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AWEPLAY.FAQ
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1995-08-23
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AWEPlay 0.430 by Thor
The best module player for the AWE32!
I wrote this program for enjoying the awesome sound, which CAN be produced
with the AWE32. I hate the "war" between GUS and AWE32 users. We'd rather
develop music/players for both cards. I just love good music, and the
AWE32 is a really good sounding SB card! I have spent three hard months
figuring out how to avoid the MIDI drivers and AWEDIP too, but it's worth
the effort, I hope...
Features:
+loads and plays
+ FastTracker II's XM modules ($0104 only)
+ Protracker's and FT II's MOD modules (31 instruments)
+up to 30 channels, max. 256 rows, max. 256 patterns, max. 128 instruments
+all Protracker's effects implemented
+almost all FastTracker II's effects implemented
+8 or 16 bit samples, size limited by RAM on AWE32
+force upload (if not enough RAM on AWE32, less samples, but playing)
+amiga or linear frequency tables
+MOD, XM or S3M panning (separating channels)
+sample smoothing (optional)
+patch uploading at maximum speed
+interactive reverb/chorus set
+interactive reverb/chorus type set
Requirements:
!386 or better (some 386 can hang from PMW 1.16, my old 386 too)
!AWE32, SB port on 0x220, EMU on 0x620
=recommended min. 2MB DRAM on AWE32, although not needed
!1MB XMS/EMS, recommended 4MB, but no need of memory managers
Not needed:
AWEPlay DOESN'T require or need the following drivers or files:
ct*.sys
ct*.drv
csp.sys
aweutil.com as TSR
any .sbk files or such files
AWEPlay doesn't affect the mixer settings! And doesn't care what
you've set with aweutil :) (so it can 'damage' the midi emulation,
because it doesn't restore its initial uploaded samples)
!THE ONLY requirement for AWEPlay is the BLASTER environment variable!
Currently supported effects:
general:
+instrument volume
+instrument finetune
+instrument relative tone
+instrument panning
+instruments with multisamples
+instrument volume envelope
+instrument volume fadeout
+instrument pan envelope
+key off
+8/16 bit samples
+amiga or linear frequency tables
=sample loop (bi-directional -> forward)
in volume column:
+volume set
+volume slide up/down
+fine volume slide up/down
+panning set
+panning slide left/right
+tone porta
in effects column:
+0xx arpeggio
+1xx portamento up
+2xx portamento down
+3xx tone portamento
+4xx vibrato
+5xx tone portamento and volume slide
+6xx vibrato and volume slide
+7xx tremolo
+8xx pan
+9xx sample offset
+Axx volume slide
+Bxx position jump
+Cxx volume set
+Dxx pattern break
+Fxx tempo/BPM
+Gxx global volume set
+Hxx global volume slide
+Kxx key off
+Pxx panning slide
+X1x extra fine portamento up
+X2x extra fine portamento down
+E0x filter on/off
+E1x fine portamento up
+E2x fine portamento down
+E3x set glissando
+E4x set vibrato control
+E5x set fine tune
+E6x jump loop
+E7x set tremolo control
+E9x retrig note
+EAx fine volume slide up
+EBx fine volume slide down
+ECx note cut
+EDx note delay
+EEx pattern delay
Command line switches:
-p is for disable XM panning, also separating channels like in ST3, and
disables default pan position of instruments (sets to channel's pan)
For MOD files, panning is automatically set to its values.
-e is for disable sample smoothing. Sample smoothing almost avoids
some specific clicks during playing, but I think (experimental)
that bad loop values make clicks when the sample is looping, and
if the sample is silly. (i.e. starting and ending value makes
big difference from 0, a high frequency transient follows...)
-s plays the module only once (if it doesn't loop before end)
Keyboard: (ooh, yeah :)
[ ] : Reverb down, up
; ' : Chorus down, up
ESC : Exit
`,1,...: Chorus type (0..7)
TAB,q,...: Reverb type (0..7)
Known bugs:
- Not a bug, but the program takes a lot of memory (~38K each pattern).
If you run out of memory it will print, but not terminate ;(
- If relative note makes the final note>101 then it may
go down in the sub-frequencies (0.01-10Hz). (I haven't heard any
music which had this problem).
Notes:
- Clicks. Some samples make clicks.
Cause: Old mods, bad sampled instruments, bad looping points, etc.
- no instrument vibrato, sweep yet
(will be pitch envelope and many more)
- no pingpong loop, they will be converted to forward loop.
Some xm's may 'suffer' because of it during playing.
In the Future:
- Version 0.5 will be the ~FULL~ XM, MOD player.
- The player has RENAMED to AWEPlay, because
the version > v0.500 has been started to be developed (editor)!
AWEPlay will be 0.5, when it has GUI. (perhaps never :))
- ( Final :) version AWETrack will be a TRACKER/PLAYER.
I'll implement external MIDI keyboard handling, something like in FT2,
and maybe .mid format, SBK files, sampling, and many more.
For the tracker:
- *.am will be an AWE module format for the AWE32's capabilities.
- *.cam will be a compiled am module, which will be playable with AWELib.
(hardware envelopes, LFOs, reverb, chorus, cut-off filter/slide,
filter resonance, ROM samples, pitch and cut-off envelope)
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- I know that you want an SDK or at least info on the AWE32 from me,
but believe me, there's a few things/registers which I don't know
how to use and why should I use them the way that I use. So now it isn't
meaningful to release a halfgood SDK. CL doesn't help us too.
Although if at some time I want to release an SDK for the AWE32,
and if Ari and JDredd say OK, we will write it together.
It'll consist of info and library file for large/flat memory model.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Note:
For those who doesn't know:) *.s3m modules can be converted with FT2 to *.xm!
AWEPlay doesn't and won't load any s3m files.
Final note:
Enjoy the sound of AWE32!
Special thanks to:
Creative Labs, E-mu,
For making SoundBlaster AWE32, this brilliant soundcard!
But not everyone is interested writing only MIDI drivers...
Judge Dredd, Infiniti 2001,
Your AweMod gave me the inspiration to develop AWEPlay.
Ari Laakonen, (Esbeekay)
For exchanging codes.
Omega, Omega-Modplayer
For the source. We are walking on the same street...
Mr. H, Triton,
FastTracker II is the best tracker I think.
Without FT2 I couldn't test the effect so easily.
Tran, Darevill,
For your PMW.
My testers,
For your helps. THANK YOU!
Gavster,
The English person who made this FAQ into 'proper' English!
and Composers/Arrangers of
chariot.s3m,
beyond.mod,
inside.s3m,
axlfoley.s3m,
strshine.s3m,
resonanc.mod,
claustr2.xm,
deament.xm,
razide.xm
...
for the songs I've tested AWEPlay with.
Please send your comment on AWEPlay to
juhasza@ludens.elte.hu
Comments like:
1.) AWEPlay is I was waiting for!
2.) ...
1995.VIII.23 (my birthday)
Thor