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│ ────────── SYSTEM ───────── │
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As promised, today we will talk about the music editor "SOUND TRACKER". More precisely, about the software package "SOUND TRACKER", designed for working with music coprocessors AY-3-8910 or AY-3-8912. The following description is for those who are just starting to work with the "SOUND TRACKER" software package.
Yuri Matveev
S O U N D T R A C K E R
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Music editor
for "ZX-SPECTRUM"
To date, the multifunctional music editor "SOUND TRACKER" is one of the most user-friendly editors available for "ZX-SPECTRUM". It successfully combines ease of use with rich features. The lion's share of the music played on "ZX-SPECTRUM" is written in this editor.
A little about the terms and fundamental principles of the music editor in question.
Any musical work created in "SOUND TRACKER" consists of n segments (patterns/PATTERN), where n can take values from 1 to 32. That is, there can be no more than 32 patterns in a composition. The length of the musical work can be from 1 to 256 positions. We can agree that a position is a certain cell where one of the patterns is inserted. You can, for example, write just one pattern and loop it in all possible 256 positions, i.e., 256 times.
Each pattern, in turn, can contain from 1 to 64 notes. The length of the pattern is set for each composition once and is the same for all patterns that make up this composition. This, by the way, is one of the main drawbacks of "SOUND TRACKER".
Two more terms used by musicians working in this editor are SAMPLE and ORNAMENT. A sample is the timbre of the sound, determined by the shape of the sound signal, its amplitude, and frequency characteristics. For convenience, we will refer to a sample as an instrument. An ornament is an additional frequency effect that alters the sound of the sample, for example, lowering or raising the pitch, etc. A segment is a single component of each sound in the editor. A sound can consist of n segments, where n takes values from 1 to 32.
BRIEF
TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
OF THE MUSIC EDITOR
"SOUND TRACKER"
Number of octaves: 8
Number of positions: 1-256
Number of patterns: 1-32
Number of notes in a pattern: 1-64
Number of instruments: 16
Number of ornaments: 16
Ability to record compiled musical works for further use in any other programs: Yes.
Control: cursor + keyboard
Keys: Q, CS, O, P, SPACE.
MAIN MENU
Immediately after loading the editor, you enter the main menu. Control in the editor is based on the use of the symbols "/\ \/". Let's consider its main options in order (the symbols /\\/, following the option name, indicate that the specified option is customizable):
POSITION /\ \/ (1-256) - position counter. Each position is directly related to the pattern number (musical segment) set in the PATTERN option. The POSITION - PATTERN linkage determines the sequence of playback of musical segments.
PATTERN /\ \/ (1-31) - in this customizable option, the numbers of musical segments are set.
HEIGHT /\ \/(0-255) - in this option, you can raise (lower) all notes of the pattern in this position by n semitones.
LENGTH /\ \/ (1-256) - here the length of the musical composition (in positions) is set.
SAMPLE /\ \/ (1(0)-15) - this option allows you to select an instrument to modify its duration using the REPEAT and REPLEN options. When setting zero in the SAMPLE option, duration editing is disabled. The instrument number set here is automatically attached to each note recorded in the note section.
REPEAT /\ \/ (1(0)-32) - determines from which segment to repeat the sound playback. If 0 is specified here, the sound is played once without repeats.
REPLEN /\ \/ (1-32) - determines how many segments to repeat, starting from the one specified in the REPEAT option. If 1 is specified here, the segment indicated in REPEAT will be played. All repetitions occur until the next sound. The specified changes also apply to the ornament if one is set during the playback of this instrument.
PATTERN - when selecting this option, the current segment of the composition set by the option P:NN is played, where NN is the pattern number.
PLAY - by selecting this option, you can listen to the musical composition starting from the segment set in the POSITION /\ \/ and PATTERN /\ \/.
STOP - stops the playback of the composition or exits the editing mode.
EDIT - composition editing mode.
OCT: N - indicator of the current octave, where N is the octave number from 1 to 8.
QUIT - exit the music editor. The program asks for confirmation to exit (Y/N). When exiting the editor, information about the musical composition is lost.
