ZX-News #11 29 октября 1996

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Iron - digitize the music on ZX: General Sound, AY-scale, COVOX, Sound Drive - how they work.

                  Iron



            Dmitry Kirilov, 1996

    (Edited Alex'a Mikhailov'a)



           SUPER DIGITAL MUSIC.


                  -----

   X-Trade finalizing General
Sound. If you really want to hear how
it sounds, can make a cult-hike
on the market, "Juno", which is in Avtovo,
and check out all the eyes / ears.


  Hmm, cool! Only it would be worth a cheap ...


                  -----

  "So what, though, the digital music on AY died?" - You ask. 
"Yes, - I answer. - And for a long time! "



  That's when a couple of years ago, it all just
appear, then yes, it was cool: an unusual
sound, some very realistic-sounding
tools, it is convenient to write
Mouzon soft - it seemed, would be that there are
to digital music has evolved and developed ...


  But no. Almost immediately became apparent and
disadvantages: a large amount of song'a and the inability of 
such parallel Mouzon with something else, quick "chastened"

the fans spektumovskoy music. Gradually
affected, and "dirty" sound ... So, not having a good start, 
everything died down in the sense that the country's leading 
musicians digital music is almost not write, and if

someone wrote and then very little ...


  However, the fact that digital music can
to be very even nothing showed Enlight '96. About Mouzon JOE, 
for example, many at first thought it was a General Sound

show, but it was - an ordinary
Yamaha ...


  Although it is more the exception than the rule.
Too much noise and little channels for
in order to "beat" music in interrupt.


                  -----

  Some time later, after
appeared the first sampling, someone (his
the name of history is silent) has tried to somewhat improve 
the sound quality. And he made Covox for Zx'a!



  The simplest scheme, which meets for
five to ten minutes, mixes, four (rather than
three, as in conventional AY!) channels into one and
lowers the "Left" noise. Although
Basically, the problem of the place occupied by
song'om on the disk, and has not been solved ...


  But for the minimal cost of parts and
installation user gets a very real
sound.


  And here is not entirely clear why Covox
never caught on in St. Petersburg, and in many
other cities.


  It would seem, soft words, the scheme (some
resistors) is, craftsmen, finished his
Connect - the same is, so for what it
up?


  The sound quality on a standard "LPT-Covox"
comparable to the 8-bit mono Sound Blaster'om - only smaller 
channels ... 


  For example, I surprise people shouting
nA every step: "Covox - nothing, nobody, he
do not need sound awful, the music under
him no one writes, "- etc. And they
have never heard Mouzon on Covox'e,
he never had never seen! Just
Someone somewhere said something, and they picked up, or are 
stupid, or because nature of this - everything has to be 
watered mud. Otherwise, life is not interesting.


 According to some very controversial information:


   3% Are Covox.

   10% had Covox.

   80% had no Covox.

   7% "What's that?" (No comment)

 Of those who have never been Covox'a:

 10% right now would buy Covox, lest

     know where, but can not do it themselves.
 25% would have bought Covox, so there's no money.
 64% would put Covox only for free.
 1% of principle do not want to put Covox.

     (Probably, the Party does not allow:))

 Of those who would put Covox for free:

 10% (most "vociferous".) Argue that

     Covox they need only "for fun"

     and hayut his right and left.
 90% said: "Why do we need it, we

     without a good living, and more about
     live, and generally leave us on
     something, we - the poor user'y, nobody

     interferes, and we, please, do not bother
     those ...".

Among spektrumistov, unfortunately, this category is the most 
plentiful. 

Lack of awareness, "vociferous" comrades (and not only friends 
but also just strangers who are so fond of

"Hang out" near the shelves / trays, and
which the main principle in life - "all is
the shit "), lack of funds - that" osnovopologayuschie factors 
present trends (in, skazanul!). 

On the sad reflections suggests this "trend".

It turns out that not of softa / iron dependent - whether it is 
good for 90% userov need Do it to them, and not so much from 
vendors how much of a "group of friends" ...


If you say no to Covox'a softa, then vykolite their eyes with a 
fork (so reliable ...). Soft words, and it is quite enough. 


                For example:

 - Digital Studio for Covox
 - Sample tracker (see Spectrofon 19)

Mouzon also missing, only to Peter, they
not getting through, because too few people
they are needed because of the weak Covox'a prevalence in our 
city. 

The output can be only one: we ourselves
punish, but just do not understand - why?
If you can not solder a few resistors and diodes, so find 
someone to soldered!



                  -----

  Next comes the mythical SounDrive, familiar to almost all 
user'am Spectrum of AlexGift'u and another two or three demo 
from FLASH'ey. 


  This seems to have a much more powerful
thing than the LPT-COVOX.


  SounDrive allows you to play as much in April
channel separately, as opposed to
Covox'a that these 4 channel mixes "
one! But for him for a long time there was no
editor, and several of Mouzon GIFT'ov
obviously not able to "coerce" a simple
user'a dorogostoyuschuyu collect a fee.


  But now, it seems, has finally Flash Tracker
appeared (see "Description" in the 10th
News), and hence Mouzon will ...


  But! Is it too late, he appeared?


  By the way, I'm not really in SounDrive
seen and therefore will not tout particular.


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