United Public Domain Gold 2/United Public Domain Gold 2.iso/music_utilities/pt083.dms/pt083.adf/s/readme.doc

Text File | 1993-08-22 | 18KB | 510 lines

Hello Amos-ers !

Hope this program is of some use to you.
If you have any suggestions for  improvement, then please pass your ideas
to me at the following address,  and  I  will see what can be done in a
future release. Please send  all  correspondence  to  me at the following
address.

Paul Townsend
2 Ashwell Ave
Lowton
Warrington
Cheshire
WA3 2HT
ENGLAND


Phone [phone]  (Office Hours only Please)

Please quote the version of software you  are  using so I can tell if you
need an upgrade.

If you have any problems using this software, then give me a call, I will
do my best to help.


========================================================================

                                 Manual
                                 ======

I will update the program if  there  is  a  demand  for it. Any ideas for
improvements would be most welcome. I will  give any helpers a mention in
the next version.


                                Contents
                                ========

                              1. Known Bugs
                           2. Getting Started
                            3. Hints and Tips
                      4. Writing your own programs
                            5. Technical Info


                                   (1)
                                   ===

                               Known Bugs
                               ==========

There are one or two bugs in this  program  that I know about which I now
list, in order of  remembrance,  and  will   attempt  to  fix them in any
future updates.

                            1. File Selector
                            ================

This causes a little screen corruption on  the file selector, but you may
not even notice it, it happens when  you  type in a new drawer name, part
of the graphics are overwritten by the drawer name you type in.

The parent button on the   file   selector   does  not  seem to work from
within more than  one  sub  directory,  you  have  to  select  the device
again, e.g DF0: DF1: RAM: DH0: etc.

2. On soundtracker and GMC, the halt tune does not work properly.
For the time being there is a way around this.

If you are playing GMC, just hold  down  both mouse buttons and the music
will stop.

For soundtracker the procedure is a little more complicated (not much)

A. Press and hold LEFT AMIGA key
B. Tap 'A'
C. Release LEFT AMIGA key
D. Tap 'ESCAPE'
E  Press and hold LEFT AMIGA Key
F. Tap 'A'
G. Release LEFT AMIGA key


That's all the bugs I have noticed so  far, none of them are too serious,
if you spot any others then please let me know.


                                   (2)
                                   ===

                             Getting Started
                             ===============

When you exit from this file, Music Engine should auto run.

After a few advertisements you will be  greeted by the main player screen
this contains several 'Buttons' which  are  activated by moving the mouse
and clicking with the left button while covering up the required button.


                             File Selection
                             ==============

The file selection can be set to  Auto  or  Manual, in auto mode when you
load in a tune the program tries  to  decide  what type of music the file
is, it seems to guess  correctly at Med, Octamed, Soundtracker, Sonix and
Amos.
If the file type is  recognised  then  a  player  will be selected and an
attempt will be made at playing the tune.
The success of the tune playing depends on a few factors:

1. You having enough memory to process the tune
2. The correct file type being recognised
3. Which way the wind is blowing (you know what these Amigas are like !)


                            Led Filter On/Off
                            =================

1. Surprisingly enough, it turns the Led on and off (Well I never !)
   The button reflects the current status of the led (So does the Led !)

                                  Quit
                                  ====

   I'll give you three guesses.

                                 Credits
                                 =======

This tells you who was involved  in  the  creation of Music Engine. Press
Left mouse to return to main program.

                                  Help
                                  ====

Toggles the Help Mode, a message will be displayed to show you if Help is
currently active.

When in Help Mode, further selection of  any of the buttons on the screen
will display a short message giving  you  a  reminder of what that button
does.
To exit Help Mode, just select Help again.

The Help Mode is not  intended  to  be  a  tutorial  for the program, its
intentions is to remind you  of  a  function,  please  refer back to this
manual for full instructions, if the  instructions  do not help, I can be
contacted at my address as above.


                              Display Paths
                              =============

This lists the external programs that will  be used to play the different
types of music.

                              Set up Paths
                              ============

This allows you to change the paths  to the external programs so that you
can use different programs.

The current paths will be displayed and you  will be asked if you wish to
amend the paths or return to default settings.

If you select amend, you will be  prompted  for the full pathnames to the
programs to use as players for the music

If you select Default,  the  programs  original  default settings will be
used, which are:-

Music Type      Default Path
==========      ============
Sonix           c:Sonix_play
Soundtracker    c:Soundtracker_play
Oldmed          c:Oldmed_play
Octamed         c:Octamed_play
GMC             c:GMC_play


When everything is input, the data  is  redisplayed and you  are asked if
it is correct, if you answer No  then  the paths  are  unchanged  and you
are returned to the main screen.

                               Load Music
                               ==========

A file selector will  appear  click  on  DF0:  or  DF1:  or  click on the
'Drawer' window and enter a device name e.g. DH0: RAM: etc.
A list of files will appear, find the  one you want, click on it and then
click 'PLAY'.