A: ON/OFF - turn channel A on/off.
B: ON/OFF - the same for channel B.
C: ON/OFF - the same for channel C.
ORN.EDIT - create/edit ornament.
SAMP.EDIT - create/edit instrument.
MODE - indicator displaying the current operating mode of the editor PLAY/EDIT.
OTHER - transition to submenu.
/\,\/ - select a segment of the composition in the note section for playback using the PATTERN option.
At the bottom of the main menu screen, there is an amplitude-frequency indicator.
SUBMENU
The submenu of the editor is called up by selecting the OTHER option. Here you can make additional settings for the editor, save and load musical compositions, etc. Let's take a closer look at the submenu options:
LOAD SAMPLE - load an instrument. After selecting this option, you will be asked for the instrument number and its name (extension - lowercase). However, it is worth noting that the instrument number has no significance - the instrument loaded into memory is assigned the number under which it was saved. The reason for this small "glitch" in the program is unknown.
LOAD ORNAMENT - load an ornament (extension). All procedures are similar to loading an instrument.
LOAD SONG - load a composition, and the loaded block contains all instruments and ornaments.
SAVE SAMPLE - save an instrument.
SAVE ORNAMENT - save an ornament.
SAVE SONG - save a composition.
CLEAR SAMPLE - erase an instrument. Its number will be requested.
CLEAR ORNAMENT - erase an ornament. The number will be requested.
CLEAR SONG - erase the entire composition, including instruments and ornaments.
CLEAR PATTERN - clear the current or all segments. When selecting this option, a question is asked: "clear all patterns? Y/N", if N, then the current pattern is cleared.
DELAY CHANGE (N) - change the playback speed. The limits of changes range from 1 to F. 1 - maximum speed, F - minimum.
CHANGE PATTERN LENGTH (N) - select the maximum possible number of notes in the segment. In simpler terms - change the length of the pattern.
PLAY SONG - play the composition from the beginning.
TRANSPOSITION - lower/raise the pitch of the segment of the composition. The pattern number, channel, first and last notes, and the number of semitones to raise or lower will be requested.
DEVICE - select the type of media - disk, cassette.
MOVE TEXT - move segments of the composition to any desired location. The number of the pattern from which the segment is moved is requested, then the number of the pattern to which the segment is moved. After that, the segment to be moved is specified: from which position of the pattern to which. Next, the position number to which the segment is set is specified, and then from which channel to which you want to move the segment.
RETURN - return to the main menu.
EDITING
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Option EDIT
Let's take a closer look at the EDIT option - where you enter the mode for creating and editing a musical composition. After selecting this option, another cursor appears, which is set to the zero note of the current segment. Editing is carried out in the note section, divided into three parts - channels A, B, and C.
Here, a few words need to be said about the arrangement of channels. It so happened that there is no clear "GOST" for the arrangement of channels. This is due to the fact that initially, in branded models of "ZX-SPECTRUM", the coprocessor was connected in such a way that all three channels were output to one built-in speaker through a resistor. That is, there was no talk of any stereo effect, as all three channels were mixed and were absolutely equal in sound.
It is now difficult to say exactly when and where the three channels of the coprocessor became independent. But only from that point did the terrible confusion with their orientation begin. And the problem was as follows: which channel to consider the middle one? B or C? This would not be so terrible if the developers of domestic "Speccy" had not "muted" the middle channel with special switching circuits to give the sound additional charm. In those models of computers where none of the channels has any special switching, the sound is closest to branded machines. In those cases where one of the channels is muted (and according to some sources, this is the majority), problems begin. These problems could have been avoided if the manufacturers had decided on the middle channel.
But there is still no consensus. In the editorial office of the magazine "SPECTROFON", the following standard has been adopted: A - left channel, B - right channel, C - middle. This arrangement of channels is found in most "PROFI" and "PENTAGON" models. If your machine has a different arrangement, then sometimes there may be differences in the sound of some musical compositions. These differences are usually expressed in one channel being muted by another, as well as other side effects. This depends on the complexity of the sounds and their combinations used in the musical composition.
