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TraxWeekly Issue 098
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founded march 12, 1995 _| : _____ t r a x w e e k l y # 98
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/ / / `_ . .~ \____\/ _ __ ___
/ / / _____ . _ \ __ ___ _/__/\
/ / / / /\ _ The Music Scene Newsletter __ __\__\/
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/ /_/ /______/\/ \ /______/\/ \ /_____/ // \ \ / / / \
/ / \ \ \ \_\ \ \ \_\ \ //____/\____\/ / / /
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__\ \____\ e \____\ \____\ k \ ___\ \____\ y \__________/
\____\/ \____\/ \____\/ \____\/ \____\/ \____\/WW
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| TraxWeekly Issue #98 | Release date: 16 May 1997 | Subscribers: 916 |
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/-[Introduction]------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------/
Welcome to TraxWeekly #98.
Unfortunately, not a very good week here in the music scene. Because of
problems arising from the copying of his stereo disk writer driver for
Impulse Tracker, Jeff Lim (Pulse) is stopping work on improvements for
IT. I figured it was bound to happen; pirating continues non-stop on the
network today (hey, we've all done it). Now, how is this going to affect
our music today and tomorrow?
Our feature article this week comes from Vincent voois, who covers the
art of creating new samples using Csound, a waveform creator/editor. For
those of you so inclined, this article really goes in-depth on the nuts and
bolts of using this program to generate some decent results. I hope some
of you will get something out of it. Airon covers some MIDI functions of
Impulse Tracker for us, and zinc proudly resurrects the mod "blacklist"
from a previous issue. Your songs sound terrible? Think again. =)
Note: Someone sent me an article titled "why tracking is a perfect
art form." Unfortunately, I don't have an author name or address with the
article, and since I can't credit the author, I don't feel as if I should
run this article until I do have it. If whoever wrote this piece could
email me, I would very much appreciate it.
See you next week!
Gene Wie (Psibelius)
TraxWeekly Publishing
gwie@csusm.edu
/-[Contents]----------------------------------------------------------------
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________ _________________________________________________________________
/ ____/_/ __/ \ __/ / _____/ \ __/ __/ ___/_
< \____\ \ \\ \ \\____ __/ __/_\ \ \\____ \_____ \__
\ \ \ \\ \ \ww\ \\ \\ \ \ \ \ \_
_\________\________\\___\____\ \_____\\_______\\___\____\ \_____\_______\
Letters and Feedback
1. Letter from Shade
2. Letter from sls
General Articles
3. Impulse Tracker Investment....................Pulse
4. Waveforms.....................................Vincent voois
5. Impulse Tracker MIDI..........................Airon
6. The Blacklist #2..............................zinc
Closing
Distribution
Subscription/Contribution Information
TraxWeekly Staff Sheet
/-[Letters and Feedback]----------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------/
--[1. Letter from Shade]----------------------------------------------------
From shade@www.ecmt.comFri May 9 13:25:17 1997
Date: Fri, 9 May 1997 13:44:39 -0400
From: shade <shade@www.ecmt.com>
To: gwie@mailhost1.csusm.edu
Subject: Music Trends
Why would I try to follow the industry? I write what I want to, and if it
so happens it's in style, or if it's not in style, it does not matter. I
write what I want to write because I am writing for no one but myself!
-Shade [TMX]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--[2. Letter from sls]------------------------------------------------------
From shaslshas@global2000.netFri May 9 13:18:14 1997
Date: Thu, 8 May 1997 18:56:03 -0400 (EDT)
From: sls <shaslshas@global2000.net>
To: gwie@mailhost1.csusm.edu
Subject: traxweekly content
nice mag, just one request... please kill those columns by the
modsquad. they're silly and and have no redeeming content. they just
take up space. their columns have gone on for god-knows-how-long, and
they just get stupider each week. no offense, but these lame articles
have no place in an otherwise quality mag...
let me hear your opinions.
laters,
- anonymous former tw columnist =)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Hmmm...well readers, what do you have to say? -psib.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/-[General Articles]--------------------------------------------------------
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--[3. Impulse Tracker Investment]----------------------------------[Pulse]--
Hmmm. It's almost midnight. Time to log on..
I check my EMail - I like to reply and clear all my EMail by the day (obtw.
I lost quite a few EMails over the last week, if you wrote to me and didn't
get a reply, please send the EMail again).
Sometimes, among the EMails, I find the question: "What do you want for the
stereo versions of ITWAV?".
Involuntarily I groan. I reply with the standard US$30 for nonprofit use and
sometimes I even remember to include my address or bank account details.
In the mean time, I wait for a reply. Sometimes there's no reply, sometimes
there's a polite reply, affirmative or negative... And then sometimes I get
a reply like this:
> FUCK U MOTHA FUCKA.. GO GET A JOB!!! UR SO POOR, U CAN"T EVEN FEED YOUR
> FAMILY!!!!!! PIS OFF, BACK OFF... I GOT OTHER THINGS TO DO THAN
> BABYSITTING!!!
>
> U DON"T GET IT MOTHA FUCKA!!!
