There’s nothing that fatigues the CDM staff more than pointless platform wars. I have absolutely no sympathy for PC OR Mac snobs. Sure, you think you have superior music applications. The best OS. The ultimate UI. You’re all wrong. The Atari ST reigns supreme.
In the spirit of bringing this issue to a close forever, CDM proudly brings you ST Thursday – a roundup of links for those of you making music with the Atari ST.
Think I’m joking? Only half- . . . with all the discussion over the cost of entry of computers, the way they’ve divided the world into haves and have-nots, you might notice an entire ST setup, complete with display and accessories, goes for around US$10. The Atari ST had (sorry, has) some incredible features for music-making, not the least of which is built-in MIDI I/O. (Try to find a computer with that now!) The machine was also the birthplace of two rival sequencers: Steinberg Cubase and C-lab Notator — the latter is now Apple Logic.
Tim’s Atari MIDI World is an incredible resource, with a comprehensive guide to software, plenty of articles, pics, and screenshots, and even some MP3 examples of classic MIDI tunes in action, a mailing list, and a forum.
Little Green Desktop: Not music-specific, but an enormously huge Atari computing wet dream, from reviews to downloads to box art.
MyAtari.net: Free monthly magazine for Atari users online. (Damn. I have to pay for Macworld.)
Suicide Commando makes a kind of electronica death-metal with 8-bit Atari sounds. Set the mood with your boyfriend or girlfriend at your next romantic dinner with the tender ballad, “Love Breeds Suicide.” (sound samples at link) Not anti-social enough for you? Atari Teenage Riot got themselves banned in Germany.
I’m sure there’s more: Atari ST users, give me a holler. Send your favorite links, your favorite music, your favorite photos, your favorite memories (er, hot tips for how you’re using your ST now). And remember CDM’s sage advice to those who feel left behind in their music-making by the onward press of technological advances: the only way to avoid obsolence is to use something obsolete.