From: clldomps@cs.ruu.nl (Louis van Dompselaar)
Subject: Re: OctaMEDProV3
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 11:07:19 GMT
Organization: Utrecht University, Dept. of Computer Science

In <92244.090057M-WHIT2@UMINN1.BITNET> Michael Whitten <M-WHIT2@UMINN1.BITNET> writes:

>>1. OMEDPro will not save all the instruments I load into it. It takes the
>>   liberty of leaving out all the unused instruments when you go to save
>>   the song you're working on. This means I have to either reload all the
>>   instruments I ment to use, or use the first block to enter a note from
>>   all 64 instruments to make OMEDPro think I'm using them.
>>
Okay, it's from the original-original article, but I will comment 
anyway. What's the use of having sounds in MED when you don't use
them? It's silly. If you are a genuine composer, you'll decide what
sounds to use later on, anyway. You'll first need a tune that uses
the sounds. So, when you've got the tune, MED won't remove the sounds.
It's easy.

>>   now I have to go back and change it in my songs.
>
You don't HAVE to use OMEDpro...

>>3. OMEDPro, of all versions, did not come with instructions. Lucky for me,
>
That's because it's not PD.

>The more I use this software, the more disappointed and frustrated I get.
>All the things Jason pointed out are true.  I have my own compatibility gripes
>with OMED3, too.  The program is supposed to be able to save in ST/NT mod
>format - it will not; in fact, its supposed to be able to save in all of

You didn't try did you? I use OMEDPro to save ST/NT mods quite happily.
It can't save older MED versions, true, but then again, who needs 
old file formats? It can't save C64 files, it can't save PC/XT files.
All of these would have use for SOMEONE out there, but Teijo thought it
wise to be upward compatible, not downward, as is generally the idea
of upgrading. Ever seen a WordPerfect 5.1 that saves files in WP 2.0 
format? It's silly.

>only those with OctaMEDv3 can hear it?  Ahhhh, well there's the freely-
>distributable OctaMEDPlayerV3, right?  Wrong!  While OMED3 plays what I wrote
>just fine......its own player cannot!  Nice going, Amiganuts!  The player

The player is fine too, plays everything OMEDPro can play. Maybe your
version of OMEDPro and player are messed up somehow?

>program screws up the octaves, and I suspect it is the extra 2 octave ability

It's octave range is extended to 10, if you've looked at the Edit menu.
So that's 5 extra octaves. (MIDI mode)

>As much as I admire Teijo Kinnunnen and MED, I have to question the more-
>esoteric-features for less-compatibility direction he has chosen.  He seems
>to pride himself on adding newer and newer features to his music editor
>programming, but why bother if the already in-place Save features don't work?
>
Save function are OK, was long as you don't want things like mentioned
above. About the features, why are they esoteric? I find the MIDI panel
the least he could do, I even have some ideas on further enhancements.
In fact, if there are editors that DON'T allow any number of features
that OMEDPro offers, I don't know how I should use MIDI with them.
True, the syntheditor might be removed, I don't use it that much, but
then again, there might be some additions to the sample editor.

Louis
a happy OctaMEDPro user.

-- 

Louis van Dompselaar      |||  Life is short, Life is tiny
clldomps@cs.ruu.nl         |    -- Heart Throbs   
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.audio