That was several weeks ago. Today, I got this one from daled@shani.net
(please feel free to write to this address.)
> i would like to tell you to Suck my dick.. Cuz...
> 30$ my asssss.........
>
> please contact Zir0 for more information....
>
> adios motha fucker...
Well that just makes me feel sooo good. Someone is providing warez versions
and has the gall enough to spite me. I can't help but ask myself, why the
hell did I even bother releasing Impulse Tracker? IT could have been a
PolyTracker (made famous by The Rew/Nostalgia and Vic/ACME) or an Imago
Orpheus (Just how many of you have heard of this FT2-featured tracker with
a ST3 interface?). But it wasn't. Well, why the hell DID I *release* IT?
IT was *created* because *I* track. Not because *YOU* track, not because
Necros wanted a ST3 interface with more advanced features, not because
the demoscene or musicscene wanted IT to be created, but because *I* track.
That I *released* it is something to do with pride.
When an artist paints something that they are proud of, they don't hide it
away! They go and show their work of art to as many people as they can.
Impulse Tracker is my work of art. I wanted it to be something that I could
share with everyone who would find joy in using it. And so Impulse Tracker
was released as a program that you could use freely, without any shareware
or crippleware restrictions so that the hours that I had spent chiselling
my sculpture could be seen in full, front and back, so that anyone could use
Impulse Tracker to it's maximum capabilities at any particular time.. And I
was(am) happy for people to use IT as a hobby. The problem comes when the
distinction between hobby and *job* becomes blurred. I don't care if you
spend 24 hours a day on IT. That you enjoy using my program so much to use
it day after day brings satisfaction to me, but what I am concerned about
is when someone gets *paid* for using IT.
Impulse Tracker wasn't a program that just 'appeared.' I slaved at it for
hundreds of hours.. easily over 1500 hours, probably closer to 2000. If
someone can spend 4 hours, or even 100 hours (for the sake of example) on
a song and get paid for it, then I feel that it's surely my right to see
some of their earnings.
How does ITWAV.DRV fit into this? Well, as far as I can see, there are only
a few reasons that anyone would want a stereo version of ITWAV.DRV.
ITWAV.DRV is used to make high-quality, noiseless WAV file recordings of
modules. This is especially suited for burning CD ROMs, since most CDR
software accepts audio data in the form of WAV files. This version of ITWAV
is not distributed in the general package, as it really does have
profit-situation implications. As for those people who do want to burn CDRs
of their own music, I figured that they would have spent a number of hours
using Impulse Tracker to create their songs and that asking for US$30 to
enable them to produce something really tangible (their own audio CD!)
wouldn't be asking too much. After all, they'd have to spent somewhere
around $10 to pay for a blank CD, let alone the CD-Recorder.
Obviously, there are many people who do not share my views. US$30 is just
too much. To quote some of the Velvet Studio's Help file:
"...I get your point exactly:
You want people like us to work our asses off without
getting anything from it. Next time, try to convince
a car salesman to give away a Ferrari for free..."
These are the words of another very pissed off coder who put a lot of time
and effort into creating a state-of-the-art piece of software and who never
received what he deserved.
To put it another way:
"People want everything but are not willing to give anything."
Gladly, I know this is not true. There are a good number of people out
there who have a fair judgement. To those of you who have contributed,
I thank you. To all these and to the friends I have made, you will
receive updates as I make them.
To all the others, IT213 will be the very final public release that you'll
see from me. There will be bugfix releases and probably also new soundcard
drivers, but you won't see a single new feature in IT after that.
I used to envy how Psi so neatly avoided any sort of responsibility for
ST3. Now, I will be able to join him.
Jeffrey Lim
Pulse
PS. For those of you who have had EMS Stability problems with IT212, grab
the IT213 preview from http://www.citenet.net/noise/it
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--[4. Waveforms]-------------------------------------------[Vincent voois]--
Since I've been working with a lot of waveform editors and processors to
be able to process my or other's samples in order to create some nifty
effect or just to cover it's originality so that no one can hear it's
ripped, there allways was a need to create samples completely by myself.
Not sampled NOR ripped.
Composing was what I started with on the Commodore 64 around '88
(Soundmonitor still rules! hehehe :))and since you cannot make music
without instruments, it's one of the first things you have to develop
your own on that machine.
It's mainly because of that, that my intrests in creating sounds were
only growing.
The following prospects in soundgeneration makes it worth creating them:
-The data wich create the sound exists out of simple formula's or
generation-tables
-The sound can be packed very tensly due to the similarities in the
overallshape of the wave.
-You have no unwanted noise in it wich also determines the packing-rate
of the sound.
-The sound is yours and yours only, you can archive the sources and
formula's wich create them in order to proof your responsible for the
development.
Now I'm talking about formula's and tables while there are different
cool tools like Sound-Forge and Cool-edit.
Indeed, but still tools like that wich have a very nice GUI keep
restricted in possibilities. (?!?!?:!!!!)
(I mean Soundforge with only four lousy fm-operators, even fm-synth on
amiga is better!)
Okay, I've found one good sound-formula compiler wich has the most
abilities you can think of and more you can't think of.
