Category Archives: technology

Hidden Assumptions

Posted on July 4, 2022 by midiguru

Last month I decided it’s time to finish an interactive story (a text adventure game) that I started more than ten years ago. I’ve stopped working on it several times, the main reason being that it’s just too darn large. … Continue reading →

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From Inform 7 to TADS 3

Posted on June 16, 2022 by midiguru

From time to time, an author who has been writing interactive fiction in Inform 7 gets curious about how easy or difficult it would be to switch to TADS. Eric Eve (who has used both systems) wrote a good comparison … Continue reading →

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No, It’s Not Easy

Posted on June 10, 2022 by midiguru

Writing text adventure games is not easy. It’s a craft that combines conventional writing with both computer programming and game design. It’s kind of a niche art form, but people are still actively engaged in it. I’m one of them. … Continue reading →

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E is for “Ehh…”

Posted on January 30, 2022 by midiguru

This post will most likely be of no interest to you unless you’re a cellist and have some interest in electric cellos, either because you own one or because you’re wondering if you might like to buy one. But I … Continue reading →

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Informal

Posted on November 11, 2021 by midiguru

From time to time, moved by an impulse that’s nearly as obscure as dark matter, I find myself writing a text adventure game. Over the years I’ve written and released half a dozen of them, the first in 1999 and … Continue reading →

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Grace Notes

Posted on October 21, 2021 by midiguru

I’m going to be reviewing Band-in-a-Box for the Synth & Software website. That review won’t be written or uploaded for a couple of weeks, and I’m not going to spoil it by giving you a lot of inside information in … Continue reading →

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Not Yer Grandma’s Minimoog

Posted on October 8, 2021 by midiguru

If you’ve been around electronic music for a couple of decades, as I have, you may perhaps be forgiven for thinking you know what synthesizers do, and how to use them. But the world keeps on turning. This week I … Continue reading →

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Sound in Motion

Posted on October 4, 2021 by midiguru

Music is a much nicer thing to write about than religion, so let’s get back to it without delay, shall we? I try to avoid buying new bits of music software, because I already have too many great devices, but … Continue reading →

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The Host with the Most

Posted on September 19, 2021 by midiguru

Most software synthesizers can operate stand-alone, but I seldom even bother installing the stand-alone. For practical purposes, these instruments are meant to live inside a DAW. I hate that acronym, by the way, but we’re stuck with it. For those … Continue reading →

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What’s Old Is New Again

Posted on September 17, 2021 by midiguru

Unless you’re a certified Old Guy, you probably don’t remember the Ensoniq SQ-80. I had one in my home studio for a while, on loan to Keyboard from Ensoniq. Long-term loans of hardware to the magazine were pretty common in … Continue reading →

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