EMUSIC-L Digest Volume 27, Number 3 This issue's topics: MasterTracks Pro (3 messages) Re: Who is Synergy? (6 messages) Re: MT32 Rack Mount kit Your EMUSIC-L Digest moderator is Joe McMahon . You may subscribe to EMUSIC-L by sending mail to listserv@american.edu with the line "SUB EMUSIC-L your name" as the text. The EMUSIC-L archive is a service of SunSite (sunsite.unc.edu) at the University of North Carolina. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Apr 91 17:52:43 CST From: Galen Tillery Subject: MasterTracks Pro Greetings... My music dept. has asked about a program called MasterTracks Pro. Evidently, the version of the program they are considering runs on a DOS machine under Windows 3.0. They have a 286 based machine with 1meg of RAM and the required interface card. I am aware of the Win3 problems working on such a small machine (Real mode and all - not the best platform for Win3). Does anyone know whether this platform will support MasterTracks Pro? Is the machine too small to handle it? If the machine will handle it, will the performance of the program be so poor that it will be painful to use? Any help would be greatly appreciated... + - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - + |> R. Galen Tillery | S a m f o r d U n i v e r s i t y <| |> Manager - Technical Support | Birmingham, Alabama USA <| |> Ala. VM Users Group Contact | Computer & Telecommunication Services <| |> INFOREP (RGTILLER@SAMFORD) | Brooks Hall - 322 <| + - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - + ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Apr 91 07:50:13 PST From: Brian Gaon Subject: Re: MasterTracks Pro The machine you spec'd will work just fine if you add one additional MB of memory. Basic rule of thumb for Windows is 1mb memory per application aside from the standard 1mb that usually comes with a basic 286. We run 286's around here on the above premise and they work just dandy! 8^) cheers, Brian -- Brian Gaon Internet: brain@foghorn.sfsu.edu Systems Analyst Bitnet: SGSAAAA@CALSTATE.BITNET Finger: brian@foghorn.sfsu.edu San Francisco State University Department Of Facilities Operations 1600 Holloway Avenue San Francisco, Ca. 94132 USA. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Apr 91 20:02:29 CST From: Jason Keeler Subject: Re: MasterTracks Pro Windows on a '286 is slow; yet workable. The place where I am working at now (I'm on a work term) is using windows simply for switching DOS programs. Programs like CorelDraw, Pagemaker etc. I would advise using a '386. In regards to Master Tracks Pro, I just ordered it for my '386; should be here on monday. If I get a chance, I'll try it on a '286 for you and let you know what I think (unless you find this out by then) ...Jason ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Apr 91 12:18:56 BST From: Nick Rothwell Subject: Re: Who is Synergy? >I believe he was in charge of keyboards for the group Genesis. Oh. I always thought that was Tony Banks. Nick. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Apr 91 18:15:48 EST From: "Kurt A. Geisel" Subject: Re: Who is Synergy? Nick Rothwell writes: >I admit to not being too familiar with Fast's music (I have a couple of >tapes I've listened to once or twice), but I feel much more comfortable >with Schulze's MIRAGE or Baumann's ROMANCE, which are straight >Berlin-school European emusic. Perhaps I feel that the American musicians >take their musical pallette and play keyboard parts with it. Europeans take >a musical pallette and orchestrate with it. And this tends to be my >approach as well, perhaps because I'm European - I spend much more time >layering and voicing chord progressions, suspensions and harmonies than I >do playing hot keyboard licks. I have large numbers of D-50 patches, but >most the American ones I have are brassy lead-lines; most of my patches, by >contrast, are various kinds of textured pads. Back to Synergy, if _Electronic Realizations for Rock Orchestra_ isn't "orchestration" I don't know what is. Ditto (but not as much so) for _Metropolitan Suite_. As for why the other albums have lots of blatent "keyboard licks", keep in mind they were largely inspired by his rock keyboard work for Peter Gabriel. Just becuase Fast tends towards harsh experimentalism, I fail to see a "lack of subtelty" in his works. I think the overall generalization is pretty silly. I would characterize Berlin school emusic as having introduced layered sequencer composition rather than "orchestration" and "texture" into electronic music. In the U.S., there was a large presence of keyboard giants like Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson in the 1970's. For musicians like them, I agree that the primary motivation was astoundingly "hot keyboard licks." In interviews with major european electronic artists such as TD and Schulze, they express a desire to get away from America's rock domination, which led them to more subtle, meditative, long format compositions. I think this trend was a reaction of the time to what was happening in the U.S. As far as electronic musicians, I am hard-pressed to find Americans who ARE based on "keyboard licks." (Well, OK, maybe Yanni, but he doesn't count.... :-) ) Steve Roach? Hardly. Michael Stearns? No way. Richard Burmer? Nope. As far as judging musical styles from third party patches: Get real, Nick. You know as well as I the largest user of electronic instruments in the U.S. is R&B/Dance outfits. The demand is high for such patches. More likely, third party developers are filling in where the manufacturers were weak. Manufacturers tend to provide LOTS of texture and pads because those kinds of patches show off the special capabilities of the synth more. Anyway, enough intercontinental warfare. (Bloody limey... :-) :-) :-)) - Kurt Kurt Geisel SNAIL : Carnegie Mellon University 65 Lambeth Dr. ARPA : kg19+@andrew.cmu.edu