Now with this art of creating sound, gaining pain is coming around the
corner again if you don't know how to ,,Program'' your waves, therefore
you take care you have the complete manual and all the tools needed.
First let me introduce you to the program and it's primary aspects, I'll
show you the starter's details and then an example of wave shaping.
Ending with some info where to get what.
After that you can start exploring yourself into the world of creating
wave-art.
***********************************************************************
Creating your own sound with C-sound (MIT).
C-sound is not really more than a sound-compiler based on C-Language.
(?!?)
C-sound has been developed by Barry L. Vercoe around the 60's so i'm not
discussing about the newest invention here but it's to my opinion still
the best available.
Note for freeloaders =}|-\
The most nicest thing around c-sound is that you don't have to purchase
it since it's totally free to use (there copyright notices on the
development part offcourse.), not only c-sound itselves, a lot of tools
created for and around c-sound by other developers are having the same
free usage environment.
What C-sound does is examine your CS-sources and search for structures,
formula's wich determines length, amplitudes, frequencies and tables
wich will determine the formula's events.
While C-sound examines these sources it will then create the wave
bit-wise into .WAV, .RAW or .AIF-files.
Ofcourse you do not need to be a C-programmer in order to be able to
make sounds, as a C-programmer him/herself has to learn the symantics
and syntaxis' about the C-sound engine too!
Generally speaking, there are two kinds of source-files wich determine
the wave shape:
The ORChestra source and the SCOre source.
The .ORC source tells the C-sound compiler how to generate the
instrument(s)
In this file you determine the complete environment of the instrument,
there's ,,no man playing'' this instrument here so you cannot define
tables here that can run on their own.
The .SCO source commands the C-sound compiler to create sound (the
arranger tells the violist to play the notes on the score) with the
formula's from the .ORC-file following the tables wich contain the
amplitude-, duration-, and pitch-rates etc.
Okay, this is the short, short, short introduction to the general
aspects but as they have made up a manual at MIT themselves why should i
explain that part what they can do better than me?....
***********************************************************************
A Beginning Tutorial
The Orchestra File
Csound runs from two basic files: an orchestra file and a score file.
The orchestra file is a set of instruments that tell the
computer how to synthesize sound; the score file tells the computer
when. An instrument is a collection of modular statements
which either generate or modify a signal; signals are represented by
symbols, which can be "patched" from one module to
another. For example, the following two statements will generate a 440
Hz sine tone and send it to an output channel:
asig oscil 10000, 440, 1
out asig
The first line sets up an oscillator whose controlling inputs are an
amplitude of 10000, a frequency of 440 Hz, and a waveform
number, and whose output is the audio signal asig. The second line takes
the signal asig and sends it to an (implicit) output
channel. The two may be encased in another pair of statements that
identify the instrument as a whole:
instr 1
asig oscil 10000, 440, 1
out asig
endin
In general, an orchestra statement in Csound consists of an action
symbol followed by a set of input variables and preceded by
a result symbol. Its action is to process the inputs and deposit the
result where told. The meaning of the input variables
depends on the action requested. The 10000 above is interpreted as an
amplitude value because it occupies the first input slot
of an oscil unit; 440 signifies a frequency in Hertz because that is how
an oscil unit interprets its second input argument; the
waveform number is taken to point indirectly to a stored function table,
and before we invoke this instrument in a score we must
fill function table #1 with some waveform.
The output of Csound computation is not a real audio signal, but a
stream of numbers which describe such a signal. When
written onto a sound file these can later be converted to sound by an
independent program; for now, we will think of variables
such as asig as tangible audio signals.
Let us now add some extra features to this instrument. First, we will
allow the pitch of the tone to be defined as a parameter in
the score. Score parameters can be represented by orchestra variables
which take on their different values on successive notes.
These variables are named sequentially: p1, p2, p3, ... The first three
have a fixed meaning (see the Score File), while the
remainder are assignable by the user. Those of significance here are:
p3 - duration of the current note (always in seconds).
p5 - pitch of the current note (in units agreed upon by score and
orchestra).
Thus in
asig oscil 10000, p5, 1
the oscillator will take its pitch (presumably in cps) from score
parameter 5.
If the score had forwarded pitch values in units other than
cycles-per-second (Hertz), then these must first be converted. One
convenient score encoding, for instance, combines pitch class
representation (00 for C, 01 for C#, 02 for D, ... 11 for B) with
octave representation (8. for middle C, 9. for the C above, etc.) to
give pitch values such as 8.00, 9.03, 7.11. The expression
cpspch(8.09)
will convert the pitch A (above middle C) to its cps equivalent (440
Hz). Likewise, the expression
cpspch(p5)
will first read a value from p5, then convert it from octave.pitch-class
units to cps. This expression could be imbedded in our
orchestra statement as
asig oscil 10000, cpspch(p5), 1
to give the score-controlled frequency we sought.
