Instant Music... what a bleeding good way to cheat!

[Commie_User]

Looking at my threads I seem to have quite a few viewers. Nothing to put the readership of Zzap to shame, but a nice little handful anyway.

So just in case anyone's interested, I re-wrote my Instant Music page to give a much better overview of what the software was and what it could be used for. Alright, it was a shameless piece of work designed to allow even the most ham-fisted and tone-deaf thickie to say that he could knock out a good tune too, but it's just too tempting to play with it and end up with something you wouldn't mind showing off yourself. As I have done a good few times.

The music you make with it, even if you micro-manage your templates, are just as much the product of the machine as of you (or perhaps more so). That's why I consider it to be a dirty little secret to admit using it for anything 'proper'...

But nevertheless, here's the page: http://www.dustybin.org.uk/IM.htm

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PS: My own copies seem to be the only ones on the web which work. I'm surprised that even the likes of Zophar's Roms hold faulty versions, made by trying to copy the protected floppies in the conventional way. Nobody had cracked it that I could find, and I wanted some spare copies for backup, posterity and the web, so I used my trusty Action Replays to do both Amiga and c64 versions. And there you are.

(But if you dig the software, try looking on Ebay. You get a rather nice history book with it and a gatefold sleeve.)

[analoq]

Ah there's no such thing as cheating in music, just using a tool in a good or bad way.

I used intelligent arranger software (Band-in-a-Box) a couple times to audition musical ideas for remixes which worked out nicely.

This Instant Music software seems neat. Do you have music you've made with it or used it for to share?

[Commie_User]

Musicians have said I was cheating because I.M. allows you to make and play music whilst totally ignorant of its mechanics and principles. But from a technical view, no it's not cheating because the aim of the game is get yourself as high a quality result as possible.

I do have music made with it actually. Good examples are http://www.concept-single.net/cs9_music.MP3, http://www.concept-single.net/cs10_music.MP3 and http://www.dustybin.org.uk/Poker.mp3.

The above little theme tunes were mostly or wholly 'composed' with the software and recorded along with overdubs. SID sounds are also included in the recordings, so see if you can pick them out.

You can also go to my homepage (http://www.dustybin.org.uk) and look at the music links on the concept single page for other music.
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PS - And because I like to recycle, here's a previous link: viewtopic.php?f=33&t=6922&p=80200&sid=d ... f70#p80200

[analoq]

Cool stuff, it's weird but used in an interesting way. Thanks for sharing.

Musicians have said I was cheating because I.M. allows you to make and play music whilst totally ignorant of its mechanics and principles. But from a technical view, no it's not cheating because the aim of the game is get yourself as high a quality result as possible.

The way I've always looked at it is: If it brings you closer to your artistic vision, then use it. For example, if I found a drumloop that matched my vision then why bother programming my own beat? Either choice would serve the same outcome.

I think it is only cheating when you compromise your artistic vision for the sake of laziness or whatnot. "This drumloop isn't quite the rhythm I want but I can't be arsed to program my own beat" would be the antithetical example.

If Instant Music produces the sort of musical passages you're looking for then there's no reason not to use it.

[Commie_User]

I don't really have any artistic vision as such. It just comes together as I go along. Whether I use Instant Music or rely on my own ability, the arrangements are what makes the recordings for me. I'm a duffer at music but I think I know what sounds good and how sounds compliment one another.

But when all's said and done, Instant Music really expands my capabilities, which for me is what the Commodore 64 is all about.

[Commie_User]

And you should see this guy's videos on it. I've no idea how Google didn't throw them up before.