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Reviews

Critic Reviews

C-Lab Creator (SOS Nov 87)

muzines.co.uk

C-Lab Creator impresses with its intuitive interface and high-speed performance on the Atari ST, making it a formidable MIDI sequencing package. The software excels in user-friendly navigation, allowing musicians to manage complex musical arrangements efficiently. Its high-resolution graphics and multitasking capabilities offer a seamless experience, especially for studio professionals. However, the lack of a direct sync-to-tape feature and some minor usability quirks, like the track muting system, slightly mar the experience. Despite these issues, Creator stands out as a powerful tool for serious music creators, deserving a solid 9 out of 10 for its robust functionality and reliability.

positive

Throwback Thursday - C-Lab Creator MIDI Sequencing Software | Production Expert

production-expert.com

C-Lab Creator is a nostalgic nod to the early days of MIDI sequencing, offering a simple yet powerful workflow that even modern DAWs struggle to match. Its ingenious Main Screen allowed for seamless song creation, and the addition of the Unitor sync box in 1989 only enhanced its capabilities. However, being rooted in its time, it may not hold up against today's more advanced software options. While it holds a special place for those who started their music journey on an Atari ST, its appeal may be limited to those with a penchant for nostalgia.

Reviews:

atarimagazines.com

C-Lab's Creator and Notator deliver a powerhouse duo for musicians seeking top-tier sequencing and scoring capabilities. Creator impresses with intuitive recording, flexible quantization, and innovative features like non-destructive, real-time groove quantization. Notator expands on this by integrating seamless notation editing, making it a standout for composers. However, the software's perfection is marred by limited printer support, a lackluster manual, and minor display bugs. Despite these, the programs' robust functionality and user-friendly interface earn them high praise, establishing Creator as the best sequencer in its class across MIDI platforms.

positive

5.0 out of 5

Based on 1 Review and 1 Rating

5 star
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marcusloeberloeber

My first sequencing program

1985 ... Atari 1040STF , Creator , Prophet 2002, a couple of Midi- Keys and in Sync to a Tascam Taperecorder

jimmarchi1

Creator seemed so futuristic at the time!

Artist usage

Add artist
See how Fatboy Slim uses C-Lab Creator

Fatboy Slim

Bassist, Music Producer

The Housemartins

...
Verified via Soundonsound

Mentioned by Fatboy Slim in this Sound on Sound interview about "Praise You". Slim has been using it since Better Living Through Chemistry.

Cook’s home studio setup when he made the first Fatboy Slim album, 1996’s Better Living Through Chemistry, centred around the Akai S950 and the Atari ST computer running C-Lab Creator software.

See how Orbital uses C-Lab Creator

Orbital

Music Producer

Orbital & Angelo Badalamenti

...
Verified via Hyperreal

Orbital is listed as using the C-Lab Creator music software, as documented in their equipment list on Hyperreal.

See how Klaus Schulze uses C-Lab Creator

Klaus Schulze

Guitarist, Bassist

Tangerine Dream

...
Verified via KeyboardMag

"I started off with tape machines, of course, but I always pursued the next technological advancement, so I owned my first Atari [ST] as a very early adopter. Back then the choice was CLab Creator or Steinberg Twenty-Four, and I went with Creator."

See how The Future Sound of London uses C-Lab Creator

The Future Sound of London

Music Producer

Vangelis & The Future Sound of London

...
Verified via Muzines

Future Sound of London equipment list from the August 1992 issue of Music Technology Magazine:

Instruments

Akai S612 Sampler + MD280 Disk Drive Akai S900 Sampler Akai S1000 Sampler w/8Mb memory E-mu Proteus/1 w/Protologic board Jen SX1000 Synth Roland D110 Synth Module Roland JX3P Synth Roland MC202 Monosynth Roland MKS50 Synth Module + PG300 Programmer Roland TB303 Bass Synth Roland TR606 Drum Machine Yamaha DS55 Synth Yamaha TX81Z

Effects

Alesis Quadraverb (x2) Alesis MIDIverb II BBE 422A Sonic Maximiser Bel Electronics BD80 Digital Delay Drawmer DS201 Dual Gate Fostex 3070 Compressor/Limiter Ibanez DM1100 Digital Delay Korg DRV1000 Digital Reverb Yamaha SPX90 Multi effects Processor

