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Date:         Mon, 23 Nov 1992 16:13:00 EST
From:         Jim Loomis <LOOMIS@ITHACA.BITNET>
Subject:      GEnie Weekend News 112092

Long post:  700+ lines.

Warning.  The following contains suggested retail pricing and promotional
information which you may find offensive.  If that is likely, delete now.


                            -*-   IMPORTANT!   -*-

         As long as individual  stories are kept intact  and credit
         is given, this  material may be  reproduced in ALL or PART
         on a  privately owned  BBS or in a  user group newsletter.
         See wording for proper credit at the end of this Newscast.

Thanks to Denny Atkin, Editor, COMPUTE's Amiga Resource, for his generous input.




                      DateLine:  November 20, 1992
         This 5-MINUTE Newscast presents the following stories:
         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 1. Commodore Introduces New Low Cost Amiga 1200 at COMDEX Show

 2. MicroBotics: Hardware FPU & 32-bit Wide Memory Expansion for the A1200

 3. Commodore Features New Amiga Systems and Multimedia Application Solutions
      at COMDEX/FALL '92

 4. Next Week's *StarShip* Amiga Conferences
        [DELETED]

 5. Commodore Announces Winners of 4000 Reasons Contest

 6. COMDEX: The Wonders Of Multimedia at Bally's

 7. Motorola Division Demonstrates New 68000-Based Multimedia Systems at
      COMDEX

 8. ASDG Adds Support for New Epson Color Scanners to its ADPro Family

 9. Electric Theatre Presents:  The Keys To Music





                          *StarShip* NEWS *Flash*
                             1st of 9 Stories


        Commodore Introduces New Low Cost Amiga 1200 at COMDEX Show
    ____~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   / ___)          Las Vegas, NV -- November 16, 1992
  / /
 / (__
(_____)ommodore Business Machines, Inc. today introduced the Amiga 1200, the
company's newest 32-bit Advanced Graphics Architecture (AGA) based machine.
The Amiga 1200 is priced as an entry level computer for the home and for
specific business applications. The system utilizes the AGA custom
co-processor chip set, which was recently introduced in the Amiga 4000
multimedia development system. AGA allows users to display and animate
graphics in multiple, selectable resolutions using up to 256,000 simultaneous
colors from a palette of 16.8 million.

The A1200 includes AmigaDOS Release 3, the newest version of Commodore's
multitasking operating system. AmigaDOS Release 3 not only takes advantage of
the AGA features, it maintains backwards compatibility with existing Amiga
software. Also included in the new operating system is CrossDOS, a utility
program that allows fast, easy transfer of MS-DOS formatted files between the
Amiga and MS-DOS-based computers. "The high performance Amiga 1200 featuring
AGA, CrossDOS, PCMCIA expandability, an entry level price point and compact
design is a great choice as a home computer," commented James Dionne,
president and general manager of Commodore Business Machines, Inc. "These
powerful features also make it an ideal portable presentation or training
delivery system for the professional user. The A1200 is another step forward
for Commodore as we continue to pursue a greater share of the home and
professional multimedia markets."

The high speed, 32-bit Amiga 1200 comes standard with one 3.5 inch floppy
drive, 2MB of chip RAM and an internal IDE interface. The A1200 has RGB
digital and analog, color composite and RF modulated video outputs in
multiple resolutions including NTSC and VGA. The unit also features full
support for PCMCIA Standard 2.0 memory and I/O cards, with expansion
capabilities up to 6MB. SCSI adapters and FAX/Modem cards that connect to the
CPU through the PCMCIA slot are expected to be available in the near future.
The system's internal 150-pin local bus edge connector provides for high
speed 32-bit RAM expansion, co-processor expansion and the addition of CPU
accelerators.

The base configuration Amiga 1200 is expected to be available through
Commodore Authorized Resellers in early December at the Manufacturer's
Suggested Retail Price of $699.00.

