Note: This Soundtracker is based on the MasterSoundtracker V1.0 by TIP/PROPHETS and mainly on Soundtracker V2.2 by Unknown/D.O.C Soundtracker V2.3 - A Quick Clarification. ------------------------------------------ Update : April 1989. Update done by : MnemoTroN. Instructions : Tracer and Unknown of D.O.C / Based on J.C.-Instructions MnemoTroN. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Modifications by D.O.C: ----------------------- A sample sort function Corrected 'DisplayPattern' routine Corrected preset-editor Improved record function Extended keymap (Sonix style) Pattern play function Delete Song function in the dos menu Improved ANALYZER Pattern changing during play Pattern break command Position jump command Sample zero function New playroutine for use in demos/intros/games Improved graphics (colors,styling,font) Nice scrolling Animated mousepointer Directory Sort function New Colors for the Analyzer Extension to 31 Instruments Modifications by MnemoTroN: --------------------------- Scroll-Line removed Animated Mousepointer removed Extended DOS-Window Key-Help-Page Nice 'Sure?'-Requester Reinsertion of Length-,Repeat- and RepLen-Gadgets Lowpass-Filter is switched off Load Module Save Sample Format Disk Clear Song and some small details that must not be mentioned here The Song. --------- Any piece of music written with Soundtracker 2.3 is build up from patterns. Soundtracker holds a table with information about the sequence in which these parts must be played. With 'Position' you determine your position in the table. With 'Pattern' you define what pattern to play at that position. 'Length' defines the total size of the table. The full sequence of Patterns is the Song. The Keys. --------- The original (V1.8) version of the Soundtracker had a German keymap. Version 2.3 supports a standard USA keymap and this ensures compatibility with ALL Amigas. The keyboard has been extended, try typing on the whole key-rows. The keys on your Amiga have been grouped to represent the layout of a two- octave piano-keyboard. You can "shift" the keyboard one octave up or down with the aid of the F1 and F2 keys, thus incrementing the range of the keyboard to three octaves. The Functions. -------------- The Soundtracker V2.3 offers many functions to the user to make the development of music as easily as possible. The Play, Stop and Edit-Functions should be self-explaining. Record allows you to record a pattern in real-time, but it is recommended that you better use the normal Edit-Mode. 'Clear Song' will erase all song- and sample-data from memory after a security-check. 'Use PSET' will load the selected sample into the current slot and 'Disk Op' switches to the DOS-Menu. Here you can Load/Save/Delete Songs and Modules. If you are into ripping music, you will find the 'Save Sample' option useful. Just select the sample to be saved (you may change the disk and name by simply clicking on the 'sample-name'-line) and it is done! 'Format disk' will do just that. After a security-check you are asked for the volume-number. Only numbers will be accepted. The formatting will begin just after you entered the number, so please be careful. If you enter '00', Soundtracker will automagically create a song- and a module-directory. While editing: -------------- Cursor-keys move cursor. shift + Cursor-keys move cursor fast. alt + Cursor-keys move cursor fastest. F6 - Set cursor to first line of pattern. F7 - Set cursor to 16th line of pattern. F8 - Set cursor to 32th line of pattern. F9 - Set cursor to 48th line of pattern. F10 - Set cursor to last line of pattern. DEL - Delete note under cursor. shift + F3 - Cut track of current pattern and copy into a buffer. shift + F4 - Copy track of current pattern into a buffer. shift + F5 - Copy buffer to track of current pattern. alt + F3 - Cut the whole pattern and copy into a buffer. alt + F4 - Copy pattern into a buffer. alt + F5 - Copy buffer to current pattern. As a new feature, these commands can be reviewed at any time (except when using the DOS-Menu) by pressing the HELP-key! A small word about the +/- gadgets: pressing the left AND right mousebutton will in-/decrease the value faster !! Sample sort function: --------------------- Unknown inserted a special sort function in the load-song routine, so you needn't be a D.J. anymore. Only the D.O.C-Soundtrackers V2.1 to V2.3 will load ALL Samples from the Disk 'ST-01', then from 'ST-02', then from 'ST-03' and so on. Sample zero function: --------------------- While editing you're able to set the sample to the value zero (0!). Press both mousebuttons at the position of the samplegadgets (plus, minus = +,-). Now you can edit the pattern with the sample 0 to prevent difficulties according to the volume (Frog's idea) !!! Correct 'DisplayPattern' routine: --------------------------------- The 'MasterSoundtracker V1.0' and the 'D.O.C-Soundtracker V2.0' had an incorrect 'DisplayPattern' routine !!! The highest bit of the command- and infobyte had been deleted on screen, but not in the memory !!!!!!!!!! Unknown discovered this bug and removed it. Example: Entered - E-2 C2FF <=- Correct ! Printed out later - E-2 427F <=- Wrong instrument and infobyte! Still in memory - E-2 C2FF <=- Correct ! Instruments. ------------ You can use up to thirtyone different instruments in one music-piece. All instruments are listed in the preset-list. The volume is always 64, but you can change it to each value between 0 and 64. To change the other values of each instrument you have to load the preset-editor or use the gadgets in the program (this is only for small changes. use the preset-ed otherwise!). With the PresetEd you can change the whole preset-list. TIP improved the preset-editor: some values (Length, Repeat and RepLen) have to be entered in hexadecimal !!! Now you can use samples up to $8000 (=32768) bytes !!!! (Press right mouse-button to quit). Unknown corrected the preset-editor: It got a nice bug ! (Not TIP's fault) Example: You've an instrument called 'HeavySynth' in your preset-list, now you want to INSERT an instrument with the name 'Heavy' in it. The preset-editor searches for the word 'HEAVY' in the list, find the name 'HEAVYsynth' and DELETES it to insert the name 'Heavy' ! Of course Unknown discoverd and removed this bug, too. Notes: ------ C#1 0 3 C 2 3 / / | \| / / | Info / / Command / Inst# Note to be played. Note: This is simply the note that is played with that particular ----- instrument. Inst#: This is the number of the instrument that is used to play that ------ note. When the instrument number is zero, the last selected instrument will be used. Command: This number tells Soundtracker what special functions shall be -------- performed while playing the note. These functions are as follows: 0 - Normal play or arpeggio. 