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From: lxfogel@PacBell.COM (Lee Fogel)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st,comp.music
Subject: Re: Review of Dr.T's Sequencers (long)
Keywords: KCS, Tiger Cub, TIGER
Message-ID: <8605@pbhyf.PacBell.COM>
Date: 15 Feb 91 17:21:00 GMT
Reply-To: lxfogel@PacBell.COM (Lee Fogel)
Followup-To: comp.sys.atari.st
Organization: Pacific * Bell, San Ramon, CA
Lines: 84

In article <59574@aurs01.UUCP> whitcomb@aurs01.uucp (Jonathan Whitcomb) writes:

As another user of Dr. T's software (KCS, Tunesmith, Fingers), I
thought I would add to Jonathan's informative review.


>  (The newest version of KCS, OMEGA, claims that
>now ANY program may be loaded into MPE, but I have not personally
>verified this.)  What this means to the musician is that you no longer
>have to exit your sequencer program when you want to load your patch
>editor or librarian.  

Yes, OMEGA let's you load and run *ANY* program from KCS.  I've used
my wordprocessor this way.  The catch is that once you exit the loaded
program, it is completely gone from memory unlike standard Dr. T's
MPE modules.  


>KCS is a *very* powerful sequencing program.  It allows you to
>sequence MIDI data in several ways, and then provides a full
>arsenal of editing tools.  The sequencing mode that I do most
>of my work in is called Track mode.  Track mode has been designed
>to operate much like a multi-track tape recorder

>KCS also includes what is called "Open Mode" sequencing, but I have
>never really gotten a handle on it.  It is designed as a generalized
>sequencing mode, that allows you to start and stop sequenced
>segments as you wish, or even write sequences that start and stop
>other sequences, but I have always found it confusing...

Well, for me, Open Mode is what I love about KCS.  Sequences can
do anything: start other sequences, program changes, controller
events, random events - in any mixture.  It has changed the way
I create music.  Sequences (containing notes or otherwise) can
be developed like subroutines.  Hierarchies of sequences (overlapping
or otherwise) can be easily constructed.  In Open Play mode, you
can interactively play (i.e. trigger) sequences by hitting a computer
keyboard key associated with the sequences toggling them on and off
at will.  If you wish, KCS will make sure that the timings of
mutliple sequencei triggering will be in sync.  Of course, you can
have sequences that consist of nothing more than *timing* information.
It *can* get confusing, but it doesn't have to be if you keep things
simple.  I find it very similar to the way I code software ;-)  

>The other section of KCS that I have never ventured into is called
>Programmable Variations Generator (PVG).  It allows the program to
>randomly alter sequences you create with KCS to add color or
>variety to repetitive sequences.

That's the tip of the iceberg!  With PVG you can do things like specify
2 different sequences and have intermediate sequences generated that
transform one into the other.  Or you can do more mudane things like
strip notes above or below a certain velocity.  Or generate a new
sequences with the notes of an existing sequence that have some
attribute you want isolated.  So besides semi-randomly generating new
sequences, you can create useful sequence filtering tools (and save
them like macros) with PVG. 

>I guess what I like the most about KCS, is that there are so
>many ways to skin the cat.  I don't always write songs the
>same way, so why should I have to record them the same way?
>Dr. T doesn't force you to adopt any one method, and all of
>the options encourage you to experiment.  It allows you to
>explore musical ideas in new ways, and that can really spur 
>your creativity.  The trick is not to let all of the options
>overwhelm you... bite off a little at a time and go with it.

The above says it all.  The options seem endless.

For those who are into algorithmic composing, check out
Tunesmith (MPE module).  It generates tunes, up to 7 parts
(I think) based on algorithms that you can tweak forever.
It also provides a bunch (48?) of ways to musically transpose
these tunes.  The best think about Tunesmith is that the
tune generation takes place interactively.  I've sat with
it for an hour at a time, stimulating it to create...and
then keeping the occasional gems that come out of it.
Fun stuff.

If anyone is interested, I have an extra copy of KCS Level
II with PCG, and Tiger (original diskettes and documentation)
that I would be willing to sell for a very reasonable price.

Lee