From: djg0@aber.ac.uk (Dean John Garraghty)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: DMS review
Date: 4 Oct 92 13:21:59 GMT
Organization: University of Wales, Aberystwyth

The Digital Music Studio (PD134)
--------------------------------

Reviewed by: Dean Garraghty.


I'm probably not the best of people to review DMS, because I wrote it! 
However, I think it is worthwhile knowing a little more about it than the 
details given in the PD catatlogue.

I wrote DMS in 1989. The version discussed here is 2.00b. Version 1.75a was 
sold up until November 1989 when 2.00b was ready. The two versions are quite 
similar, so only 2.00b is in the PD. DMS was originally sold commercially in 
the UK and US. However, when I'd completed Digi-Studio, DMS was scrapped. That 
was about a year ago now, so I decided to put DMS into the PD.

DMS is a set of programs for manipulating digitized sounds. Programs included 
are: main section, compiler, keyboard player and drum player.

With DMS being for the commercial market, it is quite classy in its 
appearance. All programs use the console keys for selecting options from a set 
of option boxes.

Main section
------------

This program allows you to create and play tunes using digitized sounds. You 
can also load in new sounds. You can also load and save tunes. "Tunes" in DMS 
is perhaps a bit of an untruth. The "notes" don't play in real musical pitch. 
They are just different play rates for the samples. "Notes" are made up of a 4 
character code of letters and numbers describing various things about the 
"note". A very simple editor is built-in to type in your tune. But, to edit it 
you must modify a Basic program. In DMS all tunes are stored as Basic programs 
which are just lots of REM statements. You just look for your note and modify 
it before saving the program back to disk. A little knowledge of Basic is 
advised.

Three samples can be in memory at a time, and your tune can switch between 
them as it plays. You can also load in new samples.

The main section also has a utils menu which allows you to delete and rename 
files, as well as format disks, and take directories.

From the main section, you can also load in the other programs which make up 
the package.

Compiler
--------

This program will convert your DMS tunes into a stand-alone Basic program 
which allows you to play music using digitized sounds in your own programs.

Keyboard player
---------------

This program allows you to play music live by using the keyboard. You have 
your 3 sounds in memory and can switch between them as you play. However, you 
have to specify how long each note is to play for before starting, so you 
can't have mixed length notes as you play. You can also load new samples in 
from the keyboard player.

Drum player
-----------

Seven drum sounds are loaded into memory, and you use your keyboard to play 
them.

What else is included?
----------------------

As well as the programs mentioned, you also get a very detailed manual. This 
is ready for printing to an 80col. printer straight from DOS. You also get a 
load of sound samples.

Comments
--------

DMS is a very classy package, because it was intended for the commercial 
market. The manual is more than adequate, and quite detailed in parts.

Editing tunes is a pain, and the lack of real pitch makes DMS unsuitable for 
more professional work.

DMS is great for a bit of fun, or if you want to get into digitizing. Also, if 
you are unsure abouting buying Digi-Studio, try DMS first. Although 
Digi-Studio is quite different and much more advanced, it was based pretty 
much on DMS.