Universal Synthesizer Interface Vol. III

Description

This third volume of Universal Synthesizer Interface delves into the early MIDI sequencing software for personal computers, focusing on Intelligent Music Software founded by Joel Chadabe in 1984. In a short time (1986-1990), Intelligent Music released a series of MIDI sequencing software that had a significant impact on the music world: M, Jam Factory, UpBeat, MidiDraw, Ovaltune, Realtime, as well as an unpublished early version of Max by Miller Puckette. These programs reflected Chadabe's desire to create interactive and intelligent algorithmic tools for home computers. Intelligent composition tools had been circulating for decades in central computer labs, but they were largely accessible only to those working in university or corporate labs. With the birth of intelligent music, these tools became available to anyone who owned a home studio. As personal computers of that era became cheaper and more accessible, their processing power and apparent intelligence also experienced exponential growth. In the music press of the time, the same two words were used over and over to describe algorithmic computer systems: smart and intelligent. The tone of these articles may seem quaint by today's standards, as AI and algorithmic control underpin much of our technology, but the question of artificial intelligence remains. It focuses exclusively on one of the most obscure software creations of Intelligent Music - UpBeat: The Intelligent Rhythm Sequencer, released in 1987 and praised by critics of the time as "the best drum machine in the world."