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!ALBUM3.ZIP documentation file - Thanks for d/l this album.
Section I: Technical section (must read it no matter who you are)
Section II: Song descriptions
Section III: Basic info about .ROL files
Section IV: Junk info
!!!!DON'T FORGET TO READ THE ENTIRE TECHNICAL SECTION (SECTION I) BELOW!!!!
!!!!IT CONTAINS IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT PLAYING THESE FILES!!!!
!!!!TRUST ME, YOU MUST DO THIS!!!!
!!!!All of you should read the ENTIRE technical section!!!!JUST DO IT!!!!!
!!!!IT CONTAINS IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT PLAYING THESE SONGS!!!!
(Have I mentioned that you need to read the ENTIRE technical section!?)
Please read the ENTIRE TECHNICAL SECTION, as if I need to mention again. If
you are one of those people who knows absolutely nothing about .ROL files,
then please skip forward and read section III first then COME BACK AND READ
THE ENTIRE TECHNICAL SECTION.
---------------------
I. TECHNICAL SECTION: (all the stuff below also apply to ALL my previous
releases and I suggest you follow the guidelines below if
you had problems playing my previous .ROLs).
A. System Requirements if you want to be able to play ALL my music correctly:
-100% Adlib compatible sound card. (some sound cards, such as the SOUND
WAVE 32, may not play the music right, see more info below)
-ONE of the following (more info below):
1.) Adlib Visual Composer version 1.51 (or later?), (1.50 may work?)
2.) Adlib Jukebox version 1.5, NOT before 1.5 and NOT 1.6 or later
3.) Intune .ROL player version 2.50 (other versions may work?)
********I might include this program with !ALBUM3.ZIP. If you see a file
named INTUNE25.ZIP when you extract !ALBUM3.ZIP, then you don't have
to worry about finding an .ROL player. Simply unzip INTUNE25.ZIP
and read the text files included with that program to find out how
to use it.
4.) Don't panic if you don't got one of these, just read on.
5.) Even if you got one of the above, just keep reading.
-Hopefully a fast 286 or higher (I know for a fact that an XT 10mhz
cannot play one of my music files all the way through, please see more
info below).
-Must load SOUND.COM with B3000 parameter: SOUND B3000 (SOUND.COM is
included with this package, see more info below)
-XTs (or maybe slow 286s) must use SOUND BC800 (more info below)
-A very good speaker or headphone (optional but highly recommended)
B. STANDARD.BNK file
First of all, the STANDARD.BNK file included is REQUIRED to play these
files. REPLACE any STANDARD.BNK file you may already have with mine
(make a backup of your old one if you want to). You MUST DO THIS.
FAILURE TO DO THIS WILL CAUSE BIZARRE SOUNDING MUSIC. The STANDARD.BNK
file that is in this package IS NOT THE SAME AS OTHER STANDARD.BNK
files!!! It contains instruments that are not in any other bank file.
Location of STANDARD.BNK:
Most .ROL players require that you have the STANDARD.BNK file in the
same directory as your song files. They may also let you specify
where your STANDARD.BNK is located. Please refer to the manual for
those programs if you are having trouble with the program not finding
the instrument bank file.
C. SOUND.COM with B3000 and BC800 parameters
(note: for info about what B3000 and BC800 mean, please read section III.)
Before you play these files, modify your player program so that
SOUND.COM is loaded with B3000 parameter after it. In other words,
the command line should read: SOUND B3000. You can usually do this by
editing the sound player's .BAT file with a text editor. Another way
to do this is to change to the directory with the file SOUND.COM and
type SOUND B3000 before loading any .ROL player. If SOUND.COM has
been loaded already, YOU MUST REBOOT TO REMOVE IT FROM MEMORY, then
type SOUND B3000 after rebooting.
*Important!*: If you find that songs gets stuck or screwed up even
with SOUND B3000, then use SOUND BC800. (I'm espeically referring to
slower computers such as XTs and with the song 402MUS06.ROL.)
