Opening crate of NIB 68k music software!

[CJ_Miller]

Too psyched! I gave a guy from a guitar store $75 for an enormous box of old MIDI stuff. And amazingly, 90% of the stuff is unopened, unused! This is exactly what I wanted, and I almost feel bad opening some of the stuff now, some of it wrapped for 25 years. But I am not a collector. Honestly, I am not much of a musician either, but this is what I like. Looks like I am going to have my Plus and MegaST set up this weekend!

Hardware:

2x MIDI Conductor - DB9 MIDI interface for original Mac

Opcode Timecode Machine - MIDI<->SMPTE

Dr. T's The Phantom - Atari MIDI<->SMPTE, extra MIDI out

68k Mac:

8x various Opcode dedicated librarians/editors for various synths, Yamaha, Kawai, etc

Coda Perceive - ear training

Music Mouse - Laurie Spiegel's original mouse performance app

M - "The Interactive Composing and Performing System"

Jam Factory - "The Improvisation and Live Performance Processor"

Atari ST:

Dr. T's KCS v1.7 - oldest version I have for Atari

2x Hybrid Arts EditTrack -multitrack MIDI sequencer

Hybrid Arts Ludwig - algorithmic composition tool

Hybrid Arts Oasis ST - Mirage sample editor

Passport Designs Master Tracks Pro - multitrack MIDI sequencer

IBM/DOS:

Voyetra Sequencer Plus Mk2 - multitrack MIDI sequencer

Apple ][:

Roland Muse - "MIDI user's sequencer/editor"

Commodore 64:

2x Roland Muse - "MIDI user's sequencer/editor"

Case and manuals only - no disks:

Opcode Vision - original sequencer for 68k Mac

Digidesign Sound Designer Universal - sample editor for 68k Mac

 

[Bunsen]

68k Mac:8x various Opcode dedicated librarians/editors for various synths, Yamaha, Kawai, etc

I'd be interested to see a list of those editors!

M - "The Interactive Composing and Performing System"

M is awesome fun and surprisingly powerful - algorythmic composition on a Plus upwards IIRC.

Commodore 64:2x Roland Muse - "MIDI user's sequencer/editor"

Cartridge or disk?

Case and manuals only - no disks:Opcode Vision - original sequencer for 68k Mac

Digidesign Sound Designer Universal - sample editor for 68k Mac

Well that's OK - you can still download Opcode Vision and Studio Vision for free if you can find the link, and Sound Designer and SDII crop up regularly on evilpay.

 

[IIciguy]

Wow! Sounds like you scored big time! That's exactly the kind of stuff I am hoping to find to use with my vintage Macs. I was just about to post a thread questioning what synth or sound generation software I should be looking for for my 68k Macs.

I may still post about that later but for now, your list gives me some things to think about. I'm used to the QT instruments and while some of them are super cool in a lo-fi cheesy way, I'm also looking for things like that Sonix synth I have for my two old Amigas. There seems to be a lot of older commercial software on your list that I've not seen in searches for this kind of thing. Please keep us posted on what some of that stuff is like. :approve:

 

[Baboon!]

And amazingly, 90% of the stuff is unopened, unused! This is exactly what I wanted, and I almost feel bad opening some of the stuff now, some of it wrapped for 25 years. But I am not a collector.

Great finds; congratulations. Try to locate copies of the software available for download and keep them sealed if you can. You'll be making a collector very happy if you decide to part with them later on.

 

[CJ_Miller]

68k Mac:8x various Opcode dedicated librarians/editors for various synths, Yamaha, Kawai, etc

I'd be interested to see a list of those editors!

I don't have any of these synths! But I will probably get a K3 sometime, I like those. Xpander is cool but doubt if I'd go for the asking price these days. I have heard of them, of course, but the rest of these synths I don't know much about.

Kawai: K1, K3

Lexicon: PCM-70

Oberheim: Matrix 6/6r, Xpander/Matrix 12

Yamaha: (2x) DX21/TX81Z, FB-01

M - "The Interactive Composing and Performing System"

M is awesome fun and surprisingly powerful - algorythmic composition on a Plus upwards IIRC.