Next, suppose we want to shape the amplitude of our tone with a linear
rise from 0 to 10000. This can be done with a new
orchestra statement
amp line 0, p3, 10000
Here, amp will take on values that move from 0 to 10000 over time p3
(the duration of the note in seconds). The instrument
will then become
instr 1
amp line 0, p3, 10000
asig oscil amp, cpspch(p5), 1
out asig
endin
The signal amp is not something we would expect to listen to directly.
It is really a variable whose purpose is to control the
amplitude of the audio oscillator. Although audio output requires fine
resolution in time for good fidelity, a controlling signal
often does not need that much resolution. We could use another kind of
signal for this amplitude control
kamp line 0, p3, 10000
in which the result is a new kind of signal kamp. Signal names up to
this point have always begun with the letter a (signifying an
audio signal); this one begins with k (for control). Control signals are
identical to audio signals, differing only in their resolution
in time. A control signal changes its value less often than an audio
signal, and is thus faster to generate. Using one of these, our
instrument would then become
instr 1
kamp line 0, p3, 10000
asig oscil kamp, cpspch(p5), 1
out asig
endin
This would likely be indistinguishable in sound from the first version,
but would run a little faster. In general, instruments take
constants and parameter values, and use calculations and signal
processing to move first towards the generation of control
signals, then finally audio signals. Remembering this flow will help you
write efficient instruments with faster execution times.
We are now ready to create our first orchestra file. Type in the
following orchestra using the system editor, and name it
"intro.orc".
sr = 20000 ; audio sampling rate is 20 kHz
kr = 500 ; control rate is 500 Hz
ksmps = 40 ; number of samples in a control
period (sr/kr)
nchnls = 1 ; number of channels of audio output
instr 1
kctrl line 0, p3, 10000 ; amplitude envelope
asig oscil kctrl, cpspch(p5), 1 ; audio oscillator
out asig ; send signal to channel 1
endin
It is seen that comments may follow a semi-colon, and extend to the end
of a line. There can also be blank lines, or lines with
just a comment. Once you have saved your orchestra file on disk, we can
next consider the score file that will drive it.
***********************************************************************
The Score File
The purpose of the score is to tell the instruments when to play and
with what parameter values. The score has a different
syntax from that of the orchestra, but similarly permits one statement
per line and comments after a semicolon. The first
character of a score statement is an opcode, determining an action
request; the remaining data consists of numeric parameter
fields (pfields) to be used by that action.
Suppose we want a sine-tone generator to play a pentatonic scale
starting at C-sharp above middle-C, with notes of 1/2
second duration. We would create the following score:
; a sine wave function table
f1 0 256 10 1
; a pentatonic scale
i1 0 .5 0. 8.01
i1 .5 . . 8.03
i1 1.0 . . 8.06
i1 1.5 . . 8.08
i1 2.0 . . 8.10
e
The first statement creates a stored sine table. The protocol for
generating wave tables is simple but powerful. Lines with
opcode f interpret their parameter fields as follows:
p1 - function table number being created
p2 - creation time, or time at which the table becomes readable
p3 - table size (number of points), which must be a power of two or
one greater
p4 - generating subroutine, chosen from a prescribed list.
Here the value 10 in p4 indicates a request for subroutine GEN10 to fill
the table. GEN10 mixes harmonic sinusoids in phase,
with relative strengths of consecutive partials given by the succeeding
parameter fields. Our score requests just a single sinusoid.
An alternative statement:
f1 0 256 10 1 0 3
would produce one cycle of a waveform with a third harmonic three times
as strong as the first.
The i statements, or note statements, will invoke the p1 instrument at
time p2, then turn it off after p3 seconds; it will pass all of
its p-fields to that instrument. Individual score parameters are
separated by any number of spaces or tabs; neat formatting of
parameters in columns is nice but unnecessary. The dots in p-fields 3
and 4 of the last four notes invoke a carry feature, in
which values are simply copied from the immediately preceding note of
the same instrument. A score normally ends with an e
statement.
The unit of time in a Csound score is the beat. In the absence of a
Tempo statement, one beat takes one second. To double
the speed of the pentatonic scale in the above score, we could either
modify p2 and p3 for all the notes in the score, or simply
insert the line
t 0 120
to specify a tempo of 120 beats per minute from beat 0.
Two more points should be noted. First, neither the f-statements nor the
i-statements need be typed in time order; Csound
will sort the score automatically before use. Second, it is permissible
to play more than one note at a time with a single
instrument. To play the same notes as a three-second pentatonic chord we
would create the following:
; a sine wave function
f1 0 256 10 1
; five notes at once
i1 0 3 0 8.01
i1 0 . . 8.03
i1 0 . . 8.06
i1 0 . . 8.08
i1 0 . . 8.10
e
Now go into the editor once more and create your own score file. Name it
"intro.sco".
***********************************************************************
So if we have got the catch, the files and we have Csound we can compile
it to a standard 16-bit mono wave-file with the following command:
csound -v intro.orc intro.sco
and an intro.aif will be created.
if you want to have it as 8-bit ad a -8 parameter, chagning the
output-filename can be done by adding the -o parameter followed by the
desired filename.