D. .ROL PLAYERS
To play these files, you MUST USE a good .ROL player on a fully Adlib
compatible card. I must emphasize this point because on certain .ROL
players and certain sound cards, the songs are played with the wrong
instrumentation, wrong notes, stuck-ups, you name it. THE ROL PLAYER
THAT YOU USE COULD BE THE MOST VITAL FACTOR IN PLAYING THESE SONGS THE
WAY THEY WERE MEANT TO BE PLAYED!!!
PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR EXTENDED DESCRIPTIONS!
!!!!IMPORTANT, READ ALL THE NEXT FEW PARTS!!!!
E. Quick Summary of .ROL Player Programs:
-Generally, the Adlib Visual Composer 1.51 is the best.
-Adlib Jukebox version 1.5 is equally reliable.
-Intune 2.50 .ROL player is next reliable.
-Those programs above play most files on almost all computers with no
problems.
-The program SSG works, but the last note always gets cut off.
-Sputter is semi-reliable, with several major problems.
-These programs: other versions of Adlib Jukebox and Visual
Composer, MuchMusic, and Playrol are terrible at handling my .ROLs,
so don't use them ever.
*******I may decide to include Intune 2.5 with this album. If you see a
file called INTUNE25.ZIP when you extracted !ALBUM3.ZIP, then you don't
need to look for another .ROL player. Just extract INTUNE25.ZIP and
read that program's doc files to figure out how to use it. DON'T STOP
READING NOW!! KEEP READING!!
*******If !ALBUM3.ZIP does NOT include Intune and you don't already have
Adlib Visual Composer 1.51, Adlib Jukebox 1.5, or Intune 2.5, please
call the BBSs in your area to look for them.
!!!!!!!As a last resort, you can call Microlink BBS at 818-961-7903. I
know for a fact that Intune is available in this BBS as INTUNE25.ZIP.
This BBS is in Southern California. KEEP READING!!
F. Extended Description of .ROL Player Programs:
(ranked in order of reliability; one asterisk before a line indicates
a minor flaw; two asterisks indicates a serious flaw that affects the
audio of the songs. I've never tested any player on a 286 or Pentium.)
1.) Adlib Visual Composer 1.51: (Note: I have only tested version
1.51. Chances are that all versions in the 1.5? range are equally
reliable. Versions before 1.50 DON'T WORK with my .ROLs. Also,
chances are that versions 1.6 and later are NOT reliable. That's
as much as I can conjecture.)
Reliability
-The MOST RELIABLE .ROL song player.
**-The only song that this cannot play is 402MUS9L.ROL on XT 10mhz
or slower (song gets jammed at the end).
-On faster systems (I would guess 386 or higher, I don't know
about 286s since I don't got one) the Adlib Composer should play
every song just fine.
General description
-This is the program used to make .ROL files.
*-I've only tested version 1.51.
*-Hard to find in BBSs since this is a commercial program.
2.) Adlib Jukebox 1.5: (Note: I know that versions before 1.5 DON'T
WORK with my .ROLs. Version 1.6 and later also DON'T WORK with my
.ROLs. My guess is that all versions in the 1.5? range is just as
good.)
Reliability
-As far as I know, as reliable as Adlib Visual Composer. I
believe that Jukebox 1.5 uses the same playing scheme as Visual
Composer 1.51
**-Probably cannot play 402MUS9L.ROL on XT 10mhz or slower (song
gets jammed at the end)
-Should play all songs fine on relatively fast systems (fast 286+)
General description
-Graphical jukebox interface
-Easier to find in BBSs than Composer, but it's still a commercial
program
*-User needs to modify a certain file (JUKEBOX.DAT) in order to
get the program to recognize .ROLs
3.) Intune: (Note: I've only tested version 2.50. I have no clue
whether other versions work or not.)
Reliability
-Second most reliable .ROL song player behind the two above
**-402MUS9L.ROL gets stuck at the end on XT 10mhz or slower
-On faster systems (fast 286+) this should play every song.
General description
-Has many features, including a comprehensive song info detection
scheme and tagging ability.
-Found in many BBSs since it is shareware.
*-I've only tested version 2.5
***By now, you may have figured out that the only three truely reliable
.ROL players are: Adlib Visual Composer 1.51, Adlib Jukebox 1.5, and Intune
2.5.
