A - Treble Clef also called a G Clef because the tail wraps around the G line on the stave.

B - Bass Clef also called the F Clef because two dots behind the symbol straddle the Bass F line.

C & N - Key Signature. B flat Major is shown in the above sample. MuzicManiac can set all the Major and Minor keys in Western Music.

D & T - Time Signature has been set to 6/8 in the sample. MuzicManiac can set all the Time Signatures found in Western Music.

E, X & H - Cursor Movement. The illustration (at figure E above) shows the automatic note placement feature of MuzicManiac. Two of three eight notes on the top line (Voice #1 ) pass with the first quarter note played below (on Voice #2) before placement or playing of the third eight note of the group, which aligns and plays with the second quarter note of Voice #2. Voice #3 (the note at figure H) is the current voice - we know this by the highlighted “V3" of Bar Counters (at figure P.) V3 plays whole note C3 (as indicated by figures K, L , M.) All data on the screen relates to the Current Voice being entered.) The whole note is aligned, and will begin playing, with the top eight note and the center quarter note. The whole note has been broken (automatically) into a dotted half note (=6/8) and a quarter note (=2/8) which are tied together by the underlying curved line. The blinking cursor (figure X) indicates where the next note entered on Voice #3 will go. But, it may be moved by symbols entered on Voices 1 and 2 as they place their next notes in measure 1. The alignment of symbols in music notation is a fixed principal; the rules are programmed into MuzicManiac, which (hopefully) will never allow the miss alignment of your music symbols.

F, G & J - Bar Lines and Numbered Measures. Bar Lines can be set to full (the default as seen in figure J) or single stave, or removed entirely. Measures, also called Bars of music, are numbered by MuzicManiac and displayed in the score (see figures G & P.) Measures can be truncated in mid-score and the numbers reset.

V - Information and Prompt Window. A small window at figure V accepts input, and issues screen prompts. It is reached via the F6 key and dismissed with the Delete key (That’s the Delete Key found on Commodore 64 keyboards. On emulators, it’s anybodies guess. Pluck around, you might get lucky. On some emulators, the Delete key has been remapped to the Backspace or Home Key.) The illustration at figure V above shows how a Time Signature is entered (this example can not be duplicated, MuzicManiac does not replace a Time Signature in mid-score without first truncating the measure.) The base value of 8 has been entered, and the prompts show 3, 6, 9, 12 as the next possible entries (to make 3/8 6/8 9/8 or 12/8.) The window will dismiss itself once the correct entry is made.

O - Sound Frequency. This is the frequency in hertz as stated in the Commodore manual. Ok Ok, stop laughing. The Commodore manual is not always wrong, it just seems that way. MuzicManiac sets frequencies not by pre defined table lookups, but by mathematical calculations for each entry. Note frequencies are as close to pure tones as the Commodore SID can emit. The SID’s capabilities are somewhat limited as SID cannot generate sine waves, but deviations from the pure tone are generally fractional, and of little consequence. For instance, tune a guitar by ear and then check any note played by oscilloscope. Only the statistical accidents will be true. All acoustical instruments, even those just tuned by experts, will vary far more from pure tones then will the Commodore SID. MuzicManiac allows the composer to manually enter any frequency SID is capable of playing (use the down and up keys to enter and dismiss this function.) Special frequencies are indicated on screen by a virgule through the note base. Users are encouraged to experiment with this feature; to manipulate sound frequencies manually, starting with the International Concert Pitch of 440 hz assigned to A above middle C (or A4 on the Commodore64) and experience its elusiveness. Consider this an exercise in getting to know your instrument.

P - Measure Counters. The indispensable yardstick of the score.

Q - Tempo Setting. The master speed control that governs the passing of notes. Default setting is about 135 quarter notes per minute.

R - Release Setting. The master setting to open (widen) or close (shorten) the distance (or sound gap) between notes; should not be confused with the release period of the ADSR envelope (figure U) which is unique to each note. The master Release Setting defines the space into which all notes unfold their envelope release operations. Widening this gap causes a staccato effect.

S - Filter Setting. Read the Commodore manual to find out about how the SIDs filters work. Reach the Filter column (figure S) using F7 to cycle past the ADSR - Wave settings column (figure W) to the Filter settings column. Users should have some background knowledge of filter operation before using these settings. In this case, experimentation alone will avail a user little.

U & W - ADSR and Wave Settings. This is the Great Divide between acoustical instrumentation and electronic music. Users can better learn envelope shaping by employing the TESTENVELOPEGEN program included with this version of MuzicManiac. SID’s envelope shaping ability somewhat compensates for the absence of sine wave generation, assuaging the creative process with tender aural nuances. The Commodore 64 is a truly remarkable sound instrument, that MuzicManiac helps bright minds master.

Y - Space Remaining. A read only number display, shows the amount of RAM space remaining in the Note Buffer, in bytes, for the current voice.

Z - Volume Setting. Master setting for all 3 voices - more complex then it appears on the surface. Best kept at the default setting of 15 (full.)