Spectrofon #02 31 января 1994

Софт

System - Music Editor ASM A. Sendetsky - author instructions for working with the editor.

            SYSTEM



   Today we offer you
acquainted with the music editor ASC Sound Master (ASM).
This full-featured music editor for the ZX-Spectrum
128 KB.


   We contacted the author of the program - Andriy Sendetsky and
asked him to submit to
all our readers
their program. Proposal received support and, ultimately,
result, we were able to agree with the author of the 
publication in the journal of corporate program description, 
and is the inclusion in the "Supplement"

the latest version of the music editor.

   So, Andrew became Sendetsky
first author, who shared with us their development and
created a precedent in establishing
software market
our country.


   Nice to know the fact
for fans of the computer
ZX-Spectrum there is not political,
non-economic barriers. And we
everything will only get better, when
our cause is actively
join residents and neighboring countries. Especially because
experience of such cooperation we have
already have.


   In the first issue, we wrote about
that "SPECTROFON" will support the Russian
authors' system, applications and
game programs.



   We have already reported that they were ready
provide pages of the magazine
Authoring descriptions, as well as
to accommodate the demonstration
and full versions. We give authors an opportunity to begin
finally a normal, serious
work that can be
to get something. Now many
an incentive to write programs
not only for themselves and their friends, but also for the 
benefit of all users of ZX-Spectrum. SPECTROFON will inform 
your program until all want to buy them.



   To learn how to act, described in detail in the first issue 
of "ZX-Revue" for 1994 article "On

software distribution. "


   And now we are providing
author's words music editor "ASM".

(C) Andrew Sendetsky.


        THE ART OF SOUND

        --------------

   Gone are the days when
computers (computers!) engaged
"Crunching" columns to anyone
not the right number, excites the minds of the pioneers of the 
computer industry. Remember the good word of them now

already gray "ovoid" head
(English egghead). Now, when
the world is ruled Amiga and even the "blue giant" (IBM) began 
to excite not only the size and senselessly squandered 
Megahertz their computers, people still

waiting for a miracle from the computer, which has already 
become a reality. 


   It is no secret that the sound
design of the program can completely turn related to
her and raise her ranking from bad to acceptable, from good to 
sensational. Names computer musicians (Rob

Hubbard, David Whittaker,
Allister Brimble ...) among
Computer fans are not as popular as the names of rock musicians.


   And what about the Spectrum? Do
his chances to catch the gaining
rapid progress? Of course not ...
If you do not commit to it a small miracle: getting people
believe that he - a few
more than enough cheap and
easy to use "toy".



   The main purpose for writing
ASM had to prove myself - that I
understand something in the programming, people - that the 
ZX-Spectrum You can create enough decent music, very ZX-Spectrum

- That his time had not yet passed.
The only serious limitation were sound capabilities AY.


    That of all the venture turned out - to solve users
especially now, when ASM was
widely available through collaboration with the editors of the 
journal "SPECTROFON".



   Take this opportunity to
open a little secret: unlikely
Do not expect the appearance on
Light ASM v1.13 (as I have never
existed and ASM v0.13 - superstition).



But at the same time, now there are all
chances for the emergence of ASM v2.00,
on which work is already underway.
There is reason to believe that such a sound, as in ASM v2.00,
nobody AY have not yet heard. Perhaps the first ASM v2.00 will
shown on pages
"SPECTROFON" a. But it is a matter
future.


   In the meantime, I will take my
useful to work if ZX
Spectrum and ASM will find
a new computer-talented musicians, who will prepare for those 
times when in our lives, others will

Computers and other programs.



       BRIEF INSTRUCTION
 By Musical editor ASM
 -----------------------------
Last revision: 17/01/1994
Current version: ASM v.1.12



   Music editor ASC

Sound Master (hereinafter ASM) - sex
nofunktsionalny musical results
daktor for the ZX Spectrum 128k and

older models with the muse
specular processor AY-3-8912A

or AY-3-8910A, and TR-DOS v.

5.01, 5.03 and compatible with them.



