Creative sound monthly 3
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CREATIVE SOUND MONTHLY
A Monthly Magazine For Sound Blaster and
Sound Blaster Pro Enthusiasts.
Issue 3
May/June 1992
Edited and Published By: Allan DibTable of contents
- From The Editors Desk
- How To Contact Me
- Included Files
- Readers Questions and Comments
- Advertisements
- Commercial Game Review- Free DC
- Shareware/Public Domain Review- VOX Sound FX Editor
- Hardware Review - Adlib Announces 2 New Products
- Music and Sound File Extensions Update
- Sound Blaster Pro 2 Information Update
- A Shopper's Guide To CD-ROM
- Creative Labs' New Product: The Video Blaster
- How To Write and Edit .MOD Files (Part One)
- That's All Folks
- Credits
You may freely distribute/copy this and all the included files, to whomever you wish, as long as you don't profit from it, and that all files that have been included are distributed. You may not in anyway modify this text file or any accompanied files/programs. You may not in part or whole re-publish or include any part of this text file into your own work without permission of the editor (Allan Dib).
From The Editors Desk
Well this month a lot has been happening here at Creative Sound Monthly. One of the major changes is that I'm going to be upgrading my computer system from a 286 to a 386 or 486 machine (I haven't quite decided yet), this is also the reason why this issue is late, you see I'm going to be building the computer myself meaning that it will take a while before it's completed, so I've borrowed a computer from a friend for the mean while. Anyway this means that I've been "computerless" from the time I sold my 286 until the time I borrowed my friends computer which was about 2-3 weeks (Shock, Horror !!). So I've decided to merge the May and June issues of Creative Sound Monthly. To make up for the lateness and the fact that this issue is going to cover 2 months (May and June), I've made this issue considerably longer than usual. If all goes well the computer I'm building should be ready before the next issue of Creative Sound Monthly is released. Anyway everything's pretty much back to normal now (well, as normal as it gets anyway). Also another change is that I've upgraded my Sound Blaster Pro to a Sound Blaster Pro 2. I did this because I got a pretty good deal on my old one, so I was able to upgrade from the old Pro to the new one without too much of a loss. This will benefit CSM quite a bit because very many new programs and games are coming soon for the Sound Blaster Pro 2 (so I'm told anyway). This will mean that when they do come out, us dudes here at CSM will be able to review them... Yay :-). Anyway, I hope you like this issue........
Allan Dib.
How To Contact Me
Please feel free (even encouraged) to write me mail about queries or problems you may have regarding your Sound Blaster or Sound Blaster Pro. The mail that I think should be published, will be in the next possible issue of Creative Sound Monthly under the "Readers Questions and Comments" section. ALL mail that is sent to me will be answered, but only the mail I think should be published, will be. You may send me mail, leave me a message at any of the Bulletin Boards listed in the text file NODELIST.TXT or ring me by voice.
Mailing Address:
CREATIVE SOUND MONTHLY
c/o Allan Dib
19 Ondine Drive, Mulgrave
Melbourne Vic 3170
Australia.
Telephone:
(61-3) 560-3963 - Outside Australia
(03) 560-3963 - Within Australia
Ask for Allan Dib.
NOTE: See the text file NODELIST.TXT for a full list if all the bulletin boards in SBC-Net. Leave me a message at ANY one of the bulletin boards listed in NODELIST.TXT for a prompt answer (usually between 1-5 days).
Included Files
I have included the following files inside the archived file that this magazine came in.
NOTE: You may not distribute this magazine if all accompanied files aren't distributed with it, it must also be in it's original archive which is, CSM-003.??? Where ??? is ZIP, ARJ, PAK, ZOO, or ARC
CSM.003 - This magazines main text file (Your reading it !!!!).
VIEW.EXE - Views text files.
CSM-003.EXE - Views CSM.003 with VIEW.EXE.
RATINGS.DOC - The rating and comments form for Creative Sound Monthly. (simply print it out, fill it in and send it to me).
NODELIST.TXT - This is a full list of all the Bulletin boards in SBC-Net. You may leave me mail at anyone of them for a reply taking 1-5 days.
D-DREAMS.MOD - A nice .MOD file written by Gordon Craick. NOTE: This .MOD file does not sound correct with ModPlay versions 2.10 and 2.15, but should be OK with ModPlay version 2.19 and above, ProMod, WOW etc etc....
STM2MOD.ZIP - This "Zip" file contains, STM2MOD.EXE and STM2MOD.DOC.
STM2MOD.EXE - This utility converts Scream Tracker Modules (.STM files)
to .MOD files, this utility is really useful if you have a Sound
Blaster Pro and want to hear your Scream Tracker Modules in True Stereo
by converting them to .MOD files and then playing them with ProMod.
STM2MOD.DOC - The documentation for STM2MOD.EXE.
Readers Questions and Comments
From Makoto Sawa........
Allan,
I've read Creative Sound Monthly and I liked the explanation of what the included files do, I also really liked the "Music and Sound File Extensions" article. It is good to see that you have included the Players/Editors and Supported Hardware. To tell the truth I couldn't find anything wrong with the magazine. A bit more information on Sound Blasters for people who don't own one and maybe looking to buy one would be good. This is probably one of the best magazines I've read and I'd like to say "Well Done". It must have taken a lot of hard work and effort. I will always read each issue and look forward to the next. Well Done Again !!!
Reply From Me ..........
Well Makoto I'm glad you liked Creative Sound Monthly and I'm flattered by your comments. Creative Sound Monthly does require a lot of effort but it's you the readers that keep it going. Also remember a lot of the work that gone into Creative Sound Monthly is not only from me but from regular writers and people who contribute, after all I'm only the Editor :-). I will in future issues of CSM put in a few articles about Sound Blasters for people who don't have one, because quite a few people apart from yourself have requested that I do so. Anyway thanks for writing to CSM....
Allan Dib.
From Bob Green .........
Allan Dib,
I liked the article on Sound File Extensions. I especially liked your magazine because it has a fresh approach, not full of the usual reviews only. I liked the article - "What's Wrong With My Sound Blaster Pro" in the first issue and would like to see a questions and answers type section prompted by Sound Blaster users writing to you. You are ahead of me anyway! Something missing from all Sound Blaster news letters are programming examples. How about a series on programming the Sound Blaster to make a few squawks etc. I don't have a C compiler but can work in Turbo Pascal, Quick Basic (preferred), or assembler. That's my personal preference, others will obviously vary but Quick Basic is easy to use by a novice.
Reply From Me ..........
I'm glad you liked my Music and "Sound File Extensions" article (because that one took me the most time and research). It's a good idea to have a questions and answer type section prompted by Sound Blaster users, only problem no one has written to me asking for technical help, either everyone is an expert on the Sound Blaster or no one wants to share their problems with this magazine :-). I would love to have a series on programming the Sound Blaster it's just that CSM doesn't have a regular writer who can do much programming for the Sound Blaster in Quick Basic, maybe you could help in that area. Hopefully soon we'll find one. OK anyway thanks for writing in.....
Allan Dib.
Advertisements
This section is provided for anyone wanting to advertise a bulletin board or hardware they want to sell (NOTE: all hardware for sale must be sound related, e.g. Sound Blaster Pro or Adlib card). Advertising doesn't cost anything, all you have to do is send me on disk or via modem your ad in ASCII (text) format. If your advertising a bulletin board, mention what you specialize in, phone number, maximum baud rate etc.
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S O U N D B L A S T E R S U P P O R T
At +358-0-387817 with 14400 HST Dual Standard /w v.42bis
14:1500/0@sbcnet.eur 42:1200/101@supernet
2:220/530@fidonet.org 666:1/3@sikanet.fun
Largest Sound Blaster software library in Scandinavia
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
A U D I O P H I L E S P A R A D I S E
Online 24 hours a day
Host of Audio-Net. 52:1000/0 (Australian Host)
52:3000/0 (Victorian Host)
Sysops - Peter Webb, Peter Buncle.
