Katana VentraIP

Atari ST

Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the Atari 8-bit family. The initial model, the Atari 520ST, had limited release in April–June 1985, and it was widely available in July.[2][3] The ST was the first personal computer with a bitmapped color graphical user interface,[4] using a version of Digital Research's GEM interface / operating system, from February 1985.[5]

Type

Personal computer

June 1985 (1985-06)

  • US$799.99 (monochrome)
  • US$999.99 (color monitor)

1993 (1993)

2.1 million[1]

Digital Research's GEM on Atari TOS

68000 @ 8+ MHz

512 KB to 4 MB

320 × 200 (16 colors)
640 × 200 (4 colors)
640 × 400 (monochrome)

YM2149F

Atari 8-bit family

The Atari 1040ST, released in 1986 with 1 MB of primary or main internal memory, was the first home computer with a cost per kilobyte of RAM under US$1/kB.[6]


After Jack Tramiel purchased the assets of the Atari, Inc. consumer division to create Atari Corporation, the 520ST was designed in five months by a small team led by Shiraz Shivji.[7] Alongside the Macintosh, Amiga, Apple IIGS, and Acorn Archimedes, the ST is part of a mid-1980s generation of computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, and mouse-controlled graphical user interfaces. "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two",[8] referring to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals.


The ST was sold with either Atari's color monitor or less expensive monochrome monitor. Color graphics modes are available only on the former while the highest-resolution mode requires the monochrome monitor. Some models can display the color modes on a TV. In Germany and some other markets, the ST gained a foothold for CAD and desktop publishing. With built-in MIDI ports, it was popular for music sequencing and as a controller of musical instruments among amateur and professional musicians. The primary competitor of the Atari ST was the Amiga from Commodore.[9]


The 520ST and 1040ST were followed by the Mega series, the STE, and the portable STacy. In the early 1990s, Atari released three final evolutions of the ST with significant technical differences from the original models: TT030 (1990), Mega STE (1991), and Falcon (1992). Atari discontinued the entire ST computer line in 1993, shifting the company's focus to the Jaguar video game console.

serial port (DB25 male, operating as basic 9-conductor DTE)

RS-232c

(DB25 female, officially compliant only with the most basic unidirectional standard with a single, "Busy" input line; unofficially offering some bidirectional capabilities)

Centronics printer port

(DE-9 male) for the mouse and game controllers

Atari joystick ports

2 ports (5-pin DIN, "IN" and "OUT")[35]

MIDI

Prominent Russian film music and song composer started using personal computers for work with Atari 1040ST[57] and continued using Cubase and Vienna Symphonic Library.[58]

Aleksandr Zatsepin

German electronic music pioneers relied heavily on the Atari ST in the studio and for live performances during the late 1980s and 1990s.[59]

Tangerine Dream

The album notes for 's Earth Moving state that it was recorded using an Atari ST and C-Lab MIDI software.

Mike Oldfield

The album You've Come a Long Way, Baby was created using an Atari ST.[60]

Fatboy Slim

In the Paris performance of 's album Waiting for Cousteau, the Paris La Défense – Une Ville En Concert, musicians have attached Atari ST machines with C-Lab Unitor software to their keyboards, as seen in the TV live show and video recordings.

Jean Michel Jarre

's "Your Woman", which reached #1 in the UK singles charts, was created using an Atari ST.[61]

White Town

The used a 520ST and 1040ST running Cubase during the recording of both of their albums, Utah Saints and Two,[62][63] with their 1040ST still occasionally used for re-recording or remixing early tracks up to 2015.[63]

Utah Saints

programmed most of their music on an Atari ST, including the entire album Is This Hyperreal? (June 2011).[64]

Atari Teenage Riot

founder Richard H. Kirk said in 2016 that he continues to write music on an Atari 1040ST with C-Lab.[65]

Cabaret Voltaire

used Cubase on an Atari 1040ST when he created his 2000 hit "Sandstorm".[66][67]

Darude

used a combination of an Atari ST and Cubase in the studio during the production of Songs of Faith and Devotion in 1992.[68] The machine is visible in the documentary included with the 2006 remaster of the album.

Depeche Mode

Record producer used an Atari ST to produce Fleetwood Mac's "Tango In The Night" album, and records for B.B. King and Dave Mason.[69]

Jimmy Hotz

British DJ and house producer .[70]

Joey Negro

British songwriters and record producers .[70]

Stock, Aitken, and Waterman

British synth pop duo replaced their Fairlight CMI with an Atari ST, with their programmer Pete Gleadall saying "[Atari ST] was just much easier to work with".[70]

Pet Shop Boys

Canadian industrial band used the Atari ST with Steinberg Pro 24 software to produce several of their albums, including Rabies and The Process. A 1040ST can be seen in footage of the band jamming in their studio during The Process' writing sessions.[71]

Skinny Puppy

DARIO G used the Atari ST to produce the dance track "Sunchyme" which reached No. 2 in the UK charts

[72]

The ST's low cost, built-in MIDI ports, and fast, low-latency response times made it a favorite with musicians.

Direct Memory Access

MIDI

SF354: Single-sided double-density 31⁄2-inch floppy drive (360 KB) with external power supply

SF314: Double-sided double-density 31⁄2-inch floppy drive (720 KB) with external power supply

PS3000: Combined 12-inch color monitor and 360k 31⁄2-inch floppy drive (SF354). Speaker. Manufactured by JVC in limited quantity (≈1000), only a few working models remain.

SM124: Monochrome monitor, 12-inch screen (9.5-inch displayed image), speaker, 640 × 400 pixels, 70 Hz refresh

SM125: Monochrome monitor, 12-inch screen, up/down/sideways swivel stand, speaker, 640x400 pixels, 70 Hz refresh

SM147: Monochrome monitor, 14-inch screen, no speaker, replacement for SM124

SC1224: Color monitor, 12-inch screen, 640 × 200 pixels plus speaker

SC1425: Color monitor, 14-inch screen, One speaker on the left of screen, a jack to plug ear-listeners

SC1435: Color monitor, 14-inch screen, stereo speakers, replacement for SC1224 (rebadged Magnavox 1CM135)

SM195: Monochrome monitor, 19-inch screen for TT030. 1280 × 960 pixels. 70 Hz refresh

SH204: External hard drive, 20 MB MFM drive, "shoe box" case made of metal

SH205: External hard drive, Mega ST matching case, 20 MB MFM 3.5-inch (Tandon TM262) or 5.25-inch (Segate ST225) drive with ST506 interface (became later the Megafile 20)

Megafile 20, 30, 60: External hard drive, Mega ST matching case, ACSI bus; Megafile 30 and 60 had a 5.25-inch RLL (often a Seagate ST238R 30 MByte or Seagate ST277R 60 MByte drive) with ST506 interface

Megafile 44: Removable cartridge drive, ACSI bus, Mega ST matching case

SLM804: Laser printer, connected through ACSI DMA port, used ST's memory and processor to build pages for printing

SLM605: Laser printer, connected through ACSI DMA port, smaller than SLM804.[76]

[75]

– the fonts included in the Atari ST

Bitstream Speedo Fonts

"The little green desktop"

Atarimania: Atari ST software preservation project

Atari ST Computer Systems, Peripherals and Prototypes

BYTE Magazine September 1986, Atari ST Software Development