But let's return to the editor.
Each channel A, B, or C is further divided into two sections: note and address.
In the note section, the notes are directly recorded. Each note is recorded in the section by pressing the corresponding key. The accepted designations in "SOUND TRACKER" are:
┌───────────┬──────────┬───────┐
│ DESIGNATION│ NOTE │ KEY │
├───────────┼──────────┼───────┤
│ C │ DO │ Z │
│ C# │ DO DIEZ │ S │
│ D │ RE │ X │
│ D# │ RE DIEZ │ D │
│ E │ MI │ C │
│ F │ FA │ V │
│ F# │ FA DIEZ │ G │
│ G │ SOL │ B │
│ G# │SOL DIEZ │ H │
│ A │ LA │ N │
│ A# │ LA DIEZ │ J │
│ B │ SI │ M │
└───────────┴──────────┴───────┘
Navigation between sections is done using the cursor keys. The octave is set using the numeric key + SS. The keys listed in the table set the notes. To make the recorded note sound, you need to set the instrument number in the first digit of the address (the instrument must be created in the "instrument editor", called up by selecting the SAMP.ED option).
Example of recording notes in a segment for one of the channels:
┌───────────────────┐
│ 00 C-4 AF00 │
│ 01 --- 0000 │
│ 02 D#4 0000 │
│ 04 B-3 0000 │
│ 05 R-- 0000 │
│ 07 C-4 0000 │
└───────────────────┘
R - Pause, turning off the previous sound.
In the address section, which contains four digit places, the sound characteristics are recorded. Let's elaborate on this.
DIGIT: 1234
ADDRESS: 0000
The first digit of the address: sets the instrument number for playing this note. Numbers from 0 to F. "0" - in this case means that the note is sounded by the previously specified instrument. Thus, you do not need to write the instrument number for the note each time; the instruments are set by default.
The second digit of the address: sets the shape of the envelope created by the music coprocessor. Usually, envelopes with numbers 8, A, C, E are used. By specifying one of these envelopes in the second digit, you use the third and fourth digits to set the constant. The table of envelopes for each note is provided below. If F is specified in this digit, the used instrument will sound with the ornament (if the fourth digit is filled) or without it (if the fourth digit is zero).
The third digit of the address: here the number of the higher digit of the constant for the envelope is set.
The fourth digit: the ornament number (if F is in the second digit). If a musical segment using the coprocessor's envelopes preceded this, they are turned off.
TABLE FOR ENVELOPES: 8, A, C, E
┌──────┬────────────────┐
│ NOTE │ CONSTANT │
├──────┼────────────────┤
│ C- │ 0F,1E,3C,78,F0 │
│ C# │ 0E,1C,38,70,E0 │
│ D- │ 1B,36,6C,DA │
│ D# │ 19,32,65,CA │
│ E- │ 0C,18,30,60,C0 │
│ F- │ 0B,16,2C,5A,B8 │
│ F# │ 15,2A,54,A8 │
│ G- │ 0A,14,28,50,A0 │
│ A- │ 09,12,24,48,90 │
│ A# │ 11,21,42,84 │
│ B- │ 08,10,20,40,80 │
└──────┴────────────────┘
EXAMPLE:
──┬──────────┬────────┬────────┐
00│ C-2 9C3C │ R 0000 │ R 0000 │
01│ D#2 0A32 │ 0000 │ 0000 │
02│ F-2 0A2C │ 0000 │ 0000 │
03│ G-2 0A28 │ 0000 │ 0000 │
──┴──────────┴────────┴────────┘
EDITING INSTRUMENT
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Option SAMP.ED
After you select this option, you will be asked to choose the instrument number to be edited. Then you will find yourself in the following setup screen:
In the upper part of the screen, the signal shape is edited segment by segment: for each of the 32 segments, the volume of its sound is set. The control keys are provided here as well. Under each segment, the state of the mask is indicated: 1 - no sound, 0 - sound is present. Transition to editing frequency characteristics - ENTER.
