Dr T's KCS And Tiger Cub

Serious Software for the THINKING Musician

This is Dr T's (Emile Tobenfeld's) Opus. It is a combination of several midi programs that work together under a multitasking environment called the MPE.(Multi Program Environment)

ADVENTURES IN PVG

The Programmable Variation Generator (PVG) is so unique, that every midi musician should buy an Atari JUST to run THAT! Here are some tricks I learned in using PVG and KCS in general:

Importing Midi files

When the main screen of KCS comes up, select the EDIT button, which brings you into EDIT mode (with the list editor present) From here, go to FILE and select LOAD MID FILE. Select your midi file for importing. The file loads. I have found that if you try to do this in the main KCS screen, it does not always work, but works everytime this way (go figure). Since I sometimes start a composition in Cubase, I save it as a midi file to import it into PVG for processing, so I have included this step of the process.

Once the midi file is in KCS and you see it dislayed in the list editor, select a track you want processed with the PVG (the track numbers are at the bottom of the screen) then select the PVG button. You are presented with the first PVG screen: CHANGE by Constant. Under General Options, I usually put 50 changes per vary and 3 variations. You can choose if you want Evolving Mults or Consecutive Mults. Go to GET in the menu to see what presets you can use. The default with the program contains some interesting variations. I sometimes go to the ORNAMENTS screen and GET the Stick Bounce preset. Then select OK. You are returned to the KCS edit list screen. Hit F1 and you are returned to the PLAY screen. Then you can play what was created in PVG, by unmuting the VRY parts, and playing the piece. Sometimes I will create variations of several tracks. Then go into TIGER. Change the midi channels that the variations are on, and assign new sounds to them. Then I can go into the MIXER section and pan each voice differently in the stereo field to create some neat effects. You can also start from scratch in the PVG by putting your own values in the fields for Pitch, Velocity, Duration, Shift, and interval. Just be sure to put in WGTs for these fields also. Then you can store your own presets in your own file by using the SAVE command from the menu. Then there is the MACRO screen where you can execute many variations at once in a logical fashion. There is so much to the PVG, that you can never fully exploit it. It will keep you going

I have not really worked in open mode that much, and wanted to try it. So I recorded a lot of small 2 bar sequences using Music Mouse on one of my other ST's going into my falcon running KCS.. Then I would take go into EDIT, select the first track,then select TIGER from the MPE menu, then change midi channels and select a patch from the program list (GM list of instruments....this is NOT available in the KCS ver 4 version of Tiger but only in ver 5. However Tiger Cub has this))and then from the menu select TRACK TO SEQUENCE command. This converted the track to a sequence that can be viewed in OPEN MODE. Once I had a lot of sequences put together including some drum tracks (patterens)I played them from the OPEN PLAY mode.Then recorded my results right into Cubase on my TT030 and converted it to midi file.

It was such a joy to be able to pick , start, and stop sequences right from the Computer keyboard all at your command. I do not know of ANY sequencer on any platform that does this. What a lot of fun as well as intuitive and interactive. There are probably more tricks to this as well.

To check this file out on the KCS ver 4 (shareware) edition, just load the program. Then from FILE, select OPEN and bring in the MMOUSE.ALL file. The file loads into the TRACK MODE. What you see are 40+ tracks all filled up. These are the indevidual patterns on each track. Don't play it from here as it will be a mess.(However you could by using the solo command) However select EDIT at the bottom of the screen, and the Edit menu and event screen is presented. Then select OPEN MODE. Then the dialog changes. Then Select OPEN PLAY, and then the Open Play screen comes up. Hit 0 on the 10 keypad part of the computer keybrd TWICE (00) and you will hear a drum patern sound. Then start selecting patterens on the qwerty keyboard. You can start a sequence by hitting it once,. then to stop it, hit the same key and it finishes to the end of the bar and stops. (Neat heh?)Start another sequence. All the sequences are in the same key. Each is mapped to a different midi channel and GM sound. A lot of FUN HEH???!!

Try creating your own from scratch...this is a different way to compose then just linearly as in a track style sequencer.

This version originally appeared as an ST Format Cover Disc.

NEW: 2-20-03 Dr T has now approved of KCS ver 4 with Song Edit, PVG and the Master Editor.( for this you click on level2.prg within the archive.) The KCS ver 4 has been repackaged with several example PVG files. Included is also Tempo Master MPE ( now freeware) by Jeffery Raid Baker. The PVG docs are also available. See download section.

New: also included with registration is the KCS ver 5 manual in softcopy form ( Microsoft WORD)Please note that the manual is for version 5 and will have the additional features of version 5 covered. It can still be used for version 4 with good results.

Send US funds to:

Alpha Channel Productions
15 Frances Road
Lexington MA 02421

Once you have sent the funds, contact emile@foryourhead.com for the manual. Once he has recieved the funds, he will email the DOC file to you.

To upgrade to version 5.0 which includes many more MPE modules, please contact Emile Tobenfeld.Please read the DOCS supplied for more details on version 5.0 . SUPPORT ATARI PROGRAMMERS!! See below.

AVAILABILTY

Dr T (Emile Tobenfeld) still has the Complete Omega II package for Atari Available.

Prices are $159.00 with manual in WORD format. $199.00 with manual inXerox. This is the Latest Revision 5.11.

Upgrades from Version 5.0 is $39.00. Upgrades from previous versions are$109.00 with manual in WORD format, $149.00 for Xerox manual.

Contact Dr T (Emile Tobenfeld) at:www.foryourhead.com

Emile has a DR T info page as well as some great Video for your Head!