Rediscovering old retro sequencing software

[ChipCurtis]

Hey, this might be a little long, but I just wanted to share an experience I had today.

 

I use my P4 2.5 gHz desktop for all my softsynths and audio recording. But sometimes I would like to get some quick sequences going to jam on, and most of my synths don't have built-in sequencers.

 

So, I did some rummaging in a spare room and found my girlfriend's old P2 520 mHz laptop laying around, neglected, eventually to be tossed in the skip, whatever. It ocurred to me... why can't I use this thing for light MIDI sequencing and patch editing, having it handy sitting on top of a sequencer-less synth... leaving the heavier audio duties to my desktop PC. Why buy a standalone sequencer when I've got this thing lying around?

 

So I looked through some old floppies in the basement, and found this program I used to use called Power Tracks Pro. It was on 2 floppies, verion 3 of the software, it came out like in the mid 90s, and I remember doing some demo recordings with it back in the day.

 

I cleaned up and de-fragged the laptop, installed this rather spartan software on it, hooked up an old parallel-port MIDI adapter (also lying around) called the Portman PC/P, and fired it up. Guess what? This thing ROCKS!! The MIDI functions are very advanced for the time. It syncs to MIDI time clock and SMPTE, allows all kinds of MIDI filtering, maximum 256 tracks (more than I'll ever need), and all kinds of cool editing techniques including piano roll AND ... get this .... editable and printable notation!!! Hell, even Tracktion and lots of modern DAWs don't have MIDI functions this advanced.

 

I got it synced up to my TR707 and proceeded to lay down some looped basslines from my DSS-1, and was having a blast.

 

This software only cost like $35 back in 1995. It seemed to be as advanced as $500 Performer software for the Mac, from around the same time period.

 

Just goes to show.... never throw away those old laptops or software diskettes you've got lying around... they just might come in handy one day!!!

[Guest Anonymous]

I was recently going through some of my old "Keyboard Magazine" magazines and I was totally freaking out at some of the old software that first came out and what was being used to run the software. I remember seeing one of the first optical image writers in a review. It was some insane amount of money. But the main thing that is hard for me to understand is, "how did the first users of sequencing software make good music?". I guess its all relative. I remember when I was building a computer in 2001 and the 14 Gig HD was 230 dollars.

 

My thoughts.....