Phone: +61-3-587-5804. 1200 -> 2400 Baud (Line 1).
+61-3-587-1478, 1200 -> 12000 Baud (Line 2).
(Line 2 - Registered Users and Donors Only)
Australia's Largest Range of Sound Blaster and Sound Related
Public Domain Software.
Give us a call !!!
Speeds supported 1200 up to 12000 Baud on a Netcomm M5
V22, V22bis, V23, V32, V42, V42bis & Mnp 1-5
We have access to the largest network of Sound BBS's with
connections all over the world (Not SBC-Net). Soon to be
expanded to 4 lines each at 9600 baud.Commercial Game Review- Free DC
Written By: Rishi Mehra
Well I had heard about this one before it was thrown on my desk. The game consists of 3 High density 5.25's. The installation unpacks the files from the install disks and it takes up approximately 5.75 megabytes and with another 1.2 megabytes of speech files. Note that these are the default speech files and that you can purchase a 'Speech Pack' which is supposed to give you about 4-5 megabytes of Speech.
The introduction begins with a dramatic start and the adlib music score fits the plot well. Basically it goes like this: In the year 2020 Interface (A massive computer with world-wide networks) are instructed the freezing of the entire human race. It is now approximately 10,000 AD or something like that. Robots have taken over the entire planet and the only living humans are in a zoo - Washington DC. You are Avery Zedd, sent by interface to deal with a rebel at the zoo, who is causing trouble for interface by destroying robots and taking them over for other purposes.
The graphics are surprisingly good for 320x200x256 VGA. The use of real actors/actresses gives a nice touch and when you speak to a character, you see a digitized face of them, with moving mouth, funny expressions such as humourous, angry, etc. Background is weird with nice touches such as the White House covered with plants and other animals (well it always was remember???).
Sound is cool - The speech creates a nice effect, but you can still hear a slight hiss in the background. They substituted size for quality you could say. Speech is stored in .VOC files in a separate directory called VOC (wow!) and so is very easy to rip off at your leisure. The speech is "bare-bones", i.e. similar to Wing Commander II without the speech pack. You get the first few sentences that they say to you, and that's it. The speech pack would enable full speech. Full speech takes up another 4-5 megabytes of hard disk space. Adlib 'tink tink' noises are common and I think they could have made a better attempt at this but anyway...
Hints - Save often. Wander around EVERYWHERE because there are weapons all over the place to be found. Use the right weapon for the right robot, i.e. water rifle for the Atom Guards, Slime gun for the plotniks. Talk mean to Memo otherwise she won't respond. Valerion can recharge all your weapons when they run low. Harry the subhuman knows more than he will reveal. Make friends with him. Best of luck in finding the all the parts of the deterion!
Overall - I liked what I saw. Sound & graphics were fairly good. Basically, its a nice adventure game.
Quick Statistics
Originals
- 3x1.2 MB disks
- Hard drive space-plain 5.75 Mb
- Plain & bare speech 6.92 Mb
- Plain & full speech 10.00 Mb
Retail Price:
$79.95 (Australian).
Sound Capabilities:
PC Speaker, AdLib, Sound Blaster, Roland.
Graphics Capabilities:
VGA.
RATINGS
Sound Blaster Sound:
*********************************
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Graphics:
***********************************
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Gameplay:
*********************************
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Creativity:
*****************************
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Originality Out Of Ten:
*********************************
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Overall Value Out Of Ten:
*********************************
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Shareware/Public Domain Review - VOX Sound FX Editor
Written By: Allan Dib
VOX Sound FX Editor is another one of the many great quality Shareware/Public Domain programs available on good bulletin boards and bulletin boards in SBC-Net. There are many great Shareware/Public Domain sound samplers around and VOX Sound FX Editor is just one of the many that are available, so you may be thinking why I'm bothering to review "just another" sound sampler, when there are many others just as good or better including- Blaster Master, VOC386, Voice Editor, Scope Trax, DigiPlay, VPlus etc, etc.... Well the answer is because the ones that do come close to VOX Sound FX Editor are either;
- Crippled in some way to make you register.
- Are commercial software making them expensive.
- Require you to register after a trial period.
The sound samplers/editors that don't fall into one the above three categories are (in my opinion) no where near as good as VOX Sound FX Editor. Now don't get me wrong I'm not in any way implying that the shareware concept is not worth while, in fact if it wasn't for shareware we wouldn't have half as many good quality programs as we do. What I'm saying is that many people who use these programs either can't afford to register or are unable to do so and therefore have to either go without or obtain/keep the software illegally. In other words if you can afford it, by all means PLEASE support the shareware concept and register !! Anyway VOX Sound FX Editor costs you nothing except the disk space it takes up (which is also not very much) because it's a contribution by the author to Public Domain. VOX Sound FX Editor has many great features that a good .VOC file editor should have, these include:
- An in built recording facility (other .VOC editors just edit the sound and not actually record it).
- .IFF file importing, this is very useful if you have any Amiga .IFF files and want to convert them to .VOC files.
- Cut/Paste features.
- Block splitting.
- Inserting quiet blocks.
- Zooming.
- Sampling rate adjustment.
- Data scaling.
- Normalising data.
- Data transposing.
These are just a few of the many great features that VOX Sound FX Editor has, but probably my favourite one would have to be "Normalising data", I havn't seen this feature in any public domain .VOC file editors, what it does is make the .VOC file as loud as it goes without distortion. This is very important when recording .VOC files for multimedia purposes and you want to make a good impression on the people who will be seeing the presentation. Well to sum it all up VOX Sound FX Editor is a really great Public Domain Sound sampler/editor, even better than many of it's commercial counterparts.
Retail Price:
$0 (Australian), It's a Public Domain product!!
Sound Capabilities:
Sound Blaster.
Graphics Capabilities:
Hercules, CGA, EGA, VGA.
RATINGS
Sound Blaster Sound:
Obviously this depends on the .VOC file being edited.
Graphics:
N/A
Gameplay:
N/A
Creativity:
*************
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10This not really all that creative, but very useful.
Originality Out Of Ten:
***********
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Not really original as there are many .VOC editors.
Overall Value Out Of Ten:
*****************************************
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10It's FREE !!!
Hardware Review- Adlib Announces 2 New Products
Written By: Gordon Craick
Adlib has recently announced two new products for the PC, the Adlib Gold Surround Sound Module, and the Adlib Answering Machine......
The Surround Sound Module is a piggy-back card that plugs into Adlib's answer to the Sound Blaster Pro, the Adlib Gold. It is claimed that the Surround Module will add deeper stereo, artificial reverb and echo. This is all claimed to work on all Adlib Gold software or even on older software supported by the Adlib. The Surround Module is claimed by Adlib as a "new dimension of depth and drama". It will retail for $90 US. This will mean that if it released over here it will cost around $120. Seems a bit pricey for what you get. I'm not really sure why Adlib didn't include it in it's Adlib Gold.
The other product announced is the Adlib Answering Machine. The answering machine is said to be a quarter-size card that plugs into any IBM PC/AT and compatibles. It does not require an Adlib or Adlib Gold. This card is designed to operate as a normal answering machine connected to a standard phone line with many other features. Some of these include:
- Background music (compose your own song and let anybody who rings you hear it! Better than some of that elevator trash some companies put on while you're on hold!).
- Personalized messages (record your own leader message).
- Time linked messages (a different message for different times of the day. Useful!).
- Automatic dialing (annoy somebody with a pre-recorded message!).
- Software (for managing the thing).
If this is released in Oz it should sell for around $130 AUS. This is a pretty good price considering an average answering machine (non-pc) will cost about $150. Sounds pretty hot!