4.) Super Sound Gram (also known as SSG): (Note: I've only tested
1.05. No clue as to whether other versions work or not)
Reliability
**-Cannot play 402MUS10.ROL (song ends prematurely) on my 486DX33
**-On all songs, the last note is shortened (ends too quickly)
**-Will not play last note of 402T2MIX.ROL on my 486DX33
**-May not play 402MUS9L.ROL correctly on 386s or slower
*-I have never tested this on an XT.
*-The graphical output gets screwed on many files. Depending on
your computer setup, the graphics may or may not get screwed.
In any case, this usually does not affect sound output. The files
that DO get screwed up graphics on my 486DX33 are: 402T2.ROL,
402MUS06.ROL, 402MUS9C.ROL, 402MUS9L.ROL, 402MUS11.ROL
**-During my testing, there are sometimes instrumental problems
with the program not being able to find instruments.
However, this does not occur often and is often fixed by
rebooting. But if the program always have errors in using wrong
instruments, please use one of the above three .ROL players.
General description
-Graphically, the best .ROL player. Displays a real-time
graphical representation of the song as it is played with
real-time pitch, volume, and note displays.
-Requires at least a 640x350 monitor and EGA card.
-Has no registration delays.
-Shareware, found in many BBSs.
*-I have only tested version 1.05.
5.) Sputter: (note: I've only testing 1.15, no clue whether other
versions work or not)
Reliability
*-Seems to require a lot of conventional memory for it to work
**-Had major problems with screwed up instrumentation. I have
tried to fix this problem, but I don't know whether this will
happen again or not. If this problem occurs, the results may
include bad sounding bass, drums, and general instrumentation.
If you hear weird stuff or if you see Sputter trying to
substitue my instruments, please use another .ROL player.
**-Problems with Sputter omitting voices on 402MUS9L.ROL
**-In general, Sputter sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. When
it works, it is as good as any other .ROL player. Unfortunately,
every machine setup is different and I just don't think you
should use this .ROL player since it works so erratically. (On
my 486DX33, Sputter can play 9 of the 10 .ROLs on this album.
But on my XT, Sputter can only play about 4 of them.)
General description
-A very nice file selection shell with many features.
-Can also play WAV, VOC, CMF, and many other file formats.
*-I have only tested version 1.15.
6.) Adlib Jukebox version 1.6 or later: (note: I've only tested 1.62)
Reliability
**-DOESN'T WORK. I believe that all Adlib Jukeboxes after 1.6 uses
a new type of playing scheme that cannot play very complex
.ROLs. Even though the program boasts increased response time,
very few of my .ROLs work with this. ABSOLUTELY DO NOT USE
THIS.
**-Chances are that most of my .ROLs would trigger the message:
Memory Allocation Error
**-Makes the last note of 402T2MIX.ROL abnormally long.
**-Who knows what else is wrong with this program?!
General description
-Graphical display is identical to all previous Adlib Jukeboxes
**-New playing scheme which made the program UNABLE to play my
.ROLs
*-User needs to modify a certain file (JUKEBOX.DAT) in order for
the program to recognize certain .ROLs
7.) Muchmusic: (note: I've only tested 1.11)
Reliability
**-PLAYS MY .ROLS OUT OF TUNE!!!
**-TERRIBLE INSTRUMENTATION ERRORS!!!
**-ABSOLUTELY DON'T USE THIS PROGRAM!!!
General description
-File selection shell
-Supposed to have the ability to play .ROL, .CMF, and zipped
music files
8.) Playrol: (note: I've tested the 1989 version)
Reliability
**-CANNOT PLAY MY .ROLS, SO DON'T USE THIS!!!
**-I think my STANDARD.BNK is too large for this program to work
General description
-I believe this is a command line .ROL player
9.) Adlib Jukebox before version 1.5:
Reliability
**-Since it uses old .INS instrument files, it cannot play any of
my files correctly
**-Don't use this
General description
-Typical Adlib Jukebox graphics
*-User needs to modify a certain file (JUKEBOX.DAT) in order to
get the program to recognize .ROLs.
G. FILE CONVERSIONS:
Some people convert .ROLs to .MIDs or .CMFs or whatever. This is BAD!