Yes! I had it on an old Mac I acquired years ago, but never spent the time to figure it out. Then that Mac needed a new drive and I never bought a proper copy of M until now. In the mid-80s this company Intelligent Music was started by Joel Chadabe in Albany NY. David Zicarelli (now Cycling 74) created M and Jam Factory, and the same team also made a rhythm editor called "Upbeat" which I would love to find. Supposedly, much of their MIDI code was contributed from David Oppenheim, of Opcode. After IM folded David went to Opcode and developed Max. One can definately see the lineage of M to Max, it and Jam factory look like sprawling, ancient Max patches. Even the documentation has the same terseness and typesetting as the Max/MSP/Jitter manuals. David even released a new version of M this year which ports it to Intel Macs and now uses coremidi. I saw posts from him in some blogs a while back where he said he is gradually porting the source for Jam Factory and Upbeat too - but they are not a real priority. Might get released eventually, might not. I certainly hope they do! If I like M I might well buy the current version, which they offer for $74US, I have been on the fence about it.

Commodore 64:2x Roland Muse - "MIDI user's sequencer/editor"

Cartridge or disk?

All disks. I don't have any MPU-104 to check them out with, but they are not too scarce.

Case and manuals only - no disks:Opcode Vision - original sequencer for 68k Mac

Digidesign Sound Designer Universal - sample editor for 68k Mac

Well that's OK - you can still download Opcode Vision and Studio Vision for free if you can find the link, and Sound Designer and SDII crop up regularly on evilpay.

Yes, I did dl the last versions of SVP. I was so psyched because I owned SVP before but my keydisk got ruined. I still would have liked to see Vision v1.0. SD I have on my Falcon but didn't use, but might now that I have a sampler (FZ1). SDI for Mac would have been cool too, just as part of the Plus project here. I have a fair amount of Mac software but the only 68k stuff I had is later FAT code for System 7 or so, so I have never really used my Plus before. It's great to have some software to play with on it!

As it turned out I had a crushing work week of 14-16 hour days, and a short weekend - so I am going to try to get some audio play time going on here!

 

[CJ_Miller]

Wow! Sounds like you scored big time! That's exactly the kind of stuff I am hoping to find to use with my vintage Macs. I was just about to post a thread questioning what synth or sound generation software I should be looking for for my 68k Macs.I may still post about that later but for now, your list gives me some things to think about. I'm used to the QT instruments and while some of them are super cool in a lo-fi cheesy way, I'm also looking for things like that Sonix synth I have for my two old Amigas. There seems to be a lot of older commercial software on your list that I've not seen in searches for this kind of thing. Please keep us posted on what some of that stuff is like. :approve:

I had Amigas back around 1990 but they were stolen and I didn't get around to replacing them (yet!). My parents only bought games for me, I recall I loved the Psygnosis ones in particular. Once I got my own place I bought a disk of Amiga audio applications from Henry Lowengard. They were very cool, and my very first bits of music software. I played with them for a few months before I lost the stuff. The one I spent the most time with was a waveform drawing program, like UPIC. I made a racket of horrible noise! If Henry is still out there, I bet he can still get you these, or they might even be on the web now.

 

[CJ_Miller]

Great finds; congratulations. Try to locate copies of the software available for download and keep them sealed if you can.

I found that the latest versions of Edittrack and Ludwig are at Tim's (RIP) Atari MIDI World. Also there are M and Music Mouse for Atari, but now I have the apps and dosc for Mac too. One thing I like about having the original package is that I prefer reading the documentation this way. Also Voyetra do seem to offer the "Gold" version of their sequencer, but I don't know if is the same, or full version. I've never done DOS music work. The rest of these apps are not available for free, nor otherwise so far as I know.

You'll be making a collector very happy if you decide to part with them later on.

I guess I would be, but it's not going to happen. I am keeping them. I am becoming too much of a vintage systems nerd, it is great having these "dead" frozen systems which are cheap and I don't need to worry about updates. There are many more interesting sequencers for these old platforms than on the latest ones, in my opinion. Collectors make things too expensive, so I don't feel an obligation. Like the ARP Little Brother I saw on ebay for $1500! Or an MC202 for $1000. Thousands for a vintage sequencer which is just a few logic chips and pots. People who have no use for stuff making it cost far more than it should for those who actually need the tools. This is ranting, I know, but on the other hand interesting and powerful gear and software which happens to not be trendy goes for a steal. DCO/hybrid synths, FM/PM synths, (some)old samplers, funky software. Weirds me out, it does!

 

[CJ_Miller]

I brought my Plus up out of storage last week and cleaned it, but I can't find my mouse nor any system disks. I guess it will be a little while before I can try the old Mac stuff. Time to make room for the Falcon030!

 

[Bunsen]

the rest of these synths I don't know much about.

Yamaha: (2x) DX21/TX81Z, FB-01

4-op (4 oscillator) FM - the DX21 is a keyboard, the TX is a rack, and the FB-01 a half-rack. I was keeping an eye out for an FB-01, as it's the cheapest entry into hardware FM, until I lucked into a TX-7 (rackmount DX-7, 6-op). The FB is only editable over MIDI, and I think the 81Z has more oscillator waveforms available or something.