Commodore Business Machines, Inc., based in West Chester, PA, is the U.S.
subsidiary of Commodore International Limited. The company manufactures and
markets a complete line of Amiga computers and peripherals for the business,
consumer, education and government markets.

Commodore is a trademark of Commodore Electronics Limited. Amiga, AmigaDOS
and Advanced Graphics Architecture are trademarks of Commodore-Amiga, Inc.
MS-DOS is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

                                    -*-




                          *StarShip* NEWS *Flash*
                             2nd of 9 Stories


                            MicroBotics MBX 1200
          Hardware FPU & 32-bit Wide Memory Expansion for the A1200
 ______   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(__  __)           Richardson, TX -- November 1992
  / /
 / /
(_/he MicroBotics MBX 1200 is offered to Amiga 1200 owners as a
cost-effective, high-quality upgrade solution to provide a Motorola
68881/68882 Floating Point Unit (FPU) and to support the installation of up
to eight megabytes of 32-bit wide Amiga FastRAM. The MBX 1200 board installs
internally on the Amiga 1200's standard 150 pin bus expansion connector. MBX
1200 (with standard 14MHz math chip installed) speeds-up floating point
operations by as much as 55 times that of the native A1200. Adding 32-bit
wide FastRAM to the MBX 1200 boosts general operating speed of the system by
more than 75%. With FPU and FastRAM installed, the average of all the tests
in the AIBB Benchmark is more than eight times the speed average of a native
A1200. The MBX 1200 permits the A1200 user to realize the full potential of
his system and software.

MBX 1200 Specifications

FPU: Motorola 68881 (or 68882) math chip; PGA (Pin-Grid-Array) component.

CPU Clock Speeds Supported: 16MHz 68881 installed as standard, clocked at
14.3MHz. Field upgradeable to up to 50MHz 68882.

Target System: Amiga 1200 Personal Computer.

Installation: Internal to Amiga 1200; resides on the 150-pin card edge
connector. User or dealer installable.

Compatibility: Designed for general compatibility with all Amiga system
software including AmigaDOS system 3.0 and later versions.

Memory Support: Supports the addition of a single, optional one, two, four or
eight megabyte, 32 bit wide SIMM (Single Inline Memory Module). RAM operates
with zero wait-states for maximum system speed.

Memory SIMM Types: 72-pin "wide-body" SIMM organized N-megabytes x 32 bits.
For example, MIcron MT8D25632 (one megabyte); MT16D51232 (two megabytes);
MT8D132 (four megabytes); and MT16D232 (eight megabytes). SIMM socket is
first-quality, professional metal-latch type for ease of insertion and secure
contact.

System Compatibility and Mapping: RAM is autoconfigured under AmigaDOS 3.0.
RAM can be witheld from the free memory list (for test purposes) via a
jumper. Math chip can operate without installed memory.

Software: Includes MBRTest-2, a comprehensive diagnositic program for Amiga
memory.

Applications: Useful in any memory intensive and/or math intensive
application such as animation, ray-tracing, morphing, scientific calculation,
and image processing.

Power Consumption: 200 milliamps (approximate).

Configurations Available: Available with 68881 installed, without memory or
with any of the four SIMM sizes.

Product Availability: Worldwide distribution via Amiga dealers and
distributors.

USA Suggested Retail Price: $189 with 14MHz FPU and 0k memory. Actual selling
price determined by dealer.

                                   -*-





                          *StarShip* NEWS *Flash*
                             3rd of 9 Stories


                 Commodore Features New Amiga Systems and
            Multimedia Application Solutions at COMDEX/FALL '92
    ____    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   / ___)           Las Vegas, NV -- November 16, 1992
  / /
 / (__
(_____)ommodore Business Machines, Inc. will feature and demonstrate its
revolutionary new line of Amiga Advanced Graphics Architecture (AGA) based
systems, the A4000 and the A1200 at Comdex/Fall '92 in the Multimedia
Showcase, Bally's Casino Resort, Booth #B320, from November 16-20.
Commodore's presentation at Comdex will focus on professional application
solutions using the Amiga and CDTV based systems in the business
presentation, training, point-of information systems and video markets.

