We started out with the drum editor and made our own custom drum track. We pasted the drum track into 100 measures of our new song. We then added a bass guitar track to the drums, and some keyboards and strings for harmony. We transposed 8 measures of the music to a new key to add some flavor to the song, then played it back and listened to our new creation. It wasn't perfect, but it was fun to make and we all learned a little bit about how a song is put together.

We next loaded up an existing MIDI song called "Unforgettable" that I downloaded off the internet. I handed someone the microphone and let them sing along with the music, while I recorded their voice in synch with the music. (The words to the song were displayed on the screen in karaoke fashion.) We then took the voice recording and added some echo, delay, and chorus to make it sound as if the singer were standing in a large hall.

Needless to say, this program is a lot of fun and is very powerful, yet very easy to use. The MIDI sequencer handles up to 48 tracks of MIDI data. You can enter notes live using a music keyboard, or point and click on a music staff using a mouse. You can cut and paste notes or measures, quantize notes using percentages, transpose to a different key, change key signatures and time signatures anywhere in the song and much more. It also has a mixer board so you can adjust each of the 48 tracks for volume and panning to left and right. For more information on Power Tracks Pro Audio, or to get a free demo of the program, call PG Music at 1-800-268-6272, or see their web site at www.pgmusic.com.

We had 10 people at our April meeting, where we discussed ways to generate graphic presentations, such as brochures, labels, letterhead and cards. We looked at Paint Shop Pro and Lview Pro and discussed ways to capture photos and other graphics, then use them to build a newsletter from scratch.

Mel Souter showed us a neat little software program called MyBrochure, by MySoftware. MyBrochure makes it real easy to make a newsletter or brochure. Whether you want a full page, half page, or even a tri-fold, double-sided brochure, this package makes it simple to create. Mel also took us out to his van, where he has a computer, scanner and printer hooked up. He demonstrated how to use a scanner to scan in several small images for cataloging inventory. He uses his setup to catalog paper piano rolls for player pianos.

At our May meeting we will have a presentation of Personal Composer, a powerful and affordable music notation printing package. We will not meet during the summer months, so our next meeting will not be until September 15. Come join the fun at the Harmon Foundation, 2901 S. Harvard, on the third Tuesday of each month (except summer) at 7:00 PM. Note: Midi Music will NOT be meeting in June, July, or August!!!

For more information on the Tulsa Computer Society click here