Sequencers | Steinberg Pro 24 (1988)

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Steinberg Pro24

Software for the Atari ST

The computers have had the potential for some time, but only now are the Atari ST machines receiving the software support they need to get musicians interested.

One of the first ST music packages to appear is Pro24, a multitrack MIDI recording system from Steinberg Research.

Steinberg Research have already made a good name for themselves with their Pro16 sequencer for the Commodore 64, as much for its accessible design as for its capabilities.

Their latest sequencing package, written for Atari's 16-bit 520ST and 1040ST computers, takes full advantage of those machines' increased memory, increased processing power and user-friendly icon-driven graphics environment, without losing any of Pro16's accessibility in a flood of new features.

Other software companies haven't been shy about coming forward with their own sequencing packages, to the extent that there must now be some 15-20 ST-based sequencers of varying sophistication and cost. Yet Pro24 still has the biggest user base and the most solid presence in professional recording studios.

Steinberg's intention has always been that Pro24 should be conceptually similar to a 24-track tape machine, with the obvious exception that Pro24 records MIDI data as opposed to audio data.

Consequently, as with tape, you can start and stop recording at any position within a track, even if the track is otherwise blank.

Unlike tape, you can use Pro24's Create function to create a series of empty patterns which reflect the structure of the piece you're about to record, name them accordingly, and then refer to the Track List or Where Am I? windows whenever you need to remind yourself of just where you are.

In addition to providing organisational convenience within individual tracks, patterns can also be used as a means of transferring musical data between different tracks.

Each track can be up to 999 bars long. That's just over 30 minutes-worth of 4/4 bars at 120BPM - and with more than 80,000 notes to get through, you're unlikely to run out of steam.

Pro24 brings software closer than ever to the tape-recorder analogy with its Record, Play, Rewind and Fast Forward controls, and Steinberg have given the system added flexibility with two speeds for both Rewind and Forward.

There's also a return-to-zero option, which is (as you might imagine) spot-on each time and virtually instantaneous.

"Conclusions: Pro24 is a well put-together package and takes full advantage of the Atari's graphics... and it's flexible enough to let you work in the way you want to."