I can highly recommend it: it's textural music, but with shape and form, and hints of harmony and melody.
A Mac was used, rather than an ST, but the software is identical on both platforms. Reach them on +44 (01)1925 266120 (email or visit the web site at Mousing Aroundįollowing last month's review of Laurie Spiegel's fab Music Mouse improvisation/composition aid, I bought a copy of her Unseen Worlds CD, a collection of 12 pieces which feature the software in action.
So, there you have it: Keychange's Proper Job costs £129 plus £6 postage, and the package is sent Special Delivery. There is a general feeling in the Atari world that really time‑dependent MIDI data - such as MIDI clock, notes destined to play drum parts, and so on - should be routed to the ST's main MIDI Out, because in some cases (especially if you're running a lot of busy parts on all your new MIDI channels!) MIDI Outs two, three and four can suffer from a slightly sluggish response.
Sad to say, Proper Job won't work with C‑Lab Notator - no drivers are available.Īnd it works as expected: another three MIDI devices can remain permanently connected to your ST, and you can now control up to 64 independent parts (16 parts for each MIDI stream).
Once hardware and drivers are installed, reboot and launch Cubase: the extra Outs will appear in the MIDI Output column, and the extra In will be merged with the ST's main MIDI In. If you have neither driver, contact Keychange and they should be able to help. So that Cubase can see the interface, your MROS folder will need the correct driver - either KMS1‑3 DRV or STM1‑3 DRV. Those requiring access to a printer on the machine they use for music may need to hunt down some kind of switcher box, or resign themselves to frequent replugging. However, if your work surface has the space, the rear‑mounting option does help slightly to keep the cables out of the way. The Proper Job package comes with an external power supply, and though the interface can be coaxed to connect directly to your ST's printer port, a short cable is included for a more secure connection and better access to the new MIDI ports. It's based on a Steinberg PCI3 MIDI interface, modified by Keychange to provide users of Steinberg's Cubase with an extra three MIDI Outs, and one merged MIDI In - the latter is definitely worth having if you, or you and a musical partner, would like simultaneously to record MIDI parts from multiple controllers. The latest that's come my way is Keychange Music Service's Proper Job. From simple modem‑to‑MIDI adaptors that add a valuable extra MIDI Out, to boxes that provide an extra three MIDI streams, there's something for everyone if you look hard enough.
So, it's up to the Atari underground to fill the gap. In its heyday, certainly, add‑ons were produced for the ST by the likes of Steinberg and C‑Lab that added up to three extra MIDI Outs, extra MIDI Ins and tape‑synchronisation options, but you're unlikely to be able to buy one off the shelf these days. But therein lies a problem: the third‑party multi‑port MIDI‑interface industry never really got going with the Atari in the same way as it did for Macs and PCs. There are a number of features that endear the Atari to discerning computer‑based musicians, such as its compact ROM‑based OS, the unbloated nature of the software written for it, and the fact that its MIDI port is built‑in - the reason, according to many, for the computer's rock‑solid MIDI timing and performance.
Keychange Music Service's Proper Job multi‑port MIDI interface.įancy multi‑port MIDI operation for your Atari? Derek Johnson looks at a three‑way interface that can expand the musical horizons of Atari users and rounds up some more ST news.