A beginner's guide to 'unmixes'

G H Richardson

If there is one thing that has bedevilled me from the start on the Hybrid Music System, it is the dreaded message 'Too many players' (or voices, or channels) and, as I was working recently on a piece using all eight voices, I soon ran into it again when I tried to change to a new mix. This time, however, instead of sidestepping the problem I decided to confront it face-to-face and find the proper answer.

I knew it had something to do with 'unmixes', but the word itself filled me with terror because I had never understood it (despite the explanation in the User Guide) and I suspect there are some others in the same boat.

Having solved the problem (to my own practical satisfaction at least) I thought I would set down in a step-by-step sequence in the hope that it would help the other struggling mortals.

I will use the piece I was working on as a means of explanation. The piece began with 'mix1' which used 3 players with a total of 7 voices:

"mix1" [M5MIX 48,150=T 0 M5TUNE

1 SHARE 3 VOICES pianol

1 VOICE 112 VOL 0 PAN

2 VOICE 112 VOL 0 PAN

3 VOICE 112 VOL 0 PAN

2 SHARE 3 VOICES pianol

1 VOICE 92 VOL 0 PAN

2 VOICE 92 VOL 0 PAN

3 VOICE 92 VOL 0 PAN

3 SHARE 1 VOICES pianol

1 VOICE 124 VOL 0 PAN

PNUM SHARE

]

In the next mix I wanted to use 4 players with a total of 8 voices but with a different distribution - 2 voices on player 1, 3 on player 2, 2 on player 3 and 1 on player 4. This is where the trouble (the 'Too many...' error messages) began.

The solution was quite simple - 'unmixes'.

This is how I used unmixes:

1) I got 'mix1' into the Mixing Desk with

"mix1" GET

which showed the first 7 voices with brackets around them and the last one without.

2) I removed the brackets from voices 3,4,5,6 and 7 by moving the cursor to each voice and pressing 'b' (see Music 5000 User Guide p.83). This left just voices 1 and 2 in brackets (because these were to be retained in the new mix) and voices 3,4,5,6,7 and 8 without brackets, freeing them for further use.

3) I NAMEd this concoction 'mix2' but instead of MAKEing it, I typed

UMAKE

and it then scrolled out,

"mix2" [M5MIX

1 SHARE 3 VOICES

3 VOICE UNUSED

2 SHARE 3 VOICES UNUSED

3 SHARE 1 VOICES UNUSED

PNUM SHARE

]

Although called 'mix2' it is in fact an 'unmix' and it is this which frees voices 3,4,5,6 and 7 (with 8 already free) ready for use in the new mix - 'mix3'.

4) I started to set up 'mix3' in the normal way beginning with CLEAR and READY, SHAREing the voices to the players and ending with another CLEAR.

I then allocated the instruments to the voices, set the volume levels etc.

I then NAMEd the mix as 'mix3' and typed MAKE in the normal way.

5) Finally I moved into Notepad, called up 'RUN'

"RUN" GET

and included the unmix ('mix2') in the playing sequence before 'mix3',

"1234-1ab23cd41abg" PLAY

It is vital that the unmix ('mix2') immediately precedes the new mix ('mix3') whenever it is used. You will also notice that I have had to use a further unmix 'mix4' to unscramble the players and voices to get back to 'mix1'.

I make no apology for the simplicity of this step-by-step explanation - I only wish someone had done it before me and saved me a lot of trouble. I do apologise to those who find this child's play - perhaps someone may show how it can be done in a better and simpler way. For myself I am content that the 'terror' has gone out of unmixes and the dreaded 'Too many...' messages!