OctaMED started out as an
Amiga music creation program, where music is composed by creating sample
activation points on a vertical time track. It's a different way of creating
music (as opposed to a more common method where notes are placed on a horizontal
track, e.g. Cubase)
Originally just called MED, this program
was based on similar programs at the time on the Amiga, which utilised the
Amiga's (then revolutionary) 4 individual sound channels, allowing anyone to
create their own 4 track pieces. Later on, OctaMED appeared, giving the Amiga
user 8 channels (using clever programming, for the time).
Later on, the final incarnation, OctaMED
Soundstudio was released, which used 'mixing' to allow the Amiga user to use up
to 32 channels of sound. This was a very clever piece of software for its
time. It required an Amiga with a higher than 'base model' CPU to make the best
out of it, as the mixing certainly took some CPU power to do its job. However,
the end result was that your creations could be made into whatever lush sound
you wanted it to be.
I have created a number of OctaMED modules
My first efforts started off by using 4 tracks, and my later creations moved
onwards to 16 tracks or so. I could never pretend to be a great music creator,
but at the time, I was quite proud of what I did, knowing that it was all my own
work. For immortality, I have uploaded my entire module creations. If you're
wondering why they are numbered strangely at the start, it's because I didn't
start numbering my projects properly to begin with, hence Project 2½ was created
between Projects 2 and 3.
To listen to these you need either:
OctaMED Soundstudio for Amiga or PC
(version 1.0 is available to download from)
http://www.med.uk.com.
Below are all the music creations that I have currently recorded for prosperity!
Don't expect any masterpieces for any of them. Some of my works I am quite
embarrassed about now, but there are some pieces I am still very proud of even
today. Should you every want to download any of them, I would recommend
Projects 2½,
7, 8, 11 and 14.
Project 01.zip -
01.med (51 Kb)
- Finished July 1994
This was my first (untitled) effort. It is an incredibly embarrassing module,
but it introduced me to the basics of OctaMED.
Project 01½.zip -
01½.Drive.med (76 Kb)
- Finished July 1994
This is an 8 track module, which is a dodgy cover of R.E.M.'s "Drive", again,
used to teach me the basics.
Project 02.zip -
02.med (28 Kb)
- Finished July 1994
A poor effort, but it involves my first use of dodgy drums. I still quite
like the ideas I have in this though.
Project 02½.zip
- 02½.L'Heure
Finalé.med (34 Kb)
- Finished 23rd October 1994
My first complete module, and I was very proud of it at the time!
Project 03.zip -
03.Blue Emerald.med (64 Kb)
- Finished 3rd Novemeber 1994
I seem to remember the title being 'borrowed' from a Marillion song, although
the module itself is, in hindsight, a rip off of my L'Heure Finalé effort.
Project 04.zip -
04.Synthy One.med (1 Kb)
- Finished 3rd November 1994
Yes! A 1 Kb module! This is a very painful 4 block module made using
OctaMED's synthesiser. It was an experiment I never followed up on, and if
you can listen to it, you'll find out why!
Project 05.zip -
05.Crazy Little Thing.med (13 Kb)
- Finished 13th November 1994
Another 8 track, and another cover! This time, it's Queen's "Crazy Little
Thing Called Love". I never got round to adding drums to this, but in its own
way, it sounded ok at the time. It used a completely different time signature
(the usual 4/4 OctaMED module had 64 time beats, and this 3/4 effort had 48 -
a new experience for me!)
Project 06.zip -
06.Funky Cliché.med (77 Kb)
- Finished 17th December 1994
This uses the classic (and over used) James Brown 'Funky Drummer' drum beat,
and I used it into my own 12 bar blues effort. It's very simple, but - it
sounds pretty good too. And my experience of playing the bass guitar helped
here, as the bass line was composed on the guitar first, and then transcribed
over.
Project 07.zip -
07.The Fire Dances.med (150 Kb)
- Finished 2nd January 1995
I am rather proud of this piece, even if I do say so myself! It's a bit
pretentious and overblown I guess, but it was a chance to put in loads of
ideas into a decent length piece of music. The bass line is, again, by my own
fair hand.
Project 08.zip -
08.Generation Conception.med (118 Kb)
- Finished 4th February 1995
This is a somewhat more melancholic piece, featuring piano arpeggios and a
dodgy trumpet sample! I am rather proud of the chord changes in the middle 8
part of this.
Project 09.zip -
09.Popdorian.med (65 Kb)
- Finished 14th February 1996
Again, this features the piano sample (probably the same one, but I can't
remember). It's very simple, and was therefore very quick to compose. It
features proper drums, as opposed to drum loops, which was a departure for
me. The title for this was directly lifted from a song from Dubstar's first
album, which I was listening to heavily at the time.
Project 10.zip -
10.unfinished project.med (153 Kb)
- Finished 14th February 1996
This module was the very first to be used using SoundStudio, and was never
finished because it was used as a basis for possible ideas. It uses software
phasing on one of the samples, which certainly gives the sound a wider kind of
feel to it.
Project 11.zip- 11.Project 11.med (128 Kb)
- Finished 16th February 1996
This module is essentially incomplete, because I never put an ending to it,
which means what when it loops back it sounds quite wrong. I was happy with
the ideas I put into this, especially the drum riff which I came up with (I
always hated coming up with new drums riffs that sounded ok).
Project 12.zip -
12.unfinished project.med (283 Kb)
- Finished 24th August 1997
Another unfinished module, and for good reason! It was used for testing eerie
pad sounds, but it was never finished, probably because my supposed drum riff
made me laugh too much because it's so unbelievably bad!
Project 13.zip -
13.unfinished project.med (143 Kb)
- Finished January 1999
Quite possibly, the worst attempt I ever did. I remember having great ideas
of using a grand piano sample, but when it came to the crunch, I just gave up!
Project 14.zip -
14.Soundtrack #1.med (327 Kb)
- Finished January 2000
This is my last OctaMED effort (until I pick it up again, I hope). I really
do like this, even if I do say so myself! Titled Soundtrack #1 because of its
soundtrack-esque qualities, this brought out a number of ideas I wanted to
reproduce. I was never 100% happy with my drums (again), but it'll have to
do.