🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <3060@ihlpg.ATT.COM> latoth@ihlpg.ATT.COM writes:
>I am trying to decide between the following two MIDI sequencers for
>a Mac+
>	Mark of the Unicorn's Performer
>	Opcode's Sequencer 2.5
>
>I have a DX21, SPX90, Roland TR505 and plan to buy a FB01 (this decision
>is based on the latest TX81z problems plus with my DX21 the FB01 will
>probably be a better match)  In the future I will want to buy scoring
>software and a patch editor/librarian.  I also have a hp7470 plotter
>(for what it's worth).
>
I have two comments.  First, I would strongly urge you to consider the
TX81Z instead of the FB01.  Not only does it have much better sound, but
it's voices are a compatible superset of the DX21s.  You can cross-load
voices over MIDI between the two (although you may lose something on the
TX81Z's voices when you transfer them to the DX21).  The problems you
have heard about are relatively minor.  Since you don't have an ESQ-1,
the Foot Controller problem with it's sequencer shouldn't bother you at
all (this is brain-damage in the ESQ's sequencer more than in the TX81Z).
The other problem has only been observed on a voice where both microtonality
(i.e. non equal-tempered scales) and the built in delay effect were used
simultaneously.  This is pretty rare, and doesn't really affect the usefulness
of the box.  Besides, it is almost certain that Yamaha will have a ROM
upgrade to fix the problem (they apparently have one upgrade about to be
released, but it is not clear whether it cures this problem).  I already
have an FB01, and I am picking up my TX81Z today after having borrowed one
and used it for a weekend.  I would strongly urge you to try one out before
rejecting it.

On sequencers, I have Opcode 2.5.  It works very well together with Deluxe
Music Construction Set version 2 for notation, and DMCSv2 is much cheaper
than MOTU's Composer.  My main complaint with Seq2.5 is the lack of graphic
display of the MIDI stream.  All editing is in terms of Bar and Beat references.
It works a lot like a multi-track deck.  If you are mostly concerned with
real-time performance, then the Opcode system has many features that are
hard to beat.  They are promising graphic editing in a future upgrade, and
with that I would be completely happy with it.  I have never used MOTU's
Performer, so I can't compare directly.

Good luck!
					Dean Krafft
					dean@gvax.cs.cornell.edu
					Computer Science Dept.
					Cornell University