Main characteristics (description of terms - below):

 - Keeping the note text in the
System Position / Pattern / Quant;
 - 100 Positions (Position);
 - 32 Pattern (Pattern);
 - 32 Instrumenta (Sample);
 - 32 Ornament (Image);
 - Window intrfeys;
 - Unified management;
 - Disk system ADS (MS-DOS
style): 12-bit FAT, Dir 255
Entries, 790kb free;
 - Record compiled modules in TR-DOS for further
use in other programs.


. N0
. K0b0.k1t1.k2t2.k3b6



    Select the part of the description:


 1.KONTSEPTSIYA MANAGEMENT

 2.STRUKTURA music data

 3.OPISANIE MAIN MENU

     CONCEPT OF MANAGEMENT

     --------------------. K0t0.n:

   Management based on
using 8 control
functions:

 - Move up (up);
 - Going down (down);
 - Move left (left);
 - Move right (right);
 - Select (select);
 - Reduction of (sub);
 - Increase (add);
 - Exit (escape);


   Each of them implements a number of different keys or their
combinations.



   As can be seen, the first 5 - features
joystick. Naturally, their joysticks and implement: Sinclair I,
Sinclair II, Kempston, Cursor
(+ Enter), QAOP (+ Space). With these functions is
Navigating the menus and select options from the menu.


   Decrease (TRUE VIDEO
(Caps +3) or R) and increase
(INV VIDEO (Caps +4), or T) is used to change the parameter of 
the current menu options. 


   Exit (BREAK (Caps + Space) or
EDIT (Caps +1)) is used to exit
the current menu in the previous
without choosing any of his options.



   In addition, for the choice of almost all options in all 
menus assigned to certain letters

keys. They are nowhere clearly specified, but usually coincide
with the first letter of the corresponding option. When you 
press such a key is moving the cursor to the corresponding

options and choices. It should be
remember that if any
keys perform the functions
joystick (Q, A, O, P), appointed
to choose options, then this menu
joystick to perform the function it
will not.



   There are only two exceptions to the scheme:

 - In edit mode
Pattern when the cursor is in
field octave / note 2 lower number of
keyboard is used as a keyboard piano, 'I' - for
Setup 'PSE', 'K' - to set the 'RLS', 'L' - to set
'___', 'U' to enter edit mode commands;

 - In edit mode
Pattern, Sample, Image Pressing the 'up' and 'down'
used to go to the top of the Pattern, Sample, Image, 
respectively. 


  MUSICAL STRUCTURE OF DATA

  ---------------------------
   This section describes
Adopted in ASM storage
music data. Supposes knowledge of a variety of musical terms.
. K0t0.n:

   Construction of music based
6 basic concepts:

 - Quant;
 - Pattern;
 - Position;
 - Sample;
 - Image;
 - Quark.


   The most fundamental of
these concepts is a Quant: the smallest note length used in 
this musical product.


In this case, in order to
specify the duration of any note,
will be sufficient to indicate
Quants as it is.
Typically, the Quant selected duration 1 / 16 or
1 / 32. Then, for example,
Quant = 1 / 16 the duration of 1 / 8 would be to have 2 Quants,
duration of 1 / 4 point - 6
Quants, etc.


   If you know that this note should last for a certain
number of Quants, then to indicate this is necessary that in 
the first Quant mentioned designation

notes, and follow-up should remain unoccupied ('___').


   Thus, all the while sounding composition is divided by 
Quants. 


   For convenience of manipulation
separate pieces of music
Quants works are grouped
in Patterns. Pattern - a set of several Quants. Maximum size 
Pattern - 1964 Quants. Then for Quant = 1 / 16 notes on the 
duration of sound Pattern will be

64 * (1 / 16) = 4 whole notes, or 4
tact for the size 4 / 4.


   Pattern size can be changed
(Minimum 1, maximum = 64), but
always convenient to Pattern of
duration is an integer
number of cycles (for size 3 / 4 and
Quant = 1 / 16 convenient size
Pattern = 48 Quants, which will be
48 * (1 / 16) / (3 / 4) = 4 cycles).

   Patterns of small size (less than 1 stroke) may, for example,
used to create off-beat.


   In ASM There are 32 Patterns,
Members who are 00 .. 31. As it is now clear, Pattern, as a 
rule, contains the musical scores of the musical work (the 
musical phrase). To Patterns based on design composition, it is 
necessary to specify sequence numbers

Patterns, which should be
played. This sequence is called a list of positions 
(Positions). It is clear that Positions in the list of number 
one the same Pattern can be

specify any number of times.



