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From: korn@eris.BERKELEY.EDU (Peter "Arrgh" Korn)
Newsgroups: rec.music.synth,comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Need Comparative Info on AMIGA vs. MAC+ for use in a MIDI system
Message-ID: <2327@jade.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: Sat, 24-Jan-87 00:35:05 EST
Article-I.D.: jade.2327
Posted: Sat Jan 24 00:35:05 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 24-Jan-87 13:52:26 EST
References: <327@atux01.UUCP>
Sender: usenet@jade.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: korn@eris.BERKELEY.EDU (Peter "Arrgh" Korn)
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Lines: 39
Keywords: MIDI, music software, costs, pros and cons
Xref: mnetor rec.music.synth:215 comp.sys.amiga:1678 comp.sys.mac:959

In article <327@atux01.UUCP> jlc@atux01.UUCP (J. Collymore) writes:
>...
>What I'd like to know is, what is the cost of the AMIGA (and a printer) versus
>the MAC+?  Are they both equally easy to use?  Is one more versatile than the
>other?  How's the support for them?  Is there as much music sotware
>available for the AMIGA as there seem to be for the MAC+?

(posted 'cause I think there's probably a fair amount of interest in this
area)

From talking with friends who own Amigas and use them for MIDI work,
I'd wait a little while longer before getting an Amiga for studio MIDI
work.  The complaints were mostly that the software out there was
still pretty buggy (SoundScape's stuff), or just wasn't powerful enough
(Instant Music, Delux Music Construction Set).

Mac music software is currently a cut above (and a lot more expensive),
though it's not without it's problems.  Professional Composer has
been known to do wierd things when working in 512K of RAM...it also doesn't
handle lyrics as well as one would like.

Also worth checking out are the PC-type machines.  They've been around
for a lot longer, and there actually is a fair amount of MIDI software
available for them (if you can find a computer store that has ever
heard MIDI and PC in the same sentence).  While I haven't worked with
MIDI sofware on the PC personally, I have talked with musicians who
have--their feeling was that the best stuff currently available was
to be found on PC's, though as soon as some of the bugs in Pro. Composer
are fixed the Mac would become top dog.

I'm not familiar with Atari ST MIDI software.  Is there anyone out
there whos actually used an Atari ST for such?  (as opposed to reprinting
marketing crap and wasting our time with hype).

Peter
-----						  
Peter "Arrgh" Korn		         Hacker?  Me?  A hacker?  No, actually
korn@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU			 I'm a mac-er.  All's we do is
{decvax,dual,hplabs,sdcsvax,ulysses}!ucbvax!korn            make library calls.