Metro Pre-sales questions

[greddin]

I have a master keyboard controller (Roland A-90) with a Triton and WaveStation rack modules. These are all contected via a eMagic Unitor AMT-8 MIDI interface. I do not have any sequencer software at the moment. I use a dual processor G4 with OSX. I am trying to compare Metro 6 with other popular software packages like Logic and Cubase. I get confused with all this talk about digital audio recording and such. I am not interested in do that at this time. I am only interested in midi sequencing and notation. In this respect, how does Metro 6 stand up?

From Sagan Tech's website they list the new features of Metro 6 along with the standard features of Metro 5. Does this mean that Metro 6 includes the same features such as music notation? As far as notation goes, can I score music directly from the notation window? What I mean is, can I place notes directly into the staffs and hear playback based on an instrument I select?

Thank you all for any information you can provide.

-Greg

[Jerm]

I have a master keyboard controller (Roland A-90) with a Triton and WaveStation rack modules. These are all contected via a eMagic Unitor AMT-8 MIDI interface. I do not have any sequencer software at the moment. I use a dual processor G4 with OSX. I am trying to compare Metro 6 with other popular software packages like Logic and Cubase. I get confused with all this talk about digital audio recording and such. I am not interested in do that at this time. I am only interested in midi sequencing and notation. In this respect, how does Metro 6 stand up?

Great. I have a triton also and Metro works great with it. You can easily compare Metro with other products by downloading the demo.

Does this mean that Metro 6 includes the same features such as music notation? As far as notation goes, can I score music directly from the notation window? What I mean is, can I place notes directly into the staffs and hear playback based on an instrument I select?

Yes. You can add data to tracks in the notation view however it is generally easier and much more powerful to use the graphic editor.

[Scoot]

Metro's strength is its midi side, and how quickly you can get up and running with it (DP eat ya heart out). If you launch the program, go to the graphic editor and if the port is set to 'internal' you can hit the piano roll on the left to hear sounds from quicktime instruments, draw them on with the pencil tool and then play them back. (with the pencil tool selected click on the piano roll and you input notes at a rate based on the note length selected). Using the arrow tool will adjust length and key of the note selected.

You can quantize notes to get them to line up with your bars and change tempos to suit.

Once you having all the midi done, maybe then you would look at recording the tracks or complete composition to a stereo audio track for outputting to an audio CD or something else.


scoot.

[greddin]

I can understand how the audio output of the external midi modules because they are actual hardware pieces and pluged directly into a PA source. But how do the VST instruments work? Since they are software the sound will come out of the G4's speaker system right? How do you handle audio output of VST instruments if you're playing live for someone?

Thank you.
-Greg

[Scoot]

What do you mean by playing live?

If you connected your mac speaker to a PA system, what's the difference?

I don't know what your hardware is capable of, but in metro if you have hardware devices that act as outputs, you could send metro tracks to them.

It requires them to be setup in the modify outputs and busses dialog in the special menu. You can then change the port allocation to those new outputs in the graphic editor or tracks window and this would make them an allocated fader in the mixer window. (hopefully that is the correct description. I don't have any such device and rely on the mac's speaker.....I'm sure if its wrong someone will correct me).

The quickest way to put a VSTi on a track is drag one across from the plugins window list to the effects/synth window, or if you're in 6.2 they can be grabbed from the popup in the graphic editor.

Quicktime sounds would then be replaced by say - slayer the guitar emulator or tsunami an analog synth.
(VSTi's have to be downloaded and installed either in the components (audio units) or VST folder of OSX).

Some plugins may require to be placed on an Aux Bus.
If so and you're having problems, just yell out.


scoot.