Remember that 8-bit sounds can be saved as a .WAV file when you use the
-o parameter instead of the -W parameter wich enables saving as .WAV,
with -W it will be saved as 16-bit ONLY even with the -8 parameter
given!
Now the last example, creating a simple instrument with waveshaping
technique.
***********************************************************************
Overview of Waveshaping
An input signal is rotated by 90 degrees counter clockwise so
that its time axis is parallel to the ordinate of the transfer
function. The ordinate of the transfer function represents the
OUT values and its abscissa stands for the IN values. In this
manner all amplitude values of an incoming signal are mapped to
new amplitude values, in strict correspondence with the transfer
function.
A diagonal transfer function (x=y) gives no distortion at all.
The larger the deviations in the slope of a transfer function,
the more radical the spectral changes. An even transfer function
will produce only even harmonics in the output, while odd
transfer functions yield odd harmonics in the distorted signal.
Discontinuities like abrupt jumps or sharp points lead to
harmonically richer spectra than smooth transfer functions.
To calculate specific spectra, the transfer function is
represented as a polynomial of the general form:
F(x) = d0 + d1x + d2x2 + ... + dNxN
For an input sinus at amplitude 1, amplitude values for the
harmonics belonging to each algebraic term of the polynomial are
obtained by multiplying the divisor with the table value(s) for
hj. Summing these coefficients for the corresponding power of x
will compute the value of dj.
***********************************************************************
Shaping the wave of a clarinet-like instrument:
This instrument uses the duration of a note to choose between two
different envelopes. For notes exceeding .75 sec in duration, the
right-hand envelope in the figure is applied.
The amount of distortion, i.e. the harmonicity of the spectrum is
dependent on the maximum amplitude value specified for LINEN: for
56 or less there is no distortion, and the transfer function will
simply return a sinus.
Here the odd linear transfer function produces odd harmonics,
increasing in strength and number as the LINEN value exceeds 56.
The Source code:
;
************************************************************************
; ACCCI: Clarinet.ORC
; timbre: clarinet-like
; synthesis: waveshaping(40)
; basic instrument with duration dependent envelope(02)
sr = 44100
kr = 441
ksmps= 100
nchnls = 1
instr 1;
*****************************************************************
idur = p3
iamp = p4
ifqc = cpspch(p5)
idec = .64 ; idec for idur > .75
if idur >.75 igoto start
idec = idur - .085 ; idec for idur <= .75
start:
aenv linen 255, .085, idur, idec ; envelope
a1 oscili aenv, ifqc, 1 ; sinus
a1 tablei a1 + 256, 31 ; transfer function
out a1 * iamp ; scale to amplitude
endin;
************************************************************************
; ACCCI: Clarinet.SCO
; #150 Serial Excerpt with Clarinet-like Sounds by Nonlinearity
; GEN functions
**********************************************************
f1 0 2048 10 1 ; sinus
f31 0 512 7 -1 200 -.5 112 .5 200 1 ; transfer function
waveshaper
; score
******************************************************************
; idur iamp ipch
i1 0.000 0.750 8000 7.04
i1 0.750 0.250 . 7.07
i1 1.000 1.000 . 8.00
i1 2.000 0.200 . 8.02
i1 2.200 0.200 . 8.04
i1 2.400 0.200 . 8.05
i1 2.600 0.200 . 9.00
i1 2.800 0.200 . 9.04
i1 3.000 0.250 . 9.05
i1 3.250 0.250 . 9.00
i1 3.500 0.250 . 8.05
i1 3.750 0.250 . 8.00
i1 4.000 1.000 . 7.04
i1 5.000 0.125 . 7.07
i1 5.125 0.125 . 8.00
i1 5.250 0.125 . 8.02
i1 5.375 0.125 . 8.04
i1 5.500 0.125 . 8.05
i1 5.625 0.125 . 9.00
i1 5.750 0.125 . 9.04
i1 5.875 0.125 . 9.05
e
***********************************************************************
Good, we have now seen the basics of wave-generated programming.
This is only a little piece of the whole pie, this tool has some really
tremendeous features even processing existing wave-files with
filtertechniques and modulation techniques.
Tools like Soundforge and Cooledit are based on applications like
C-sound.
The most resources can be obtained at the MIT-Labs page itselves (called
the C-sound Frontpage)
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/music/Man/c_front.html
Here are links to various mirror-sites along the world wich contain
copies of the manual, instruments and tools and offcourse the compiler.
If you are hooked to GUI-like programs I suggest you to look for
PatchWork for .... by Keith Lent and Russel Pinkston.
It is probably lying around on the university of Texas, Austin.
This tool let's you create the instrument(s) with help of object guided
devices like oscillators, multiplexers and more.
It creates the possibility to maintain the overview of how your
instrument will be build wich you can loose when editing your .ORC-file
inside a texteditor.
If you think that C-sound is nice enough for you to compile only, you
can have some instrumentsources from the pages of the Amsterdam
Catalogue of Csound Computer Instruments:
http://mars.let.uva.nl/gather/accci/index.html
I have e-mail but do not contact me about how to generate specific
instruments since I'm NOT a wav-shape wizard and still exploring
c-sound, but making sound in experimental mood is a good alternative to
create some cool instruments.