Also included in Commodore's booth will be seven third party developers who
will demonstrate a broad range of Amiga applications for targeted business
and professional markets. A special added attraction will be video
simulations and Amiga video seminars presented by the producers of "Nick
Arcade," a popular TV game show on the Nickelodeon Cable Channel.

Commodore introduced the Amiga in 1985 as the industry's first multimedia
microcomputer system that fully integrates graphics, video, audio and
animation in an elegant and affordable way. Today, Commodore continues to be
at the forefront with its newest members, the Amiga 4000 and the Amiga 1200.

The Amiga 4000 is a powerful, fast system that features a Motorola 68040
processor in combination with Commodore's AGA chip set. This winning
combination enables users to display graphics in selectable resolutions from
320x200 to 1200x800 in up to 256,000 simultaneous colors from a palette of
16.8 million.

An A4000 base configuration features a 120MB hard drive, 6MB of memory, a
dual speed high-density floppy drive and CrossDOS which enables users to read
and write MS-DOS formatted floppy and hard drives. The new hardware features
are driven by AmigaDOS 3.0., the newest version of Commodore's multitasking
operating system. AmigaDOS 3.0 maintains backwards compatibility with
existing Amiga software.

The newest member of the Amiga family, the Amiga 1200, is the entry level
member of the AGA group. The A1200 represents a major step forward in the
entry to midrange level in the computing industry. In performance
capabilities the A1200, like the A4000, can display 256,000 simultaneous
colors from a palette of 16.8 million colors. The A1200 is an ideal entry
level computer for the home. Its compact, low-profile design and high
performance also make it an ideal portable presentation, kiosk or
point-of-sale system.

Amiga Solution Applications

Innovative, resourceful and intelligent applications, all utilizing Amiga's
multimedia technology, are Commodore's focus at Comdex this year. The
applications, including the software involved, will be discussed and
demonstrated in Commodore's booth. Each application answers specific needs
for professionals in the training, point-of-information systems, business
presentations or video markets.

The following is a list of the application developers who will present their
newest technology for Amiga systems at Comdex.

NICK ARCADE - "Nick Arcade," the popular Nickelodeon game show, has
successfully turned the video game phenomenon into a home television
experience. This exciting and original game show, the brainchild of Karim
Miteff and James Bethea, Bethea/Miteff (BMP) Productions, is largely
dependent on Amiga's exceptional multimedia graphic technology. In fact, ten
Amigas are used for each show's production. In Commodore's booth,
representatives from "Nick Arcade" will demonstrate and deliver seminars on
mainstream video applications, as seen on the wildly successful "Nick Arcade"
and Slimetime Sweepstakes for the Nickelodeon Cable Network. Using Amiga and
laser discs, Bethea and Miteff will present techniques that have successfully
eliminated the need for multiple operators. Now, they use a single operator
with just one command.

GREAT VALLEY PRODUCTS - Great Valley Products (GVP) will present G-Lock, a
versatile genlock system for all Amigas and Phone Pak VFX, a sophisticated
fax and voice mail system.

CENTAUR DEVELOPMENT - OpalVision OpalVision, created by Centaur Development,
has helped to thrust the Amiga into the forefront as the most powerful video
and graphics computer in the industry. OpalVision is a board that links
powerful video painting software with cutting-edge high quality hardware
resulting in tremendous graphic and video capabilities. OpalVision's modular
design allows the user to select only the features needed while providing
expandability for the future. A representative from Centaur Development will
be present to explain OpalVision's spectacular features, as well as show a
variety of applications that are included with the main board.

CREOTEC CORPORATION - VidDISC CDTV Authoring System CREOTEC Corporation will
feature its VidDISC Authoring System for CDTV. The VidDISC Authoring System
allows multimedia developers to produce complex interactive multimedia
presentations for CD-ROM discs and CDTV by assembling scripts which link
video, audio and text within the interactive VidDISC environment.

VidDISC's major advantages are that it allows users to see and hear the edits
while applications are being created; offers a point and click interface for
easy assembling and editing of complex A/V scripts; provides access to motion
video, as well as still-frame video animation, image dissolve, and color
cycling; and allows entry and editing of multiple language audio and text for
any VidDISC application. Additionally, CREOTEC will feature six application
demos using VidDISC for Commodore's CDTV.

DIGITAL MICRONICS, INC. - Digital Micronics, Inc. will show two new
professional products in the CBM booth, Vivid 24 and Digital EditMaster.
Vivid 24 is DMI's 24 bit color, super high resolution graphics rendering
engine for the Commodore Amiga providing graphics rendering and display power
rivaling that of a Silicon Graphics workstation. Digital EditMaster is DMI's
full motion JPEG, a non-linear editing system for the Amiga. It also is a
real time, broadcast quality, digital video compression and editing system
which turns an Amiga into a professional video editing studio.

ST. CLAIR INTERACTIVE COMMUNICATIONS -  St. Clair designs, develops and
produces interactive multimedia solutions for a broad range of corporate and
public sector clients. St. Clair will feature six to eight interactive
multimedia applications developed on the Amiga. The principal ones are used
by the Canadian Broadcast Center, K-Mart Coupon Center and $EATS ticketing
system, as well as a number of customer service applications.

SCALA INC. - SCALA Inc. will feature and demonstrate its presentation
software including Multimedia 200 and InfoChannel products. The SCALA
Multimedia 200 software allows users to create spectacular multimedia
presentations that can include animations, sound and special effects for a
number of professional business, government and educational applications.

SCALA's InfoChannel is also a presentation software package that is
specifically designed for people who need to provide information. InfoChannel
is used for point-of-purchase advertising, employee information systems and
cable TV ad channels. Current InfoChannel users include General Motors, ADP,
Phillips, Nissan Motors, Volvo, General Electric and many others.

Revolutionary new Amiga systems coupled with dynamic and innovative software
solution applications will be Commodore's thrust at Comdex Fall'92 this year.
Commodore invites all Comdex attendees to its seminars and demonstrations.

Commodore Business Machines, Inc., based in West Chester, PA, is the U.S.
subsidiary of Commodore International Limited. The company manufactures and
markets a complete line of Amiga computers and peripherals for the business,
consumer, education and government markets. Commodore and CDTV are trademarks
of Commodore Electronics Limited. Amiga, AmigaDOS and Advanced Graphics
Architecture are trademarks of Commodore-Amiga, Inc. Motorola is a trademark
of Motorola, Inc. MS-DOS is a trademark of Microsoft, Inc. Nickelodeon is a
trademark of MTV Networks. G-Lock and Phone Pak VFX are trademarks of Great
Valley Products. OpalVision is a trademark of Opal Technology. VidDISC is a
trademark of CREOTEC Corporation. Vivid 24 and Digital EditMaster are
trademarks of DIGITAL MICRONICS, INC. K-Mart Coupon Center is a trademark of
K-Mart Corporation. $eats is a trademark of St. Clair Interactive
Communications. InfoChannel is a trademark of SCALA Inc.

                                   -*-





                          *StarShip* NEWS *Flash*
                             4th of 9 Stories

                                 [DELETED]




                          *StarShip* NEWS *Flash*
                             5th of 9 Stories


 ______     Commodore Announces Winners of 4000 Reasons Contest
(__  __)    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  / /              Westchester, PA -- Novemer 1992
 / /
(_/he "Commodore Amiga 4000 Reasons Contest" is now over. The winning
entries, as selected by a panel of judges, are:

GRAND PRIZE: Amiga 4000 with 1960 monitor
WINNER: Eugene T. Cottle
REASON: "Since it was first introduced, the Amiga has been a pioneer. While
IBM users anticipate the next innovation, Amiga owners are already using it."