The file convertor NEVER converts the files correctly since there are so
many differences in the different file formats. ABOSOLUTELY DON'T
CONVERT!!!!
H. Sound Cards:
I tried to play my files on a friend who has an ORCHID SOUNDWAVE 32.
My conclusion is that this sound card absolutely does NOT play .ROL files
correctly (bad instrumentation, wrong notes, etc). I have had limited
testing, so this may not be true on all systems. The point is that even
though all sound cards say they are Adlib compatible, they are NOT. As a
rule, the Sound Blaster cards and the old Adlib card always work fine.
I. SPEEDUP.COM or other similar CPU speedup programs:
The program SPEEDUP.COM or other similar so-called CPU speedup
programs have been proven to cause serious problems with playing .ROL
files. On my 486, the audio is all mixed up when using one of these
programs, so please don't use these programs when playing my .ROLs.
J. XT machines:
On an XT type machine, certain parts of songs may seem to pause for a
slight duration and/or slow down a little. This is because the XT can't
efficiently handle the large number of instrumental changes at that
moment of the song. It is normal for this to happen on an XT. The only
remedy is to use a faster computer. This delay effect is I think most
apparent in 402MUS9C.ROL.
K. RAM requirements:
Occationally, the .ROL player program might say that you don't have
enough RAM to play a certain .ROL file. In my experience, I have been
able to play even my most complex .ROLs with around 450k or more FREE
RAM. If memory problems occurs with many songs, than I suggest you
change a .ROL player program or try to get a memory manager program.
Sputter seems to require more RAM than other programs.
M. About the Speakers you use:
Some of you might have small 3 inch speakers. This is almost a SIN
when playing .ROL files. The biggest problem that I have with .ROLs is
that the bass drum is so powerful that it overdrives small speakers and
makes an annoying "plop" sound. The type of drums, bass, and other
instruments that FM synthesis produces are simply TOO POWERFUL for small
3 inch or even 5 inch speakers. You may think that speakers don't have
much to do with sound quality; well, you're DEAD WRONG. Speakers have a
world of difference, especially when playing sound card music and even
more especially when playing Adlib FM music. TRUST ME, if you get some
bigger speakers (like 8 to 12 inch or those incredibly expensive
brand-names), the bass and drums would sound AWESOME! That's right, you
heard what I said: .ROL files can actually sound AWESOME!
In the case that you don't have access to big speakers, then EARPHONES
are the next best thing. That's right: earphones. They seem to be able
to take the power of the FM sound much better than small speakers do,
making for much better sounding bass and drums. Some expensive earphones
are actually BETTER than 12 inch speakers. As a rule, the closer you
press the earphones to your ear, the better the bass sounds. Some
expensive earphones are nothing but fairly tightly constructed earphones
that press close to your ear.
O. About 402MUS9L.ROL:
This song CANNOT be played correctly on an XT 10mhz or slower machine.
If you use an XT 10mhz or other similar speed CPU, than keep in mind that
some part of the song is gonna be messed up, especially the ending of the
song (which uses hyperspeed sound effects).
P. About 402MUS06.ROL:
This song gets screwed up in the middle on an XT 10mhz or slower
machine UNLESS you use Adlib Composer 1.51 or Adlib Jukebox 1.5 to play
it. If you use SOUND BC800, than this song will work with some other
.ROL players as well.
Q. !!!IMPORTANT, KEEP READING!!!!
I may not have listed all the .ROL players and all the sound cards.
There are an infinite number of system configurations possible out there,
so it is impossible for me to list all the situations. Also, you have to
realize that even if the audio sounds fine to you, there is still no
guarantee that you are hearing the music the way I meant it to sound.
*No matter what you use, if any of the following happens consistently:
1. the drums sound really weird (see below)
2. anything is really out of tune for a large section of a song (be
careful with this since certain sections are meant to be out of tune.
the following songs have major parts which are INTENTIONALLY out of
tune: 402MUS9L.ROL, 402MUS10.ROL, 402MUS11.ROL)
3. the song gets stuck in the middle
4. the instruments seem to sound completely bizarre
5. or any other strange things
If any of the above happens in more than one song, than I suggest that you
change the .ROL player you use or try to find a remedy by carefully
reading this text file completely. Of course, certain parts of the songs
are written to be out of tune, so don't jump to conclusions unless an
entire song is screwed up.