Music and Sound File Extensions Update
Written By: Allan Dib
The following is an update of the article I had in the first issue of Creative Sound Monthly. I will provide updates of this article every few months or so (or when required), because undoubtedly there will always be new sound/music file formats or new information on existing formats. If you have any information that I haven't mentioned or formats that I may have missed, please let me know and if possible provide me with information on it.
.MOD - Description:
Originally from the Amiga converted to IBM format. This file format has only 4 channels, these 4 channels can contain speech, instruments and/or live sounds that have been recorded. This file is a module meaning that all the needed instrument files are inside the .MOD file. Instrument files inside the module can easily be extracted. This file format can either have 15 or 31 instruments.
Players/Editors:
ModPlay, ModEdit, BPT (B's Pro Tracker), Wow, ProMod, Trak Blaster, Scream Tracker, and Tetra Compositor.
Supported Hardware:
PC Speaker, Covox (or D/A converter), Disney Sound Source, Sound Blaster and Sound Blaster Pro.
.STM - Description:
Very very similar to the .MOD format, this file format also only has 4 channels and can easily be converted from the .MOD format. This is also a module with easily extractable instruments in it. This file format is either converted from a .MOD file or composed with Scream Tracker. This file format can have 15 or 31 instruments.
Players/Editors:
Scream Tracker, BPT.
Supported Hardware:
PC Speaker, Covox (or D/A converter) and Sound Blaster.
.STS - Description:
4 Channel music file, this can easily be converted from a .STM file, this unlike the .STM and .MOD format is not a module and does not contain the instruments inside it, it only contains the song information therefore it is considerably smaller (but you still have to have the instrument files). This file format can either have 15 or 31 instruments.
Players/Editors:
Scream Tracker.
Supported Hardware:
PC Speaker, Covox (or D/A converter) and Sound Blaster.
.NST - Description:
Originally from Amiga's noise tracker, it is in every way that I've seen exactly the same as the .MOD file format, simply rename the extension from .NST to .MOD and play it with a .MOD player, this file format can either have 15 or 31 instruments.
Players/Editors:
ModPlay, ModEdit, BPT (B's Pro Tracker), Wow, ProMod, Trak Blaster, Scream Tracker, Tetra Compositor and JMPlayer.
Supported Hardware:
PC Speaker, Covox (or D/A converter), Disney Sound Source, Sound Blaster and Sound Blaster Pro.
.JMS - Description:
Again a 4 channel module, this format is native to the JMPlayer, and as far as I have seen, it can not be played with anything else. This file format can have 15 or 31 instruments.
Players/Editors:
JMPlayer.
Supported Hardware:
Sound Blaster.
.SD2 - Description:
This is another 4 channel file format, it is also a module and is from Noise Tracker, this format can only contain 15 instruments.
Players/Editors:
JMPlayer.
Supported Hardware:
Sound Blaster.
.SD4 - Description:
A 4 channel module which is from Noise Tracker, this format can contain only 31 instruments.
Players/Editors:
JMPlayer.
Supported Hardware:
Sound Blaster.
.BPM - Description:
This, again is a 4 channel module, this is B's Pro Tracker's native format and is very similar to the .STM and .MOD format.
Players/Editors:
BPT (B's Pro Tracker)
Supported Hardware:
PC Speaker, Covox (or D/A converter), and Sound Blaster.
.NOT - Description:
.NOT Music files are 11 voice and instruments are stored in a .BNK file these are very similar to .ROL files.
Players/Editors:
Musician.
Supported Hardware:
Sound Blaster.
.ROL - Description:
This is a ROLand file and has 11 FM voices it requires you to have a separate instrument bank (.BNK).
Players/Editors:
SputRol, FM Sound for Windows 3.0, Much Music.
Supported Hardware:
Adlib, Sound Blaster.
.CMF - Description:
CMF (Creative Music File) is nearly the same as the .ROL apart from the fact that it has all it's instruments inside which makes it slightly bigger. There is no problem in converting from a .ROL file to a .CMF file. .CMF files can play 11 simultaneous FM voices. This format does not support the Adlib card as it is Creative Labs' own format.
Players/Editors:
PlayCMF, SputCMF, and CMF Shell.
Supported Hardware:
Sound Blaster and Sound Blaster Pro.
.CPZ - Description:
.CPZ files are .CMF files that have not yet been compiled, they are alpha-numerical files and use .SBI instrument files. When compiled to a .CMF file the .SBI instrument files are added to the module.
Players/Editors:
Compoz.
Supported Hardware:
Sound Blaster.
.CMS - Description:
These are true stereo Sound Blaster music files and will only work on Sound Blasters equipped with C/MS chips. This format has 12 stereo AM voices.
Players/Editors:
CMS Play
Supported Hardware:
Sound Blaster (Only ones with the C/MS chips).
.VOC - Description:
This format is one of the most popular formats for the Sound Blaster because it is so easy to edit and create. Although one major drawback of this format is it's size. .VOC files can either be 2 bit, 2.5 bit, 4 bit or 8 bit, the default is 8 bit.
Players/Editors:
Vplay, Vrec, Vedit, Vedit2, Blaster Master, Vox, Voc 386, See Vox, Vplus, Remac, Digiplay, Hifi, Srec, Play BWC, Sayint, CoPlay, Bytewise.
Supported Hardware:
PC Speaker, Covox (or D/A converter), Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster Pro.
.ST - Description:
This is just a .VOC file with it's header stripped. This format is used in Scream Tracker as the instrument files that go in modules. It's an 8 bit file.
Players/Editors:
Scream Tracker.
Supported Hardware:
PC Speaker, Covox (or D/A converter), Sound Blaster.
.IFF - Description:
These are Amiga sound samples, and are not to be confused with the Amiga .IFF graphics format. This format is similar to the .VOC format with the exception that they have no header.
Players/Editors:
Vox, IFF2VOC, Blaster Master.
Supported Hardware:
PC Speaker, Covox (or D/A converter), Sound Blaster.
.SOU - Description:
Very, very similar to a .VOC file except has no header. This is an 8 bit sound file a is imported from the MAC.
Players/Editors:
Remac, Digiplay, Hifi, Srec, Play BWC, Sayint, CoPlay, Bytewise.
Supported Hardware:
PC Speaker, Covox (or D/A converter), Sound Blaster.
.SND - Description:
This is also an 8 bit sound file from the MAC and from what I've seen it is exactly the same as the .SOU format. Simply rename the .SOU file to produce an .SND file.
Players/Editors:
Remac, Digiplay, Hifi, Srec, Play BWC, Sayint, CoPlay, Bytewise.
Supported Hardware:
PC Speaker, Covox (or D/A converter), Sound Blaster.
.SUN/.AU - Description:
This is a fairly old and pretty rare format. It comes from the Sun family of minicomputers and work stations, they are 8 bit and can easily be converted to .VOC files.
Players/Editors:
Sound Tool for Windows 3.x.
Supported Hardware:
PC Speaker.
.WAV - Description:
Very new format. It is very similar to the .VOC file and it is easily converted to or from a .VOC file. .WAV can be stereo and sampling rates are fixed at 11, 22, and 44Khz. .WAV Files can not be multi-blocked and can not be packed.
Players/Editors:
Players and recorders of .WAV come with, Windows Multimedia Extensions Level 1 and also with Windows 3.1. Blaster Master also supports .WAV files.
Supported Hardware:
Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster Pro.
.NXT - Description:
Very little is known about this one as I have never come across an .NXT file. This is a 16 bit sound file.
Players/Editors:
Sound Tool for Windows 3.0.
Supported Hardware:
PC Speaker
.POL - Description:
This format is so rare and so pathetic I didn't know if it was worth mentioning, but I did just for the record. It is a single voice PC Speaker music file which is made up of a series beeps and sound really, really terrible.
Players/Editors:
WinPlay for Windows.
Supported Hardware:
PC Speaker.
.ORG - Description:
This format is for the program, FM Organ/Pro Organ that comes with your Sound Blaster/Sound Blaster Pro. The file size is pretty small and it sounds pretty good.
