10 /10 1 Votes
Initial release date 1984 | 5/5 My Abandonware | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Similar Pinball Construction Set, Mayday Squad, Matterhorn Screamer, Adventure Construction Set, XF5700 Mantis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Will harvey s music construction set for the apple ii
Will Harvey's Music Construction Set (MCS) is a music composition notation program designed by Will Harvey for the Apple II and published by Electronic Arts in 1984. Harvey wrote the original Apple II version in assembly language when he was 15 and in high school. Despite his only published software being an abstract shooter, Lancaster for the Apple II, Harvey's name was included in the title. MCS started as a tool to add music to that game.
Contents
- Will harvey s music construction set for the apple ii
- Music construction set gameplay pc game 1984
- Description
- Hardware support
- Platforms
- Reception
- References
Music Construction Set was ported to the Atari 8-bit family, Commodore 64, and the IBM PC (as a booter), then later to the Atari ST. A redesigned version for the Amiga and Macintosh was released in 1986 as Deluxe Music Construction Set.
Music construction set gameplay pc game 1984
Description
With MCS, the user can create musical composition using a graphical user interface, a novel concept for the era of its release. Users could drag and drop notes right onto the staff, play back their creations through the computer's speakers and print them out. The program came with a few popular songs as samples. Most versions of this program required the users to use a joystick to create their songs, note by note, which could be a lengthy and time-consuming process for a long song.
Hardware support
The program took advantage of advanced equipment for those who had it. For example, the IBM PC version allowed the user to output audio via the IBM PC Model 5150's cassette port, so they could send 4-voice music to their stereo system. The same program also took advantage of the 3-voice sound chip built into the IBM PCjr and Tandy 1000.
The Apple II version supported the expansion card Mockingboard for higher fidelity sound output. In addition, use of the Mockingboard allowed the musical staff to scroll along with the music as notes were played. Without it, the Apple II needed nearly every spare CPU cycle to produce audio, and as such couldn't update the display while playback was in progress.
The Atari 8-bit family has 4-voice onboard sound generation via their custom-chip set which is fully supported by the Atari 8-bit version of the program.
Platforms
Electronic Arts ported MCS from the original Apple II version to the Atari 8-bit family, IBM PC, and the Commodore 64.
The version of Music Construction Set for the Atari ST was not a port and shared no source code with the original versions. It was written by Richard J. Plom for Intersect Software Corporation under the name The Orchestrator, it was acquired from Intersect Software by Electronic Arts and rebranded Music Construction Set in 1987. The Atari ST version was the first version to support the new MIDI standard.
The program was completely redesigned for the Amiga and Macintosh, but under the name Deluxe Music Construction Set. This version had more features and better graphics than the other versions of the program. It also allowed users to type in lyrics for their compositions, though these were strictly for the user (the program didn't attempt to "sing" the lyrics, a feat which both computers were capable of with the speech synthesis software that they came with). It can also read and write IFF SMUS files.
In 1986 it was ported to the Apple IIGS where it made use of its built-in Ensoniq wavetable sample-based synthesizer. The port was done by Randel B. Reiss; it was never released, but its music engine was used for producing the soundtrack for the Apple IIGS game titles Zany Golf and The Immortal, both of which were written by Will Harvey.
Reception
II Computing listed Music Construction Set third on the magazine's list of top Apple II education software as of late 1985, based on sales and market-share data. Ahoy! stated that despite some limitations, Music Construction Set for the Commodore 64 "will aid both experienced songwriters and dedicated novices alike. It's a powerful music processor and a joy to use".