This is what computer music making looked like 30 years ago

If you want to get an idea of how far music software has come over the past 30 years, all you need to do is take a look back at how it used to be.

Thanks to the wonder of YouTube, we can do precisely that; the clip above is an excerpt from Micro Live (a show that we actually remember watching), and features, among other things, presenter Fred Harris being treated to a demo of Steinberg's Pro-24, the precursor to Cubase, on the Atari ST.

The software might look primitive by today's standards, but at the time it was revelatory. What's more, the fundamental principles of music sequencing haven't really changed, though, as you can see, our style choices definitely have…

(Via Sonic State)

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.