R. About the bass drums:
You may think: "Why do the bass drums sound like 'boings' or 'plops'
instead of a solid 'thud'?" Well, about the only cure for this problem
(unless it is a system-based error) is to get bigger speakers. Small
speakers 5 inches or less in diameter are generally not capable of
handling .ROL files with very good results. Large and/or high quality
speakers or earphones can actually deliver the "thud" that a bass drum
should have.
S. Other problems?
I hope I have covered all the problems, but if you've got a problem
and cannot find a remedy in this file, then you can always leave a
message to the guy who uploaded this file in whatever bulletin board
system you found this file in. You'll hopefully get a reply shortly.
-----------------------
II. Musical Information
Files included in !ALBUM3.ZIP:
X-RATED.DOC : X-Rated documentation file
MUSTREAD.DOC: this text file
STANDARD.BNK: my instrument bank file, REQUIRED to play the music files
SOUND.COM : the Adlib sound driver file, must load this up with
B3000 parameter before playing my files.
402MUS05.ROL: music file
402MUS06.ROL: " "
402MUS07.ROL: " "
402MUS9C.ROL: " "
402MUS10.ROL: " "
402MUS11.ROL: " "
402MUS12.ROL: " "
402T2.ROL: " "
402T2MIX.ROL: " "
402MUS9L.ROL: " "
INTUNE25.ZIP: Intune 2.5 .ROL player (may or may not be included)
Only the above files should be included. If any are missing or added, then
someone screwed up my original file.
Album data:
If this had been a real music album on tape or CD, this is the info that I
would have put on the album:
Track# File Name Actual Name of Song
1 402MUS05.ROL Piece 5
2 402MUS06.ROL Piece 6
3 402MUS07.ROL Piece 7
4 402MUS9C.ROL Piece 9 (commercial remix)
5 402MUS10.ROL Piece 10
6 402MUS11.ROL Piece 11
7 402MUS12.ROL Piece 12
8 402T2.ROL Terminator theme remake (original)
9 402T2MIX.ROL Terminator theme remake (complete remix)
10 402MUS9L.ROL Piece 9 (extended remix)
Approximate total playing time - 46:26
***********************************************
Detailed Descriptions of Songs in !ALBUM3.ZIP:
(note: all playing times are measured by Intune / all file sizes are DOS
sizes / bpm does not take into account short, temporary beat changes)
- 402MUS05.ROL: This is the fifth original composition from me. It is a
long song with many changes. Could be the first song where
I tried to write guitar solos. Could also be the song that
took the longest to make since I worked on and off for many
months in making it. Also, as a side note, the piano intro
was added long after the song was first completed.
Playing time: 8:09
File size: 70973 bytes
Bytes per second: 145.14
Beats per minute: intro - variable / rest of the song - 128
- 402MUS06.ROL: This is the sixth original composition by myself. It is
one of the most complex .ROLs I've made datawise. The song
squeezes 80k of data in just under 5 minutes. Make sure
you use SOUND BC800 if you're playing this on an XT. This
was one of my quickest compositions. Also, I rarely
listened to this song after I was done with it, probably
because I'm never very happy about this piece. I touched
on several trouble spots in this song right before wrapping
up work on this album.
Playing time: 4:53
File size: 81681 bytes
Bytes per second: 278.77
Beats per minute: intro - 103.85 / rest of the song - 155
- 402MUS07.ROL: This is the seventh original composition from me. Basically
composed in ten minutes, this short song is one of my
strangest pieces since most other of my songs don't sound
like this.
Playing time: 1:50
File size: 5955 bytes
Bytes per second: 54.14
Beats per minute: 77
- 402T2.ROL (original version): The Terminator movies are the best, and
this song is in a way a tribute to them as well as one way
for me to rid the... Anyway, the original Terminator theme
is great, and I hold it as one of the greatest compositions
I've ever heard.
