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Making music
(10/18/02)
While Power Downloader gleans public accolades for his heroic deeds, he secretly aspires to be a rock star. Inspired by Buckaroo Banzai, who fronts a band and plays music for nightclubs full of cheering fans, Power aspires to write the songs that make the whole world sing. But with money tight and not much space available in his superlair (currently he's storing a lot of stuff for The Flash), Power can't go out and buy instruments. But he's found the next best thing--a whole band's worth of instruments on his computer. He has piano, guitar, percussion, and synthesizer, and even a composition utility.
Compose your dream
 | Editing and creating compositions is easy with NoteWorthy Composer. |
The right mix of thought and action for successfully fighting supervillains also works for playing music. Sometimes Power Downloader plays random notes on the piano, but more often he works on a composition first, arranging the sharps, flats, and duration of notes in NoteWorthy Composer. This application lets Power Downloader play with all the possibilities for his compositions, setting down notes on multiple staffs, and writing whole symphonies. Like many good programs, NoteWorthy takes what was once marked down on paper and gives it the flexibility of the digital realm. You can remove notes you don't like, and you have all the possible permutations of each note available on the toolbar. And best of all, you can have the computer play your composition as you are writing it. You can hear each note and determine if it sounds right. The playback lets you choose from many different instruments. Power is currently working on a sonata entitled "The Advent of Justice Through Downloadable Software."
Summon the six-string samurai
Ace Frehley, Yngwie Malmstein, Power Downloader--all modern-day guitar gods. But with all his superhero duties, how does Power find time to be an ax master? He uses Desktop Guitarist, part teacher, part composition tool. Clicking particular frets on the virtual guitar neck lets Power build any chord or blazing guitar solo he can dream up. Then clicking the large guitar pick icon plays whatever Power cooked up. A variety of different types of guitars can be used, including acoustic, jazz, and distorted electric. To bone up on his power chords, a chord dictionary is available that shows finger placement on the virtual fret board. A nice selection of tried and true classics, such as "Green Sleeves" and "Oh Susanna" are also included for Power to practice. Finally, if Power manages to finagle some particularly fierce finger work, he can save it as a MIDI file to share with his adoring fans.
Bring back the break-dancing beats
 | ReBirth RB-338 has a keyboard and classic synth controls. |
Power is so old-school, he spells skool with a k. Whenever he lays down his beats, he does it from the days of parachute pants and banana combs with ReBirth RB-338. The software uses analog synth samples and drum machines to crank out that unmistakable sound that armies of asymmetrical haircuts bopped to back in the day. Anyone who ever monkeyed around with an old Roland synth will feel right at home--the softwares interface is modeled after real-world instruments. There are two programmable synths, letting Power build his own melodic loops while dictating the level of funk with a large assortment of knobs that control elements such as decay and accent. The two dueling drum machines house countless percussion instruments such as hi-hats, snares, and several electrodrum gems. When hes done with his New Wave opus, he simply exports it as a regular sound file and then dusts off his cardboard mat so he can pop lock along.
Play a little piano
Power Downloader would like nothing better than to own a grand piano--a big, polished dark wood instrument occupying a sunlit room. But as he doesn't have a room he can devote to a piano, he undercuts the aesthetics and goes for basic functionality with Sweet Little Piano. This simple application maps your computer's keyboard to notes on a piano. It's not a perfect representation, but it serves its purpose. Sweet Little Piano features 16 channels and a pretty big selection of MIDI instruments, from honky-tonk pianos to helicopter sound effects. The keys are duration-sensitive, so you can hold down a key and produce a longer note. The keyboard can also be arranged into an accordion or chromatic layout. Though he doesn't have the actual piano, Power sets a candelabra down on top of his computer and plays his heart out.
Tune in next week for another exciting episode of...Power Downloader!
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