Hardsynth

[emkay]

OK... some update. But this time no XEX but an MP3 file. Thanks to FANDAL for recording.

The tune is a bit "updated" . I bet a good musician can do even better but I think the right impession is there (if you like the Dune tunes by Stephane Picq)

 

 

http://www.fandal.cz/duni.mp3

[Allas]

Congratulations!

 

That sounds incredible. Maybe the better music sound I hear until now. I played Dune at his time, but I don't remember the music

It seems perfectly a adequate music for a sequel of NIGHTMARE Atari game.

[emkay]

Congratulations!

 

That sounds incredible. Maybe the better music sound I hear until now. I played Dune at his time, but I don't remember the music

 

Perhaps you remember this one?

 

The tune is a really hard meal for a casual musician ( ) like me, so only a short test is available.

Perhaps this short thing shows how far the pokey can go. Even with a limited tracker and a buggy emulation...

The 1.79MHz sawtooth gives really "unbelievable" possibilites.

 

Have a listen to the "harph" (start) and the "pizzicato" (not SO good by choice) which are really recognizable.

 

Not sure how to finish this one because of the lacking pitch which are not corrected in the hack version of the RMT.

[emkay]

Is this one recognizable?

[Allas]

I don't trecognized, but at the first seconds it appears me to be the intro of MacGuiver series theme music

[emkay]

I don't trecognized, but at the first seconds it appears me to be the intro of MacGuiver series theme music

 

Seems, it is recognizable because it was some "standard" sound of th 80's . Not sure whether the McGuyver or the Last Ninja 2 Tune was first

 

 

At least it proves that pokey can do REALly nice sounds at the right notation.

[emkay]

Another thing....

 

This time the 1.79MHz sawtooth is used for the main voice and instruments at 15khz and 64khz are used.

 

It's a "classic tune" & guess why the indicator is "pink"

[emkay]

AMIGA or a dual pokey 30 minutes Conversion?

[emkay]

Interesting what sounds one can create with just 50Hz VBI updates...

[emkay]

This one sounds like POKEY got a 16 bit Sawtooth

 

 

...it's very "chippy" and the last one for now.... at least for a stereo demonstration.

Edited October 19, 2007 by emkay

[emkay]

This one sounds like POKEY got a 16 bit Sawtooth

 

 

...it's very "chippy" and the last one for now.... at least for a stereo demonstration.

 

Ok... one more

 

left pokey uses some dual channel trick (like the Super cars one) for pokey clocking arpeggios and the right pokey uses the "stable" sawtooth overlayed with the unstable 64khz filter voice.... mixed with some MK style and buggy emulation

 

... not perfect, but worth a listen.... imho.

[Shamus]

I know it's probably late in the discussion of hardsynth techniques, but all of this reminded me of a very short BASIC program that would twiddle AUDCTL. It was like a mini-song all in itself, even though all that changed was AUDCTL! Weird! Who would've thought that the POKEY could make sounds like *that*? Still blows my mind. It works in emulators, but for best results use a real Atari computer:

 

10 S=53760:POKE S,230:POKE S+1,175:POKE S+2,231:POKE S+3,175:POKE S+4,229:POKE S+15,3
20 FOR X=0 TO 255.49 STEP 0.135:POKE S+8,X:NEXT X:GOTO 20

This is my benchmark for emulators. If they can reproduce this correctly (in addition to gfx, of course) then they're pretty close to 100% in my opinion.

[emkay]

I know it's probably late in the discussion of hardsynth techniques, but all of this reminded me of a very short BASIC program that would twiddle AUDCTL. It was like a mini-song all in itself, even though all that changed was AUDCTL! Weird! Who would've thought that the POKEY could make sounds like *that*? Still blows my mind. It works in emulators, but for best results use a real Atari computer:

 

10 S=53760:POKE S,230:POKE S+1,175:POKE S+2,231:POKE S+3,175:POKE S+4,229:POKE S+15,3
20 FOR X=0 TO 255.49 STEP 0.135:POKE S+8,X:NEXT X:GOTO 20

This is my benchmark for emulators. If they can reproduce this correctly (in addition to gfx, of course) then they're pretty close to 100% in my opinion.

 

 

Funny. This demonstrates what I was trying to explain mutliple times with RMT testsongs: The usage of free switching the AUDCTL gives a "quantum leap" for pokey music.

[emkay]

Still missing the ability of playing triangles .... and there are a lots of correction noises in the tune.

 

I wonder how much impressive a tune has to be, until soemone helps optimizing with it ?

Edited November 14, 2007 by emkay

[emkay]

Some updates in the last one.

[pseudografx]

Still missing the ability of playing triangles .... and there are a lots of correction noises in the tune.

 

I wonder how much impressive a tune has to be, until soemone helps optimizing with it ?

This one is quite a nice version of the Turrican soundtrack. Also some of the instruments sound interesting. Now if only RMT had editable note tables

[emkay]

Still missing the ability of playing triangles .... and there are a lots of correction noises in the tune.

 

I wonder how much impressive a tune has to be, until soemone helps optimizing with it ?

This one is quite a nice version of the Turrican soundtrack. Also some of the instruments sound interesting. Now if only RMT had editable note tables

 

It's not only the notation table. The ability to switch AUDCTL during the envelope of an instrument would give a huge benefit.

