Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!comp.vuw.ac.nz!actrix!basso!dgold
From: dgold@basso.actrix.gen.nz (Dale Gold)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.audio
Subject: Re: Music program
Message-ID: <6441.tnews@basso.actrix.gen.nz>
Date: 8 Feb 91 14:20:27 GMT
Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga.audio
Organization: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
Lines: 42

Quoted from mager@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Rainer V Mager):
>  Is there any music program out there that allows more than 4 voices
> simultaneously (without hardware upgrade)?  I was thinking since it is
> possible to mix digitized sounds (like DMCS instruments) wouldn't it be
> possible to mix them on the fly to play more than one instrument per
> channel?  Or would there be too many time and memory constraints? 

Well, in theory, a string quartet plays 4 part music just like an Amiga,
but it's easy for them to play a 16 note chord.  We just have to be a bit
more clever to get the effect.  If you want music with lots of sustained
notes, there's not a lot you can do about it, but here are a couple of
ideas to try:

1- You can make a rhythm track for instance, that uses lots of sounds
   on one channel. So you might have a string of 8th notes like:

   Bass-Hihat-Snare-GuitarChord-Bass-Shaker-Snare-BrokenGlass etc,etc

   That might clumsy with DMCS, since one stave would be awfully cluttered
   with all those voice changes, but I you should be able to achieve the
   same effect by using extra staves.

   Since the bass & bass drum often play the same rhythms in pop music,
   you could use a sample editor to mix the two together. (and maybe
   have seperate bass/kick sounds for variety as well. Using 2 versions
   of the same sample with different dynamics can help to spice things
   up in a music program that doesn't allow different sample volumes.

   You can do the same sort of things with melodic parts.  Have a listen to
   Bach's unaccomanied cello suites if you want to learn how to create the
   illusion of multiple voices with single notes.

2- Sample something playing a chord. Now you've got a sample that can play
   any number of notes on one channel. I guess you could use a sample
   editor to mix a sound with the same thing a 3rd higher to get the same
   effect. Those parallel chords aren't so good for classical music, but
   they work fine in lots of other areas. You could also make some
   inversions of other chords for better voice-leading.

3- Buy a MIDI keyboard, and spare yourself the effort! :-)

dgold@basso.actrix.gen.nz (Dale Gold)