SECOND PRIZE: Amiga 600HD with 1084S monitor
WINNER: Michael Fontana
REASON: "Used a MAC at school! Used an IBM at work. Bought an Amiga for home.
To use it is to choose it!"

THIRD PRIZE (TIE): AmigaVision Professional
WINNER: David Klinkowize
REASON: "By using Amiga's audio/video applications, I started, at age
fourteen, DWK Productions, my own video business, which will finance my
college tuition."

WINNER: Mike Savin
REASON: "It's Advanced, Mind-blowing, Incredible, Graphics and Animation Has
Awakened My Imagination Genius, and Artistry! My AMIGA is an Astonishing
Mesmerizing Indispensible Genuine Amiga (friend)!" (Mike prepared his entry
quite artistically).

There were over 2,500 entries... some humorous, some technical... some
descriptive, graphic and on and on.

Commodore Business Machines, Inc. sincerely thanks all participants for their
time and efforts with this contest!

                                  -*-






                           *StarShip* NEWS *Flash*
                              6th of 9 Stories


                COMDEX: The Wonders Of Multimedia at Bally's
    ____        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   / _  )          Las Vegas, Nevada -- 1992 Nov. 17 (NB)
  / __ /
 / _  )
(____/ig players loomed small in the Comdex multimedia showcase at Bally's.

Companies like Digital Equipment, Texas instruments, and Tandy all were
willing to live in the shadow of giant IBM in pitching multimedia products at
this show. Spokesmen for all three companies gave Newsbytes practically the
same line -- they all have the "first complete systems solution for
multimedia."

DEC's solution accents networking, especially with its new Alpha platform.
TI's idea is a system that includes all components and peripherals, including
audio, speech, telephony and imaging. The story at Tandy is called
"Sensation!" and designed for the home office. Unfortunately, spokesman Kevin
Kyle told Newsbytes, there is no upgrade path for those home offices which
already have PC compatibles.

While the majors were meek, the minors were defiant. Allen Communications
Marketing Director Marty Newey told Newsbytes his Quest authoring programs
lets you "develop in Windows, and deliver in DOS, without the Windows API
baggage" for the best of both worlds.

Geoffrey Stilley, vice president-sales of Commodore Business Machines,
introduced us to Karim Miteff, producer of "Nick Arcade" on Nickelodeon, a
cable network for kids. The whole shebang is being produced on an Amiga. "The
original concept was for me to do it from my office," said Miteff. That's
impossible on any other system, but "the Amiga has always been video-
compatible and multi-tasking," said Miteff.

                                  -*-





                         *StarShip* Amiga *Flash*
                             7th of 9 Stories


                       Motorola Division Demonstrates
                New 68000-Based Multimedia Systems at COMDEX
    _  _        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   / \/ \              Las Vegas (Nov. 16) PR NEWSWIRE
  /      \
 / /\  /\ \
(_/  \/  \_)otorola's High Performance Microprocessor Division today
announced that it will demonstrate new and innovative multimedia designs from
Atari(R) and Commodore(R) at COMDEX in booth No. 1488.

Announced in September, the Atari Falcon030 is a full-scale desktop computer
based on Motorola's 68030 microprocessor and is specifically designed for
personal integrated media functions. The Atari Falcon030 allows even novice
users to combine and manipulate video, audio, animation, telecommunications,
text and graphics.

The Atari Falcon030 also incorporates Motorola's 56001 digital signal
processor (DSP) to process and manipulate compact-disc quality digital audio
and voice signals. This combined with the processing power of the 68030 and
Atari's integrated software, makes the Atari Falcon030 a complete multimedia
platform.

