Dragon Composer / Composer Companion

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sixxie
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Dragon Composer / Composer Companion

Post by sixxie »

Another tape writer I appear to have is for "Composer Companion" by Starship Software (distributed by Dragonfire). There are some fairly cryptic notes about how to load it, but it needs actual Composer loaded first - and I'm lacking any instructions about how to do that in a way that it likes.

Now as it happens, I have a couple of copies of the Composer manual for some reason, and I'm a bit confused by the tape images uploaded here: the manual suggests it should drop straight into a menu, but even the non-Jukebox file plays a tune several minutes long before doing so.

That seems a bit odd for a utility - forcing you to listen to several minutes of music before you can use it - so I wonder if there's another version of Composer out there? Just loading PLAYWAVC before CC didn't work either...

In case anyone wants to play, I've attached the CAS file of composer companion, these are the notes for loading:

To load a taped copy:
POKE25,39:POKE26,33:POKE10016,0:CLOADM:EXEC
Attachments
Composer Companion (1986)(Starship Software).cas
(20.5 KiB) Downloaded 308 times
pser1
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Location: Barcelona (SPAIN)

Re: Dragon Composer / Composer Companion

Post by pser1 »

Hello Ciaran,
I have found a Composer Companion in VDK format, but when started it fails because Composer by Microdeal is not loaded.

Loading Microdeal's Composer shows a loading screen while playing music. Then shows a menu. Choosing option 9 it quits
to the Basic prompt and then loading the Companion tape and EXECuting it tries to cload something but hangs the computer
Even with the POKEs you had written hangs too.

I am afraid that I cannot spot how to use the Companion ...
cheers
pere
sixxie
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Re: Dragon Composer / Composer Companion

Post by sixxie »

Yeah that's as far as I got :)

There must have been better instructions at some point, but I've not got them.

And I still think it's a bit bizarre that a utility starts up with several minutes of demo with no way to avoid it ;)

I wonder if Messrs Cartwright are still paying any attention to the Dragon world...
pser1
Posts: 1655
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 7:32 pm
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Re: Dragon Composer / Composer Companion

Post by pser1 »

sixxie wrote:Yeah that's as far as I got :)
There must have been better instructions at some point, but I've not got them.
And I still think it's a bit bizarre that a utility starts up with several minutes of demo with no way to avoid it ;)
I wonder if Messrs Cartwright are still paying any attention to the Dragon world...
Yes, it would be nice if someone could tell us the procedure to use the companion.
Maybe a member of this archive is a happy owner of a copy of Composer Companion ...

have a nice weekend
pere
Alastair
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Re: Dragon Composer / Composer Companion

Post by Alastair »

It took me some time to work out how to do it but I now have Composer Companion working, or at least starting up since I don't know what to do next!

The procedure is to CLOADM Composer, then after it has finished loading press the reset button and insert the tape image for Composer Companion before typing POKE25,39:POKE26,33:POKE10016,0:CLOADM:EXEC
sixxie
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Re: Dragon Composer / Composer Companion

Post by sixxie »

Alastair wrote: The procedure is to CLOADM Composer, then after it has finished loading press the reset button and insert the tape image for Composer Companion before typing POKE25,39:POKE26,33:POKE10016,0:CLOADM:EXEC
Ah, excellent - thanks! And now that I see the interface, I realise I must have got here before because I recognise it...

For the record, it doesn't seem to work if you reset it whlie it's playing its intro tune, you have to wait until it says to remove master tape.

As for what's next, here's what I've been able to infer:

The interface lets you edit one (numbered) "note" at a time, specifying
the actual note played for each channel. Thus, you have to enter four
notes, and they must all be the same length.

1 - Save
2 - Load
3 - Delete DONE (seems to jump to end of notes after Play)
4 - Delete notes (prompt: No.)
5 - KeySignature (prompt: No., sharp/flat, default: 0)
6 - TEMPO (default: 20)
7 - KEY/OCTAVE
8 - Play (returns to note 1 when done)

r - repeat already-entered notes (prompt: from, to)
y - graphics OFF
x - graphics ON
v - return to BASIC - might be inserting command to yield here, BASIC then
calls again to continue?

up/down - change note
space - switch to other stave

. - dot next note
; - double-dot next note
* - cancel dot

= - next note natural
! - next note flat
# - next note sharp

Can't figure a way to cancel flat/sharp status - maybe you just have
to pick what's right for the key signature. Or enter all the notes and
don't accept them.

w - whole note
h - half note
q - quarter note
a - 1/3 "Trip" note
b - 1/5 note
c - 1/6 note
d - 1/7 note
e - 1/8 note
f - 1/10 note
g - 1/12 note
i - 1/14 note
s - 1/16 note
j - 1/20 note
k - 1/24 note
l - 1/32 note

Shifted versions of each of the above enters a rest.
.mad.
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Re: Dragon Composer / Composer Companion

Post by .mad. »

i found a disk version of Composer.
which loads the Companion much easier and quicker.
not wait for music to end or pokes to enter.

RUN"BOOT.BAS"

.RUN"COMP.BIN" - loads the code that the Companion BASIC checks for and needs.
.RUN"LOADER.BIN" - companion boot file.
Attachments
Composer +Companion (Microvison)[run BOOT].VDK
(180.01 KiB) Downloaded 267 times
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