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Text File | 1994-03-26 | 10.3 KB | 268 lines

********************************************************************** * Tools * ********************************************************************** You'll notice that there are some extra Tools that are not explained in the manual. These were experimental Tools that we had kicking around, and thought you might enjoy having them. If you have questions about them, we encourage you to ask them on the BBS (404)315-0211, rather than calling technical support. Controlled Performance ---------------------- Controlled Performance is a new Tool not mentioned in the manual. This acts similarly to the Command Performance Tool except that it assigns ARexx commands/strings to MIDI controllers instead of notes. Each of the 128 controllers may be assigned with a minimum and maximum value. The actual value of the controller is adjusted to fit within these parameters. In the command string, use C printf()-type constructs to show Controlled Performance how to embed the number in the string. Of the greatest use is the C identifier for an integer, "%ld". For example, you might create a string that says: "Throw %ld bricks." Controlled Performance replaces the "%ld" with the adjusted controller number, updating the string to says something like, "Throw 78 bricks." Controller Invert ----------------- Also a new Tool not mentioned in the manual, the Controller Invert Tool merely inverts the value of any MIDI control change message. Its edit window has one slider which defines the control change value to be inverted. This Tool is particularily useful for inverting Mix Maestro moves. For example, you might use it to synchronize a fade-in on one Track with a fade-out on another. DrumKey ------- The DrumKey Tools has the ability to load and save configuration files. A sample configuration file can be found in the Support directory. Use DrumKey's load menu command to load this file. Duration -------- Duration is an extra Tool not explained in the manual. It is a bit esoteric, but if you can figure it out, you may find it useful, so here it is! Duration is another type of the Articulation Modifier Tool. Duration can add or subtract specific amounts of length to notes or set notes to specific note lengths. This latter action is exactly like the Articulator Tool. Duration does not use percentages as the Articulation Modifier does. Duration does one thing none of the other Ariticulators does though, it sets the duration field of the note to be the correct duration after the has been changed. The other Articulators do not do that. This is NOT a bug on their part though, because in the past the duration field was not used in the PipeLine. It was used for events stored in a Track. Some new tools (e.g. Performance Kit and Power Tools) now make use of the duration field on events while passing through the PipeLine. If any of these new tools are placed after one of the older Articulators then the new tool acts on the original duration of the note, no matter what the Articulators had changed the events duration to. The Duration Tool solves this problem. Echo ---- The Echo Tool is now a Branching Tool. If the Echo Tool is connected to a Merge Tool on another Track, the echoed notes branch to that Track. If the Echo Tool is not connected it performs as before. The original note ALWAYS gets sent down the original pipeline. Guitar ------ The Guitar Tool has the ability to load and save chord banks and chord bank lists. Sample chord banks are stored in the Support directory. Use the Guitar Tool's control window buttons to load these. By the way, the Guitar Tool is very difficult to explain clearly. It's a really fun Tool that you're going to have to experiment with to get the most out of it. Link ------ Link is another freebie Tool that we added after the manual went to the printer. You may or may not ever need this Tool, but if you do, here it is! There can be times when a track seems to have lost a note off, usually after quantizing, resulting is stuck notes. The Link Tool restores note off events to every note on event to correct these ocassional flaws. You may never see this problem but if you do you will be glad you had Link in that bottom drawer. The UnStick Tool attempts to fix similar problems, but not all stuck notes are created equal. UnStick creates a few other problems of its own, depending on what other tools are in use, occationally. Use which ever tool seems to work best. POD People ---------- The POD People Tool has an additional "Communications" menu where various Communications parameters such as baud rate, parity, etc, may be defined. Also a third parameter button has been added along with a set of transport buttons that control the Panasonic Optical Disk directly. QuanTeeze --------- Another extra Tool we threw in: QuanTeeze attempts to quantize note on and off events to any drum clock you want. The Quantize Tool will quantize only to preset note durations, which is the musically correct thing to do. But, if you are