Pulsar 
The Analog Sequencer Simulator
by Neil Wakeling
ver 2.15
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Tutorial
By Tim Conrardy

12-2-02

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1. Starting the program

Double click on Pulsar.prg. Pulsar loads. You are presented with 16 steps for three pitch rows and three control rows ( for using continuos controller messages such as volume, panning, etc). There are parameters for first and last (how may steps you want in the sequence), MIDI Channel, transpose, tempo and patch change (P). The control rows contain parameters for MIDI channel, control number, and depth amount.

2.Using the mouse.

You can change these parameters using the mouse, which has two setups: right and left click increments/decrements by one. Holding down the shift key and then right or left clicking will increment/decrement by 10.(shift-clicking) If Pulsar is stopped (not playing) there are several pop up windows which make selection easier. Once Pulsar is playing, only right and left clicks are accepted so as to not interupt the continous flow of Pulsars output.

3. Inputing notes

Lets try to input some notes in the pitch rows. There are several ways to accomplish this.

A. Note input by MIDI keyboard.
	1. First mute rows 2 and 3 so we can concentrate on row 1. To do this simply press 	F2 and F3 on the computer keyboard or deselect them using the mouse right on the 	pulsar screen under [row on/off]

	2. Using the mouse, go to the menu, select [MIDI], then [Enter Note Row]. A dialog 	appears asking "which row?" For this tutorial select row 1. Another dialog appears 	asking you to input notes from your MIDI keyboard. Select [continue], then start 	playing your MIDI keyboard. You should see the the steps in row 1 fill with your 	selected notes. To hear what you have inputed, press the space bar or select 		[play] on the Pulsar screen. 

B. Note input by mouse.
	Another method is to start Pulsar playing (space bar or select [play])and using 	the mouse, simply select and change the notes for each step right on the pulsar 	screen. The values can be changed right above each numbered step. Having Pulsar 	playing helps to hear what the sequence will sound like in real time. One trick 	with this is to increment the [last] parameter a few steps at a time while you are 	selecting the notes with the mouse.

At this point you can try changing some of the velocites (volumes) of each of the steps. This will create a rythmic feel to the sequence. Values can be changed right below each numbered step. The value can be from 0 to 127. A value of 0 (zero) will create a space in the sequence which may be desirable for more variation.


4. Copying rows

Now that we have some notes in the first row, there is a trick we can do to create even more variation and this is the copy function.

Go to the menu and under [edit] select [copy row]. A dialog appears to ask "which row?". Select row 1. The dialog dissapears. The row data is now in a memory buffer. Go back to the menu under [edit] and select [paste row]. Again, the question is asked: "which row?". Select row 2. After selecting you will see the pitch and velocity values transfer to row 2. We can now do the same for row 3. The data for row 1 is still in the memory buffer, so all we have to do is go back to [edit] select [paste row] and select row 3. All 3 rows now have pitch and velocity data.


6.Variations and live interaction.

Now that we have all 3 rows filled up with data, the fun can begin! Unmute rows 2 and 3 using the F2 and F3 keys ( or select the rows so they are highlighted on the Pulsar screen). All three rows are now active. Now press the space bar. All three rows should be playing. However they are identical as we copied the same information to all the rows. 

A.Modes
To create variation, use the F4, F5,and F6 keys to toggle between the different playing modes that Pulsar offers. These include FWD ( forward), shuttle (back and forth), reverse, and random ( which I call algorithmic mode) You can also use the mouse for selection as all three rows have these modes displayed on the Pulsar screen.

B.Transposition.
One of the most fun and interactive part of Pulsar is the transposition function. This makes use of the 10 key pad:

keypad for transposing during play:
1 - 9 for 1-9 semitones
and (, ), / for 10, 11, 12 semitones.

Also the Keypad "Enter" does the octave
keypad 0 for back to no offset.

While Pulsar is playing, press any of the ten key pads. Using this method you can change keys so Pulsar is not static. This idea came from Dr T products such as Tunesmith and Fingers which make use of this method, so the tradition continues.

C. Tempo change

With the new version of Pulsar, you can now set the tempo to 999! This makes for some really fast sequences! There are several ways to adjust the tempo. The easiest way is to use the + and - keys on the ten key pad. Another way is to use the mouse. On the transport bar,(under Global) is tempo, which you can click on with the mouse and adjust to a desired value.

However, these are global adjustments. Pulsar also allows you to adjust tempo for each row: a function not found on most software analog sequencer simulators.This can create polyrythmic music. To try this and to make it sound musical, set the tempos 100 BPMS apart from each other. Example: row 1: 120, Row 2: 220, Row 3: 320. 

Another trick is to set them in small numbers offset from each other. This creates a MIDI echo effect which can be quite effective. Try this: Mute row 3, so only rows 1 and 2 will play.Put both rows on FWD ( forward) mode as well as the same patch. ( try a tuned percussive sound like a mirimba or vibraphone: patch no. 9 on a general MIDI module.) Set the global tempo to 160. On Row 2, go to the tempo parameter and change it to 165. Press the space bar to start Pulsar. You will hear a MIDI echo effect called "doubling" which is very much used in Tangerine Dream's Music.A very nice effect.

D. Patch Change

Each row has a patch change dialog which is activated by clicking on the [P] on the far right of each row. Whatever values you enter there will be sent as patch change commands. This enables each row to have a completly different sound.