If Manual file selection is  active  another  screen will appear and give
you the option of deciding what type of music you want to play.
If Auto file selection is active, an  educated  guess will be made at the
type and if recognised, an attempt will be made at playing the tune.

If the type is not recognised,  or recognised incorrectly, then the music
will probably just not play, but  it  may  just  crash the computer so be
warned !

If the file type is Sonix or an old  version of MED then you need to tell
the program where to find the instruments for the tune, you will be asked
by the file selector, to give  it  your  answer just find the instruments
directory and choose any instrument from that directory and select 'USE'
the tune should then play.

                                Halt Tune
                                =========

This tries to stop the tune currently playing. (See known bugs, above).


                               Play Sample
                               ===========

You are greeted with the file selector, just find the sample you want and
click 'OK'.

                                   (3)
                                   ===

                             Hints and Tips
                             ==============

1. Do not try to play a  tune  without first stopping any others that are
playing, if you do then do  so  at  your  own  risk. (You try singing two
different songs at once and see how well you do !)

2. If playing  8  channel  Octamed  music,  then  I  advise not selecting
Credits or Help, as this  tends  to  over  power  a standard Amiga (and it
sometimes gets stuck in a continuous loop.
This does not seem to be a problem on higher Amigas, (68020 and above i.e
A1200)

The reason for this is that  8  channel  music  puts a real strain on the
Amiga and any multitasking  is  pushing  things  a  little, you will also
notice that the mouse  pointer  is  not  as  responsive  and  some of the
buttons flicker while it is playing.


                                   (4)
                                   ===

                 Using playroutines in your own programs
                 =======================================

Before I explain how you can do this, let's get the boring stuff over and
and done with.

The Amos Source Code on this disk  is (C)1993 Paul Townsend and
no part of it may be used in any commercial release without prior written
permission from myself.

The Amos code itself does not play  any  music other than Amos music, all
the other types of music  are  played  using  CLI commands which are P.D.
(except Sonix which is Shareware).

PLEASE NOTE:  The charge made on this disk is for Disk duplication, and a
small royalty to the programmer (that's  me  !),  the charge is not being
made for supplying the P.D. and  shareware  programs on the disk they are
included at no extra cost so that Music Engine can be used.

This program provides the interface between Amos and the CLI.
For any P.D. or licenseware  products  produced  using routines from this
program, all I ask is  that  you  notify  me of your
intentions and how you are releasing your program.

The power that this program provides is to play many different music file
formats without having to convert them  first  to an Amos music bank, i.e
Europress software provided a  Sonix  converter  with  Amos  to convert a
Sonix score to an Amos music bank, what a fantastic idea, pity it doesn't
work to well ! I have been led  to believe that many people have tried to
get Sonix scores to play in Amos,  and not had much success. This program
makes it all possible.

If you use any of the players  for  your own programs then please include
the relevant docs.

If you include the Sonix player, please  include a request for payment of
the shareware fee to Mark Riley.


If you use this program for  playing  Sonix  Scores, please note that the
actual code which plays  the  music  is  a  Shareware  program and that a
contribution is requested for using the program.

The only documentation I  have  ever  seen  for  the  sonix player is now
listed:-


********************************************************
 Sonix Score Player 1.0 - (C) Copyright 1987 Mark Riley
   December 1, 1987 - All Rights Reserved.
********************************************************
    This program is Shareware; it isn't free. If you
  like it (or use it) please send $10 to:

    Mark Riley - Play
 P.O. Box 234
  Simi Valley, CA 93062

  Thank you! If you have any questions or comments, I
 can be reached at the above address or the following:

    BIX: mriley - PLINK: SONIX
********************************************************

Usage: PLAY [*] [I=instrdir] score[.SMUS]

If you use play, or use  Music  Engine  to  play Sonix Scores then please
respect Mark's wishes and send him a contribution.


Soundtracker, Noisetracker, and many  other  similar  types are played by
Noiseplayer (Named Soundtracker_play on this disk) the only documentation
I have available follows:-


  Req.Library · Power-Packer · NoisePlayer, Version 3.00
  Copyright © 1990 By Flynn/TRISTAR!, This Program Is -»FREE WARE«-

  USAGE: NoisePlayer [-options] [filename]

  Options:
    -m#  Load Module And Play...
    -p#  Load Module Into Background And Play...
    -r  Load Req.Library And Use It For File Requester, Text Output...
    -i  Global Information And Copyright Notices.

  # Defines The Way To Exit:
  1=Left MouseButton.2=Right MouseButton.   3=Both MouseButtons.
  4=Left AMIGA+Control.   5=ESCape.    6=NO EXIT !!

  This  Version  Handles   NoiseTracker,   SoundTracker  2.3-2.5,  Future
Composer,  Delta Music  2.0-2.1,  Sound  Monitor,  SIDMon,  TFMX  And Jam
Cracker Modules.

  Special Thanks Must Go To TRANSFORMER & TCM & PBA For Some Help !!


  IMPORTANT  NOTICE: This Program  Is  Copyrighted By Flynn/TRISTAR!, But
Can  Be  Freely  Distributed,  Providing  That  The  Following  Rules Are
Respected !

