Lyra

By Dr. Lester Hands

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Lyra by Lester Hands. Lyra was probably the best MIDI software for Coco 2. Supporting eight MIDI voices, optional 6-bit DAC output and support for Speech Systems' Symphony 12 Stereo Sound pack, and for it's time had a robust MIDI implementation. With it's mouse/joystick input on a piano staff on a PMODE4 graphics screen, it was quite a showpiece in it's day. Very "Mac like" in it's appearance. A nice MIDI implementation made MIDI setup a breeze and Lyra had a good printed manual as well. Mr. Hands updated the last few versions of Lyra to be compatible with the Coco 3 but no real changes to the look and feel of the program itself. I had always hoped he would expand Lyra to at least 16 tracks and switch to OS9 lv 2 and hi-res graphics. I think he was working on his latest software instead, Coco MIDI Pro (formally Coco MIDI 2).

I used Lyra extensively for about five or six years before I migrated to UltiMusE3 and created many Lyra songs for Coco as well as used it in live performance on ocassion.

Coco-Nut Forever

Bill P.

NEW VERSIONS OF LYRA!!!!

There is a NEW version of Lyra 2.88! This version runs under HDBDOS and can access all 256 dsks on a VHD and it will now use the DriveWire4 Midi devices!!. There are 2 versions in the zip file, one for HDBDOS 1.1 and one for HDBDOS 1.4

Thanks to Rober Gault for the new mods!

As a note to "New" users of Lyra.. Lyra will also play on a Coco 2 (64k), Coco 3, VCC, MESS and possibly in the D. Keil and JV emulators. With the Cocos, you have full Midi capability through the Midipak, Serial port, and Drivewire 4 as well as one of the last features Lester Hands added... 8 voice TV play!! The Midi only works on real Cocos (for now) but the 8 voice TV play will work on real Coco AND all the emulators.

To use the DriveWire 4 MIDI, just mouse to the MIDI menu in Lyra and click on the bottom selection until it says DriveWire 4, the play some Coco music!

I've also added disks from the Rulaford Research Lyra Musioc Library as well as 6 of the >>TRAX<< Lyra Library disks.

These files are presented here in their original form for various synths. As time permits, I may update them to General Midi (GM) so the instrumentation will be correct on any modern computer/synth.

Below you will find the Lyra 2.6.2, 2.8.5, 2.86 & 2.88 installation disks and disks of Lyra music. Also provided is an OS9 disk containing "Lyra 3" and "LyraPlay", both for OS9 Level 2. All files are provided on emulator virtual disk format (.dsk), RSDOS & OS9 versions. To download, right click "View" and select "Save as..."