Tweak It! Copyright 1988 Rich Hickey All Rights Reserved What is Tweak It!? Tweak It! is software that functions as a universal MIDI mixer and control panel. It provides a set of 16 'faders' for each of up to 17 MIDI devices. These faders are user-definable. You can use them to transmit program changes, MIDI volume and other controller messages, as well as system exclusive messages for altering patch parameters. Tweak It! is actually 2 programs. A stand-alone version, TWEAKIT.PRG lets you define and test the faders, devices and setups you want to create. The desk accessory, TWEAKIT.ACC, runs along with your favorite menu-driven sequencer,and lets you create MIDI mixes and edit your patches without quitting your sequencer. Who can use Tweak It!? Anyone with any MIDI equipment and an Atari ST or Mega computer. The most common use of Tweak It! is as a desk accessory along with your sequencer. (Your sequencing software must support the use of desk accessories. If it's got drop-down menus, it probably does). You can pop up Tweak It! to alter the mix of the various MIDI instruments you are using. You can assign faders to the most commonly 'tweaked' parameters (like attack and release times) for all of your synths. This way, when you're working on a song and the patch you're using just needs a little something, you don't have to quit your sequencer and boot up your editing software. You can basically control your whole MIDI setup right from your computer and master keyboard. If you have a large setup, you know what a pain it can be to tweak a patch in the middle of a session. Get up, go over to the synth, wade through the cryptic menu structure etc. You lose time and spontaneity. Imagine having all the parameters for all the synths instantly available all the time! Tweak It! is also great in studios where not every engineer knows every button on every piece of gear. Tweak It! can function as a remote control for any MIDI- controllable effects and signal processing unit, like many of the hot new reverbs. In fact: If it can be controlled via MIDI - it can be controlled from Tweak It! That includes all those synth modules with little or no front panel control. Many people that have synths WITH front panel control will prefer having a fader for each parameter. Have you got one of those 'orphan' synths? It's MIDI controllable but no one's written editing software for it yet? Tweak It! can function as an editor/librarian. Just assign a fader to each parameter and viola! - when you save the mix you've saved the patch. Tweak It! is powerful because it's cheap and flexible. Tweak It! won't replace a full featured editor/librarian for creating sounds from scratch, but many editors don't run as desk accessories, which limits their use while sequencing. Program- switching environments are great if you can afford the programs and the memory. With Tweak It!, you don't need a separate program for each synth. You can create an editor setup for each device and load them into the Tweak It! accessory when you need them (without disturbing your sequencer or taking additional memory). Whether you have a massive MIDI setup or just a synth, a drum machine and a reverb, Tweak It! can bring you to a new level of control and flexibility. At this point you probably have 2 questions: How much does it cost? $50. Do I have to be a rocket scientist to use it? No. If you are not, nor plan to be, a MIDI whiz, wizard or widget, that's OK. Tweak It! comes with a predefined MIDI mixer and several predefined 'devices'. You don't need to know how they work in order to use them. Savant Audio will continue to create new devices. Tweak It! owners can obtain the new devices for the price of a disk and postage. Users are encouraged to create new devices, and contribute them to the library. If they are original, the user will receive the latest device disk free of charge. We hope to make Tweak It! the best supported MIDI utility. If you WANT to be a MIDI whiz, you could hardly find a handier tool for experimenting. The program comes with tips for interpreting the MIDI implementation charts and system exclusive codes. Plus the pre-defined setups are great to examine, and learn from. If you ARE a MIDI whiz, you will definitely go nuts over this program. Try out all those hidden synth functions, map faders to multiple parameters etc. Try all the stuff in the back of the manuals. Savant Audio Savant Audio is a small software company created to distribute programs authored by Rich Hickey. Our first product was an editor/librarian for the Korg DW/EX-8000, EDIT-8000. It was well reviewed in Electronic Musician, Music Technology, Music Computers and Software, ST Applications and ST World. We recently released EDIT-DSS, a sample editing environment for the Korg DSS-1. Now on its heels comes Tweak It! with the same quality assurance: 10 Day - no questions asked - Money Back Guarantee Savant Audio 'Music Software for Human Beings' 2172 White Birch Drive Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 1-914-245-7815 (current as of Jan. 1, 1993--Suzy B.) To run Tweak It! as a stand alone program you must have the files: TWKTDEMO.PRG TWEAKIT.RSC To run the desk accessory place this files on your boot disk: TWKTDEMO.ACC If you use Hybrid Arts or Sonus sequencers, use the TWEAKITX accessory: TWKTXDMO.ACC ------------------------------------------- For optimum enjoyment please read the docs! -------------------------------------------