Players/Editors:
FM Organ, Pro Organ.
Supported Hardware:
Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster Pro.
.MUS - Description:
I know absolutely nothing about this format and have never seen a .MUS music file or player for it. Anyone with any info about it please let me contact me.
Players/Editors:
Unknown.
Supported Hardware:
Unknown.
.MID - Description:
This format is like a module, it has .SND instrument files in it. It is created using a MIDI interface and sounds pretty good.
Players/Editors:
Juke Box for Windows 3.x
Supported Hardware:
Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster Pro.
Well that's about every single Sound/Music file I've ever seen or heard of if there are any that I have missed please let me know so I can include them in the next issue of CSM. Also if Possible send as much information about the format as possible.
Sound Blaster Pro 2 Information Update
Written By: Allan Dib
Well last issue of Creative Sound Monthly I wrote an article on the new Sound Blaster Pro 2, which was released in mid march. At the time I did NOT have a Sound Blaster Pro 2 and therefore the information about it was acquired by a source that was not very reliable. The information in that article was not 100% accurate and I also missed a few major pieces of information. From the time between issue 2 and 3 of Creative Sound Monthly, I was given a pretty good deal on my old Sound Blaster Pro and therefore snapped up the opportunity to buy the new Sound Blaster Pro 2 without too much of a loss. When I did get it I was quite surprised as I did not expect it to be so different and I also did not expect some of the information I put in the previous issue of Creative Sound Monthly to be incorrect. I apologise for any inconveniences this may have caused you. Now that I actually own a Sound Blaster Pro 2, I can re-do this article and know for a fact that all the information in this article is 100% accurate. Also last issue I only put in the NEW features of the Sound Blaster Pro 2, this issue I'll include ALL the features of the Sound Blaster Pro 2 for people who don't have one or know much about the old one. Anyway here are the features of the Sound Blaster Pro 2 -
- Sound Blaster Compatible in mono mode.
- ADPCM Decompression in hardware (2:1, 3:1 and 4:1).
- Selectable sampling rates: 4 Khz - 44.1 Khz.
- Enhanced 4-Operator Stereo FM Synthesizer, which has 20-voice synthesized sound and 4-Operator FM synthesis using 8 different waveforms and 4 algorithms providing professional quality sound.
- MIDI time-stamp for multimedia extensions, also with a 64-byte FIFO.
- Support for internal and external CD-ROM drives using Panasonic Interface.
- Microphone Automatic Gain Control (AGC) Amplifier.
- 4 ohm, 4W per channel Amplifier.
Bundeled Software:
- Voice Editor 2.
- FM Intelligent Organ.
- SB Talker.
- Dr. Sbaitso.
- SBSIM (Sound Blaster Standard Interface Module).
- CD Music Player.
- MMPlay Presentation.
- SBMIDI.
- Talking Parrot.
- Voice Utilities.
- Juke Box and other Windows Software.
- Play CMF.
A Shopper's Guide to CD-ROM
Written By: Craig Hart
If you've been following all the recent hype about Multimedia and the upcoming standards for PC's, one thing you've no doubt heard lots about is CD-ROM. This article will attempt to inform the confused about the how, why and whats of CD-ROM.
First off, CD-ROM as one would expect is a ROM (Read Only Memory) device. It acts just like a Hard Disk except that it can only be read from. Information cannot be altered in any way on the disc. One has to buy pre-recorded discs from a shop and it is impossible to create your own disc unless you happen to own Disctronics or similar! CD's are purchased much like standard audio vinyl; Pre-Recorded and packaged to taste.
This poses the first problem with CD... Too bad if you want one particular thing on disc.. if nobody makes it, then you haven't got much choice in the matter. Today, however the amount of discs available is on the steady increase. Microsoft began the game with their Book Shelf disc which is more or less the text of many volumes in a database format. From there have sprung many games on disc from the bigger software houses, assorted special function discs like World Atlas and ChemRec. ChemRec in particular bears note; it's a 2 disc set updated quarterly and contains the entire text of every chemical safety data sheet ever. What this means is if there's a chemical of known composition in the world, this CD will know it, and be able to tell you things like it's composition, safety requirements, handling, storage, first aid if consumed, spilt, manufacturers, disposal instructions etc etc... A veritable wealth of data at the fingertips.
Also available there is the usual smattering of "file discs" - take a few thousand Public Domain programs, "Zip" them all, sort into directories, add a BBS like file + size + description list and flog it. MicroHaus of England excel in these discs, where many megs of PD material can be accessed as easily as changing drive letters.
This brings us to the software point of view. CD's are VERY easy to work with, they consist of files and directories on a single drive letter, just like any other disc drive. So if you've got a C: drive then by adding the CD you get a D: drive. Simple as that! Depending on the CD, you usually have to run a program off the CD that will pinch some more of your precious hard disk space and install the "front end" to the CD, which might be anything from a simple "browse the files" to a database manager to a suite of TSR utilities.
Most CD drive vendors will also offer the Multimedia Extensions for Windows 3.0, and if you are interested in multimedia, you should take this software if you have Windows 3.0, or alternatively buy Windows 3.1 (Yes! it is out!) which has all the support built in apparently.
Shopping for CD Drives
There are almost as many brands of CD drives as there are Hard Disks these days! You should be looking for a Drive advertising Windows Multimedia compatibility, however. This type of drive has certain minimum specifications which will ensure you have good compatibility in the future.
First off, the drive must have a 150k "look ahead" or "continuous transfer" buffer. Some drives can only send data at a slow, jerky rate, these drives transfer quickly and smoothly (required for sound and video reproduction) at the rate of 150k per second which is quite good considering that the old MFM XT hard disks were rated at about 50k per second, where as the newer IDE voice coil drives master about 300k per second. A good equivalent is to imagine the drive as more or less 360k floppy on an XT speed. CD ROM's have a very slow access time- usually over 100mS which tends to kill off any high data transfer rate speed improvements.
Secondly the drive must be able to read the so called "High Sierra" disc format. This is the low level formatting like information which the CD Driver needs to see to correctly read the disc. Once again almost all brands of CD Drive these days will have this built in. High Sierra is just a bit like formatting a Hard disc with DOS, or formatting it with UNIX. Use the wrong one and the operating system can't make sense of it. Well MSCDEX (more on that in a sec) reads High Sierra, and Audio music CD formats, so High Sierra formatted the disc must be.
Also required is a DMA transfer mode. DMA is related to the 150k per second transfer speed and the two generally go hand in hand. Finally, the CD Drive must have a separate audio output which is usually fed out to either a Sound Blaster or straight to an external amplifier.
CD Drive kits come in three basic types; for Sound Blaster, for Standard PC and for SCSI bus. Standard PC setups have an I/O card on them whilst the Sound Blaster versions go into a Sound Blaster Pro. SCSI drives require a SCSI controller which is a very expensive item so one would only usually buy a SCSI CD Drive if they already had a SCSI card.
It is interesting to note that if you own a Sound Blaster, yet buy a PC CD Drive, and have a hand scanner you can't use all three at once !! This is because there are only 2 free DMA channels in a Standard PC and these three devices all require a different DMA channel. This can be a trap in setting these things up. Scanner cards especially - they can tend to jump on one's DMA channel and muck things up quite easily. Remember you've only got 2 DMA channels to work with, and things like SCSI cards, Sound Blasters, 4 drive floppy cards and other things can all want to use DMA's too.
The actual drive itself carried by many OEM's is usually made by Sony and can be identified by it's white front with slide-out CD Draw, volume control and headphone socket on the front. Once you've been to 3 or 4 CD shops you'll soon recognise the thing! This drive is very popular at the moment and seems to be almost universally carried. The drive is not the major concern as that is standard. The interface to the PC is the big question and here certain brands are better than others.