Also announced in September, the Commodore Amiga 4000 incorporates the robust
processing power of the Motorola 68040 in conjunction with Commodore's
Advanced Graphics Architecture(tm) custom coprocessor chipset. These
processors enable users to display and animate graphics in multiple
resolutions in up to 256,000 colors from a palette of 16.8 million in a fully
functioning high-performance multimedia system. This extensive array of
colors and features brings life-like images and photoquality colors to any
document or presentation with ease.

"The high level of processing power of the 68000 Family make them ideal for
highly graphical applications such as the Atari Falcon030 and the Amiga
4000," said Jim Reinhart, Motorola's manager of M68000 marketing and
applications. "Motorola is pleased to be a technology partner in bringing
multimedia technology to a wider audience."

Other 68000-based designs being shown at the Motorola Semiconductor Products
Sector (SPS) booth include Apple Computer Inc.'s Macintosh(R) Quadra(R) 700
and PowerBook(tm) 170, Apple's high-end desktop and notebook systems, and the
Verifone Emerald Supersystem, based on the 68302. The Verifone system,
designed for the healthcare industry, allows doctors to file insurance claims
electronically. Other Motorola groups contributing to the SPS booth include
RISC, AMCU, Motorola Hong Kong, Fast Static RAMs, DRAM, CSIC, MDAD
Multimedia, LonWorks and DSP.

Having 1991 worldwide sales exceeding $3.6 billion, Motorola's Semiconductor
Products Sector is the largest U.S.-based broad line supplier of
semiconductors, with a balanced portfolio of more than 50,000 devices.
Motorola is one of the world's leading providers of electronic equipment,
systems, components and services for global markets.  Products include
two-way radios, pagers and telepoint systems, cellular phone systems,
semiconductors, defense and aerospace electronics, automotive and industrial
electronic equipment, computers, data communication and information
processing and handling equipment.

Motorola was a winner of the first Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in
1988, in recognition of its superior company-wide quality management process.

                                    -*-






                         *StarShip* NEWS *Flash*
                             8th of 9 Stories


               ASDG Adds Support for New Epson Color Scanners
                  to its Art Department Professional Family
                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     With its announcement of support for two new color scanners from
     EPSON, ASDG Incorporated maintains its leadership role in bringing
     new color technology to the Commodore Amiga.  Building upon its
     best-selling support for the ES-300C, ASDG's new driver takes full
     advantage of the greater speed, resolution, and options offered by
     the new ES-600C and ES-800C scanners.  The suggested price of ASDG's
     EPSON scanner driver remains unchanged at $200.
    _
   / \               Madison WI -- November 16, 1992
  / - \
 / ___ \
(_/   \_)SDG Incorporated, the leading innovator in color imaging technology
for the Commodore Amiga, announce full Art Department Professional support
for two new color scanners from EPSON, the ES-600C and ES-800C.

EPSON's ES-300C, coupled with an ADPro driver, has been the best-selling
color flatbed scanning combination available for the Amiga. In revising its
driver to fully support the new ES-600C and ES-800C, ASDG brings its
customers all of the advantages these new devices offer including greater
speed, higher resolution, and additional options, such as an automatic
document feeder and the ability to scan transparencies up to 5 inches square
in size.

ASDG president, Mr. Perry Kivolowitz said, "Our support for the ES-300C has
been the most successful scanner product on the Commodore Amiga. While the
greater speed and resolution of the ES-600C and ES-800C will benefit
everyone, the really key innovation is the availability of an affordable
transparency scanning solution. We're expecting great things from these new
EPSONs."

The revised driver retains its compatability with the older ES-300C.
Preserved also is the driver's WYSIWYG operation and ease-of-use. The driver
is compatible with version 2.1.5 of ASDG's award winning Art Department
Professional as well as ASDG's recently introduced visual effects package,
MorphPlus(TM).

