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Hack-Mag 1
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Hack-Mag - Issue 1 (1990-08-22)(D-Tect)(PD).adf
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Soundtracker-Replays
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ReadMe.txt
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* *
* S P R E A D P O I N T I N 1 9 9 0 *
* *
* PRESENTS *
* *
* AMICOM'S SOUNDTRACKER V2.5 PLAYER *
* *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
WHY DO WE NEED A NEW PLAYER WHEN THERES A PERFECT ONE LIKE STP37 ?
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I recently discovered that some modules cannot be played correctly
using stp37. Further investigation showed that this is not due to an
error in the player. The reason is that since Version 2.5, Soundtracker
has some new commands and a new handling for instrument loops.
I tried to adapt the new features to stp37, but the new V2.5 player by
Mahoney and Kaktus is too different from the Spreadpoint 2.4 player.
I therefore started from the beginning and turned the Mahoney/Kaktus
hack into a usable player. It is not as sophisticated as stp37 and
does not have the pipelining feature. Yet it is quite fast, short and
very handy. Not worth mentioning that all stupid shit has been removed
or fixed in just the manner as it has been done from the old Spreadpoint
player to stp37.
FEATURES / IMPROVEMENTS
-------------------------------------------------------------------
- Fully compatible with SOUNDTRACKER 2.5 incl al new effects.
- DATA (Song Module) may be ANYWHERE IN MEMORY.
It is not bound to the player.
You can (as you should) put the player in FAST memory.
- REAL WAIT ROUTINE, using CIA interrupt.
Runs on every CPU. The delay can be specified in raster lines.
Does not waste the time (main program runs meanwhile).
- PC-RELATIVE code
You can copy the routine to anywhere in memory without the need
of 'relocation' code modification.
You can even make the routine re-entrant (some changes necessary).
- The following ILLEGAL LAMER-CODING has been fixed
- CLR to hardware regs (May crash the system because the 68000
does a read before the write cycle)
- MOVE.B to DFFxyz regs (The interface is 16bit oriented)
- the setfilter routine used to always clear the filter bit,
then set it if required. REPAIRED.
- Code OPTIMIZATION
Only a few standard optimizations have been made.
Funny thing in the old player were several TST instructions
immediately following operations setting the same status.
- RE-INIT works perfectly
You may at any time, even during play, call mt_init.
This will always cause the player to restart the song
at the beginning, without errors or delays.
Ofcourse you can start playing another song at any time.
HOW TO USE
-------------------------------------------------------------------
1) if yuo're not located in CHIP-memory, allocate regions for the
the modules you want to use. Copy the sounddata into CHIP memory.
2) To enable the player
- allocate a workspace of <mt_enddata> bytes or use a block
in the code and point A4 to it
- call 'timerinit'
3) When you want to play a specific module:
- write its base address to mt_song(a4)
- call 'mt_init'
Also call 'mt_init' when you want to rebegin the current song.
4) To play the sound, call mt_music as normal, at a rate of
20 msec for normal speed.
5) When youre finished playing sound
- call mt_end
- then call timerexit
6) All routines are saving all CPU registers they use.
7) You need not preserve the status of any hardware register.
All registers used by the player are automatically
restored to the values they had on init.
COMPATIBILITY
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1) The soundtracker is NOT ibm-compatible. (Thank God for that)
2) It is compatible only with 31 instrument modules. Use the
soundtracker to upgrade your old 15 intrument modules to the
new standard.
3) There is a problem with a few modules for Soundtracker V2.3/2.4
If a song sounds strange, try it out on Soundtracker 2.4 or older.
If its sounds wrong only on 2.5, then you must use stp37
instead of mtp.
As far as we know, everything else should be the same
as in earlier Spreadpoint players.
BUGS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Unfortunately, the Mahoney/Kaktus playroutine contains a bug not yet
fixed in mtp08.
It sometimes happens that looped instruments suddenly stop where they
should continue. This seems to happen when the period (pitch) of the
instrument is changed.
If anybody knows the reason for this problem, please contact me or
SPREADPOINT.