If I like M I might well buy the current version

Hah, I'd forgotten that had been ported to OSX. Now that would be amusing - running the same sequencer on your new Macbook and a Plus

I have a sampler (FZ1)

ZOMG 8-o Casio FTW!!

 

[CJ_Miller]

4-op (4 oscillator) FM - the DX21 is a keyboard, the TX is a rack, and the FB-01 a half-rack. I was keeping an eye out for an FB-01, as it's the cheapest entry into hardware FM, until I lucked into a TX-7 (rackmount DX-7, 6-op). The FB is only editable over MIDI, and I think the 81Z has more oscillator waveforms available or something.

Only Yammie I've got is a TX816, which I love, scored for $100 from a music store where they couldn't figure out how to make this black monolith sing. Only fix I had to do was reattach a couple ribbon cables, took me about a minute. This is eight DX7s in a 4U rack. I should probably get a dedicated mixer for it though, the extra voices are often wasted. Also I should probably re-cap the power supply. Wondered about whether or not I can hack an E! card (or 8!) into it. IMO the fuss about torturous programming is far overstated. I edit mine with Jim Patchell's and Marc Bareille's programs on my Falcon. It's expressive and noisy/grungy - in a good way. If you need one of those Opcode editors, PM.

Hah, I'd forgotten that had been ported to OSX. Now that would be amusing - running the same sequencer on your new Macbook and a Plus

Yes! And the coremidi means that I could probably bypass a lot of the timing issues of "real" MIDI for sequencing to a softsynth on the same box.

ZOMG 8-o Casio FTW!!

{weasels} x100 {/weasels} Werd... I got turned on to them recently, over the past two years. CZ, VZ, and FZ are faves - seems like all of there xZ models are brilliant. Last summer I bought a NEW CZ1 from a local guy, complete with accessories. It still amazes me, sometimes I get real close and *try* in vain to find a scratch. Very cool compared to the rest of my mostly beat-up gear.

 

[Bunsen]

TX816 / $100 / eight DX7s in a 4U rack.

:approve:

You might want to investigate Sealed's Deep Synthesis pages. He's created editors (within SoundDiver) for loads of synths that reveal hidden parameters or use alternative methods of voice programming.

ZOMG 8-o Casio FTW!!

CZ, VZ, and FZ are faves

VZ10m - do want

 

[CJ_Miller]

TX816 / $100 / eight DX7s in a 4U rack.

:approve:

Hey, I had to ride about 30 miles out and back on my bicycle in the summertime to close this deal, so I think I earned it!

You might want to investigate Sealed's Deep Synthesis pages. He's created editors (within SoundDiver) for loads of synths that reveal hidden parameters or use alternative methods of voice programming.

Yes, I love those pages! Very creative programming tips. It is all using SoundDiver, which is handy because it is what I use on my Macs. Otherwise I usually use Dr. T's editors on my Falcon, like X-OR or the Caged Artist editors. SD is the best though, shame on Apple for not including it in further Logic versions! At least we have the perpetual OSX beta...

ZOMG 8-o Casio FTW!!

CZ, VZ, and FZ are faves

VZ10m - do want

VZ10m - do love! My VZs and FZs I bought over the winter and have not spent proper time with yet, I am just getting back into music now after a stressful year of employment changes.

 

[agg23]

I would like to know more about this "M". I Googled it but can't find anything about it.

 

[CJ_Miller]

I would like to know more about this "M". I Googled it but can't find anything about it.

The letter "M" is a tough one for web searches... Here are some links:

http://cycling74.com/products/m/

http://cycling74.com/support/faq_m/

http://tamw.atari-users.net/m.htm

http://createdigitalmusic.com/2007/06/22/m-interactive-composer-retro-software-now-intel-mac-native-core-midi-ready/

I also have a few cool articles and reviews in old issues of Electronic Musician and Computer Music Journal, maybe I will scan sometime.

Update on the old Mac front: I am still missing bits for my Plus here somewhere, but I bought an SE off of a guy for cheap, complete with accessories. It even came with a Symbolics mousepad, which caused me to get just a little too excited! This week I will try to set up a hard drive and test the floppies. Got to be slow and careful since these are key diskettes. I am all too well aware how lame it is to ruin a key disk. Also I scored a small stash of Emagic dongles. The oldest is for Notator and has ADB and also connectors for Mac Plus keyboard, then there's an ADB dongle which still has the old Emagic logo, and one with a newer logo and is USB only. The USB dongle is a pre-XSkey version which means that it must be for Logic Audio 4.5-4.8.