   List size Positions -
100. Positions are numbered 00
.. 99.


   Now from the description of the structure
musical text in general, go to encode their music and
characteristics.


   Music processor
AY-3-8912A/10A has 3 programmable generator of rectangular 
signals (tone) with 16 gradations of volume on a logarithmic 
scale, a white noise generator (white noise) of 32 species, as 
well as an envelope generator (Envelope) of 8 types. At the 
same time we must remember that the volume

noise generator is controlled
registers the volume tone generators, which does not consider 
it a full 4-m channel. 



   Envelope generator is also not
possesses sufficient to fully control the envelope of 
possibilities, so the ASM is used in an unusual way for 
receiving signals rectangular shape. 


   When editing text, music every Quant
represented as a string
text, which sets out
the settings for
generator envelope, generator
noise and tone generators.

Format string Quant:

 | 00 | 027 \ 12 | 2 # G 1 March 1915 |...|...|

   A B CDEF G H I J K L

A. The sequence number in Quant
Pattern.

B. Code frequency envelope generator. With the addition of 
vibration tone generator and the oscillation

envelope generator, if the frequency relationship between
is as small integers
(1:1, 2:3, etc.), then this results in fluctuations in
rather complicated shape of the signal, which make a pleasant 
break in not too rich sound AY. 

C. Symbol-type envelope.


      Type Symbol


    | \ | \ | \ | \ \


    /|/|/|/| /


    / \ / \ / \ / / \


    \ / \ / \ / \ \ /
D. Code prohibiting bias noise -
number from 0 to 7, which shows a
which channels include, but not to what is referred to in 
subsection E offset noise:



  0 - Displacements applies to all
channels;

  1 - offset allowed for channel A;

  2 - displacement allowed for the channel B;

  4 - offset allowed for the channel C.


  Summing up these values, we can
indicate mixed prohibitions (5 -
ban bias for channels A and
C).

E. Basic room noise, as to which will then be conducted 
displacement noise, referred to in Sample (see below). 



   Specifying the base for the generator
noise is similar to the direction of sheet music
(Ie frequency) for the tone generator. You can specify 1 of 32
possible bases, designated as follows: 0 .. 9 and below
A.. V.

F.. J. Parameters that control
Channel A:


F. A pointer to the presence of the team (#
- There is, | - no). Teams
(Command) - a powerful tool for additional data management
channel or a composition as a whole. A list of commands - in 
the description Editor's Pattern.




G. Octave and the note. In ASM permissible 1 part time and 7 
full octaves: 


  U - subkontr octave (it
only 2 notes: # A and B);

  C - Rear octave;

  L - large octave;

  S - small octave;

  1 - the first octave;

  2 - the second octave;

  3 - third octave;

  4 - the fourth octave.


   Notes are denoted in accordance with international standards:


  C - age; # F - F sharp;
 # C - C sharp; G - G;

  D - re; # G - G sharp;
 # D - re Sharp; A - la;

  E - mi; # A - To Sharp;

  F - F; B - B.

H. Specifying the number Sample, used when playing
this note. In ASM you can define 32 Samples, from the first 10
which are denoted by numbers
(0 .. 9), and the rest - letters
(A.. V).


   Sample is the main determinant of sound. Sample 
characteristics are specified in the envelope, involvement of 
tone, noise and envelope generators, shift

Room noise relative to the base and offset frequency tone with 
respect to a note (in terms of frequency AY). 


   A detailed description of the structure
and opportunities for Sample - in describing the Editor Sample 
(see below). 



I. Specifying the number Image, used when playing
this note. In ASM you can define 32 Images, the first 10 of 
which are designated by figures (0 .. 9), and the rest - letters

(A.. V).


   Image is a subsidiary determinant of sound. In
Image numbers indicate displacement noise relative to the base
(As in the Sample) and the frequency shift tone of a 
predetermined notes (in semitones).



   A detailed description of the structure
and opportunities for Image - a description of the editor of 
Image (see below). 