In the lower part of the screen, the noise characteristics of the sound are edited. The higher the column of the edited segment, the greater the amplitude of the noise. Usually, noise editing is addressed when unusual sound effects need to be created or to combine "clean" sound with some instrument, for example, with percussion. The mask is applied similarly to the previous operation. The resulting sound can be listened to by pressing the 0 key. After you determine the signal shape, its volume, and noise effects, press ENTER. You will be prompted to edit the frequency characteristics of each segment. Here you change the frequency spectrum of the sound. Usually, in this part of the editor, additional nuances are added to the sound of each segment. You can raise or lower the frequency, do it smoothly or sharply. The range of changeable values is very wide, which undoubtedly expands the possibilities for creativity in creating unusual, interesting sounds. Beginner musicians are advised not to touch the frequency parameters at the first stage and to immediately proceed to composing music.
EDITING ORNAMENT
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Option ORN.EDIT
Here everything is similar to editing the frequency characteristics of the instrument, but in the ornament editor for each segment, you will need to specify not the frequency but the amount of shift in semitones. You can lower or raise the sound of each segment by the desired number of semitones. The created ornament, when used, complements the standard instrument with sound effects.
Once the composition is written, you can save it to disk (extension) or to cassette.
To use the resulting musical block in other programs, it needs to be compiled using the "S.T. COMPILER" program and attached to the control program - the player.
P.S. The description is based on personal experience with the "SOUND TRACKER" editor. The author thanks Kuzin S.A. for the assistance in preparing this description, and also extends a special thanks to Savoshchenko S.D. for the compilation of materials used by the author in the work.
* * *
Contents of the publication: Spectrofon #13
- Expertise - Андрей Бусыгин
Guide for piloting, finding graphite rods, completing reactor tasks under radiation threat. Tips for city exploration, saving strategies included. Achieving success awards player with corporation bonus.
- Debut - Андрей Школьников
Discussion of the game 'Worm in Paradise' by Level 9, its complex gameplay, and narrative intricacies. Exploration of the 'Silicon Dreams' series and protagonist Kim Kimberly's adventures. Insights into game mechanics and thematic elements.
- Assault - Василий Смирнов
Analysis of game 'HIJACK' with strategies and codes for success, shared by player Vasiliy Smirnov from Kirov. Key to advancing in the game is acquiring codes for opening doors and accessing transport. Exploration of the relationship between different codes and game progressions.
- Exam
Summary of the game contest 'THEY STOLE A MILLION' in Spectrofon #13. Detailed answers from reader Anton Igoshin. Gratitude to participants and encouragement for future contests.
- Premiere
Release of a new version of the logical game 'COLOR LINES' by Moscow's Grepan brothers, featured in Spectrofon #13 with an additional demo reel.
- Review
Review of simulation and sports games for ZX Spectrum, including 'F-19 Stealth Fighter', 'Carrier Command', 'Dizzy 7', 'Hudson Hawk', and 'Magic Johnson's Basketball'. Highlights features, graphics, and gameplay elements.
- Review - Вячеслав Медноногов
Description of the game 'UFO: Enemy Unknown' by Vyacheslav Mednonogov, detailing the storyline of alien invasions in 1997 and gameplay mechanics.
- Overview
Announcement of the 'SPECIAL FORCES' game by Step Creative Group, inspired by 'LASER SQUAD'. Players command a team of space marines against various threats. The article also mentions a new game, 'UFO: ENEMY UNKNOWN'.
- Bits from the World
The article discusses tactics and strategies in the game Elite, focusing on cargo management, achieving ranks, and exploiting game mechanics. Authors share experiences with item limits, cargo extensions, and combat techniques. Interesting insights on using Alien Items and technical lasers are presented.
- System - Matthias
Comprehensive guide on using SOUND TRACKER for ZX-Spectrum, covering features and functionalities like pattern management and sound editing.
- Advertisement
The advertisement section of Spectrofon #13 provides contact information for purchasing the magazine, promoting collaboration opportunities for program developers, and offering various Spectrum-related products and services.
