphics," I thought. However, I found some aspects of the program a little limiting, e.g. no notes shorter than a quaver were allowed, and I was restricted to between middle C and the G an octave and a half above. Tied notes were also not catered for, which could prove inconvenient.

The documentation (which included three sample tunes), seemed a little educational in style, which may account for the above shortcomings. The feature that I found most annoying though, was the fact that I could only delete the most recently entered note, which I needed to do more than just once. One other odd point was that the program seemed to avoid putting accidentals on lines, instead much preferring the space immediately above or below, which looked a little messy.

So, pressing the 'p' key to play, I say back to hear someone else's melody echo in my ears, only to be rudely awakened. Again, good graphics, but the tune! Every time the program drew a barline there was a *very* audible pause. Quavers were out of time too; the program could not draw them fast enough, and every time the program filled up a screen there was a ause of about two seconds while it cleared scren and re-drew the three staves. Surely, a little machine code could have been used here, or failing that (not everyone loves the Z80!) the music could have been printed first, and a pointer moved along in time. Ths fault, I am sorry to say, makes the program amost unusable, which is a pity considering the graphics and the need for such a program.

In conclusion, this package would not satisfy those who seriously want to make music.

Paul Holmes

Other Spectrum 48K Game Reviews By Paul Holmes


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  • Superdraw Front Cover
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  • Figaro II Front Cover
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  • Adventure One Front Cover
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  • Macro Construction And Animation Front Cover
    Macro Construction And Animation
  • Firework Music Front Cover
    Firework Music