Opening very old DP files

[graemeleak]

Hello - my first post - to ask if anyone knows how to open very old files from the early 90s when the program was called Professional Performer (and sister program Professional Composer)? I have an archive of compositions and sketches that I would like to access but they appear as 'Unix Executable File'. Would anyone have the software and hardware available to perhaps open these and convert to .mid files, so that I could import them to Sibelius or Pro Tools?

I wrote them on a Mac Classic - late 1980's early 1990s..I recall that operating system, programs and all files were on the one 800k floppy disk! but cannot recall the version numbers of either the programs or the OS.

Thanks and any advice appreciated. I hope I am posting in the right place...

[monkey man]

Could be a resource-fork issue. I'll let those who know what they're talking about expand upon your options, Graeme. What I do know is that this sort of thing sometimes occured when files were copied to a PC and then back to Mac, or as the case might be with you and the MIDI files I'm about to mention, their being created on DOS-formatted systems. Things might be different these days, but that doesn't help those of us who're hanging onto legacy files in hope...

I've several dozen song ideas contained in two MIDI files that I've not yet been able to open since switching to Mac in 1999; they were made on the ATARI with CueBalls 2.x.

Hopefully Mike H. or someone of his ilk, of which there are very few in my estimation, will swing by and enlighten us both...

[mikehalloran]

Bad news: Although Progessional Composer was made by MOTU, it is not a version of DP. More bad news: There are ways to get this to work - or part of it onto an Intel Mac but you are certainly not going to like any of them. All involve having access to a Mac running OS 10.4.11 or earlier, by the way. OS 10.5 and later will not work.

Ideally, you have access to a Beige G3 running OS 8.x and have a copy of Professional Composer. You load your floppies and can open, format and print your files to PDF using any PDF converter that you can find. (Macintosh Garden is your friend here). Export the PDF to your 21st C. Mac. Now open and print or scan them using Smart Score X2, export them as MusicXML with your full formatting intact. Open the XML in Finale or Sibelius and you're all set. MuseScore can also be made to work instead of Finale, sorta kinda. You can try to format in SmartScore X2 if you're brave enough (not I).

You can open those files in Composers Mosaic in OS 9. Lots of ancient threads about that — and they're not pretty. You've been warned. Some longtime posters just read that last sentence and are thinking, "goodgawd, no!"

Any Mac running DP 4.5 - 4.61 can open Professionsl Composer files and print via QuickScribe but much of your formatting will not translate. That DP file can also be saved and opened up in DP 9 and exported as MusicXML or DP 8 and earlier are limited to QuickScribe. I'm recalling that the first version of DP with QuickScribe was 4.5, a paid upgrade from 4 (someone correct me if I'm wrong). More simply, any version DP 4.61 or earlier can open those files and save them as MIDI.

Note that if you create a DP file on a different Mac, you need to zip the project folder before export if you want to open in DP 7.1 or later on yours. If you email the files, the attachments are zipped automatically.

[stubbsonic]

I do have a sawtooth G4, and could possibly create a 10.4. boot drive with DP 4 running on it.

But it would involve an investment of time, head-scratching, and the risk of failure. It isn't an endeavor I'd take on for free, but perhaps we could work something out. PM me if this is of interest.

[graemeleak]

Thank you for your replies I appreciate the time you've spent, esp all those details Mike very helpful. Jon I have sent you a PM. I'm new to the forum thing - great that folks share their knowledge and skills this way - thanks again.

[Shooshie]

If you're talking about Performer files (not Digital Performer), you can still open them in the latest versions of DP. It's really cool; they open with the windows right where you left them 25 to 30 years ago, and since they were for monitors with a fraction of the resolution of today's monitors, they are tiny, up in the left corner of the screen.

But if you are talking about Professional Composer files, you'll have to follow the instructions given by others already. I was lucky that I converted all my Composer files to Performer before that capability had faded into the past. So, I have Performer files for all those, dating back to the mid-1980s.

There are still old Macs around. If you really want to do this, it can be done.

Shooshie

[graemeleak]

Thanks Shooshie - I actually took Stubbsonic up on his offer to look at the files and have sent them across to him - he reports that, as you say, the new Performer can see them and open them, so I am sorted! Although I can't remember, perhaps I had done the same, i.e. had a new version of Performer on one of my old machines.

I was explaining to my son that the system, program and data files were all on the one 800k floppy, no hard drive. They were incredibly lean machines. The range from 2 - 40kb.

[monkey man]

So much for resource forks.

[stubbsonic]

So much for resource forks.

Well, luckily, GL had backed up the floppies from a Mac so all the resource forks are intact!!

The Composer files will be another kettle of fish.

I do have an "assortment" of old OS installers and old Performer and DP installers.

I'll start with the DP 4.52. My G4 already runs on 10.4.11, so that's already done. Knock wood. Won't be able to attack this until Thurs. But it'll be a useful experiment.

[mikehalloran]

I think I still have my 4.5 CD somewhere (4.61 will update 4.5.x). I tossed all of the documentation for everything prior to DP 8 years ago in an effort to reclaim bookshelf space. I don't mis it, frankly. Next time I see it, I'll install it onto my G4 alongside DP 5.13, 7.01 and 7.12.

I also have a perfectly good working G4 750 that boots OS 9.2.2 or 10.4.11. Free to anyone who will pick it up or wants to pay the shipping. While testing parts for the G4 in my studio, it turned out that enough were good to restore another I had lying about.

Another few months and I will add it to the pile that goes to the Homestead High School Electronics Recycling program. I like to support that. Homestead is the alma mater of the two Steves and my daughters.

[stubbsonic]

I successfully installed DP 4.52 on partition of my G4. I updated it to DP 4.61 (the updater was available on the MOTU site today).

DP 4.61 was able to load all the composer files with no problems.

I decided to use DP8 for the performer files and that went smoothly as well.

Pretty nice to be able to load and export 24 year old files without too much bother.

[graemeleak]

Pretty nice to be able to load and export 24 year old files without too much bother.

and pretty nice for me to see them after all these years - and kinda embarrassing... !

Thanks you Jon for your fast professional work on this - really appreciated.

I recommend Jon's services to anyone looking to do the same (i.e. open very old Performer and Composer files).

[stubbsonic]

Nothing to be embarrassed about, sir.

Graeme is the real deal.

Thanks for the plug, too.