Anthem Tutorial

Contents


1 Introduction
2 First Steps
3 The Song Window
4 The Song Structure
5 Editing Phrases
6 Conclusion

Introduction

Welcome to Anthem, a MIDI sequencer for Acorn's 32 bit Risc OS computers.

This short tutorial will introduce you to the program.

Since Anthem closely follows Risc OS style guidelines and has a simple intuitive user interface we are confident that you will quickly become familiar with its use.

Anthem fully supports interactive help, so load the built in !Help application to obtain information about any window or button.

First Steps

You can load Anthem in the normal Risc OS manner by double clicking on its filer icon. Double click on a Anthem song file or click on the icon bar icon to open Anthem's main window, the Song Window.

The Song Window



This window shows the layout of the song and consists of several components. The Play, Stop, and Record controls at the bottom of the window allow you to playback or record the current song as you would expect.

The toolbar at the top of the window controls (amongst other things):

• The action of the mouse pointer
• The display of time signature and tempo tracks
• The display of the Studio Clock
and allows access to other frequently used features.

Most importantly it opens the Phrase List Window. This is part of Anthem's advanced song structure.

The Song Structure

Anthem employs a powerful object oriented, 'linear' song structure that really sets it apart from its competition.

Rather than record music directly into the tracks, you record Phrases of music that can be used in the song's Tracks at any time. In Anthem the Phrases don't physically exist in the Track but in the Phrase List, which is akin to a palette of musical phrases, each with its own unique name.

To make a section of a Track use the music in a Phrase you place a component called a Part in it. As many Parts as necessary may use a certain Phrase, even none. Parts have additional features that allow the music in the Phrase they use to be altered in real time, for example repeat, transpose and quantise effects.

Parts appear in the Song Window as shown above, and can be moved, resized or copied. Their parameters can also be altered by double clicking on them to open the editor shown below. Depending on the pointer mode they can also be cut in two, joined together, or inserted. The Phrase which a Part uses can be altered using the Phrase List Window.



So you can see that Parts and Phrases are a very flexible way of creating and placing music in a Song, with no messy ghosting or cut and paste.

Editing Phrases

Naturally Anthem allows you to edit the music in a Phrase. Select the Phrase in the Phrase List Window, and click on the Edit button, or just double click on the Phrase's name.

Currently only List Edit and Step Edit is supported in this version, but Piano Roll Edit and Drum Edit will be added in subsequent versions.

The pane to the right of the Phrase Editor Window allows you to alter the type of editor, (whilst editing!) and accepts or rejects the alterations. It also allows access to the Phrase Procedures, a library of filters and effects that can be applied to your music.

Conclusion

There are many powerful features of Anthem which we can't explain here. Keep playing with the program and you'll soon discover how easy to use and full of features it is.

R-Comp Interactive welcomes any comments about this product. Contact us at:

R-Comp Interactive
22 Robert Moffat
High Legh
Knutsford
Cheshire WA16 6PS

or

rci@rcomp.co.uk