CD-ROM Brands known to work properly at the time of writing are the affore-mentioned Sony CDU-541, the Toshiba XM-3201B and the Hitachi CDR-3650. Other brands may crop up but these are the tried, true and certified best choices straight from Microsoft.
As an aside, if you're intending to buy the CD-ROM with a view to running Multimedia applications, the ABSOLUTE minimum hardware specs of your PC should meet or excel these:
- 12MHz 80286 PC AT.
- 30MB Hard Disk Drive.
- 2 Meg RAM.
- 3.5" 1.44 Meg Floppy Disk Drive.
- VGA display.
- Mouse.
A CD-ROM will install into just about anything including an XT, and function satisfactorily, however this is the sort of Specification as defined by Microsoft is for a starting point. WE believe however that THIS is the sort of minimum you need to operate with reasonable speed, performance and compatibility:
- 25MHz 80386 SX or DX (Cache if possible).
- 85MB Hard Disk Drive.
- 4 Meg RAM.
- 3.5" 1.44 Floppy Disk Drive.
- Super VGA Display (512k card or 1MB card).
- Mouse.
- Windows 3.1 or 3.0 with Multimedia Extensions.
Setting the thing up
On a low level point of view, configuring the CD hardware and software wise is not extremely difficult. I will take the Pinnacle micro CD Card and drive to point. Pinnacle's setup consists of a standard short PC I/O bus card, a 40 way cable and the CD drive (Sony by it's look), and a twin shielded cable for the Audio. A floppy disk holds all the drivers required for a seamless DOS installation.
The procedure is to select a hardware I/O address (Defaults to 300h), an IRQ channel (Usually 5 or 7) and a DMA channel (usually 1 or 3). Then you simply plug everything together and slot the CD drive into a standard 5.25" Floppy/Hard disk mounting slot. Next comes the software, the most common driver is something called MSCDEX (MicroSoft CD Extensions) which lives in your CONFIG.SYS and patches itself into drive the CD. MSCDEX is about 45k long when installed, and without MSCDEX the CD-ROM will not be recognised. At this stage you can configure MSCDEX for DMA or NON-DMA mode and transfer speed. Some fiddling here is required and it depends on the speed of your PC, however it is normal to select DMA mode for multimedia compatibility, and as fast speed as works (try a medium setting first!). Once the driver goes (it may take some fiddling) your CD is ready. You can then log it with Xtree Gold, Dos Shell or whatever, or just use it in DOS, or fly it from whatever is on the disc. If it's an Audio CD, most drives come with a small TSR that allows you to select tracks and all the usual CD stuff for playing.
Sound Blaster Compatible CD Drives are quite hard to come by, in fact I'm not aware of any other than the one sold by Creative in their CD kit. Instead of MSCDEX you use the driver supplied with your Sound Blaster, but basically it works identically to the PC card version. I'm told that the audio output of the CD-ROM should be fed to the Sound Blaster, where upon it is heard out the Sound Blaster Speakers. I don't own a Sound Blaster Pro so I can't state the truth in the matter, however there is a connector on the Sound Blaster that looks exactly like the one the audio out of the CD Drive uses, so I guess it's correct. (I'm going by a photo here!).
SCSI versions require no driver other than what BIOS is on your SCSI controller (although the SCSI BIOS may need upgrading to recognise the CD Drive) and the drive appears as the drive letter corresponding to the SCSI address you choose. The audio output usually takes the form of a couple of phono sockets on a metal expansion slot or "backplane" blanking plate.
CD Drives to avoid are those that you can't see working with Windows, that don't advertise the 150k look-ahead buffer, or don't appear to be driven via MSCDEX. Some very cheap CD Drives out there, and even some expensive ones (apparently including a very expensive Wang model) do NOT conform to the specification and will not be suitable. Normally a good drive will be advertised with Multimedia Extensions for Windows, some games or whatever. Those sold with no software are likely to be not compatible.
In Australia at this time one of the best and most competitive CD / Card systems is the internal drive marketed by Pinnacle Micro which I described the installation of earlier. This drive, at the time of writing, was priced at around $690 which is not too prohibitively expensive considering that you can store up to 1.2 gig or more on the thing. This brings us to the final point: Drive capacities.....
Often manufacturers will quote a maximum storage size of around the 600 meg mark. The official multimedia standard sets no actual drive "size" however common agreement seems to have a figure of about 660 Mb. By using Archiving methods one can cram more onboard, or one may choose to simply not use the whole disc. Be wary of drives claiming storage up to less than about 600 Meg - they may be non-standard.
Over all the CD Market is still in it's early stages of development and doubtless drives will get faster, cheaper and better in the future, but at the moment the standard Multimedia compatible drive appears to be a good choice because almost without exception every manufacturer produces this format as first preference (bar a few like Wang who always reckon they're better by being non-standard) and it appears that we have a settled standard for the years to come.
Creative Labs' New Product: The Video Blaster
Written By: Allan Dib
Well Creative Labs have done it again. A totally new product has been released. It's a Multimedia video interface called "The Video Blaster", from what I've heard by people who have seen it, it is amazing !! It is the next step to multimedia. The Video Blaster integrates video and audio sources from VCR's, TV and cameras and combines them with VGA graphics to create a new world of multimedia presentations. With the Video Blaster you are able to get Full-Motion Video in a Window coming straight off a TV or video camera! It displays up to two million colours. You are able to import, export and manipulate images. Sound Great huh ?? Here are the Technical Specifications -
- Switchable between three NTSC/PAL video sources.
- Digitized video resolution 640*480.
- Mono jack for microphone input.
- Stereo jack speaker output.
- Zooming and scaling capabilities.
- Hue, saturation, brightness and contrast control.
- Panning in X-Y direction.
- Mixed amplified stereo of 0.5 Watts.
- Mixing of all audio sources: Stereo Line-In, CD-Audio, Stereo FM and Microphone.
- Can images in many popular graphics formats including .GIF, .TGA, .TIF, .WIN, .AVC, .PCX, .EPS, .PTN, and .BMP.
- Has a 1 Mb video buffer.
System Requirements
- IBM PC/AT and higher compatibles.
- 16-bit slot.
- DOS version 3.1 or higher.
- VGA or MultiSync monitor running at 50-70 Hz with horizontal scan rate of 31.5 Khz.
Bundeled Software
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Includes Windows 3.1 compatible application software that allows -
- Frame capture.
- Live and still video zooming.
- Scale-bar audio mixer control.
* TEMPRA - A graphics and multimedia authoring system.
* MMPLAY - Presentation software that integrates animation with live video.
* Video Blaster demo running under DOS.
Well sounds pretty good you say but how much does it cost? Well, It costs $799 but I have a feeling that, that will go down in a short while just like the price of the Sound Blaster Pro went down a few months after it's release.
How To Write and Edit .MOD Files (Part One)
Written By: Gordon Craick
The following Topics are covered in this tutorial:
- Introduction
- What you'll need
- How to Record a sample
- How to edit create your own .MOD file(s)
- Sound editing software
- Notes
- Where to from here?
- Glossary
INTRODUCTION
Hello.....As the heading suggests this article is designed to help you start writing your own Amiga .MOD files on your PC. This article does not actually tell you how to edit the music (although I might cover that topic later in another article), but the steps involved in recording your own samples, loading them into your own .MOD song, and finally saving them and playing them back. This article is really aimed at people just starting .MOD file editing, but if you're an experienced .MOD file writer you might still learn something (possibly). This article is divided into several sections, each one showing, in rather simple steps how to create your very own .MOD files from scratch. There's nothing really complicated in designing your own .MOD files and once you get the hang of it, it's really rather easy.
NOTE: Also near the end is a glossary with many terms you may come across in this article and in other .MOD jargon.
Anyway, enough of that this is how it's done ......
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
2.1 To get into .MOD file writing you'll need the following hardware:
~~~ (Things marked with a * are essential, others are optional)
* A 10Mhz AT or better.
