DESCRIPTION

Music 2000: Music Creation for the PlayStation is a joint product between the talents at Jester Interactive and Codemasters. As the pair's second joint music creation software, Music 2000 is more or less an electronic work station for the PlayStation.

A work station is a box that allows for the creation of sound that would usuually take a number of electronic instruments to produce. In a normal situation an electronic artist would use digital or analog versions of synthesizers (one is never enough), drum machines, samplers, sequencers, mixers, effects machines and various pieces of hardware that will cost you thousands of dollars just for the starting equipment. Instead, Music 2000: Music Creation for the PlayStation provides thousands of unique riffs (a collection of samples placed together to be used in a line of music), editors that allow you to switch, change and modify current riffs and even the basic samples to create your own.

Panning through thousands of riffs trying to find something you're looking for can be a difficult task. Jester Interactive has taken in past feedback and has thus decided to allow even greater freedom for users for whatever styles they're interested in creating. This now includes breaking up riffs into style categories, including Drum 'N Bass, House, Techno, Rock and even Trance. Producers can sift through various melodies, percussion, effects, and vocals, bass lines and drum loops.

But don't think Music 2000: Music Creation for the PlayStation is just a cut and place-in sequence program. Apart from being able to edit the current riffs, players can also use instruments and other samples to create their own riffs. Both step time and real-time recording methods have been used with the earlier, resembling a gridded "place note here" section, or in real-time providing a keyboard note setout. Producers can also use more advanced techniques such as enveloping, sample ripping, splitting riffs, pitch bending, reverb, tempo selection (beats per minute) and other effects.

Other features in Music 2000 include a Video Track mode. This mode is presented in the same way as the Song Track mode but instead allows player to create electronic videos to go along with the tracks they have created. The Music Jam option is another new feature of Music 2000, now allowing up to four players to jam in a live situation. By using pull-down menus, players can align their eight buttons with riffs, which then can be pressed to play each one. The idea is to perform live as a cohesive unit rather than clashing styles and trying to outdo each other.

Another feature is the CD Player mode that gives players on-the-fly video graphics to their favorite music CDs. Tracks have also been provided by the U.K. jungle pioneer Grooverider and "electronica" ambient outfit, Leftfield. Online help is also offered to guide and assist you. ~ Brad Penniment, All Game Guide