The Game

Four Fun 'n Funky rhythmic sounds to get on down to.

What Is Micro Rhythm+?

First there was Micro Rhythm, a chart-busting program which placed at your fingertips a complete set of percussion instruments. Now Micro Rhythm+ is here, with not one sound set, but four totally individual sound sets for your musical talents to get to grips with. Each sound has been carefully sampled from the 'real thing' to give the most realistic sound possible... we know you'll be impressed!

When the sounds are playing, the screen on your computer will go blank. This is to help give the clearest definition possible, so don't worry... it's quite normal.

The Sets

Microlatin - To give you that Latin American flavour.
Microdisco - For the up-beat, up-tempo dance rhythms.
Microvocal - Digitised voice samples for the wacky.
Microtune - A more melodic section for funky rhythms.

Each set loads as an independent program. Use your tape counter to locate the beginning of each set, then use the normal computer loading instructions to load the chosen set.

How To Use Micro Rhythm+

It may take you a while to get used to the many possibilities of Micro Rhythm+ but once mastered, it is surprisingly easy to use.

Once the program has loaded, press F1 and then the S key: this will play a demonstration piece to show you just what is possible. Press S again to stop the demonstration.

There are three modes within Micro Rhythm+; Song Write mode, Bar Write mode and Real Time mode. To enter Real Time mode, simply press F3. You may now play the instruments, but be aware that nothing you play is actually recorded in memory.

Press S again to exit Real Time mode. Now press F1, and you will enter Bar Write mode. Press S and the computer will play just the bar displayed. A metronome will 'tick' to help you keep time. To insert an instrument sound into the bar, use the same keys as for Real Time mode. Here is a summary of the keys used in Bar Write mode:

The term "flam" means a double-beat. What actually happens is that the sound is played twice. The delay between the first and second sound can be altered for that bar by pressing D and G. It is important to notice that this and the tempo can only be altered for the *whole bar*, not for individual notes unlike say, the Pitch of a sound which you can alter individually. Try practising a few simple bars by slowing the tempo to, say 40, and with the bar playing (the cursor will be moving from left to right through the bar) clear all sounds from the bar by holding down Space. Listen for the metronome. If it's switched off, press M to start it again; this will help you to keep time. Now enter a couple of sounds using the same keys as for Real Time mode, trying to keep in time.

Remember, the best way to get to grips with Micro Rhythm+ is to experiment.

Once you have written a bar, you may wish to "Copy" it to another. To do this, select the bar you wish to coy (using the number keys) and then the bar you wish to copy into. Press C twice, and the bar will be copied. When you have written a series of bars you will probably want to play them in a certain sequence to play a 'tune'. To do this, enter the Song Write mode by pressing F1 (from Bar Write mode).

There are four sequences or songs which you can access, by pressing keys A, B, C or D. You can move the cursor left or right through the song with the cursor keys. Keys 1 to 9 will select a bar indicated at the top of the screen. To insert this into a song, simply press RETURN.

The INST/DEL key will delete the bar under the cursor. To listen to the song, press S and press it again to stop it.

Finally, you will wish to save your masterpiece to tape, for reloading another time. To save a sound set, press F7. To load a sound set, press F5. The Save/Load option is only available from Song Write mode. When you have completed your masterpiece, you will probably want to save it. Pressing F7 from Song Write mode will save the complete sound set. Press F5 to load a previously saved set.

Press any of the following keys to play the different sounds:

Q W E R T Y U I O P @ * |

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Press SHIFT-RUN/STOP.