For more information about ASDG's color imaging solutions or to request a
user group kit, contact Gina Cerniglia at ASDG Incorporated, 925 Stewart
Street, Madison, WI 53713 or call (608) 273 - 6585.


Art Department Professional is a registered trademark and MorphPlus is a
trademark of ASDG Incorporated. Amiga is a registered trademark of
Commodore-Amiga, Inc. Other trademarks or registered trademarks are the
property of their respective holders.

                                  -*-




                         *StarShip* NEWS *Flash*
                             9th of 9 Stories


     _  _      Electric Theatre Presents:  The Keys To Music
    / )/ )     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   / // /           Elkins Park, PA -- November 1992
  /  ~_/
 / /\ \
(_/  \_)eys to Music is designed like a set of books, with each volume
covering a specific area of music theory. Also, like a book, each volume is
subdivided into chapters or modules. A module introduces new material and/or
continues, in greater depth, material introduced in previous modules.
Depending on the user, each module takes about 15 minutes to complete and
ends with a quiz. Results of the quiz are stored in a data base and the user
is advised if a review is needed.

For the Beginner:  Keys to Music starts you with the rudiments of music and
progresses in a structured manner to an advanced level of modern harmony.

For the Advanced Musician:  Individual volumes can be used to gain knowledge
in the particular areas where you need it.

For Those Who Want to Compose Music and/or Use The Computer as a Musical
Instrument:  Keys to Music will supply the necessary musical knowledge to
enable you to experiment or have fun using the many MIDI sequencers and
printing programs on the market.

LET KEYS TO MUSIC BRING MUSIC THEORY TO LIFE FOR YOU WITH

SPEECH:  Relies heavily on the synthesized voice ("Dr. Ray") for its
presentation. Speech is in plain English and is used to fulfill the auditory
part of learning. It is used to provide full explanations of material, give
instructions on using various parts of the program, and encourages the user
and corrects mistakes.

PRINT and GRAPHICS:  On screen are musical examples using graphics and a
condensed printed version of the audio presentation.

HIGHLIGHTS:  Words which are important to remember are highlighted in blue
with a gold border when they are first introduced. This helps you to
distinguish important musical terms, especially ones that might have another
meaning in English usage.

MUSICAL EXAMPLES:  Many musical examples are used to demonstrate and support
the text. "Dr. Ray" will invite you to click directly on the example or on
buttons to play the music. On-screen instructions are also provided.

HISTORY:  History of the composition and/or composer with an extended
arrangement of the particular example playing in the background.

RESPONSE:  All your input is acknowledged by a change of color and a beep or
some other sound so that you are aware that the command was received and
being acted upon. This is especially helpful if using floppy disks as load
times can take a few seconds.

PRINTOUTS:  Extended arrangements of many examples are supplied for direct
printout or manipulation in DMCS format (Electronic Arts). The same examples
are also available in SMUS format for other printing programs or use with a
MIDI sequencer.


USING KEYS TO MUSIC AS A TEACHING TOOL

INTRODUCTION:  Music and graphics with a synthesized voice ("Dr. Ray")
welcomes the student and explains how to use the program.

ENTRY OF PERSONAL ID:  A valid number must be entered to continue with the
program and record quiz results. This number will project the user's name on
screen and continue on with the program.

MAIN BODY OF PROGRAM:  A synthesized voice, print, musical examples, buttons
to play examples, and buttons to continue, review, test, restart, and exit at
appropriate points. Enjoyable  drills and games throughout to encourage
proficiency and speed.

DRILLS AND EXERCISES:  Correct answers are acknowledged by music or by "Dr.
Ray," as needed. Incorrect answers are acknowledged, restating the question
with the correct answer. Buttons to review or exit are provided.

QUIZ RESULTS:  Results are entered into the data base so that students or
teachers can keep track of progress. Great for learners who want to know how
they're doing. "Dr. Ray" also echoes the name and quiz results. Buttons to
restart or exit are provided.