* Hercules, CGA, EGA or VGA (VGA highly recommended).
* Some sort of output device with a D/AC (Digital to Analog Convertor), these include:
- a) A Sound Blaster or compatible (great sound quality).
- b) A home-made D/AC (Good quality, See the notes section on how to get one).
- c) A Stereo D/AC (Unreal quality, RECOMMENDED!).
- d) A Covox Speech Thing or Disney Sound Source (Same quality as a home made D/AC).
- e) A PC Speaker - everyone has one of these though it isn't a real D/AC (Hopeless sound quality though, I recommend building your own D/A Converter).
-
- A mouse (useful only for sampling programs).
- At least ONE parallel port (for a home-made D/AC, Speech Thing or Disney Sound Source).
- A resonable quality mono microphone > needed for recording voice, Sound effects, etc (usable only if you have a Sound Blaster or compatible sampler).
- A stereo system or amplifier with line in sockets (essential for using a D/AC or useful for the Sound Blaster).
- A sound source with line out jacks ie, tape player, CD player, radio, TV, video, etc (as a source for recording of samples).
- Various cables (to/from your Sound Blaster to stereo, etc).
2.2 ALSO, what's the use of hardware if you haven't get the software to run
~~~ it? You'll also need this stuff (obtainable from many Bulletin Boards, see the notes section for details of good sound supported bulletin boards):
- A .MOD file editor.
- A .MOD file player (for easy play-back of your's and other .MOD files).
- A sample editor (for recording, editing of samples).
- Some other .MOD files (for using some samples from them or viewing the sorts of songs and way they are written).
Finally, you may need the following optionals:
- Quite a bit of time (writing a .MOD can take from a couple of hours to a few days).
- Patience (Remember, patience is a virtue ... hehe, sure).
- Some poor sucker to untangle cables.
- A sense of rhythm and melody (rhythm and melody ... hmm sounds familiar).
- Some idiot to record and make an even bigger idiot in a .MOD file! and last but not least:
- A Uzi or 12 gauge shotgun to annihilate the computer when something goes wrong (Which, almost for sure, it will).
HOW TO RECORD A SAMPLE
To record a sample from a source you'll need either a microphone and/or some cables running from a source to your Sound Blaster. These can include TV's, VCR's, CD players, radios or just about anything that has a line out jack. You'll need a Sound Blaster or compatible device that has A/DC (Analogue to Digital Convertor) since most sample programs require the A/DC to record samples. You'll also need a sampler (I recommend VOC386, see the software section). Vox Kit (which comes with the SB 1.00-2.00) is not really up to editing samples and cannot do the wide variety of things a Public Domain or Shareware sampler can (such as cutting and pasting of sound, fading, speed changes, etc).
First-plug in the microphone into the microphone jack of your Sound Blaster (or compatible) and/or the cable from a line out source to your Sound Blaster's line in jack. Don't get the two mixed up as they will sound wrong when you go to record. Note: If you have a Sound Blaster version 1.5 or below you can't choose which you want to record from, since it only has one input port.
Run your sampling program and get to the sampling option (read the program's documentation for info on how to do this, I may cover specific programs in a later article). Set the sampling rate to about 11,000 Hz. This is a good, resonable rate which is not too large.
- If you're using a line-in source:
- a) Start the sampler recording and then press play on your tape recorder, CD, etc. This will mean that you get all the sample you want from the input source, and not cut off.
- b) Stop the input device then stop the sampler. You now have your sample.
If you're using a microphone:
- a) Run the option: Monitor Signal (or similar).
- b) Turn on your microphone if required.
- c) Speak into the mike. The signal should not go any higher than the maximum.
- d) If it does, you may need to adjust the sampling rate for different sounds. ie: about 8000 Hz for a male voice.
- c) Start the sampler (the record option).
- d) Say what you're going to say, do what you want to do, etc..etc..
- e) Stop sampling. You now have your own recorded sample!
Now you actually have a sample you should see lots of zig-zaggy lines on the sampler's screen. This commonly called a Saw-Tooth-Wave. The Saw-Tooth-Wave is your analogue signal converted into a digital one. It's much the same you would see on an Oscilloscope. Cut any sound out that you don't want such as background noise etc. Add any special effects that you might want: pitch change, fade out, down-sample, paste in other sample, etc. Cut out any data at the start of the sample that is not needed. This is so the sample plays when you want it to in the .MOD file editor, not with small, useless static at the start. The sample should not be larger than 128k (or 64k for a <16mhz AT).
NOTE: A 11,000 Khz file takes up 60k for about 5 seconds less for lower sampling rates.
Save the sample as a raw (uncompressed) .VOC file (.MOD editors can't use this but it can be converted later).
OR convert the file to an Amiga sample file then save it.
OR save it directly as an Amiga sample (.IFF or .NTI).
It all depends on the sampling program you use. There is no difference in quality between them.
From now you have a few options as to what you want to do with the sample:
- You can load it into another sampler to get different effects OR
- If you saved the file as a .VOC file you will need to convert it (see the software section) OR
- You can lower background hiss using the NoHiss program (again see the software section).
If you've done this or don't need/want to do anything else, copy all the samples you've got into a directory, ie: C:\SAMPLE\. Also rename them all to *.SAM (if you rename the extension to something else, you'll have to also change the .MOD file editor's setup to look at the different extension).
You now have your samples and can now incorporate them into your own .MOD file. Congratulations!
HOW TO EDIT/CREATE YOUR OWN .MOD file(s)
Well, now comes the interesting bit, writing your own .MOD file. I suggest that you use ModEdit 2.00 to edit modules. It's the easiest, no hassle .MOD editing program to use. Scream Tracker 2.25 is also quite good but can only load .MOD files (not save them) although you could easily convert them using the STM2MOD.EXE program (supplied with this issue of CSM) but they're not guaranteed to convert properly. Also ModEdit's free and uncrippled where as Scream Tracker is neither of those things. The other editor for .MOD's available in Tetra Composer but from what people say, it's not much good, bug ridden etc (see CSM issue #1). So I'd say either use Modedit 2.00 or Scream Tracker. Since this article is aimed at how to create .MOD files, not .STM files, I'll assume your using ModEdit.
Firstly run ModEdit (or any other .MOD file editor) and you should come up with a rather bland screen, with lines of dots (a bit like a database file). Don't be put off though, even Pro-Tracker on the Amiga uses the same sort of no-nonsense interface. Set it up to look in your .MOD file directory, ie C:\SOUND\MOD\ for .MOD's and C:\SAMPLE\ for samples (or wherever your samples are, if you have any).
NOTE: If you haven't got any samples, skip past this section to: "Getting samples from existing .MOD files".
LOADING SAMPLES FROM DISK
Now get to the sample editing screen where you can load up samples. Select 'Load Sample' and you should get a list of files in your sample directory (as specified in the setup). Select a sample that you think you might want and load it. Once you've loaded it you can experiment with the attributes of the sample. Load any other samples you also might want, specifying a different slot for each one. As you load a sample, also play it. This will ensure it has been converted correctly to an Amiga Sample. If you get an irritating screeching noise you'll know that the sample is in the wrong format and needs to be converted to an Amiga Sample. Also, don't forget that you can only have a maximum of 31 different samples in a .MOD file. Now that you've hopefully done all that you can now go to the editing screen and write your .MOD song!!
NOTE: A sample recorded at 11 Khz will sound correct at note E, octave 2 (E:2) in the editor.
GETTING SAMPLES FROM EXISTING .MOD FILES
Off course, if you don't have the necessary hardware to digitize samples you can always load other people's samples from their .MOD files. This is commonly known as 'ripping' the samples. Usually people don't mind you ripping their samples, just as long as you don't rip bits of their song. To 'rip' a sample go to the 'files' menu then to the 'load module' option. Pick a sample from one of your favourite .MOD files and then go to the 'samples' menu. Select 'play sample' and cycle through the list of sample slots, playing each one. When you think you know what sample(s) you want, select that sample and then use the 'save' option to save it to disk. Type in a file name and it should save the sample to your current sample directory. While you've got the module up, you may also want to look at it and see how it's constructed.
