The Best Atari for Music?

So what is considered the best Atari TOS based machine for music and MIDI?

Well, there are of course pros and cons for every machine, with underlying factors such as architecture, performance, compatibility and the available software libraries for each platform to consider.

Architecture

Looking at architecture alone, the TOS family of computers share many design principles, and much of the technology from the very first ST series, right through to the Falcon. However, equally there are differences in all of these Atari variants. Although the below table does not illustrate the full picture, it does go someway in showing the evolution in architecture of both sound and MIDI throughout the Atari TOS range.

Summary

Purely looking at each machines architecture, where sound and MIDI are concerned, these family of computers evolve to ultimately the Atari Falcon, which includes the sound and MIDI architecture of the preceding models, including a YM3439, a YM2149F derivative, 16-bit DMA stereo sound, as well as a Motorola 56001 DSP capable of eight 16-bit audio channels typically, but not restricted to. However this is all very well, but what about performance, compatibility and software?

Which Atari is best for MIDI.pdf

Article courtesy of the once AMN

Performance

I don't need to re-invent the wheel here, there has already been a comprehensive article written by Malcolm Ramage about the speed comparison between the heavyweight TOS compatibles. Sadly the Atari Music Network (AMN) website is no more, but some of those AMN articles are retained over at the Exxos website. However in the name of preserving that work, the original article can be found opposite. I take no credit for this article, and the work Malcolm put into the same.

Summary

For outright speed for MIDI, the Atari TT came out on top, followed by the Falcon, then Mega STE. However there are still other factors to consider, compatibility being among them.

Compatibility

STFM and Mega ST

Although the TT may be the king of speed, it is the least compatible with ST music and MIDI related software, followed by the Falcon. For my money, it is the STFM and Mega ST which have the greatest compatibility with such software. Now many will be shouting STE from the rooftops, so why do I state this? Firstly, although the STFM cycled through a few revisions of TOS, both TOS 1.02 and TOS 1.04 found in the mid to late STFM board revisions, as well as the Mega ST, enjoyed a high compatibility rate with their predecessors, the ST, STM and STF. They also stayed very stable with software which came after, given software houses did not want to alienate the existing ST user base, so they are arguably the best compromise.

It was during the mid to late 80s where there was a boom with music and MIDI related software titles. ST sales were also healthy, the STFM, the predominant ST of that period benefited from that along with the Mega ST. Whether it be a MIDI title from Geerdes, Digidesign, Soft Arts or Hybrid Arts, many titles were of the time. There are therefore some very nice MIDI software applications which run on these machines, which were not explicitly patched for the STE which wasn't realised until 1989. That said, the early digital trackers for the platform started to appear around 1990, where both the STE and Mega STE shine.

STE and Mega STE

In reality there wasn't an abundance of software which was exclusive to the STE, demoscene and the few STE only games aside. There were also of course enhanced games, as well as patched applications. Yes it could run that title a little more faster courtesy of a BLiTTER, and enjoyed a larger available colour palette, the latter not very relevant with regards to music and MIDI software. However it did have that 8-bit DMA stereo sound, very useful for those glorious digi trackers which were written for the STE in mind. The same goes for the Mega STE, which could run faster still at 16MHz.

Summary

If it is compatibility you are after, then arguably the STFM and Mega ST offer the best compromise where MIDI or chip tracking are concerned. If digi tracking is your thing, then the STE and Mega STE courtesy of their DMA sound capability. The latter are also of course easier to upgrade, which is another subject, however this perhaps makes the STEs more cost effective.

Software

We are all very aware software can make or break a computer, and this is another element pertinent to all of these glorious machines. The ST rules the music and MIDI software library, whether it's the ST/M/F/FM or E variants, inclusive of the Mega ST, Mega STE, STacy and STBook, bearing in mind software compatibility between ST versions. Most music and MIDI titles were written with them in mind, and the Mega ST can claim some one upmanship with the exclusive software / hardware combination, the Sound Tools package from Digidesign which connects via its MegaBus.

I can't think of one music and MIDI related title, meaning software for music creation, which was exclusive to the TT! You could argue StarTrack was TT only, however in reality it was for TOS compatibles with a VME bus from the TT upwards, which includes the Milan clone from Milan-Computersysteme GbR and the Medusa Hades, where StarTrack excels. Not forgetting StarTrack can actually run on a Falcon, just not in all of its glory.

The TT was really considered a high end ST, marketed towards business and DTP. If compatible, the TT will absolutely run ST software faster, however that's the unfortunate achilles heel of this beautiful machine where MIDI is concerned, its compatibility and lack of exclusive music and MIDI titles.

The same could be said about the Falcon to a lesser degree, however the Falcon does have a piece of software which can improve some compatibility issues called Backwards, which aims to make the Falcon more ST compatible than it is out of the box. It also has a number of bespoke music software titles such as Cubase Audio, Logic Audio Falcon, 80% of the SoundPool suite, the Softjee suite, ACE MIDI and Tracker, NewWave, Clarity 16, Musicom, Trakcom, WinRec, Studio SON, V-TRAX and so on... Some of the Falcon's software of course takes advantage of the DSP with Direct 2 Disk recording and true digital multitracking, and further extends what is now known as DAW technology.

The Falcon does oddly have an identity issue, unlike the TT for example. I have seen many statements exclaiming disappointment with the Falcon's software library, but it is often a machine taken out of context and put into the context of a games machine. While it does not have the library depth of the ST, put it back in context as a multimedia machine, then for me such statements do not hold true.

Summary

So to summarise, it is the ST/M/F/FM/E, Megas and portable cousins which boast the biggest library of compatible music and MIDI related software, however where they may not all be compatible with the TT or the Falcon, the Falcon at least has its own library of dedicated music and MIDI software.

The Verdict

The verdict is the best Atari machine for music and MIDI, is the one you choose for your needs, it's very much subjective! If compatibility is important to you, then the STFM and Mega ST perhaps offer the best compromise, followed by the STE and Mega STE, especially for digi tracking. If moving sizeable quantities of MIDI data around with ease, then the TT is king. If you want some beautiful exclusive software which lean towards sampling and Direct to Disk recording without the necessity for extra hardware, the Falcon flies high. If portability is important, then of course it goes without saying a STacy or STBook would be the obvious go to machines, if you are lucky that is. No matter what your purse strings allow you, no matter what you are fortunate to have, use them for their 'retro' charm and for their retro strengths!