Each volume comes with a data base editor and an easy-to-follow manual for
using the program.

The Keys To Music demo contains selected sections of Keys To Music Volume I,
a 5 disk set.

When you complete Volume I, you'll know:

  Many musical terms and symbols;
  Note names on treble staff and bass staff;
  All accidentals and their rules of usage;
  How pitches relate to notes;
  How to count "time";
  Note and rest values - whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth, dotted,
   double dotted, triplets;
  How pitches and rhythms are put together - click on examples throughout;
  Brief histories of composers and their music.

You'll get:

  Music that can be loaded into DMCS or any SMUS capable sequencer. Great for
    study, practice, experiment and printing.
  Many IFF sound samples for use in your own music.
  A manual with a section on how to get the most out of "Keys to Music."
  A data base editor so you can open a file for yourself, each member of your
    family, or if you are a teacher, a file for each student. When you use
    "Keys to Music" with your own personal ID number, quiz results will
    automatically be stored. You'll be able to print out the results and keep
    track of your progress.

If you play an instrument, "Keys to Music" will give you a greater
understanding of music without having to wrestle with an instrument. You'll
automatically play better.

If the music is in your mind, "Keys to Music" will teach you how to get it
down on paper or into a sequencer (computer music program). The newer
sequencers can be used like pencil and paper.

Who said that you have to play a horn to be a musician? Let the Amiga be your
instrument -- your band!

You'll do it all by:

  * listening to "Dr. Ray" (voice instruction).
  * reading text on screen.
  * trying the many musical examples.
  * doing the drills which correct your mistakes.
  * playing musical games (multi-skill levels).
  * experimenting with special examples in a sequencer.

THE CHALLENGE:

Maximizing all of the Amiga's capabilities!
Using them to express your capabilities!!

You've created art on your Amiga. You've written programs on your Amiga.
You've done word processing. Now create music as well! But first you must
learn to read and compose your music in an interesting and fun-to-learn way.

By combining all of the Amiga's capabilities you can:

  Create your own musical compositions on the many music sequencers on the
    market today;
  Enhance your home video productions with original art and music;
  Produce your own musical backgrounds on all of your multi-media projects;
  Put your children in touch with the joys of learning and playing music;
  And much, much more.

TAKE THE CHALLENGE!

Let "Keys to Music" help you add the ability to create music to your other
skills and get those creative juices flowing. At the very least, say goodbye
to boredom forever. At the very most, who knows, the answer lies beyond your
present limits.

System Requirements:
An Amiga with at least 1 megabyte of RAM (1.5 megs recommended)
WorkBench 1.3 or higher, Audio hookup, 2 floppy drives or 1 floppy and a hard
drive (demo version runs from floppy only). Commercial version runs from
floppy or hard drive.

Each Volume Retails for $59.95

VOLUME I:   LEARNING TO READ MUSIC (Musical terms, names of the notes, note
            values, basic rhythm)

VOLUME II:  LEARNING TO WRITE MUSIC (Scales, time signatures, key signatures
            - How to put it all together)

VOLUME III: RHYTHM AND EAR TRAINING (intermediate and advanced rhythm,
            melodic and harmonic intervals - develop the ability to "hear"
            what you see)

VOLUME IV:  TRADITIONAL HARMONY (Voice leading, resolutions of chords,
            inversions, modulation, harmonization of melody)

VOLUME V:   MODERN HARMONY  (7th, through 13th chords, augmented, diminished
            and altered chords, substitutions, chord symbols)

For more information, contact ELECTRIC THEATRE, 111 Holme Avenue, #2, Elkins
Park, PA 19117, or call 215-379-4538.

                                   -*-





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            Reprinted by Permission from the 5-MINUTE Weekend
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Disclaimer:  My only relationship with GEnie is as a subscriber.  This document
is presented to I-AMIGA without compensation.

                                                Jim Loomis
                                                LOOMIS@ITHACA
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU