C.R. Rivera
Popper @ his favorite toy.
I sure missed Dr T!Dr. T on Commodore 64 and moved on to Bars and Pipes on the Amiga.
Who started composing music under the old school Amiga / Atari Sound Trackers ?
- Thread starter lychee
- Start date
the first computer to sneak into my studio was the portable version of the Commodore 64, with the SCI interface & sequencer. Crude, but enough to convince me that the idea of a computer in a studio just might be more than a passing fad.
From there I went through an Amiga 1000 to an Amiga 2000 to an Amiga 3000 with several add-on boards, including the Sunrize AD516 and the Blue Ribbon One Stop Music Shop (and the Mac emulator - that was fun!)
My first attempts at music on the Amiga were trackers, but I just never quite got it. I don't remember all the software, but I used Bars & Pipes Pro a lot, and still miss it, as a MIDI environment it was as good as anything else out there, although it did get left behind as audio started to become more integrated into the sequencers on PCs and Macs. Dr. T had his Keyboard Controlled Sequencer (KCS), and Roger Powell released Texture for the Amiga. I miss Texture too, not so much KCS, not sure why. And Dr. T also had Copyist, which was way ahead of the pack at the time. Dissidents SampleWrench was my main audio editor, and MIDIQuest was my librarian - I use both on Windows now. I also uses "M", which is no longer available for Windows, I have a Mac Mini I am trying to sort out, and I will pick up M for that once I do. Laurie Spigiel released Music Mouse (I think) for the Atari, Mac, and Amiga. It was a ton of fun, and I will get that for the Mac as well.
I have tried using Bars&Pipes in various Amiga emulators - it isn't the worst, but you wouldn't want to use it for real production work I'm afraid. I was part of a group that attempted to port it to Windows. That effort fizzled, for a variety of reasons, and I don't even remember why anymore, but probably because progress was slow?
I still have one of my old Amiga 2000s, with a bunch of cards, in my office. I keep looking for an affordable, working Ethernet adapter, not sure what I'd do once I had the machine on the LAN though<G>.
From there I went through an Amiga 1000 to an Amiga 2000 to an Amiga 3000 with several add-on boards, including the Sunrize AD516 and the Blue Ribbon One Stop Music Shop (and the Mac emulator - that was fun!)
My first attempts at music on the Amiga were trackers, but I just never quite got it. I don't remember all the software, but I used Bars & Pipes Pro a lot, and still miss it, as a MIDI environment it was as good as anything else out there, although it did get left behind as audio started to become more integrated into the sequencers on PCs and Macs. Dr. T had his Keyboard Controlled Sequencer (KCS), and Roger Powell released Texture for the Amiga. I miss Texture too, not so much KCS, not sure why. And Dr. T also had Copyist, which was way ahead of the pack at the time. Dissidents SampleWrench was my main audio editor, and MIDIQuest was my librarian - I use both on Windows now. I also uses "M", which is no longer available for Windows, I have a Mac Mini I am trying to sort out, and I will pick up M for that once I do. Laurie Spigiel released Music Mouse (I think) for the Atari, Mac, and Amiga. It was a ton of fun, and I will get that for the Mac as well.
I have tried using Bars&Pipes in various Amiga emulators - it isn't the worst, but you wouldn't want to use it for real production work I'm afraid. I was part of a group that attempted to port it to Windows. That effort fizzled, for a variety of reasons, and I don't even remember why anymore, but probably because progress was slow?
I still have one of my old Amiga 2000s, with a bunch of cards, in my office. I keep looking for an affordable, working Ethernet adapter, not sure what I'd do once I had the machine on the LAN though<G>.
quickbrownf0x
I had fun once. It was awful.
Guilty. 
) and Amiga 500 and 1200 were next. Much love for Protracker.
kleotessard
Old New Member
I started on Atari STE using Audio Scupture by The Synchron Assembly. With the ST Replay I could make my own samples.
I lost most of my work but I have many good memories !
I found https://drive.google.com/file/d/1s2MRd7_y0iwlmYxAebhXbEKFH460RBhw/view?usp=sharing (this module file 'Nice Fly') in my archive folder. This file might have more than 25 years I think.
You can play this file with winamp or with Open ModPlug Tracker. Here is a https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I7X_s8QsIJbKLHIvggoYqnPmy7PDuqsC/view?usp=sharing (mp3 rendering) if you want to hear this extraordinary composition
!
Disclamer : Listen with caution this could cause an intense ears bleeding
.
I lost most of my work but I have many good memories !
I found https://drive.google.com/file/d/1s2MRd7_y0iwlmYxAebhXbEKFH460RBhw/view?usp=sharing (this module file 'Nice Fly') in my archive folder. This file might have more than 25 years I think.
You can play this file with winamp or with Open ModPlug Tracker. Here is a https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I7X_s8QsIJbKLHIvggoYqnPmy7PDuqsC/view?usp=sharing (mp3 rendering) if you want to hear this extraordinary composition
!Disclamer : Listen with caution this could cause an intense ears bleeding
.
