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Author Topic: big Noise SeqMax (1994, article)  (Read 3587 times)

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Offline chrisNova777

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big Noise SeqMax (1994, article)
« on: December 22, 2015, 04:04:31 PM »
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1994_articles/jan94/maxpack.html

Quote
SEQMAX

If you are familiar with Cadenza, you'll have no trouble in getting to grips with SeqMax; the layout is very much the same, and that includes the unmistakable large transport buttons positioned to the top left of the screen. At a glance, nothing really stands out from within the main track sheet; track names are listed down the left of the screen, whilst to the right of each track lie the pretty much bog-standard track parameters, including MIDI port, channel, transpose, bank and program number, volume and pan settings. Further to the right is a column which displays the number of events within each track -- more useful would be some indication of MIDI activity, which can often save a lot of time when it comes to trouble shooting.

Selecting a patch or instrument for each track can be done by utilising the database supplied with SeqMax. Double clicking in the instrument column reveals a dialogue box, where a list of preset sounds is displayed for many sound modules. Selecting a sound automatically names the track and inserts the appropriate program change number. There are maps for General MIDI and most Roland keyboards, to name but a few. The database can be modified to suit your own setup and includes bank as well as program change number.

Following Microsoft's guidelines for Windows, values are altered with the +/- signs from your computer's numeric keypad, and not with the two mouse buttons for increment and decrement -- a bit irritating, since it's enough of a pain switching hands between your synth and the mouse, let alone introducing another input device. However, double clicking on any parameter brings up a dialogue box where the mouse can be used to change values. This seems a bit of a long-winded way around a simple task.

A click of the right mouse button in the track sheet reveals various editing modes, and it is here that MaxPak has much to offer. The Graphic Editor is a typical piano roll-style editor which has some quite innovative features. The window is divided into two sections, the top half displaying notes and note lengths within a grid, the bottom, a graph to show control values for each event -- a partition bar can be adjusted to show more or less of each region. When a track is assigned to a drum kit map, this editor becomes a drum editor rather than a piano roll.

The lower half of the screen provides many useful tools for adapting or inserting note attributes. The default setting displays velocity, but it's possible to view any controller within the graph. A further click of the right mouse button reveals a tool box; with the pen selected, you can draw your own velocity curves or other controller data. Other tools include data thinners; fill, which inserts extra events to produce a smooth transition between two points; invert; and erase, all of which have their own dinky icon.

The event editor is very basic and would benefit greatly from the use of a comments column, as you can find yourself inserting controller messages, then returning at a later stage and wondering what on earth they were assigned to do. Events can be filtered from view, and tools include insert, erase and a 'go-to' feature.

Arrangements can be structured using the song editor -- a 'birds-eye' view (or measure pane) over the whole song. This is represented in a grid not too dissimilar from Passport's Master Tracks Pro. Sections can be block marked and copied to other tracks or positions within the song, but unfortunately no section smaller than a whole measure can be copied.

Big Noise have not included song position pointers within any part of MaxPak, which is important to many users; nevertheless there are 'bookmarks', which is a definite bonus.

Quantise and other parameters are to be found within the drop-down edit menu. SeqMax's maximum resolution is 480ppqn (Pulses Per Quarter Note) with a smallest quantisation value of a 64th note. There is quite an extensive Humanise feature within this menu, which is based on the strength of velocity, note duration and event start times, given that a 100% setting will not affect current data; there's also a swing/shuffle feature to be played with.

A new addition to version 2.0 is the Score Editor. It doesn't provide the in-depth features of a notation package such as Encore or Finale, but offers the opportunity to view data in traditional notation style. All tracks are displayed except those which are either muted or pattern based.

Text input has been kept to a bare minimum, allowing only lyrics to be inserted; symbols simply include the traditional note length and rest values with various orchestral and dynamic marks. Once symbols are inserted, they are left 'free floating', which means that they can be positioned more accurately at a later stage. All marks are placed above the staff, lyrics below.

Making changes to clefs and font sizes from the score settings option is about as technical as things get; however, should you be writing out parts for a school band you shouldn't have any problems in printing out a reasonable score from within this package. When it comes to printing out scores, MaxPak will only print highlighted parts, and you can enter song title and author within the dialogue box which pops up just before the printed sheet pops out.

There are two on-screen mixing modules within MaxPak, one of which is MixMax, the other being a track mixer within the sequencer itself. Configured for General MIDI, the mixer allows settings to be changed for reverb and chorus levels, as well as volume and pan -- and in real time. However, the performance of the mixer leaves much to be desired where speed is concerned, due to the amazingly slow rate at which the graphics are drawn to the screen -- irritating after only a short time, as switching between windows forces the mixer to be redrawn. My findings are based on a 486DX2/50, so draw your own conclusions.

Other important features to be found in version 2.0 are Tap Tempo, which allows you to tap in and create a tempo map and track shift to offset the start time of individual tracks, and the Pattern Editor, which bears a resemblance to the techniques employed by Steinberg's Pro 24.