Re: looking for lots of GS music utiltities

[spec@vax2.concordia.ca (Mitchell Spector)]

In article c621825@cclabs.missoSPAMJAMuri.edu writes...

>I've got an IIgs with Music Studio 2.0, Instant Synth, and Instant
>Music.

    Those are all fairly limited and out of date music programs,
I haven't used any of those since the late 80's. Music Studio in
particular was never very good to begin with, as far as its sound
quality went.

    I'd highly recommend changing over to MIDIsynth, which is not
only the standard and supported by numerous programs (including
System Software 5.0.2 and up) but the best sounding musical tool
for the Apple IIgs. If you download System 6 (ftp.apple.com) it
includes a bare-bones music sequencer program called synthLAB,
which demonstrates what can be done with MIDIsynth. I still use
it today since it supports live MIDI IN/OUT (useful since I have
my Pentium and GS sitting next to each other and MIDI networked).

>I've also got a 486 PC (ain't that great) with the usual
>Micro$oft Windoze multimedia tools.

    Cakewalk Express (if you have it) makes an even better tool
on the PC side.

>My mission:  achieve maximum data portability between all my GS music
>programs, and the PC file formats as well.  I would like to know if
>there exist utilties that do any of the following:
>
>- convert Music Studio "song files" to MIDI sequences, that is *.mid
>files (and vice versa)

    Music Composer will import Music Studio and export as MIDI (as well
as import MIDI which you can save into Music Studio format if you wish).
The author reads this group frequently if you want to find out more about
the commercial version, though meanwhile you can download the shareware
version from: ftp://ftp.primenet.com/users/c/clay1

    He has several other music tools and utilties written and available
on the same FTP site, some may do what your asking about below.

>- convert *.wav files to ASIF or AIFF instrument files and v/v.

    I _think_ rSounder may do this. A better idea is to get waveLAB
which lets you convert *.wav and raw digitized sound into MIDIsynth
instrument banks.

>- manage and modify Music Studio wavebanks and "sound files"

    Most likely Music Composer again, which incidentally also
supports MIDIsynth and possibly even Soundsmith music format
as well (unless my memory is fuzzy).

>- convert standard instrument files (ASIF or AIFF) to Music Studio
>wavebanks and v/v (and do it without producing bugged files or crashing
>when invalid data is loaded)

    I seem to remember a program included with Soundsmith would
convert ASIF/AIFF into Music Studio wavebanks. I would have to
dig through my old Soundsmith disks to see what it was called.

>- Also, I've also got Music Construction Set for the IIgs, and as it is
>fairly obsolete since I have Music Studio 2.0, I would also like
>utilities for converting these files to the Music Studio format.

    Yep, Music Construction Set was made obsolete by Music Studio,
but it had _much_ better sound quality. For several years now both
programs have been made obsolete by Soundsmith (a crippled MOD like
program) and MIDIsynth. Actually it is only MIDIsynth that most are
still using today, when people actually write software or games. 
It's usually best to move everything into that format than play 
with the obsolete others.

    I've never seen a utility to convert MCS format (or Deluxe MCS;
that was never released but used for Zany Golf and The Immortal),
so the only thing to do is use its MIDI-OUT and record live to
another MIDI device (there is no mention about MIDI in the program,
but it's always spitting out MIDI when you play any sequence :)

>I've looked through some of the apple2 ftp sites, but I'm just not
>finding what I need.  If you know of a program that does at least one of
>these functions, please let me know.  :)

    Try looking on: ftp://apple2.caltech.edu/Zocalo/pub/apple2/music 
I would recommend getting ahold of System 6.0.1 with synthLAB, waveLAB 
and MIDISurgeon (converts MIDI files into MIDIsynth format and with
patches available, can sound somewhat decent if the sequence uses no 
more than 7 voices and not too much variety in instruments). MIDI-
Converter will work too, but is not nearly as flexibility. Don't 
forget Music Composer which supports all those formats. :)

    Personally I just send MIDI back and forth between my IIgs and
Pentium with MIDI cables. You just play on one end and record on
the other, there is no converting involved. I mostly use the Roland
SCC-1 in my PC or emulate a Yamaha XG through software mixing (though
it sounds no where as rich as the Roland and noticably eats CPU time
even at 22 kHz). I find the Ensoniq synthesizer in the GS too limited 
these days but still fun to tinker with. :)

Mitchell Spector
spec@vax2.concordia.ca