Best way to test your source is to keep the quality of the sound as low
as possible since you have no environmental noises generated with the
sound, the shape of the wave stays clear.
It's not that it's a must to have small instruments, but compiling
(rendering sound to give it ,,the'' understandable expression) will be
done in less time so you can test and listen more often in less time.
In the beginning I had trouble rendering sounds and when listening the
results were poorly or even NO SOUND at all due to incorrect
rate-combinations.
Working with excessive rates (first extreemly high than extreemly low)
will help you exploring the limits and views of each function in
C-sound.
I've done my work, now it's your turn.
***********************************************************************
Pirating software equals disrespecting the developer, to put this in
other and more words:
Pay what they ask (mostly you won't die of cashflow) or search for
alternatives wich seem cheeper to you or DON'T use the program at all.
Acting otherwise makes you not only childish, you spoil progression of
further development for yourselves AND MANY OTHERS!
Try to imagine what all those MANY OTHERS will do to you when they find
out YOU are partly RESPONSIBLE for such development-ceasing.
Regards to Pulse and many other coders who's good work aren't
appreciated in a descent manner,
Vincent voois.
Vv@musician.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--[5. Impulse Tracker MIDI]----------------------------------------[Airon]--
What can ya do with MIDI in IT(Impulsetracker) ???
Good question.
I found the midi docs in IT a little confusing and made the mistake of
using MIDI instruments by flipping the midi channel switch and then going
'uuuuhhm. What's that noise?'
My sample based instrument had NNA(NewNoteAction) NoteFade activated and
a Volume Fade out(bottom on Volume section of Instrument screen) set
to something like 120.As I examined the MIDI Activity LED on my synth
it showed me that IT was sending the NOTE OFF messages a bit late.
After fiddling about with Z80-ZFF macros I set NNA to NoteCut and brought
down the Volume Fade Out to zero.And there it was doing what I thought
it should like a good tracker.Note Off delays were gone.
Then there's volumes.The volume column actually. That's used as a
velocity value for NOTE ON messages.I'd avoid the Volume stuff in the
upper box on the 'Midi Output Config'.Create a SFx macro instead.
I'll explain why in a later.
MIDI controllers are a very neat thing.You can use that MODULATION
wheel(or joystick-whatever synth or keyboard you're using) to change
all sorts of things.You just have to set up the synth to do it.
The big difference is that all the sound parameters are controlled
on the synth and not in the tracker.The controllers are 'outside'
knobs and wheels that twist and turn to control stuff like
vibrato,volume(very different to velocity),hold(sustain pedal) or
perhaps a low pass filter and resonance with the pitch wheel(something
for the analog nuts).
These controllers are just little byte sequences that get pushed through
that 31.5 kbps MIDI protocol and they use a terrible amount of bandwidth
sometimes(check out Doom E1M2 music for an example).
This bandwidth problem is the major weakness of MIDI.It's a serial
protocol so, as Windows owners have know for years, multitasking
just ain't happening.
Take a four voice chord, say B-C#-E-G#, a bass drum,hihat,tambourine,
bass guitar plus perhaps some backing and you've got a lot of notes
wanting to play at the same time.In a MIDI file they ALL have the same
timecode but are layed out onto different tracks, usualy by channel.
The sequencers will now play the note from the first track, then the
next track and so forth.Should you happen to have your drum track right
on the last track and it's good bye to timing.What comes first is
up to you.Drums are usualy the first with other rythmicaly important
stuff next.
Impulsetracker handles this the same way(it should:) as sequencers do.
The first note to get sent down the MIDI tube will be on the left most
track.
Professionals and Semi-Pros tend to get MULTI-PORT MIDI interfaces.
Opcode produces such feasts, but since IT is a DOS program I guess
we'd better forget that.You'll hardly run into timing problems with
one or two synths but it's good to know what to avoid.
Here are some controllers with description and examples on how to use
them in Impulsetracker.All upper case characters are HEX.Lower case
characters are variables and are explained in detail.
VOLUME Midi controller 07
--------
This is a real volume level for a patch or part in synthesizers.Do not
mistake this for VELOCITY, which is represents the speed at which you'd
hit the keyboard.VELOCITY is contained in every NOTE ON midi message
no matter whether your keyboard(you know, the piano lookin' thing) is
capable of sensing different velocities or not(old or very cheap
keyboards).
Both VOLUME and VELOCITY can take on values from 0-7F(0-127 decimal).
The VOLUME controller in most cases allows you to controll the level
of the sound while NOT changing it's characteristics.Different VELOCITYs
however are used to simulate hitting keys at various strengths which
can best be heard with 'real' Pianos(soft play->weaker higher frequency
responce, hard play->stronger higher frequency response->brighter sound).
Consider this as being a parameter to define the distance to the
listener for example.The hard hitting bright piano will still sound
the same if someone hits the keys a block away.Only the actual volume
will be lower.Crude example and not accurate but I hope it makes my
point.