Well, that's all there is to it loading and editing samples. As you can see this article does not tell you how to write a song, but the steps involved in creating/editing/saving of samples. More of the actual composing later on in another month's edition .....
SOUND EDITING SOFTWARE
There is a large selection of sound/players/editors available today and mostly all of the good ones are either Public Domain or Shareware. They can easily be downloaded from any good sound bulletin board (see the notes section). The wide range of software makes it hard for you to actually choose which one is best, other than downloading all of them and trying them out. So instead of doing that, I've listed all of the latest versions of the best ones I've seen or used.....
MODULES PLAYERS: These programs can play back any .MOD or .NST program, created either on the IBM or Amiga. A lot of them have various special features such as pictures in the background, spectrum analysers, etc. You'll need one of these to play back yours or anyone elses .MOD files.
Modplay 2.19b- This was one of the first Amiga Module playing programs and since it's beginning many others have sprouted up from the same idea. It has a nice, easy to use interface and you don't need a Sound Blaster to listen to .MOD files like many others. It's output devices include the Sound Blaster, D/A Converter, Stereo D/A Converter, Disney Sound Source, and the humble old PC Speaker. It will even display whether a .MOD file was created by it's sister program, ModEdit. One other nice feature is that it uses only a text-only interface so that the spectrum analyser will run properly even on a 10 Mhz AT. You can also display a VGA .GIF picture in the background with a graphical spectrum analyser super-imposed on top of it. I strongly recommend this program. New enhancements are added to the program almost monthly!
SS 1.1- Sound System is written by a guy from the Netherlands, even though the program's text and documentation are in English. It also has an easy to use interface with a nice VGA picture of a stereo system used to operate the .MOD file player, e.g. pressing the button marked 'on' will light up various parts of the stereo. This is not just for show though, every button on the stereo does something, e.g. change the sampling rate, start the spectrum analyser, etc, etc. Special functions include: ordered playing of modules (bit like those CD carousal thingies), spectrum and sample analyser, individual track playing, variable sampling rates, and more! SS program will only run on a Sound Blaster, mouse and VGA. Download this and show it off to your friends! (especially some of those Amiga owners).
WOW 2.01 - This is also a good module player and some of it's features include: Stereo with two devices (e.g., D/A Converter + Sound Blaster), .PCX picture in the background, variable sampling rates and more. One slight catch though is the whole thing is in German. Unless you can read German or manage to work it out, I'd wait until the English documentations come out. WOW will only run in VGA. I still recommend it though as the 2 devices at the one time is a really cool idea.
MODULES EDITORS- These programs can create or edit .MOD or .NST files but some can edit other formats (such as .STM). There isn't a wide range of module editors available for the PC but there a few good ones around.......
ModEdit 2.00- This is the sister program to ModPlay although it was written by a different guy with help from Mark Cox (writer of ModPlay). The interface is much the same (text only) and it can use the same output devices: Stereo D/A Converter, Mono D/A Converter, Sound Blaster, Disney Sound Source and PC speaker. Editing of modules is very similar to Pro-Tracker on the Amiga. It's a bit complicated though, not so complicated once you get the hang of it. ModEdit can play modules inside the program in the same quality as ModPlay. Features include: Highlighting of every ?th note space, single track playing, pattern playing and module playing. ModEdit can only edit and save modules in .MOD format. To run you need a minimum of monochrome graphics, and an output device.
Scream Tracker 2.25- This is not a dedicated .MOD file editor and is really designed to edit .STM files. .STM files are much the same as .MOD files except they use a different form of samples and format. In Scream Tracker you can load a .MOD file but cannot save your music as one. To do this you have to load a .MOD file, edit it, save it as a .STM file then re-convert it. Some of the functions of Scream Tracker include, Real time editing, .MOD and .STM file playing, sample libraries, graphic scope, and single pattern playing. It is also possible to save the song's music without the samples. Scream Tracker can use a D/A Converter (or Covox), Sound Blaster or PC Speaker and needs at least monochrome graphics (CGA minimum for the scope). Scream Tracker is probably the more complicated of the two .MOD file editors listed here.
SAMPLERS/EDITORS: These programs are used to record samples and then edit the recorded sample. Usually for these you need a mouse and either EGA or VGA. The mouse is used to select parts of the sample and an EGA/VGA to display the Saw-Tooth-Wave. Nearly all of these programs need a Sound Blaster if you want to record or play sound so if you haven't got one, you can't really sample. When you have selected parts of the sound data you want, you can just cut and paste it anywhere you want (much like a word processor). Nearly all of these read and write .VOC samples but some have in-built convertors to change them to other formats. Included in all nearly samplers is the ability to add special effects to all or part of the sample, e.g. reverse the sound, fade sound, repeat blocks, add silence blocks, etc, etc. It would take ages to describe all the different functions they can do but I might do that in an article that details how to use specific programs. Again I've just selected the latest version of the best I've seen or used.........
VOC386 1.6- This would have to be my favourite sample editor. It has very nice Super VGA graphics! (up to 1024x748 resolution), spectrum analyser which can be used when playing sound. None of the samplers I've used has a full screen analyser and this one is easily the best. The analyser can be run in either full screen mode or a small window.
VOC386 is another one of those programs that is written in German but the functions are fairly simple to understand, despite the language difference. VOC386 includes a host of special functions that are easy to understand and use. VOC386 uses specialist 386 functions (multitasking, etc) and therefore needs a minimum of a 386 SX and a 256k VGA card. If you have the required computing power then DOWNLOAD IT! Even if you can't understand a word of das Deutch (German). If you don't have the necessary equipment, then try Blaster Master.
Blaster Master 5.0- This sample editor comes second in my recommendation behind VOC386. It has nearly all of the features of VOC386 but it's interface is not quite as simple to use. It has many of the same functions such as fading, blocked sound editing, multiple zoom, pitch alteration, and down/up sampling. One advantage of Blaster Master is that you can load and save samples in a variety of different formats such as .IFF, .NTI, .SND, .VOC and .WAV. This eliminates the need for conversion programs or can even be used as a conversion program. Blaster Master can use a Thunder Board, Stereo F/X card, Sound Blaster or Sound Blaster Pro and needs a mouse, EGA or VGA. Note: Unless you get the registered version you can only edit a 25 second sound file. The ideal situation is to have both VOC386 and Blaster Master so you can use the best functions of each.
Digiplay 2.5- This is quite a small program but has quite a lot of functions that the others bigger ones have. It has all the standard functions; fading, monitor signal, volume changes, cutting and pasting, etc, etc. Digiplay does not won't work too well with blocked data (i.e, to do special functions on just one part of the sample). It can save and edit either .VOC or the Amiga Format. Digiplay is also good for non-Sound Blaster users as it can play either out of a D/A Converter, PC speaker or Sound Blaster (recording only on the Sound Blaster). To run Digiplay you'll need a minimum of EGA (although it doesn't use VGA any differently) and a mouse. It can also use EMS (expanded memory). NOTE: Digiplay does not come with any documentation but has online help.
CONVERTORS- The large number of sound formats available means that many convertors are needed to change one thing to another. Some conversions are impossible though, i.e, conversion from a .MOD file to .CMF or .VOC file to .MOD. Below is a list of the ones that are associated with samples and modules. All of them should be obvious as to what they do......
IFF2VOC, SUN2VOC, SND2VOC, VOC2SND, STM2MOD and MOD2STM.
Well, these are presently the best sample recorders/editors/players convertors and .MOD file editors/players I've used (and I have downloaded and tried quite a lot). Hopefully from the list you'll be able to pick the right one for your needs. Don't hesitate to try any others you might find, as these may be equally good or even better.
