''Deluxe Music Construction Set'' (''DMCS'') is a 1986
music
Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...
composition,
notation
In linguistics and semiotics, a notation is a system of graphics or symbols, characters and abbreviated expressions, used (for example) in artistic and scientific disciplines to represent technical facts and quantities by convention. Therefore, ...
and playback
program
Program, programme, programmer, or programming may refer to:
Business and management
* Program management, the process of managing several related projects
* Time management
* Program, a part of planning
Arts and entertainment Audio
* Progra ...
for the
Amiga and
Macintosh
The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and software en ...
. The program was originally released as ''
Will Harvey's Music Construction Set'' for the
Apple II and other computers, but was redesigned (and the
Will Harvey
Will Harvey (born 1967) is an American software developer and Silicon Valley entrepreneur. He wrote '' Music Construction Set'' (1984) for the Apple II, the first commercial sheet music processor for home computers. ''Music Construction Set'' w ...
name dropped) for the deluxe version. ''DMCS'' was created by Geoff Brown and published by
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the ...
(EA).
Ariolasoft
Ariolasoft GmbH, later known as United Software, was a German video game developer, publisher and distributor. It started in 1983 as the software subsidiary of Ariola Records, itself the record division of Germany's large Bertelsmann empire. ...
published the program in Europe under license from EA.
Summary
''DMCS'' was the first of a line of music programs for the Amiga to make use of its four voice 8-bit sample playback and
MIDI
MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and ...
synthesis. This program required of
RAM
Ram, ram, or RAM may refer to:
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* A male sheep
* Ram cichlid, a freshwater tropical fish
People
* Ram (given name)
* Ram (surname)
* Ram (director) (Ramsubramaniam), an Indian Tamil film director
* RAM (musician) (born 1974), Dutch
* ...
. However, it could be used for sample playback and complex music composition with of RAM.
''DMCS'' included Bach's
Fugue in G minor "Little".
''DMCS'' was more complex and capable than the first music application that EA made for the
Commodore 64,
Apple II,
Atari and
Atari ST computers, ''
Music Construction Set''. For example, it allowed users to enter
lyrics
Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a " libretto" and their writer, ...
in with the musical score, though the lyrics were strictly for the user's benefit, as the program did not attempt to "sing" the words.
''DMCS'' was also released for the Macintosh, though it was hampered by its copy protection, which used a low-level code encryption that skirted the Macintosh toolbox, resulting in it becoming incompatible with Macintosh System software when upgraded to
System 6.
Unreleased port
In 1986, a port by Randel B. Reiss
for the
Apple IIGS
The Apple IIGS (styled as II), the fifth and most powerful of the Apple II family, is a 16-bit personal computer produced by Apple Computer. While featuring the Macintosh look and feel, and resolution and color similar to the Amiga and Atari ST ...
was written, which uses the built-in
Ensoniq wavetable sample-based synthesizer. Screen shots appeared in various catalogues and was scheduled for a fall of 1987 release. The port was never publicly released, but its music engine was used for producing the soundtrack for the Apple IIGS game titles ''
Zany Golf
''Zany Golf'', also known as ''Will Harvey's Zany Golf'', is a fantasy take on miniature golf developed by Sandcastle Productions and published by Electronic Arts 1988. The game was originally written for the Apple IIGS and subsequently ported to ...
'' and ''
The Immortal'', both of which were written by Will Harvey.
Reception
After testing a beta of the Amiga version, ''
Info
Info is shorthand for "information". It may also refer to:
Computing
* .info, a generic top-level domain
* info:, a URI scheme for information assets with identifiers in public namespaces
* info (Unix), a command used to view documentation produc ...
'' stated that ''Deluxe Music'' "offers the most accurate standard music notation display and editing features I've ever seen ... it is a flexible, detailed composition program".
See also
*
Aegis Sonix
References
1986 software
Electronic Arts
Amiga software
Macintosh multimedia software
Scorewriters
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