MIDI Data : Bc 07 v
c - midi channel 07 - actual volume command
v - volume (0-7F, 0-127 decimal)
I haven't figured out yet how to use the Volume line in IT properly.
Use this instead to make shure you're getting exactly what you want:
Write a SFx macro : Bc 07 z and use THAT to change the overall
level of that sound.
MODULATION controller 01
------------
This is the controller that most keyboards produce when the
'MODULATION WHEEL' or slider is moved.The controller is always the
same, no matter what synth but it all depends what the synth does with it.
A large part of the instruments in of synths use this controller for
vibrato.It's not entirely the same as in trackers, 'cause this controller
only controls the vibrato DEPTH and not speed too as in tracker vibratos,
but again that depends on what the synth has been told to do.
MIDI Data : Bc 01 z (enter this in IT as a SFx macro)
c - midi channel , 01 - actual modulation command ,
z - modulation data (0-7F, 0-127 decimal)
PANpot controller 10
Well , it's just panning.This controller will act a bit like the
instrument panning in Impulsetracker.You choose a default panning
value in the instrument screen and the panning envelope will work
around that preset value.The pan controller works the same way.
Again though , it depends on what your synth is programmed to do.
MIDI Data : Bc 0A z ( Bc 0A x for the pan line in IT )
c - midi channel 01 - actual panning command
z - PAN data value (0-7F, 0-127 decimal)
(0-left,64-middle,7F-right)
On my synth this controller IS a relative controller.
Note: There's a controller called BALANCE too ( 08 ) that work in a
in a similar way but you'll have to try that one out.
BANK SELECT controllerS(!) 00 and 32
This is usefull for selecting a patch bank or anything else that us
organized this way.Consult your synths manual if you're not shure
whether your synth can do a BANK SELECT via this controller pair.
This controller is actually made of TWO controllers,giving it the
possibilty to, in theory, give you values from 0-FFFF(0-65365 decimal).
There never are that many banks in synths so all that 'value space'
isn't used.
MIDI Data : Bc 00 a Bc 20 b
c - midi channel 00,20 actual Bank select commands
a - upper byte of bank number or Most Significant Byte(MSB)
b - lower byte of bank number or Least Significant Byte(MSB)
In your synths manual you'll find the correct values to choose the
bank you want.
So now that you've chosen a BANK , how about a actual PATCH(or sound)?
PROGRAM CHANGE
Change your patch or sound on a midi channel with this controller.
It's not your usual controller , 'cause it uses only two bytes.
MIDI Data : Cc pp
c - midi channel pp - program number (0-7F , 0-127 decimal)
Then , some synths and sound cards except manipulation of effects via the
GENERAL PURPOSE EFFECT controllers 91,92 and 93
91(5Bh) is used for controlling reverb on some synths and sound cards.
93(5Dh) does the same for chorus effects but you'd better go and
check that manual of your synth.
More exotic controllers include the BREATH controller( 11 or 0Bh;0-7F),
SOSTUNENTO( 66 or 42h;0-3F OFF,40-7F ON) or SOFT PEDAL( 67 or 43h).
What your synth excepts and uses can be found in the MIDI implementation
of your synthesizers manual.
Using all that stuff in IMPULSETRACKER
----------------------------------------
IT has a bunch of them implemented already.For the other stuff you'll
have to use the macros.
'STATIC' macros (Z80-ZFF)
They can be used to do all the great things such as bank select,
HOLD on/off(pedal equivalent for piano players,which HOLDs notes after
you've let go of the keys for as long as you depress the HOLD pedal)
and of course the SYSEX stuff.These are special command for your synth
only.You could activate the General MIDI mode(if it has one), switch to
different modes(PATCH,PERFORMANCE(multi-timbral stuff) or whatever you
want.
The SF0-SFF macros should used for stuff that isn't implemented in IT
yet and have values ranging from 0-7F. MODULATION,EXPRESSION,
BREATH,VOLUME(best to have it seperatly, that's why I have the volume
field in the upper box empty in ITs MIDI Output config),PAN or
combinations(analog nuts will love that).
Play around , write a nasty combo with all the variables of IT
in one line but remember this :
MIDI is a serial protocol so don't go wild !
Your synth manual has all that you need to write all the fx you might
need to TRACK a midi song.
One more thing, the VOLUME FADE value right at the bottom of the volume
section on the instrument screen is something which you can use to
produce LEGATO effects in MIDI(notes play a little beyond a new note).
The NOTE OFF command will be sent as soon as the volume of that note
is zero(don't use the VOLUME controller!That's on the synth.This is a
tracker internal thing). So the greater the VOLUME FADE, the less
LEGATO. Zero VOLUME FADE will give you no LEGATO at all.
Remember that when using NNA.You need NNA 'NOTE FADE'for this legato
effect.
Also remember that most synths let you play the same note without
killing the last one.
Aaand , a note cut (^^^) will send a NOTE OFF message instantly.
(Yeah I was wrong Jeff :)
That's it for now.Let's see what else Jeff comes up with :).