Wes Antczak
Senior Member
Atari here, with Hybrid Arts SMPTE Track and then Steinberg Pro 24. Also M. Recording down to a TASCAM DAT machine. My first sampler was a Prophet 2000. I also had a few Proteus modules, a couple TX units from Yamaha, a Pro One, a Super Jupiter, etc., etc.
I should also add that with the Atari I never had any crashes... ever.
As 'primitive' as things may have been back then, I still feel as if I got a LOT more music done in those days.
Now it seems that I spend more time updating the software and plugins.
I should also add that with the Atari I never had any crashes... ever.
As 'primitive' as things may have been back then, I still feel as if I got a LOT more music done in those days.
Now it seems that I spend more time updating the software and plugins.
Hadrondrift
Active Member
Started with Commodore 64 and C-Lab Scoretrack. After that, Atari ST and Creator, later Notator.
The restrictions at that time had a positive effect on my creativity. Today's diverse and powerful tools can tempt you to perfectionism. Getting things done is harder nowadays, at least for me.
The score editor of Notator was top notch, even on the small (but great) monochrome screen of the Atari. Amazing piece of software. Still missing some functionality today in Cubase, flashing selected notes for instance.
The restrictions at that time had a positive effect on my creativity. Today's diverse and powerful tools can tempt you to perfectionism. Getting things done is harder nowadays, at least for me.
The score editor of Notator was top notch, even on the small (but great) monochrome screen of the Atari. Amazing piece of software. Still missing some functionality today in Cubase, flashing selected notes for instance.
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Geomir
Senior Member
I love this theme of Wings of Death as well, it's so intense, if I could ever make a cover for it, I would go with power metal!
And yes my favorite of all Turricans is 2. Amazing music! It cannot be compared with the modern standards, but all those songs were very "honest", in a way that you could not hide a "boring" composition by using ambience, effects, reverbs, distortion, etc... All those songs had to be powerful, creative, and catchy on their own without the help of the amazing plugins we own nowadays.
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For my part, I started on Atari 520 ST then migrated on different Amiga (500, 600, 1200), then went to the PC at the bankrupt of Comodore.
On these machines I mainly work on Soundtrakers. I had obtained a sampler and midi interface to plug into the back of my Amiga and I was working hybrid music on Octamed (a tracker that could play midi).
I used the Amiga sampler for specific rhythm parts and a Technics KN550 keyboard for melodies, sacred era!
On these machines I mainly work on Soundtrakers. I had obtained a sampler and midi interface to plug into the back of my Amiga and I was working hybrid music on Octamed (a tracker that could play midi).
I used the Amiga sampler for specific rhythm parts and a Technics KN550 keyboard for melodies, sacred era!
For those who were in love with the music of Turrican 1 or 2, know that Chris Huelsbeck the original composer made a series of anthological albums dedicated to these memorable games:
It's here.
An Extract:
There is even an orchestral version of the titles:
It's here.
An Extract:
There is even an orchestral version of the titles:
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Paul Grymaud
Active Member
Yep !
Still have my old 1040 St + HD (!) + keyboard + mouse (2)
I also have the software PRO 24 (cubase ancestry), many many floppy disks full of sounds and musical folders +libraries for Roland D110, Korg M1 and other stuff
Anybody want to buy it ? Good condition for its age
Still have my old 1040 St + HD (!) + keyboard + mouse (2)
I also have the software PRO 24 (cubase ancestry), many many floppy disks full of sounds and musical folders +libraries for Roland D110, Korg M1 and other stuff
Anybody want to buy it ? Good condition for its age
R. Soul
Senior Member
I'm surprised at all the mentions of Dr. T's KCS - I hardly ever heard from anyone who's used it.
I started on Amiga 500, using SoundTracker, ProTracker and NoiseTracker. I wish I had some of those tunes, but they are lost on a floppy somewhere, or possibly a cassette. My oldest surviving tunes are from 1993/94.
I still catch myself on YouTube every once in a while listening to the tunes from The Last Ninja and demo composers like Skaven, Purple motion, Jester and 4-Mat etc. Those were the days
I started on Amiga 500, using SoundTracker, ProTracker and NoiseTracker. I wish I had some of those tunes, but they are lost on a floppy somewhere, or possibly a cassette. My oldest surviving tunes are from 1993/94.
I still catch myself on YouTube every once in a while listening to the tunes from The Last Ninja and demo composers like Skaven, Purple motion, Jester and 4-Mat etc. Those were the days
nolotrippen
Senior Member
I was always on a Mac, but my sequencer of choice back then, Passport MasterTracks Pro kind of puts me the same nostalgic time frame.
mickeyl
Dr. Mickey Lauer
Grew up on the Commodore C64 and the AMIGA 1000 – created quite a bit of music back in the days of the demo scene. Here are some details.
