Introduction to Melodia Professional
by Kelly Reed


Imagine an orchestra: strings, percussion, woodwinds, brass,
and at the head of the orchestra, the conductor.  Now imagine
all of that on one computer screen, everything changeable at the
touch of a button.  Welcome to Melodia.

Getting Started:

Once you have installed Melodia, type "MP" to run it.   Melodia has
on-line documentation.  If you have a question about what something
does, place the cursor on that particular icon and click the right
mouse button.  You will receive a brief explanation of the icon and
its function. Before using Melodia, it is a good idea to scan
everything by holding down on the right mouse button and moving the
cursor.  This will give you a basic idea of what everything does.

The Play Page

In a sense, the top two lines of the PLAY page are like the
conductor of an orchestra, and below them are sixteen voices in
groups of four, which are the orchestra.  Try adjusting the
volume by clicking on the first number in the horizontal line
labeled "Fade" and sliding left or right.  By clicking "Halt" in
the upper left-hand corner, you can turn all playing notes off
and reset all the sequencers.  To restart the sound, click Halt
again.  Note the "M(ute)" icon just below halt.  You can turn
individual voices on or off by clicking on their "square" in the
M(ute) column.

The Compose Page

The COMPOSE page is composed of nine basic parts: the clocks, and the
eight different processes.  There are 16 clock modules that combine
to make 12 clocks, labeled "A-L," plus two hidden clocks, M and N. To
change clock rhythm, dial a new number in the first number under the
column labeled "Rt" (Rate).  The lower the number, the faster the
tick, and vice versa.

Above the Clocks are the processes (labeled in magenta).  These
are the heart and soul of Melodia.  They control note values and
other musical parameters, and can be used as connections to
other processes.  As you learn more about Melodia, you will
learn to use the processes in endless combinations.

If you have VGA, pressing "Zoom" in the lower right-hand corner
will switch between a screen that shows both the PLAY and
COMPOSE pages separately or combined.  When combined, the upper
half is the PLAY page, and the lower half is the COMPOSE page.
In most systems, this is the first page that will appear.  To
return to the two separate pages, click Zoom.

To change the page, move the cursor to the lower right-hand
corner of the page.  You will see a line with the labels "File,"
"Zoom," and "Page" (Page only appears in low resolution, when
"Zoom" is on). To change pages, click on Page (only in low
resolution - if you are in high resolution, click on Zoom to go
to low resolution).

How to Exit

To exit, either press the "ESC" key or click on "File" then exit
by clicking on "Exit" (next to "Return" in the lower portion of
the box).  If you have altered your file in any way, the
computer will ask you if you want to Save or Discard the
changes.  To save them, type S or click on the box that says
"Save."  To discard them, type D or click on the box that says
"Discard."  Remember: ALL DISCARDED FILES WILL BE LOST!