1 - Portamento up. 2 - Portamento down. A - Volume slide. B - Position jump. C - Set volume. D - Pattern break. E - Set filter on/off. F - Set speed. Info: This byte contains the additional information for the commands. ----- Arpeggio: Arpeggio is used for simulating accords. This is done by rapidly --------- changing the notes while playing an instrument. Arepggios are selected whenever the info byte has a non-zero value and no other command is selected. When arpeggios are used, Soundtracker looks five times during the play of one note, at the information contained in the info byte. Each nibble (4 bits) in this byte defines how many notes Soundtracker must add to the the note currently played. In each of the five passes Soundtracker does the following with the information in the info byte: 0 - Play the current note (immediately). 1 - Add the first nibble to the current note. 2 - Add the second nibble to the current note. 3 - Play the current note. 4 - Add the first nibble to the current note. 5 - Add the second nibble to the current note. Portamento: Portamento is used for 'sliding' the frequency of the sample. ----------- If portamento is in use, the information contained in the the info byte will be added to (or subtracted from) the period of the note playing in each of the five passes. Example: D#2 3208 Slides down $08 --- 0208 Slides down $08 --- 0108 Slides up $08 --- 0210 Slides down $10 (=16) etc. Volume slide: This function uses the same parameters as Portamento except ------------- for that it changes the volume. Position jump: -------------- The position jump command will do the same like the pattern break command, but the info byte gives the playroutine the no. of the position. Example: E-2 3B04 - Break the pattern and jump to position 4 --- 0000 --- 0B06 - Break the pattern and jump to position 6 Volume: One of the enhancements that the V2.3 version provides is the ------- ability to change the volume at any time during play. When command $0C (=12) is selected, the volume is set to the value contained in the info byte. The volume will remain at this level until the next SAMPLE is played. At this time, the volume is reset to the default volume level of that sample. Example: C#1 1C22 - Set volume to $22 (=34) and use instrument # 1 to play the C#1 note. D-2 0000 - Use instrument # 1 to play the D-2 note. (Volume level remains at $22 (=34)) B-1 1000 - Use instrument # 1 to play the B-1 note and set volume to default value for that instrument. Pattern break: -------------- Pattern break is used to create shorter patterns than 64 notes. The note with the $0D command will be played and after that the next pattern in the position-table will be played. Example: A#3 1D00 - At this point the pattern interrupts. --- 0D00 - same. C-1 0D30 - same. Filter: This Soundtracker version allows you to turn the lo-pass filter ------- on/off. Example: G#2 1E01 - Turns the filter and the power-led off. --- 0000 E-1 1E00 - Turns the filter and the power-led on. Warning to all Amiga 1000 owners (like Unknown and Esteban): Don't play with the power-led because some A500 and A2000 owners will not be happy when they hear your song. Speed: This function allows changing the speed during play. ------ You can only enter a speed from $01 to $0F. Setting the info byte to zero doesn't effect anything. The normal speed is 6. Example: D-2 4F04 - Set speed to 4 --- 0000 E-1 0F00 - Nothing happens to speed. --- 0FC3 - Set speed to 3 G-2 2F06 - Set normal speed For your convenience the speed will now be set to 6 everytime you load a song/module or clear the song. The Playroutine. ---------------- The Playroutine on the Soundtracker disk is for using your music in demos, intros, games etc. It was written using the Seka-assembler and the source of the routine can directly be incorporated in your demo/intro source. When you are finished writing your music using D.O.C-Soundtracker, save it to Disk. Use the function 'SAVE MODULE'. You will find in the 'MODULES'-DIR a file, which contains all songdata and samples. Load with SEKA the source of the playroutine and enter the size of saved module at the label 'mt_data'. Assemble. Now load the saved module to 'mt_data'. How to play a song: ------------------- At the beginning of your program, call the 'mt_init' routine. Each vertical blank jump to the 'mt_music' routine. To stop the song jump to the 'mt_end' routine. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: - This Soundtracker-Version consists of ONE disk which should include the following files: - Soundtracker (V2.3) - Songplayer (V1.4) - SongPrinter (V1.1d) - PresetEd,PED!,PED!! (V1.1 by The BallCrackers) - PresetEd + - PLST (this is my (MnemoTroN) PLST and please do not ask for the samples because that are 13 disks! - MuzakRipper (by NorthStar) - Soundtracker Instruments Ripper (by Beastie Boys) - 'mod.echoing' and 'mod.my way to the stars' in the module-directory (my favourites!) - all DOC files in the 'Text'-Directory - the 31 Instruments Replay-Routine (also in 'Text') ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- .