

TRACKMAN MANUAL




SYSTEM CONFIGURATION

The computer 
can be any ATARI ST from the 520ST up to a MEGA ST4.
It does not matter whether your machine has TOS in ROM or not.

The monitor  
can be monochrome or colour. A monochrome monitor gives 
the clearest display. If you use a colour monitor it must be set to medium 
resolution. Do this from the desktop by going to the 'Options' menu and 
selecting 'Set Preferences'. Select [Medium] and click [OK].

The disk drive   
can be a single or double sided floppy disk or you could use a hard disk like the ATARI SH204.



CHAPTER 1

1.3 BEFORE YOU START
---------------------

This manual assumes you know how to use your computer. If this is not the case 
you will need to study the Atari ST owners manual and become familiar with basic 
operations. You should become used to the mouse and menus way of doing things. All properly designed GEM based software is similar to use so this is time well spent.

Many people only read a manual when it becomes unavoidable. This is fine but at least backup the master disk before you proceed. Make a copy and put the master disk away somewhere safe. You can then experiment with the program and come back to the manual if you get stuck or need more information.




LATEST INFORMATION

A file on the disk provides you with up to the minute information on Trackman. 
The file is called 'READTHIS.MSG'. You can view it by double clicking on it from 
the desktop. A dialog box appears and you may select [Show], [Print] or [Cancel]. If you select [Show] the scrolling may be controlled using the space bar for next page, return key for next line, or Control-C to abort.

A better way to view the file is with a text editor or word processor if you have one.





MAKE A BACKUP COPY

When making a backup of Trackman copy these four files:

TRACKMAN.PRG The Trackman sequencer program
TRACKMAN.RSC The Trackman sequencer resource
TRACKMAN.PI3 The Hi-res Trackman picture
TRACKMAN.INF The preference information






1.4 SETTING UP
---------------

a/ SETTING UP THE COMPUTER

*The System Cartridge:
should be plugged into the cartridge port on the side of your ST. 
Do this carefully WITH THE ST SWITCHED OFF.
It is important that the System Cartridge is fully inserted and not resting on books or cables. 

*The Auxiliary MIDI interface:
configures the modem port to provide 16 extra MIDI channels. If you wish to 
use it, fit the supplied interface to the modem port on your ST and secure it 
with the two captive screws. You will also need to ensure that 'Auxiliary MIDI Output' is ticked on the MIDI menu. 
The extra 16 channels allow a great deal of flexibility in using multi-voice 
synthesizers. A sampler running in MONO MODE could use all 16 auxiliary channels. This is a good substitute for a drum machine and the normal MIDI output is still available. 

NOTE: Selecting the 'Control Panel' desk accessory can affect the auxiliary 
MIDI output. This can be fixed by deselecting then reselecting 'Auxiliary MIDI Output' on the MIDI menu. 

Technical Note: When deselected, the auxiliary port will automatically be 
reconfigured to 9600 Baud, XON/XOFF protocol.

*The Footswitch:
should be plugged into the joystick port and positioned for convenient operation.

NOTE: 
Do not use the footswitch while the ST boots as this may cause trouble. 
Leave the mouse alone also.



b/ SETTING UP THE MIDI EQUIPMENT

To get the best from Trackman your MIDI equipment needs to be configured 
the right way. The recommended approach is to have your master keyboard send MIDI data on channel 1. The data will be rechannelled as required by Trackman and transmitted to the other MIDI devices. This way you can change synths simply by selecting a new track.


*Synthesizers can operate in various modes.
 
Omni-off means the synthesizer will only respond on the channel(s) assigned to it. 

The 'All Notes Off...' dialog allows Trackman to send this 
code. Some synthesizers can operate in multi-voice or MONO mode. In this case the synthesizer will use several channels, one for each voice.

If your main instrument has 'Local Off' use this to disconnect the keyboard from the synth section and let Trackman handle it. 
If the keyboard cannot do local off then you could disable reception on MIDI channel 1 instead. This way the keyboard sends on channel 1 but receives nothing locally (because it's on channels 2 and up) and Trackman can again handle the rechanneling for you.


*Drum machines can be used in two ways. 

If the drum machine has a MIDI input then you may chose to 
a/ have it synchronize to Trackman via MIDI Clocks or 
b/ be played by Trackman as if it were another synthesizer voice. 

a/ If you are very keen on the programming facilities of the drum machine then sync it, but with Trackman you may prefer to use it just as voices. Consult the drum machine manual to see how to set the MIDI channel or synchronization. 
Set the exempt tracks in the 'Pitch Transpose' dialog to correspond to the channel(s) assigned to the drum machine. These exempt tracks are remembered by 'Save Preferences' on the MIDI menu.

Synchronizing to the drum machine will be necessary if you wish to copy your old drum patterns into Trackman. See the notes about 'Channel Selects Track' in the MIDI menu for more details.


1.5 USING SYNCHRONISERS
------------------------

Insert a blank bar at the beginning of the sequence when using external sync. 
This will give the synthesizers time to respond to patch and automation changes 
issued by Trackman. You can also use this bar for any system exclusive single patch dumps.