As far as the second part of 402T2.ROL is concerned (the
part with the A#, C, Dm chord progression), I had my
inspirations from an obscure remix of Pet Shop Boys' "I
Want to Wake Up." This remix is on the "Can You Forgive
Her" single album. If you ever own this CD, I think you
can tell how I got my ideas. By the way, this song has
some of the fastest music in any of my songs. This is the
reason why the graphical output might be messed up if you
use SSG to play this song.
Playing time: 3:42
File size: 44325 bytes
Bytes per second: 199.66
Beats per minute: 160
- 402T2MIX.ROL (remix of 402T2.ROL): I changed the speed, background,
instruments, and other stuff. Because of the relative
complexity of this song, the program SSG MAY NOT PLAY THE
LAST NOTE!!! What a bummer. This song includes a cool
background part near the end that you can hardly hear at
all. The bass part has a lot of movement and the
background parts are derived from the 402T2.ROL. One
additional note: even though there is only a weak
connection between this and the T2 theme, I still call it a
T2 "mix" because the entire basis of this piece is based on
my 402T2.ROL.
Playing time: 4:50
File size: 49975 bytes
Bytes per second: 172.33
Beats per minute: 128
- 402MUS9C.ROL ("commercial" mix of 402MUS09.ROL, which is not in this
album): I've always thought that the main melody sounds
like some Madonna song, but I don't remember which one (and
I don't really want to know.) Incidentally, I think this
song was made after I thought I would make no more .ROLs
and release no more albums. There is a big time gap
between the original version of this song and the one I
made before it: 402MIX1.ROL, which is not in this album.
The original version of this song was very rough and not
really acceptable for a supposedly finished song. I did
not try to redo the song for a long time. But when I
finally did, 402MUS9C.ROL turned out to be the last song
finished for this album (it was completed after I finished
402MUS12.ROL and after I finished 402MUS9L.ROL). I believe
I've got an acceptable mix, or "commercial" mix as I like
to call it.
Playing time: 4:18
File size: 58361 bytes
Bytes per second: 226.21
Beats per minute: 123
- 402MUS10.ROL: I think this was done after I thought: no more songs needed
for this album. Before this song was done, I had planned
to have the follow songs in this album: pieces 5,6,7,8,9;
the two T2 mixes; and an Enola Gay remake. Obviously I was
wrong. It turned out that I was able to finish 402MUS10 as
well as two more original pieces in a very short time. I
had a tough time with creating any type of acceptable melody
with this song. But after I got the initial tune, the
rest of the composition came by quickly. The interlude
section is meant to be totally junky (however, it did take
a lot of "perfecting" to get it to sound...well...the way
it does sound...whatever that is). This thing was done in
three days or so. I must say something about the ending.
To me, the ending is the saddest thing (sad as in not
happy) and I intended it to be that way for a reason...
Playing time: 4:58
File size: 66311 bytes
Bytes per second: 222.52
Beats per minute: intro - 88 / rest of song - 162.8
- 402MUS11.ROL: I had no intention of making yet ANOTHER song. But I had
an idea and I didn't want to save it for later. This song
took less than half a day to make and it was during a day
that I was sick. And, yes, I had in mind to do a Pet Shop
Boys type of a song. Doesn't the beginning sound kind of
like "Was it Worth It?"
Playing time: 2:32
File size: 43571 bytes
Bytes per second: 286.65
Beats per minute: 127
- 402MUS12.ROL: The period of time following the completion of 402MUS10 has
gotta be my most productive time ever. I racked up three
songs in a very short period of time (five if you include
the two mixes of 402MUS09.ROL), each taking only a few days
at the most to make. This one was meant to be techno/disco
with the heavy bass drums and all. Originally, I intended
this to be kind of a slightly brighter type of techno pop
song (kinda like Pet Shop Boys' "What Have I Done to
Deserve This"). However, the final work approaches more of
the style of a very serious and melancholy techno song.
Also, I wanted to do a song with a simple, stripped down
instrumentation with melody as the main carrier, similar to
Pet Shop Boys' "So hard" or Ace of Base's "Dancer in a
Daydream." This song REALLY deserves better sounding MIDI
compositional equipment.