Recording

Aiwa HDX1 DAT Recorder Atari 1040ST Computer w/C-lab Creator software Fostex B16 Multitrack Groove MC2V MIDI/CV Converter Korg KMS30 Sync Unit Nakamichi 480Z Cassette Deck Sony DTC1000ES DAT Recorder Soundtracs CM4400 Mixing Desk Technics SL1200 Mk2 Turntable Yamaha NS10M Monitors

See how Gareth Jones (producer) uses C-Lab Creator

Gareth Jones (producer)

Music Producer

Depeche Mode

...
Verified via Tapeop

"I was a big Studio Vision user. They went out of business. Then I had a long relationship with Cubase. I was an Emagic Creator and Notator user on the Atari way back."

See how Rhys Fulber uses C-Lab Creator

Rhys Fulber

Music Producer

Fear Factory

...
Verified via Releasemagazine

Rhys, this was your first album as a full member of FLA, and you were very young. What was it like stepping into an existing band?

R: Yes I was 19 years old, but because I had already known Bill for a few years and just did the “Gashed Senses” tour it seemed totally natural. I actually hadn’t used the C-Lab Creator program (Atari computer music sequencer software) before and learned as I went.

See how Richard H. Kirk uses C-Lab Creator

Richard H. Kirk

Guitarist, Keyboardist

Cabaret Voltaire

...
Verified via Hkclubbing

“No, on the contrary I use plug-ins and have ProTools though I’m still using an Atari 1040ST and a program called Creator which is from 1989, I think. I’m still writing on that and using midi, running a lot of old analogue synthesizers, a couple of samplers. It’s very basic but it seems to work for me, so I’m sticking with. Having the Mac and ProTools and other processing adds another dimension, if you like, so you can start to f++k around with it. I’m trying to keep the best of both worlds.”

See how Mark Bell uses C-Lab Creator

Mark Bell

Music Producer

LFO

...
Verified via Muzines

As listed in this 1991 interview on the Music Magazine Archive

See how Steve Hillage uses C-Lab Creator

Steve Hillage

Guitarist

Gong

...
Verified via Muzines

Hillage is fully conversant with both the modern technology of synths, samplers, sequencers and digital audio recording and the impact that this technology has had on the roles of musician and producer, a consequence of his years spent working in studios as a producer. Today, a hi-tech gear setup which includes a Korg Wavestation, two Akai S1000s, an E-Mu Proteus and C-Lab's Creator sequencing software running on an Atari 1040ST allows him to work on ideas and put tracks together at home.

See how Nightmares on Wax uses C-Lab Creator

Nightmares on Wax

Composer, DJ

...
Verified via Muzines

As listed in this 1991 interview on the Music Magazine Archive

See how Jools Holland uses C-Lab Creator

Jools Holland

Keyboardist

The The

...
Verified via Muzines

A sliding door leads into a 'natural light' control room which contains, among other things, a Soundtracs Quartz 48-channel desk, a Saturn 824 24-track tape machine, and an Atari 1040ST computer with Steinberg Pro24 and C-Lab Creator sequencing software.

See how Michael Brook uses C-Lab Creator

Michael Brook

Guitarist, Keyboardist

David Sylvian & Robert Fripp

...
Verified via Muzines

"There's more synthesizer and there's a real drummer. James Pinker is playing percussion on this track Urbana. Hear that spaghetti western guitar sound? I'm getting more interested in that sound now. I've done most of the music here at home; Brian Eno's helped out, so has Roger. I'm very pleased with the sound. I started out using the Atari computer really strongly, but then used less and less sequencer. It's not a bad way of doing it, gradually replacing things with less parts, using the sequencer to help compositionally. The computer is an Atari 1040ST running C-Lab Creator."

Genre Usage

Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.

Used With

Based on how musicians on Equipboard use C-Lab Creator, it is most commonly used with the following gear.

Atari 1040 ST
Atari 1040 ST Computers & Peripherals
5
Korg Wavestation
Korg Wavestation Synthesizers
3
Yamaha SPX90
Yamaha SPX90 Effects Processors
3
Atari Mega ST1
Atari Mega ST1 Computers & Peripherals
2
Yamaha DX7
Yamaha DX7 Synthesizers
2
Drawmer DS201
Drawmer DS201 Effects Processors
2

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