    - No Change Is Made To The Program Nor To The Accompanying
      Documentation
    - The  Package Is Always Distributed In Its Complete Form Consisting
      Of  3 Files:  'NoisePlayer' , 'Req.Library' And 'NoisePlayer.Doc'.
    - Every  Form Of Distribution Is Allowed And Encouraged, But No Fee
      Can Be Charged For This Program Except For, Possibly, The Cost Of
      Magnetic Media.

  By Copying, Distributing  And/Or  Using   The Program You Indicate Your
Acceptance Of The Above Rules.


  Req.library Is Copyright ©1989, 1990 By  C.W.  Fox And Bruce Dawson. It
Is  Freely Distributable. No Charge  May  Be  Made For It's Distribution,
Except  For A Nominal Media Fee.

  Power-Packer Is Copyright ©1989, 1990 By Nico François !!




Please note, I do  not  have  a  copy  of  Noiseplayer.Doc,  so Iam unable to
provide it on  this  disk,   I   found  Noiseplayer  on a P.D.demo containing
Soundtracker music, and  the  coders  of  the  demo did not include the files
on the disk.  My  apologies go to Flynn/TRISTAR, you do not provide a contact
address in  the  above   so  am  unable  to  contact  you  for  a copy of the
relevant files, if  you are reading  this  and  would  like me to include the
file  on  future  releases,  please  contact me  at the above address so your
request can be fulfilled.
If anybody else out there has  a  copy of Noiseplayer.Doc please contact me.

Octamed and Med use Octamedplay  and  Medplay,  all the documentation for
this is included on the disk.


GMC music  is  played  with  a  player  provided  on  the  GMC  disk. The
documentation relevant to the player appears to be:-

                            The Playroutine.
                            ----------------

The replayroutine is written in K-seka assembler and is very easy to use.
Follow these steps:

* Save your song with 'Save Data' in GMC
* Load the replayroutine in to your program
* Create a block in your program, big enough to contain the song-data
* Load the song-data into this block
* Put the address value of this block into A0
* Call MU_start
* Listen
* Call MU_stop

For those who are interested the replay routine take about 2-3 scanlines
to replay the song. (Up to 6 with all effects and schmuck on).

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




    All coding except for the Midiport-handler (Robert Olsson)
    where made by Andreas Tadic (Megaman of Phenomena).


    If you wish to contact me (under the circumstances that you're
    not a lamer), this is the address:

    Coder: Andreas Tadic
           Rosjovagen 1D
           29300 Olofstrom
           Sweden  (tel: Sweden-454-42070)





    Midiport-coder:  Robert Olsson
                     Kiviksas
                     27057 Kivik
                     Sweden

Ps:   This music program was made for the guys who makes the music for my
      game. There may be some bugs, but it's very unrealistic that I will
      do anything about them, because all my programming time is going to
      the game (And a demo once in a while).

Phew ! That's all the mandatory documentation out of the way !

To be able to  play  music  from  within  your  own  programs, proceed as
follows:

1 Load Amos
2 From Amos, Load "Music_Engine.Amos"
3 Copy Procedure EXECUTE into your own program

You may want to change the  procedure  so  that  it does not try to print
anything.
To use the procedure, just  call  it  with  the  parameter set to the CLI
command you wish to use.

You must make sure that the command you use is on the disk, If it is not,
copy it there !

Note: You MUST tell the command  that  any  output is either discarded or
written to a file somewhere, and  NOT  the  CLI window, otherwise you are
asking for trouble i.e. GURU, It's  a  little difficult to explain how to
construct a valid command to  pass  to  the  EXECUTE procedure. I suggest
you look at Music_Engine.Amos to get  the  idea,  have a look at command$
settings and my EXECUTE calls.  If  you  can't  grasp the idea from this,
give me a call on the above number and I will do my best to help.
Suggestion: Either have pen and Paper ready,  or Amos up and running when
you call, or Both !


                                   (5)
                                   ===

                             Technical Info
                             ==============



This program was written with the aid of the following


1. Amiga A500 Plus
2. Amos 1.34
3. Amos Compiler 1.34
4. Protext 4.22  (to write this doc)
5. Deluxe Paint IV (to create the pretty pics in the program)
6. A bit of trial and error
7. A LOT of patience (Messing about with DOS causes a lot of Gurus)
8. Some good Kylie Minogue music playing in the background
9. Suggestions and ideas from Len Tucker and Sandra Sharkey.

This program was written without the aid of the following

1. Any knowledge of Machine Code whatsoever.
2. Alcohol (Need to be sober for this job).
3. Enough Sleep (i.e It's now 2:50am).


OK. I think I have covered everything, If I have missed anything out, and
you need help please contact me:

Paul Townsend
2 Ashwell Ave
Lowton
Warrington
Cheshire
WA3 2HT
ENGLAND

Tel. [phone] (Office Hours only please)

Thanks for reading


Paul Townsend

26 January 1992
Last updated 22 August 1993 17:55:03