Passport MasterTracks Pro for Amiga

This is a New Old Stock Program we're clearing out of our warehouse.

Master Tracks Pro will run on all the Amiga models including the A-500 (although you'll need the memory expansion fitted because the sequencer needs 1 meg to run). The program is supplied on a single unprotected disk and comes with the manual. The manual is good, readable and, with the help of some well laid out early tutorials, you can be sequencing within half an hour of seeing the package for the first time.

Perhaps the first point to be made about the Master Tracks Pro package is that it's available on a lot of machines - the Apple Macintosh, the Apple IIs, IBM PC's and clones, the Yamaha C-1 and of course now the Commodore Amiga. Whilst there are certainly differences between the various versions the basic operations remain the same.

Master Tracks Pro is a pro quality 64 track sequencer which uses a multi-window, graphics based, editing approach. The record and play facilities are centered around a transport window which is the screen equivalent of a tape deck containing all of the usual play, record, fast forward, rewind and stop type of controls together with a few other goodies as well. Operations which need time references use the transport window's clock/time indicator panel. To locate a time reference point you just type in it's value and Master Tracks Pro, which uses a resolution of 250 ticks per quarter note, will locate it for you. The transport window is where you also set punch-in/punch-out parameters, 'count in' etc. Using the transport window controls is dead easy - they are well laid out and if you can drive a tape-recorder you'll be quite at home.

Another important window in the Master Tracks Pro display is the Track Sheet window and this serves several purposes. It holds details of the sequences - track name, number, on/off mute status, control track looping on an individual track basis. The track sheet also lets you set an initial program change number which is sent as the track starts. You can place program change commands anywhere in a sequence but if want them at the start this is the way of doing that. Last of all there's a channel assignment field which provides a sort of 'global remapping' of MIDI data allowing you to override stored channel info and play back the data on a specific channel.

Master Tracks Pro makes good use of the Amiga's multi-window facilities and six windows are provided for editing program change commands, modulation, controller data, pitch-bend, channel pressure, and key pressure. Data is displayed graphically on a grid and using the mouse you can pick up events, move them about, and generally edit to your hearts content. As well as the graphic display there are accurate bar clock and event value indicators available, so pin-pointing specific events is easy. All of these facilities are accessed via a window menu which incidentally also provides a similar window for controlling tempo. It's powerful stuff, but very easy to use because all of the edit windows use the same approach... once you've learnt about one window, you'll know how all of the other windows operate.