E. MIDI Channel.
While this may not be as obvious, there are many things you can do with MIDI channel change. If you have several MIDI modules, you can set them up with different sounds, so by changing the MIDI channel parameters you are also changing the sounds. Another application is to use Pulsar to generate percussion patterns by changing 1 or 2 rows to channel 10, ( or whatever channel you use for percussion) while leaving one row open for a bass pattern. Good possabilities here.
 

7.Control rows

Now we come to an interesting part of Pulsar and that is the control rows which can be used for further timbre variations in the music using "continous controller" messages. These include volume, panning, sustain pedal,mod wheel, aftertouch, etc. Of course your synth needs to be able to recieve these types of messages to be effective. 

Stop Pulsar if it is playing.On row one, click on the first step of the control row. A dialog will appear with selections of the most used continous controllers (CC's). For the sake of this tutorial, select "Pan". You will see the number 10 appear for step 1 on the controller row. (10 for pan) Above the control row is a parameter for the controller depth, or "how much". In the case of a controller such as panning, it will indicate left, right, or inbetween and center placements in the stereo field. Using the mouse (and shift-right clicking) change this value to 127, which will place the sound hard right. 

Now lets do a trick. Click on the the control number of the first step you just created. (10) The dialog comes up again. This time select [copy]. You will see the panning control number copied to the entire row! Now you can input different values (amount) for each step so you will get a very stereo effect when Pulsar plays.A value of 0 (zero) will be hard left. 127: hard right, while anything in-between is toward the center.

Now lets do another trick! Using the same method we used to copy rows (no.4 of this tutorial) we can apply to control rows. You will notice under edit on the menu, [Copy Control Rows], and [Paste Control Rows]. Just follow no. 4 of this tutorial but substitute copy and past control rows. We now have all the control rows and Pitch rows filled in with data. Press the space bar to start Pulsar, and change all the modes for each row to random ( F4, F5, F6 keys) You will hear a stereo delight as the control messages get sent. This works well on General MIDI modules.

8.Saving and Loading

You will  notice under file on the menu the ability to save your settings as Pulsar files (.PUL) as well as saving control rows (.PLC) . Once saved you can also load them from this part of the menu. In the Pulsar Zip is a folder with many example PUL files as well as control row files.Once you have saved your creation ( .PUL and/or .PLC) feel free to load up some of these example files. There is even a file called "ontherun.pul" which is the sequence used on Pink Floyds' "Dark Side of the Moon" album for the song "on the run" ( of course) You may need to speed up the tempo on Pulsar to get it to sound right as well as use an analog bass type of sound. 

You can also save a file in the same directory as pulsar.prg and name it default.pul, and it will load when Pulsar is started up.

9. MIDI Clock

Going to the MIDI part of the menu you will see an interesting dialog that says "MIDI Song Start" If you select this, it creates a check mark ( that is, it turns this function on) so Pulsar sends MIDI clock. This is handy if you are using Pulsar to drive drum machines or to record on external sequencers with a sychronization function.  A major addition to this ever growing MIDI tool.

10. MIDI Spy

Included with this Zip is the program by Codehead software (and now released as freeware) called MIDI spy. When used as a desk accessory, you will be able to record Pulsars' output and save it as a standard MIDI file. From there you can import it to your favorite sequencer software to further edit Pulsar files and add to it. Recommended. Read the documentation of MIDI spy. Basically you need to remember to go to configurations and select the MIDI Max option and it will record whatever you do in Pulsar. Very handy indeed! We thought why re-invent the wheel when this application does a splendid job, so why not use it. 

Enjoy Pulsar: the Analog Sequencer Simulator.


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About Neil Wakeling



Born in the Highlands of Scotland Neil Wakeling has been interested in, and playing music since his earliest memories. 

As well as being a successful and talented musician he is an electronics engineer with an MSC in Music Technology. He is gifted with a wonderful power of creativity and a deep understanding of the technology and science of sound. This unique combination can be heard distinctly in his music. 

The focus and aim of Neil's music is transcendence beyond ourselves. He does this through the use of the sounds of nature combined with electronic composition based on his knowledge of vibrational healing. 

Neil has composed a number of albums including soundtracks for television. He organises traditional music workshops as well as healing sound workshops and works one to one as a vibrational sound healer

http://www.tuva.demon.co.uk/index.htm


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About Tim Conrardy


Tim Conrardy was born in Paris, France and raised in the mountains of Issaquah
Washington before settling down in Santa Clara, California.( USA) Reaching from his roots in progressive rock and jazz fusion comes forth a style that is uniquly his own, combining these styles to make a contempory futuristic sound.

Using computer technology along with his unique guitar techniques, Tim offers
the listener a journey into the many colors of the future with a hope that the
listener will be uplifted and transported beyond our everyday world.

Tim has also been contacting programmers and companies to finally release thier formor Atari MIDI applications. His site "Tims Atari MIDI world" offers a wide selection of some of the best Atari-MIDI software including composer projects never released to a general public. Tim is also the moderator of the Atari-MIDI and Hotz Translator forums. His other contributions include beta-testing new software being developed for the Atari platform that includes  ACE, the softsynth for Falcon ( New Beat productions), AEX, the Tangerine Dream machine by Dr Ambient, ISEQ by Matucana and Neil Wakeling's Pulsar.


http://tamw.atari-users.net

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