Playing time: 5:20
File size: 67129 bytes
Bytes per second: 209.78
Beats per minute: 130
- 402MUS9L.ROL (extended remix of 402MUS09, which is not in this album):
On one of those days when I stayed up till about 4:00 A.M.,
I started mixing the, for the most part, "unacceptable"
402MUS09.ROL for the fun of it. When I hit on a pretty good
sounding remix, I thought that I would save me a lot of time
if I just included this as one of the songs on this album.
Originally, the tenth song was supposed to be either a
completed version of my 8th piece or a completed remake of
OMD's Enola Gay. Since I was nowhere near the finish of
either of these pieces, I thought 402MUS9L.ROL must be used
instead, and it is. Oh yeah, this remix also led me to
completely redo the 402MUS09.ROL, and the result is
402MUS9C.ROL, which I chose to include in the album instead
of the originally intended 402MUS09.ROL.
Playing time: 5:49
File size: 103935 bytes
Bytes per second: 297.81
Beats per minute: 120 / ending - 480
*********************************
General comments from the author:
There is a big gap between this album and the last one. I think this is
like the first real "album" from me. Even though there were two so-called
"albums" before this one, I think those two earlier ones were more like
"collections" rather than "albums." There was only one original piece in
each of the previous two collections (all the other songs were remakes of
other songs). On the other hand, this third album has 8 original pieces (9
if you count 402T2MIX.ROL as an original piece). Not only has the number
of original compositions increased, the style of music has changed, I
think. Before, I was just making .ROLs for fun. When I found out I had a
lot of music done, I grouped them into two collections. In the case of
this current album, I actually composed the pieces with the intention of
completing an album. I think there is a big difference here. That's all I
have to say.
**************************************
The files released so far from me are:
- 402SNG01.ZIP : my first single .ROL release and first ever .ROL release,
this song is an attempted remake of "Don't Cry (original)"
by Rose/Stradlin.
(released 2-22-93)
- 402SNG02.ZIP : my second single .ROL release, this is an original
song done by myself.
(released 3-06-93)
- 402ALBM1.ZIP : my first .ROL collection.
(released 3-14-93)
- 402SONGS.ZIP : my second .ROL collection.
(released 4-05-93)
- 402SNG03.ZIP : my third single .ROL release, this is a remix of the theme
from the Terminator movies.
(released 1-15-94)
- !ALBUM3.ZIP : my third .ROL album (you have this right now!)
(relased 7-12-95, hopefully)
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III. Basic Info:
A. *What is .ROL?
.ROL is the filename extension given to Adlib FM 11 voice music files.
Even though .ROL may stand for Roland, these files have nothing to do
with the Roland sound cards and synthesizers. An .ROL file has a
maximum of 11 voices at once (6 melodic, 5 percusive) in percusive mode
or 9 voices at once (9 melodic, 0 percusive) in melodic mode. Because
the sound is produced through very primitive synthesis techniques, it
is hard to get a .ROL file to sound as good as a .MOD or .MID file.
B. *What is STANDARD.BNK?
For those of you who don't know, an Adlib .ROL file uses instrument
information that is stored in the STANDARD.BNK file. Because I have
added many new instruments that I created myself into my own
STANDARD.BNK file, you must use my STANDARD.BNK to play my songs.
Otherwise, your .ROL player will say something like "Instrument whatever
not found," not to mention the music output would be terrible.
As I said before, this is the file containing all the instruments used
in the songs. You can use this bank file to play ALL of my previous
albums. I have created many new instruments to use in my songs. For
those of you interested, all my instruments start with the letter "n."
For example: nsnare1, nsyn2, etc.
C. *SOUND.COM and the B3000 and BC800 parameters.
SOUND.COM is the executable file that MUST be loaded before using any
.ROL player. For any relatively fast computer (fast 286s or better),
use this command line: SOUND B3000. B3000 increases the buffer size so
that my complex .ROLs can play correctly. If you just type SOUND at
the command line, the buffer size WILL NOT BE ENOUGH for my .ROLs, so
please use B3000. For slower computers (like XTs or slow 286), you
might have to use the SOUND BC800 parameter. The BC800 parameter
increases the buffer to maximum size to play the .ROLs. NO MATTER WHAT
COMPUTER YOU HAVE, the SOUND BC800 command should be the safest option.
