15 Years Ago in EM

Aug 1, 2002 12:00 PM, By Steve Oppenheimer

           
 

We took chances in our August 1987 cover story — or, more accurately, we discussed the elements of chance and choice in computer-assisted composition. Larry the O — the same character who writes our popular “Final Mix” column — gave a thorough explanation of algorithmic-composition software. He interviewed experts such as Laurie Spiegel and Joel Chadabe, described the various approaches (for example, random versus deterministic and generative versus transformational), and rounded up contemporary computer-assisted composition programs, including Intelligent Music's M and Jam Factory, Spiegel's Music Mouse, and Dr. T's Algorithmic Composer. Don Slepian followed up with story about cool things you can do with Music Mouse.

In the same spirit, Tim Dowty's DIY program for the Commodore 64 provided random patch generation for Casio CZ-series synths. Paul Schmidt provided our other DIY story about a MIDI switcher. In 1987 MIDI patch bays and switchers were often more expensive than today's. Schmidt's simple switcher was a cost-effective alternative for those who enjoyed slaving over a hot soldering iron.

Terry Kennedy's story “When, How, and Why to Consult a Music Lawyer” told us how to prepare for meetings with an entertainment lawyer, explained the consulting process, offered advice on how to evaluate a lawyer, and reminded us about following up.

Mike Dwyer's article “A Grand Sample” covered the fundamental aspects of creating a grand-piano sample, including mic selection and placement, sampling and sampler-programming technique (using the Korg DSS-1 sampler as an example), looping, and processing. The tools have changed, but the concepts remain the same today.

Ben Kettlewell's interview with electronic-music pioneer Klaus Schulze was done by submitting written questions (the only way Schulze would agree to the interview), so Kettlewell could not ask follow-up questions. The interview flits from one topic to another, including Schulze's musical background, his compositional process, how the advent of digital synthesis affected his ideas, and how he created his latest album, Dreams. It's a decent interview but not one of my favorites.

In 1987 “First Take” was the title of our short-reviews section, which today is called “Quick Picks.” (Starting with the July 2002 issue, I adopted the title for my column.) We had four “First Take” reviews in August 1987. Craig O'Donnell loved Korg's $299 KME-56 Multigraph EQ, which combined four independent 5-band mono EQs and one 7-band stereo EQ in a single rackspace. Alan Gary Campbell was pleased with JLCooper's $499 programmable, 8-In/8-Out, MIDI Switch Box Plus (MSB+). Steve Smith gave four out of five stars to Sonus's Yamaha FB01 synth-editing software for the Commodore 64/128 computer. And Walter Daniels gave top marks to Upwards Concepts' Mirage Multi-Temperament Disk, a version of the Ensoniq Mirage OS 3.2 that implemented alternative temperaments but disabled sampling.

We also had two full-length reviews. The most significant was Craig Anderton's enthusiastic evaluation of Passport's Master Tracks Pro 64-track MIDI sequencer for the Mac, Passport's first Mac product and one of its most successful. In our other review, Jim Fiore lamented the Kawai R-100 drum machine's lack of dynamic voice allocation and programmable outputs but lauded its layout, documentation, MIDI implementation, and overdub functions. Overall, he felt that the R-100 was a good buy for $795.