Actually, AUDCTL is switched already within 2 features.

1. Filter

2. 16 bit bass

 

But, what's really missing is POKEY "clocking" Arpeggios.

In the "Cars" tune I used a two channel trick for this( 1.79MHz gen 2 and 15khz gen a) . But it is also possible with one channel.

It would give several tunes the needed "Colour" for completion.

[emkay]

The latest tune with some different instruments. Some are really better, but some doesn't fit to the whole tune.

Two instruments are changed using some 1.79MHz Filter with gen. 2 instead of a frequency arpeggio.

Edited November 18, 2007 by emkay

[analmux]

Still wondering why we should carry on here on AA ....but let me give some comments.

 

The overall sound is lacking a bit of contrast. Nearly all the voices/instruments have the same volume, and I think the total volume is slightly too high. Also the drums could be more pounding.

 

You know, even when I did make a hack of RMT's notation-tables, there's still a tuning issue with the sawtooth voice, because my hack only supports an 8bit-table. Maybe another hack can cure this problem, when using a so-called double-8-bit table.

 

But:

I'm just curious who else (still) follows this thread and listens to the stuff, and especially why. I'm also curious who did make use of the hacked RMT I posted a while ago and who would do this when I'd make a new correction. And the last thing: I'm currently coding a Hardsynth Tracker that tries to support more of Pokey, but I don't know if I should make a public version. Looking at the interest in this topic I almost know that I'll keep it for private use only (nl. public tracker should be more user-friendly...thus more complex tool to code...which I won't if noone will use it anyway... etc.etc.)

[deathtrappomegranate]

I'm just curious who else (still) follows this thread and listens to the stuff, and especially why.

I follow the thread, and listen to the stuff.

 

Why? Because I know that Pokey is far more capable than is generally realised, and I admire the aspirations of the contributors. There is nothing to be gained by keeping developments private, IMO.

[emkay]

Still wondering why we should carry on here on AA ....but let me give some comments.

 

The overall sound is lacking a bit of contrast. Nearly all the voices/instruments have the same volume, and I think the total volume is slightly too high. Also the drums could be more pounding.

 

Well, the "volume" of the different instruments is intentionally set "same". You don't know how hard it can be to do so

I recognized some "detuning" sense when the volume is changed different. And sometimes it is better to change the volume, to have a "straight" sounding.

And, the "fine" adjustment only can be done on the real thing, or a full working emulation.

 

You know, even when I did make a hack of RMT's notation-tables, there's still a tuning issue with the sawtooth voice, because my hack only supports an 8bit-table. Maybe another hack can cure this problem, when using a so-called double-8-bit table.

 

There is another problem happening: The 1.79MHz emulation seems to do some unwanted "swinging" sound. Just like doing portamento ... without using any...

This also doesn't happen on the real thing.

Without this "swinging" it might be possible to adjust the notes by hand.

 

But:

I'm just curious who else (still) follows this thread and listens to the stuff, and especially why. I'm also curious who did make use of the hacked RMT I posted a while ago and who would do this when I'd make a new correction. And the last thing: I'm currently coding a Hardsynth Tracker that tries to support more of Pokey, but I don't know if I should make a public version. Looking at the interest in this topic I almost know that I'll keep it for private use only (nl. public tracker should be more user-friendly...thus more complex tool to code...which I won't if noone will use it anyway... etc.etc.)

 

What to say?

Edited November 19, 2007 by emkay

[GameEngine]

I'm just curious who else (still) follows this thread and listens to the stuff, and especially why.

I follow the thread, and listen to the stuff.

 

Why? Because I know that Pokey is far more capable than is generally realised, and I admire the aspirations of the contributors. There is nothing to be gained by keeping developments private, IMO.

 

I am very interested in previously unexplored capabilites of Pokey. Unfortunatelly I am not talented enough to contibute but I hope research done here will allow for more tunes we all enjoy. I appreciate effort put into it by Emkay, Raster and others very much. Thak you.

[emkay]

Another test. This time I tried to play the RMT tune parallel with the original mod.

Actually... played together one is "enhancing" the other, except some notes of the SAW.

 

To have it "sound parallized" it had to set the saw 1 pitch down and to revers the filter on the main voice.

While other instruments using the Sawtooth, sound good with the patched instrument by Mux.

 

Well.... for some sound FX at the main voice I used again some mix between the saw and the generator 2.

I really would like to experiment an Arpeggio between the saw, the standard Atari wave and the gen. 2.

[analmux]

emkay,

 

I think a lot of the instruments you used in the last track can be optimized further. Maybe you can post the RMT file of it?

 

I'm thinking about a new notation table correction for the sawtooth wave. Maybe I'll open a new topic with some explanations for it. Some tests for this are also needed still.

[emkay]

OK.... some Ideas from Mux are in the tune... particular the new drums.

 

I made some "by ear" correction by listening parallel to the RMT and the MOD tune.

Many of "up" and "downs" are gone now with the Sawtooth... but I didn't "correct" all...

What a benefit would be a Tracker that is able to import a MOD by syncing them automatically.

 

Inspired by the ideas of Analoque Multiplexer I changed again some instruments.

 

Note: As long as no Tracker is featuring "by note filter correction", we have to live with those noisy basslines. Because the difference in the instrument/notation is too heavy when trying to make them less noisy by standard features.