** And btw, anyone caught with a pirated stereo WAV driver for IT is
** on my very personal shit list! The best tracker is FREE and that
** exellent(!) stereo WAV driver costs next to nothing.This is a pro
** product at a non-pro price.Where's your donation ?
Cheerio from an English guy
Tony
( Airon / Phase^D aronchce@sp.zrz.tu-berlin.de )
( PHD WWW HQ-audio clips-ra;mp3,info,links at )
( http://user.cs.tu-berlin.de/~airou/phd )
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--[6. The Blacklist #2]---------------------------------------------[zinc]--
Aren't you sick of all those positive reviews that make every song out
there sound great? Maybe they even make your own stuff look bad in
comparison, since it seems like there's only good songs out there. Well,
I can assure you in this long awaited follow-up to The Blacklist that
there are songs out there that will make you look good no matter how bad
you think you are :) This time they were brought to you by the letters
A, T, U, W and the number 1996 (figure it out, Einstein).
If you are an author of one of the following songs, please don't email
me complaining about your review. Learn something, and don't upload such
nonsense to cdrom.com. Otherwise, sit back and laugh as I poke fun at
the songs in this issue of...
The Blacklist:
(note: i have decided against taking the easy way out
and simply reviewing Funky Modsquad songs. I didn't
want to cause internal divisions within TW :) - or is
it Monkey SodFraud? hahaha...)
WINDOWS.S3M "I Hate MS Windows"
Haha.. funny git. This isn't actually all that bad musically (well okay,
it is, but not compared to the others in this rubbish heap), but I had
to review it because it's so side-splittingly funny. It's a definate
download. :) I'd like to see a remix. But now on to the really bad..
AS_SSMIK.XM "Shopping, Sunday Morning, In Kmart, For Lingere" (sic)
Well, the name says it all, really, but I've been known to run off at
the mouth. So... :) This is guitar-frisking lunacy. Three samples -
distortion guitar, kick drum, and a synth. Ooo. Too bad, it might have
had potential. Of course, to hear any other instruments, I think he'd
have to cut down on the (up to) twelve channels used just for guitar
wanking. PS. I hope the author doesn't read this - he knows me! :O
TECHSPED.XM "TechSpeed"
"If you gave a million monkeys a billion years to track a techno tune,
one of them eventually would." Well, I doubt it, but you'd get a lot of
songs that sound like this! At least it TRIES to sound okay (I think).
It sort of reminds me of Maelcum's stuff ;D
TERR2.S3M "Ter-Riff-Ic" (haha)
This strange distortion guitar song uses twice as many channels as needed
as every channel is doubled up. This seems like a common problem among
Blacklist songs. After listening twice or thrice, I decided that it
SHOULD have used 0 channels instead. :) I thought the text was funny:
"This probably doesn't live up to it's name."
TRAIL.S3M "Trailblazers"
At first I thought that this song had potential. I thought it sounded a
little like my really old stuff. But then I hit PLAY! Most of the
song is just drumloops being toggled... I have to hand it to the tracker
though, the beatmatching is perfect: the loops loop flawlessly.
UN-IKYA.S3M "No Doz"
First off, can somebody tell me how the filename relates to the songname?
Anyways, this is a very sad song indeed because it's hopelessly bad, and
it appears as if the tracker even tried :( What gives? Oh, this is
another in the set if distortion guitar songs. Don't people get it?
Only Zodiak is allowed to track those...
UROFA.S3M "United Rave Of America"
UltraCheeseTunage - (tm) of KFMF :) This is another song using doubled-
up channels. A lesson for all you trackers out there who have made it
into The Blacklist by doubling up your channels: don't! There's some
parts in this song where he uses FOUR channels just for the same kickdrum.
Shoot me now! At least he didn't use TWELVE channels for that :) Oh
well, not the worst of the bunch, I suppose.
NOISECOR.IT no name given.
This is the worst of the bunch! Pure, utter noise. I couldn't say that
with a straighter face! Eek... Appropriate file name though. "____ off
if you can't listen to it! hahah lamer!" hmm. That's nice, especially
since I had to convert most of the samples to hear them properly, and
it STILL sucked. It's hard to believe this song could be anything but
intentionally bad.
WC.S3M "W C"
Woo, there's two authors to blame for this song. This is yet another in
the distortion guitar category. What's going on?! Bizarre arrangement.
WELCOME.S3M "Welcome (Arrival)"
Hey, we're in luck! If we hate this crappy song, we will probably hate
the next one in the series just as well; this is only second in a
'trilogy'! Woo.. Oh, and take a wild guess as to what sample this song
uses? The composition is hard... to.. make.. out.. br.ak.ng..p.....nd
..lp!... ack.
WICKED.S3M "Wicked"
Load.. Play.. Ahahahahahahahaha!! This is the biggest misnomre I've
seen in tracked music. The name says "Wicked", but it's a bloody
circus tune! Good for a laugh, but I've seen these samples before. I
think this is another monkey out-take.
Well, that concludes this issue's Blacklist. I hope you've enjoyed it. A
word to all Blacklist trackers: please please please please please STOP
using distortion guitar samples! There's only so many jokes I can make
about them.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/-[Closing]-----------------------------------------------------------------
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