/picture/ In this setup the master keyboard output goes via a SMPTE/MIDI converter where the keyboard data is mixed with the MIDI clocks before arriving at the computer. The output of the computer is returned to the master keyboard. The same data emerges from the thru socket to be sent to a rack mounting synthesizer.

If you wish to receive bulk MIDI data such as patch dumps then it would be advisable to remove the SMPTE/MIDI converter from the system. Although these work satisfactorily with normal performance data, the data rate during a bulk dump is often much higher and data may get 'lost' in the SMPTE box.

/picture/ In this setup the drum machine can be played like a synthesizer voice or synchronized via MIDI. The thru connection of the drum machine passes on the data to a synthesizer.

Notice how the MIDI signal has to go through two 'thru' connections. 
Two is normally fine, three is questionable, but any more will probably cause MIDI data errors. One way round the MIDI thru problem is to use the auxiliary MIDI output. This would gain you another two or three lines but the solution in larger systems is a MIDI distribution box. 







LOADING TRACKMAN

Double click on TRACKMAN.PRG and the program will load. If a file named 'AUTOLOAD.ALL' is present on the same directory it will be loaded automatically. The TRACKMAN.INF file will be used to restore various items to the preferred state.





OVERVIEW

Trackman is organised as 100 sequences numbered 00 to 99. Each sequence has 32 tracks. Any track can store up to 16 channels of MIDI data. The sequences are organised in bars and may be from 1 to 999 bars long.

Additional information is kept for each sequence, comprising:

1. The tempo in 10ths of a beat per minute (BPM).
2. The time signature.
3. The MIDI base channel for each track.
4. The SOLO and MUTE settings for each track.
5. The fader setting for each track.
6. The patch memory for each MIDI output channel.
7. The bar to loop to at the end of a sequence during PLAY.
 
Trackman allows virtually any operation to be performed without the sequencer stopping. If you are in record and you attempt an edit operation, 'Extract Events' for example, the sequencer will drop out of record and resume from the same point in PLAY mode. This ensures that the UNDO buffer is refreshed in case you do something wrong. You can use the UNDO button while the sequence continues to play. This is useful for comparing the edited version with the original.






CONTENTS

The first chapter deals with setting up the computer and synthesizers. The
second chapter discusses the main controls and the MIDI mixer. The
following chapters are arranged in the same order as the Trackman
menus, items within each chapter being in the same order as the menu
items.




        Before you start      1.3
	Setting Up	      1.4
	Using Synchronisers   1.5

	The Front Panel	      2.1
	The MIDI Mixer	      2.4

	The File Menu	      3.1

        The Edit Menu	      4.1
	The Graphic Editor    4.8

	The Options Menu      5.1
	The MIDI Menu	      6.1
	The Click Menu	      7.1
	The Quantise Menu     8.1
	The Goodies Menu      9.1

	MIDI Implementation	Appendix 1
	Synthesizer Notes       Appendix 2
	Trouble Shooting	Appendix 3
	Trackman File Types	Appendix 4
	Hints and Tips	        Appendix 5
	Credits	                Appendix 6






Copyright
Copyright(c) 1988, 1989, 1990, Hollis Research Ltd. All rights reserved
worldwide. This user manual and the TRACKMAN software program
contain proprietary information which is copyrighted by Hollis Research
Limited. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transcribed,
copied, translated in any form or by any means, including photocopying
and recording, without the written permission of the copyright holder.


REFERENCE MANUAL 1990 Hollis Research
IMPORTANT: 
Before using the enclosed software read this licence carefully.
Using the program disk means that you agree with these terms. If you do
not agree with these terms, get a full refund by returning the disk,
documentation, original packaging and all its contents within seven (7)
days from receipt.

Licence

The user undertakes not to make copies of the TRACKMAN software or this
User Manual for resale or transfer without the express written permission of
the copyright owner. The user further undertakes not to allow others to
make copies for any reason. Any copies transferred to third parties without
written approval of the copyright owner shall constitute a breach of
copyright and breach of licence.

The user undertakes not to alter, change, modify, add to or delete any
software code or data in the TRACKMAN program or the TRACKMAN resource file. Disassembly of code is specifically prohibited. The user agrees to be contractually bound by the terms of this licence.


Limited Warranty

Hollis Research does warrant to the original licensee that the program disk
be free from material defects under normal use for a period of ninety (90)
days from the date of delivery.
If failure of the disk has resulted from accident, abuse, or misapplication of
the product, then Hollis Research Ltd. shall have no responsibility to replace
the disk under this Limited Warranty.

THE PROGRAM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" without any warranty of any kind,
either express or implied. Hollis Research does not warrant that the
functions contained in this software will meet your requirements or be error
free. Neither Hollis Research nor anyone else who has been involved in the
creation, production, or delivery of this program shall be liable for any
direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages arising out of use, or
inability to use such product even if Hollis Research has been advised of
the possibility of such damages or claim.
Any dispute will be subject to Guernsey law.

Trademarks
Trackman and MIDIman are trademarks of Hollis Research Ltd.
All other trademarks are acknowledged where used.