Pittsburgh, PA 15241 UUCP : uunet!nfsun!kgeisel "We just need to short-circuit the continuum on a BIX : kgeisel 5 or 6 parsec level." - Forbidden Planet ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Apr 91 10:55:48 BST From: Nick Rothwell Subject: Re: Who is Synergy? >I think the overall generalization is pretty silly. OK, so I was in a bad mood and ended up making generalisations. Sorry. I still think there are differences between European and American EMusic, brought about by cultural differences. But, they aren't anything like as simple as I tried to make out. If I get some time I'll try to describe them. > interviews with major european electronic artists such as >TD and Schulze, they express a desire to get away from America's rock >domination, which led them to more subtle, meditative, long format >compositions. I think this trend was a reaction of the time to what >was happening in the U.S. Maybe that has a lot to do with it. Funny how things change, though - what happened to these high ideals, I wonder? >As far as judging musical styles from third party patches: Get real, >Nick. Oh well, ... >You know as well as I the largest user of electronic >instruments in the U.S. is R&B/Dance outfits. The demand is high for >such patches. There's something about thick, fat, brassy lead sounds which strikes me as distinctly American, I don't know why. The bands I see here (regardless of style) tend to use synthesisers either as pianos/organs or for strings and pads. Synth leads are quite thin on the ground. OK, so again it's a generalisation (and not really relevant to the EMusic genre specifically - Kurt is right), but I feel there's something in it... Or maybe I'm just being a snob. Yeah, that's more likely... >Anyway, enough intercontinental warfare. (Bloody limey... :-) :-) :-)) Suits me, just don't point that second-hand Telharmonium of yours in my direction... Nick. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Apr 91 12:52:36 EST From: Jonathan Subject: Re: Who is Synergy? Kurt A. Geisel writes: >As far as electronic musicians, I am hard-pressed to find Americans >who ARE based on "keyboard licks." (Well, OK, maybe Yanni, but he >doesn't count.... :-) ) Steve Roach? Hardly. Michael Stearns? No >way. Richard Burmer? Nope. Jan Hammer. (Need we say more?) P.S. Death to keyboard licks. Frustrated guitar-god syndrome, mostly. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Apr 91 14:03:39 EST From: ronin Subject: key licks... was:Re: Who is Synergy? On Wed, 3 Apr 91 12:52:36 EST Jonathan said: >Kurt A. Geisel writes: >>As far as electronic musicians, I am hard-pressed to find Americans >>who ARE based on "keyboard licks." (Well, OK, maybe Yanni, but he >>doesn't count.... :-) ) Steve Roach? Hardly. Michael Stearns? No >>way. Richard Burmer? Nope. > > >Jan Hammer. well, he's dutch (german?) really, i think. >P.S. Death to keyboard licks. Frustrated guitar-god syndrome, mostly. depends on the lick. true, there are 'emulative' styles, where the keyboard is just doing the same blues scales as a guitarist might... similar voicing, etc. usually, this seems pretty deliberate. but there are plenty of examples of keyboard leads that are uniquely keyboard-structured. as mentioned before, keith emerson comes to mind. --------------------------< Eschew Obfuscation >------------------------- Eric Harnden (Ronin) The American University Physics Dept. Washington, D.C ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Apr 91 10:53:31 BST From: Nick Rothwell Subject: Re: Who is Synergy? >Kurt A. Geisel writes: >>As far as electronic musicians, I am hard-pressed to find Americans >>who ARE based on "keyboard licks." (Well, OK, maybe Yanni, but he >>doesn't count.... :-) ) Steve Roach? Hardly. Michael Stearns? No >>way. Richard Burmer? Nope. > >Jan Hammer. > >(Need we say more?) Hmm, now Hammer is an interesting case. For a start, he's not American, but Eastern European (I don't recall the country - Hungary perhaps?). He claims that this influences his music, I think. I don't know if it does or not, to be honest. I find his stuff to be naive and simplistic in terms of arrangement and production, although it's interesting to listen to when I'm in the right mood. His keyboard works strikes me as rather sloppy, although that might be deliberate in some of the melodies he plays. Regarding the guitar stuff - I like the way he does this. Nothing wrong with dropping in a manic guitar part into an emusic piece - I've got one for my live set, actually - as long as the guitar virtuosity doesn't take the focus away from the musical thread itself. Nick. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Apr 91 12:19:00 EST From: Marc TARDIF Subject: Re: MT32 Rack Mount kit Date: 2-APR-1991 12:11:33 >Hi, > >I need some help. I remember long time ago (my problem is that I don't know >exactly when) there was an ad in Keyboard Magz, about somebody selling rack >mount kits for MT32s. Does anyone know if this people is still alive and/or >where can I find this kit? Thanks in advance > > Frank.- Yo Frank, For myself I build mine. I got a aluminium kick plate, for the bottom of doors, from my local hardware store and cut it to the right dimensions ( aluminium is easy to cut). Then I cutted a square hole of the size of the module and other gizmo like reverb's and I fixed them with 90 deg. brakets. It costed me about 20$. And it does the job. ========================================================================= | MARC TARDIF | Net: S004@HECMTL01.BITNET | | Ecole des HAUTES ETUDES COMMERCIALES |============================| | MONTREAL, QUEBEC | Watch for VIRUS: | | CANADA H3T 1V6 | make backup's often | | Phone: (514) 340-6066 | trust nobody | ========================================================================= ------------------------------ End of the EMUSIC-L Digest ******************************