J. Volume. Valid values: 01 .. 15. Specifying the volume
means that the diapason loudness values ​​0 .. 15, with 
reproduction of the notes will be scaled in the range from 0 to 
setpoint. Specifying EN in this field allows the use of 
envelope generators (If in addition to the use specified in the 
Sample (see H)).



K. and L. Similarly, F.. J for channels B and C, respectively.



   Now consider the relationship
program with some
vital parameters ZX
Spectrum.



   As you know, ZX Spectrum
generates an interrupt with a frequency of 50 Hz. Time interval 
1 / 50 second, equal to the interval between

two successive interrupts
called quarks (Quark). By
impulses interrupt to synchronize the program, and, moreover, 
interaction with a computer and AY happening with this 
frequency. This means that only 50 times per second can be 
changed values ​​in registers AY. Based on the This fact is 
easy to come to the conclusion that playing time of one Quant 
(see above) should be is an integer Quarks

(You can not begin to reproduce
a new note without changing the values ​​of
in registers AY).



   Quant a specified time for each track in the main menu. (Eg, 
QV.06 - Quant is 6 Quarks). Valid values ​​for the duration of 
Quant - From 3 to 50 Quarks.



   If Quant is 6 and Quarks
corresponds to 1 / 16 notes, then the rate will be playing 
songs composes about 125 beats per minute. The same can be say, 
if Quant is 3 Quarks, but corresponds to 1 / 32

notes. Unfortunately, the change
Quant time is quite
rough, but the only way
set the tempo of the composition.



   Descriptors of sound and Sample
Image implicitly also use
the concept of Quark: each row in
Sample Image description corresponds to one or Quark, which
provides job performance audio with a maximum allowable 
increments (as already noted, change the parameters of sound AY 
in ASM can not be a time interval less than Quark).



  The maximum size of Sample -
150, Image - 1930 Quarks. Format
Line Sample:


   | 002 |()|+ 05 | -002 | 1912 | TN-|

     A B C D E F

A. The sequence number in Quark
Sample.


B. Tags loops.

 '(' - The beginning of the cycle,

 ')' - The end of the cycle.


   When playing a Sample
will be played Quarks
'Inside' these labels until
until playback starts
another note, a pause (Pause - PSE)
or will not be allowed to start
phase poslezvuchaniya (Release -
RLS).


   In this latter case,
achieving Quark tagged with ')'
will transition to the next
Quark (if any), rather than
Quark tagged with '('.



C. Displacement rates relative to noise reproduced in the 
previous Quark. This means that with each successive playing of 
the Quark (as in example, it appears inside the loop)

number of noise will change
according to the following sequence:
n +5, n +10, n +15, etc., where n -
room noise, reproduced
in Quark with atomic number 01.

D. Similarly, C, but for the frequency
tone generator. It should be borne in mind
that this frequency change is given in terms of frequency AY. As
known, each tone generator
AY can now play one of 4095 frequencies
number is entered in the relevant registers AY.



   In this case, the frequency can be determined by the 
formula: F = 110.83 / n [KHz], where n - number of frequency

(1 .. 4095).


   The formula shows that at low frequencies, the interval 
between two adjacent frequencies AY is a fraction of a hertz, 
while the high frequencies, it achieves

several kilohertz.


   This must be taken into account when setting the frequency 
shift in the Sample. In practice, for music the first octave 
the total frequency shift usually no more than 5-10 units.



E. Volume. Because tone generator AY has 16 gradations of 
volume, it is permissible values: 00 .. 15. 

F. Mode of operation of the channel. Contains
3 positions:

1. involvement tone generator: 'T'-yes, '_', no;
2. involvement noise generator: 'N'-yes, '_', no;
3. Additional features:

 '_', Do not use advanced features;

 'E'-use the envelope generator, if Pattern is
stated EN;

 '+', Increase to 1 shift
volume;

 '-'-Reduce by 1 shift
volume;



   Displacement volume means
Unlike actually playing
volume of specified in Section E. In
Sample the beginning of the play
it is zero, then its value can accumulate, remaining in the 
range -15 .. +15. If specified mode of operation 'T_E' or

'__E', Then the offset specified in the
Section C, is not related to noise, and to
frequency envelope generator.



   Image format string similar to
Sample format string, except that there are no paragraphs.
E. and F., and frequency offset in part
D. indicated in halftones that
allows you to set the Image
playing chords.