REMEBER, if SOUND.COM loaded without either B3000 or BC800, you MUST
REBOOT in order to remove it from memory. Then type in the necessary
command line after the computer has rebooted.
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IV. Junk Info
(ready on. the stuff below is FUN to ready)
More comments from the author:
-Some of the songs in my first two collections (402ALBM1.ZIP and
402SONGS.ZIP) sound inferior when compared to the songs in 402ALBM3.ZIP
(to me they do). I realize that I can go back and modify those old
.ROLs to make them better, but I think that is like cheating. Some of
the old stuff definitely isn't THAT good, but I still think they are
much more superior when compared to OTHER .ROLs I've heard over the
years.
-Why are my .ROLs better than OTHER .ROLs? No, it's not because I brag.
Instead, it is because I have seen few other .ROLs composers use the
Adlib Intrument Maker to their advantage. The main plus that I think I
hold over OTHER .ROLs I've heard over the years is that I use better
drums and string instruments. You don't have to take my word, go
compare yourself. I also do a lot of pitch, volume, and other stuff to
try to improve sound quality. Even though my .ROLs are quality-wise
better than most other .ROLs, you'll have to be the judge as far as
music composition is concerned. About the only .ROL songs that sound
better than mine in quality are those from certain games.
-Can .ROLs sound as good as .MODs or .MIDs? Practically speaking, not a
chance. Even though I make a lot of effort to make my stuff sound good,
I'll never have that real instrument type of a sound. The reason that I
don't make .MODs is that...well read on. Anyway, I still make .ROLs
because they are relatively easy to make, and even though the sound isn't
that good, I still get 6 melodic and 5 drum voices to work with. Of
course, if I have a MIDI card...
-When one tries to remake a real commercial song (by real vocal groups), it
gets really hard to do the vocal part right because the computer can't
change pitches nearly as well as a human singer. My first try at this
(402CRY1.ROL) was not good at all. The vocal parts sound too stretched
at times. As far as commercial song remakes are concerned, I'm all
through. They are just too tough to make.
-Why don't I make .MIDs? Because I don't got a wave table sound card, and
even if I have one, I don't have a composer program.
-Why don't I make .MODs? Because of problems with: a limited number of
voices, sampling instruments, no mod editor that is practically useable (at
least that I have in possession).
-Like I said before in the tech section, these .ROLs are not really made
for small 3 inch speakers that a lot of you guys may have. These are for
12 inch woofers with power bass capabilities. They sound much better on
such equipment. FM synthesis is bad enough, don't let it get worse by
using puny speakers. CRANK IT UP!!!!
*********************************************************************
More Junk Info (read on if you are bored and got nothin better to do)
What I think about my songs (from all three albums):
-402CRY1.ROL: Beginner's effort. Warped pitches, inaccurate guitars. The
end part and solo are OK and definitely the best part of the
song. I got the sheet music right after I made this and I
was too lazy to go back and change all the musical errors.
-402MUS03.ROL: Oldest full-length original composition. Dry-sounding
instruments, which could be both good and bad. Good chord
structure. I still think this is surprisingly good when I
listen to it now.
-402MUS9L.ROL: The end of this thing is fast...at almost 500 beats per
minute with four or five parts playing twelve notes a beat.
-402MUS9C.ROL: Like I said before, Madonna-like chorus section.
-402MUS10.ROL: Interlude is wacked-out and took a long time to perfect.
-402COME.ROL: The could be the only time I've used the tom-tom voice purely
as tom-toms. The only other time I think I did this is in my
remake of the music from the computer game "Omnicron
Conspiracy." Maybe I'll release that in 402ALBM4. Yeah
right...
-402SPACE.ROL: Still the craziest .ROL I have ever heard.
-402MUS04.ROL: The out-of-place chorus always bothers me, but I won't go
back and change it.
*Credits*
-All .ROLs were made with the Adlib Visual Composer v1.51
-All new instruments were made with the Adlib Instrument Maker
-All the .ROL players, sound cards, other stuff I've mentioned are
trademarks of their respective authors/companies.
Sources:
-The Terminator movies are very good movies, if not some of the best movies
ever made.
402 D.C. Album #3
Documentation #1
7-12-95