NOTES
Where might I get all this software from? You may you ask. Well there is a world-wide network named the SBC-Net (Sound Blaster Connection Network). This network swaps sound related messages and file from all over the world. For a detailed description of the SBC-Net and members see CSM issue one. Try either of these two great bulletin boards for any software listed in this article.
The Communications Barrier
Sysop: Craig Hart (Merlin).Phone: (61-3) 585-1112.Baud Rate: 300-9600bps, v32, v42, v42bis, MNP 2-5.Hours: 24
This board holds over 80 Meg of Sound Blaster and sound related messages and files. There files include megabytes of .MOD files, Sound Blaster demo's, sound software, programming, Windows and DesqView programs. New software added almost daily. The home of Creative Sound Monthly.Excellent bulletin board!
Audiophiles Paradise
Sysop: Peter Webb and Peter BunclePhone: (61-3) 587-5804.Baud Rate: 300-12000 V22, V22bis, V23, V32, V42, V42bis & MNP 1-5.Hours: 24
Another excellent BBS! Australia's largest range of sound related software. Megabytes of Demo's, .MOD, .STM, .VOC, .MID, .CMF, .CMS, .ROL , and other similar software. There are no upload or download ratios to maintain.
WHERE TO FROM HERE?
This is hopefully not the last in a series of articles to help you make excellent music on your PC. If you need to leave a message then write E-mail on either the Communications Barrier or Audiophiles Paradise to me (Predator). I'll try and answer any questions involving .MOD editing or sampling (if I can, that is). You may also contact Allan Dib (Editor of CSM) or Craig Hart (Sysop of The Communications Barrier and regular writer for CSM) for any sound related queries you may have. If you're not on either of these bulletin boards send E-mail via the SBC-Net to Gordon Craick (my real name). Also leave a message if you want to see another aspect covered later on. Topics I might do are: Recording off TV/Video, Recording off CD/tape, Composing your own songs, sound scientifics, using specific programs and building your own D/A Converter for complete electronic novices. Any other suggestions are welcome...........
GLOSSARY
These are some of the terms you may come across in this article, SBC-Net or elsewhere ......
- Analogue: Analogue is where sound is measured in waves such as vibrations through the air. Copying an analogue source to another analogue source loses quality. As you probably have noticed, copying a tape, no matter how good the copier is, you lose quality.
- Digital: Each point of the curve is measured as a number instead of a curve. When you copy a digital sound there is no loss of quality (just like copying a file on the computer). Most things these days are moving towards digital (such as digital tapes).
- A/DC: (Analog to Digital Convertor) converts an analogue signal to the ones and zero's a computer can understand. This is what enables Sound Blaster's and other sound cards to record speech and sound effects.
- D/AC: (Digital to analogue convertor) The opposite of an A/DC. It converts the digital signal of the computer to the analogue signals that people can hear. A Sound Blaster has one of these built in. It plugs into a parallel port and can easily be made for around $10 worth of electronic components.
- Channel: A set of samples played one after the other at different pitches to create music. Only 1 sample can be played at once on one channel. .MOD files have 4 channels so therefore you can play four samples at once.
- Covox Speech Thing: This is just a commercial version of a home-made D/A Converter. It cost around $100 but didn't really ever become popular because of it's lack of support. It seems about $90 over-priced!
- Disney Sound Source: This is basically just the same as a home-made D/A Converter except that it has a built in speaker and volume control. It is licensed by Disney (surprise, surprise) and is packaged with some new games. It seems to be compatible with a normal D/A Converter and the Covox Speech Thing.
- Header: A small bit of information at the front of the file that tells a program a certain number of things. This can include pitch, sampling rate, special effects, different blocks, the name of the format, etc.
- Hz: Abbreviation of the word Hertz (Pronounced hurts) is a measure of frequency. One hertz is equal to one second. To clarify: if a machine does one complete cycle of it's operation in one second it can be said to be operating at 1 Hertz. A KHz (Kilohertz) is one thousand Hertz. A CD player operates at 44.1 Khz which means it does 44,100 Digital to Analogue conversions every second.
- Module: A sound file that usually (not always) has 4 channels. All samples in a module are stored inside the one file. Using samples played at different pitches in specific order, varied types of music can be created.
- .MOD File: This is a form of module that originated from the Amiga. Later on people wrote programs that would play and edit them on the IBM. .MOD files have 4 channels with a maximum of 31 samples in a module. The samples are in the unsigned Amiga format.
- Pattern: 4 channels with 64 note spaces (see- .MOD File, Pattern, Channel) A number of patterns are stringed together to form music.
- Peak-Peak: The distance between the highest and lowest point of a sine wave. The larger the peak to peak value, the louder the sound (see- Sine Wave).
- Ripping: The art of taking samples from an existing file or from a source. Sometimes 'ripping' can also mean to copy bits or all parts of people's songs without their permission.
- Sample: A small bit of sound recorded from somewhere. A sample could be a special effect, voice, music, instrument (See- Sampling).
- Sampling: The verb of sample. The art of recording something onto disk.
- Saw-Tooth-Wave: Much the same as a sine wave. The sound is represented by jagged wave instead of a smooth curve, hence the name.
- Sine Wave: The mathematical formula for a sine wave is y=sin(x). Sine waves of different frequencies are the actual "sounds" that we hear. The loudness of the sound is equivalent to the amplitude of the wave, and the frequency of the sound is equal to the number of complete sine waves occurring in a fixed time length.
- Stereo D/AC: (Stereo Digital to Analog Convertor) This is a digital-analog convertor that has two separate channels. If you are playing a .MOD file, two tracks come out of one speaker and the other two come out of the other. A Stereo D/A Converter is included on the Sound Blaster Pro. You can also make your own stereo D/A Converter if you have two D/A Converters running off two parallel ports. There is also a stereo D/A Converter that you can make to run off one parallel port (Stereo-On-1).
- .STM File: (Scream Tracker Module) These are very similar to .MOD files (See- .MOD File). The samples are in the unsigned .VOC file format.
- .VOC File: The file format used by the Sound Blaster with the extension of .VOC. These files are 8 bit, 1 channel sound. It can easily be converted to other formats. .VOC files include a header file that include information such as sampling rate and repeat, blocks, etc. For a list of other file formats, see the article "Music and Sound File Extensions Update".
A Word From The Editor
Any of programs mentioned in this article can be obtained from almost any bulletin board in SBC-Net, however if you are for some reason having trouble obtaining any of the public domain or shareware programs talked about in this article or any other Sound Blaster related program for that matter, please do not hesitate to send me a blank disk and the name of the program you would like copied.
NOTE: You must pay for all postage and handling costs. My system can take 3.5" 720 Kb, 1.44 Meg disks and also 5.25" 360 Kb and 1.2 Meg disks.
That's All Folks
Well that wraps up another issue of Creative Sound Monthly, it's the first and hopefully last, slightly delayed issue of Creative Sound Monthly. We've got a whole bunch of good articles lined up for you next month in Creative Sound Monthly... so look out for that on an SBC-Net bulletin board near you.
Allan Dib.
Credits
Craig Hart (Sysop of The Communications Barrier) - Craig wrote the really useful article; "A shopper's guide to CD-ROM". He also did some proofing of technical information in this magazine.... Thanks heaps man.
Gordon Craick - Wrote the great article on how to write .MOD files, he also wrote the .MOD file (D-DREAMS.MOD) which included in this issue of CSM.
Rishi Mehra - Reviewed the game "Free DC"..... nice review dude.
Trevor Palmer - Wrote the really useful program STM2MOD.EXE which was included in this months issue of CSM.
Send All Mail To:
CREATIVE SOUND MONTHLY
c/o Allan Dib
19 Ondine Drive, Mulgrave
Melbourne Vic 3170
Australia.
Telephone:
(61-3) 560-3963 - Outside Australia
(03) 560-3963 - Within Australia
Ask for Allan Dib.