in an experimental mood, QuanTeeze may be just what you have been looking for for a little odd timing adjustment. It can make a tracks timing wander; drag just a bit, or rush, and then it will snap back on time only to wander again. This is a very experimental tool so be careful. Don't get caught wandering to far. You may never come back. RandoNote --------- Yep - here's another extra Tool: RandoNote is another experimental tool which adds randomness to pitch. There are tools to randomize timing, why not pitch? Think of The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again". The synth loop which the song is built around has a semi-random pitch change floating around in the chords. RandoNote can do this type of thing. Notes going through RandoNote get their pitches randomized. Sort ---- This is another esoteric Tool we had laying around. You'll probably never need it, but one person once found it useful. Sort insures that note on and note off events pass down the PipeLine in the correct order. The way Bars & Pipes Professional queues notes in advance does not take into account note order while passing events down the PipeLine, only that events will be played out of the midi port at the correct time. This can cause problems with some tools which depend on the note order being correct. This not a bug and is not normally a problem, but if a tool does not seen to be toolizing properly then note order may the cause. Try placing Sort before the misfiring tool to see if it corrects the problem. Toasty ------ The Toasty Tool (and also the Toasty Receive program) now have an additional "Communications" menu where various Communications parameters such as baud rate, parity, etc, may be defined. The Toasty Tool can access the additional banks of the Toaster 4000. However, there are no buttons for these banks. Instead, you must type in the GRID command. Or, you can click on one of the grid buttons and change the letter to G or H. E.g.: "GRID G33". VelDur ------ A crazy Tool that no one in their right mind would ever even think of using: VelDur changes note duration relative to note velocity. It is changed on a scale of 0% to 200%, Plus or Minus, the original note duration. When set for Plus and a change of 200% a quarter note, 192 drum clocks, will be changed from 192 to 386 drum clocks representing velocities of 0 to 127. On the other hand, a quarter note and settings of 200% and Minus will result in note durations of 3 to 192 drum clocks. The lowest possible duration will be 3 drum clocks regardless of the Change % setting. ********************************************************************** * Accessories * ********************************************************************** Arexx ----- The Arexx Accessory now accepts an optional parameter to the TEMPO command. If a parameter is present, B&P Pro changes the current tempo to the value of the parameter. AmiLink ------- The AmiLink Accessory is a new accessory not mentioned in the manual. It controls the AmiLink software via ARexx. The top four buttons define which VCR is the current VCR. A, B, and REC make the A,B, or RECORD VCR's active. The ALL button makes all VCRs active. The bottom half of the window is a set of transport controls. The commands are: STOP PLAY REWIND FASTFORWARD PAUSE EJECT RECORD Use the AmiLink Accessory to remotely control Video Deck playback and recording from within Bars&Pipes Professional. Big Sys ------- Big Sys now has two additional buttons, plus slots for input and output tools. The input and output tools default to the standard MIDI In and MIDI Out tools, but any input or output tool that deals with MIDI can be dragged into those areas, for example the One-Stop Music Shop's input and output tools. The two new buttons are 'Save Raw' and 'New'. The 'Save Raw' button saves the current sysex buffer as a raw sysex file. The normal 'Save' option creates a header that is used by B&P Pro, but if you wish to use your sysex data files with other programs 'Save Raw' should be used. Note that the 'Load' command will automatically detect and load in either a raw sysex file OR a B&P Pro sysex file. The 'New' button simply creates a new sysex buffer for you to edit. This allows you to create a sysex buffer to send to your MIDI device without loading it from disk. Phantom ------- This is an Accessory from B&P Pro 1.0 that was not documented in the manual. It allows B&P Pro to synchronize with SMPTE via Dr. T's Phantom. It only works on Amigas equiped with Workbench 1.3. sMerFF ------ The sMerFF user interface is slightly different from that depicted in the manual. Instead of a separate SMPTE options requester, all SMPTE options are now in the main sMerFF control window. SunMPTE ------- See the SunRize.doc file. SunSet ------ See the SunRize.doc file. ********************************************************************** * Technical Support * ********************************************************************** Technical support is available only to registered users from 1:00pm to 5:00pm Monday through Friday at (404) 315-0212.