My equipment
Because
of my blindness I need many kind of assistive devices. I have a
normal laptop computer which is equipped with a screen reading program
called JAWS. That program enables me to read text from the screen using
braille display and speech synthesizer.
I can read 40 letters from the screen at a time by means of a braille display. I can navigate through screen using braille display's arrow keys, and so I can read any text (and some other information) that appears on the screen.
With these devices I can use many programs that any sighted person might use. For example I can surf on the Internet, send and read e-mails, keep in touch with friends using Messenger or Skype, search information from cd-roms, write texts with Microsoft Word, scan text from paper to my computer, listen to Internet radio channels and so on. These possibilities have enriched my life quite a lot.
Also in making music by means of a computer these assistive devices are essential.
In creating music I use a program called MultitrackStudio Pro. It's good for me because it's not too complicated but still contains all that I really need. With it I can be a "one-man orchestra", because I can use many different hi-quality instruments (recorded one at a time) in one song.
I have hundreds of different instrument samples, from Hammond organ to Steinway piano, that I can use with MultitrackStudio Pro. I can also use all kind of sound effects, from thunderclap to bird singing. More information of that program and it's features can be found in www.multitrackstudio.com.
This program doesn't contain any instruments or sound effects in itself, but they must be bought separately. Some famous instrument sample collections are for example "SampleTank 2 XL" and "Miroslav Philharmonik" from IK Multimedia. Also other companies, for example "Native Instruments" and "EASTWEST" have made many hi-quality sample collections.
When I make a song, I first select the instrument that I want to use. I use mostly "VSTi instruments" that are stored in my computer's hard disk, although also recording from external sources (like singing or playing acoustic instruments) is possible.
When I'm ready to record, I just give a command "r" and start playing with my MIDI keyboard (which is connected to my computer). After I have stopped recording, I select another instrument, record a new track, and so on. There is practically no limit on a number of tracks that can be recorded.
Actually both, MultitrackStudio Pro and VSTi instruments, are usually unaccessible for blind users (because of their too graphical user interface). But I can use them because my friend Petteri, who has some experience in programming, made a small program that gives me a text-based user interface for them.
Basically, by giving commands from the keyboard I can start different "scripts" which are actually pre-recorded mouse movements. In this way I can do many things that usually can be done only by a sighted person with a mouse.
If you want to read more technical details about that assistive program made by Petteri, click here: