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Shareware Overload Trio 2
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1993-12-01
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225 lines
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Chris Jantzen
█ ▄▄▄█ █▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█ ▄▄▄█▄▄▄█ ▄▄█ █▄ SlugSoft
█▄▄▄ █ █ █ █ ▄ █▄▄▄ █ ▄ █ ▄█▄ ▄█┐ 1880 Ocean Blvd. SE
█▄▄▄▄▄█▄█▄▄▄█▄▄ █▄▄▄▄▄█▄▄▄█▄█│█▄█┌┘ Coos Bay, OR 97420-1911
└─────┴─┴──█▄▄▄█ ├────┴───┴─┘ └─┘ USA
└────┘ FidoNet 1:356/18.2
QP v1.20
Versatile DOS Text Mode Sound Module Player
Introduction
QP provides services for playing many different digital music modules
out of several different output devices. QP uses the VangeliSTracker
routines graciously provided by Juan Carlos Arévalo and company and as
such can play StarTrekker 31 voice 4 channel .MOD ('FLT4'), ProTracker
31 voice 4 channel .MOD ('M.K.' and 'M!K!'), SoundTracker 15 voice 4
channel .MOD, Triton Fast Tracker 6 or 8 channel .MOD, Grave Program
.WOW, Oktalizer .OKT, Scream Tracker 2.x .STM, Scream Tracker 3.0 beta
.S2M, Scream Tracker 3.0 .S3M, and Composer 669 .669 files. I have
personally added support for the Play Sample From Offset, Note Cut, Note
Delay, and Retrigger commands; fixed the .STM, .669, .S3M, and .MOD
loader code; added a new quality level; and cleaned up code (a LOT).
----------------------------------------
QP requires a VESA-compatible SVGA card capable of producing 132x43 text
modes or better. If your card isn't VESA compatible (QP will tell you
really quickly), the VESA commitee does provide a disk of drivers for
common video cards. Try to get ahold of the drivers on your local BBS.
New feature as of 1.10: You can put your card in a 132x43 mode (or
higher) and QP will operate on screen without having to use VESA.
----------------------------------------
The ProTracker/SoundTracker commands that QP cannot support include:
Tremolo, Gliss Control, Vibrato Control, Fine Tune (and instrument fine
tune values), Jump Loop (internal pattern jump), Tremolo Control,
Pattern Delay, and Funk It (or Inverse Loop). Don't worry, though, the
list of commands supported is longer and covers more than 99% of all
existing .MOD files. (Also note that the unsupported commands are
displayed in the Command pane on screen, but not executed.) There are
also many unknown Scream Tracker 3.0 commands. I trying to contact
Future Crew, and hope to be able to implement more commands. Most .S3M
and .S2M files play pretty well, except for "World of Plastic" which
apparently has some unknown key shift, note cut, and volume level
commands and 2nd Reality in which the format has apparanetly by changed
(entirely) to accomodate GUS and Surround support.
----------------------------------------
The Bass Filter (supported in 1.10) can help a lot if you have those
stinky little "computer speakers" that couldn't knock over a toothpick
with bass if their lives were at stake. The Bass command (/BASS
hereafter) reduces treble slightly and boosts the bass significantly
(i.e., turns "tone" knob to left). It uses a dynamic linear digital
filter (or something similar, I haven't analyzed Mr. Arévalo's filters
that closely). This means that output is distorted significantly.
However, this shouldn't make much of a difference on those dinky little
speakers. (It also shouldn't make a difference if you're one of those
people who craves nothing but BASS BASS BASS BASS.)
----------------------------------------
If you have trouble loading a file or QP seems to load the file, but
quits immediately back to DOS, then you may not have enough memory. Try
freeing up more RAM or adjusting the quality level. The quality level is
by default Normal, but as of 1.20 there are three different quality
levels: Normal, Low, and Poor in order of descending quality. Use the /Q
command to change the quality level like so:
Normal Quality:
QP file.mod
Low Quality:
QP file.mod /Q:L
Poor Quality:
QP file.mod /Q:P
The quality levels work by "deres"ing the samples. (ala Tron) At Low
Quality all largish samples will be averaged and cut in half; at Poor
Quality all largish samples will be averaged and cut in quarter. Thus,
the samples use less RAM. This has the unfortunate side effect of
decreasing the output quality (as if it wasn't bad enough already
<smirk>). Poor Quality really sounds bad (almost but not quite as bad as
PC Speaker output), but the song is still there.
----------------------------------------
Shown below is a table of mixing speeds known to work rather well (i.e.,
I have tested these configurations myself):
System Configuration Mixing speed Channels
386DX/40 EMM386 Sound Blaster DMA 22000 Hz 16
386DX/40 EMM386 Sound Blaster DMA 44000 Hz 8
386DX/40 EMM386 Polled Modes 22000 Hz 4
386DX/20 HIMEM Polled Modes 16000 Hz 4
486SX/33 EMM386 Sound Blaster 16 DMA 44000 Hz 4 (maybe more)
386SX/20 EMM386 Sound Blaster 16 DMA 16000 Hz 4
(Note that reducing the mixing speed can increase the channels
performance. Also, these speeds produce high-speed bar updates--higher
speeds can be achieved by sacrificing screen speed. Also note that these
tests were performed before piano roll was implemented. Cut most of
these by 25% if piano roll is running on less than optimum [486]
system.)
----------------------------------------
This program is designed for the "power user". If you are uncomfortable
at the DOS prompt, then this program might not for you. If you thrive at
the DOS prompt, then this program may become one of your better friends.
To learn about the program, study the help screen ('QP /?'), I'm afraid
that's all the documentation available at this point.
The Future
QP is a constantly expanding project (now, if only the EXE would stop
doing that!), and I have several plans for future upgrades. If you have
any nifty ideas, send them with your registration, or mail them to the
address above.
Kudos
Tim Van Over: One of those all powerful influences in our area--he even
bought me my first Turbo Pascal.
Mark Magill: Sysop of The College BBS and general wonderful guy.
Juan Carlos Arévalo: For creating the wonderful VangeliSTracker routines
and essentially placing them in the public domain.
Jesse Williamson: For having a video card that didn't support the same
video modes as mine--causing me to write in flexible
screen drawing routines.
Fabrice Bellard: For his wonderful LZEXE program, and especially for allowing
developers to use it for free.
All you European Demo Dudes: I'd like to know you personally, but I
don't (nudge, nudge)--keep those cool programs coming!
Anyone who took the time to read this (whew).
And especially YOU THE REGISTERED USERS (without whom I might not write
this, or actually, without whom I appear to be writing this...).
License
You, the user, have a license to use this program for 30 days after
receiving the executables. After this trial period, you must register
the program with SlugSoft (see below). You also have a license to copy
and share the program freely as long as the package is shared in its
entirety and no more than $10 is ever charged for its distribution.
Disclaimer
SlugSoft and Chris Jantzen disclaim all warranties as to this software,
whether express or implied, including without limitation any warranties
of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, functionality or
data integrity or protection.
Registration
Registration is nice and easy, so PLEASE DON'T SKIP OVER THIS SECTION!
To register this program, just send me a letter very clearly stating
your name, address, and the current version you are using. That's it! It
would also be nice if you wrote about how the wheather is where you're
coming from, how much you like the program, new features you might like
to see in the program, and other nice things. You will be assigned a
serial number for the program, but if you want to know what it is you
need to send a self-addressed stamped envelope along with your letter.
If you are using this program in a commercial, government, or
educational environment, I would like to restate that I am not
responsible for what this program does on your machine (although I will
try to help if it doesn't seem to work right). I would also like to ask
that along with your letter you send some information, brochures, etc.
on what your company/department/institution does. I cannot help you if
you need help with special paperwork (such as P.O.'s).
Note, however, that although I don't actually ask for anything for
registration, you won't actually really receive anything for your
registration. You will, however, feel good about yourself, and if you
send that SASE with your letter, I'll send some some heartfelt thanks
along with your serial number.
All donations joyfully accepted.
Notes
If you are running under a DOS version less than 3.0, then QP may
have trouble finding itself (and it's internal overlay if the version
you are using has such). QP will look in the PATH (starting in the
current directory) and then try the QP environment variable. To set
QP's path using the environment variable, type SET QP=C:\UTILS\
from the DOS prompt (if C:\UTILS\ is where you keep QP). Substitute
the path to QP for C:\UTILS\ above. (Trailing backslash is not
necessary, but doesn't harm things.)
If you experience trouble running QP on a 386, set the environment
variable NO386 to anything (e.g., SET NO386=Y) to disable 386
instructions. (For example, it is known that older versions of QEMM will
corrupt the 32-bit registers and cause irregular program behavior.) If
you experience trouble running it on a non-386, you may also want to try
disabling 386 instructions, just in case the CPU detection routines
think your CPU is an 80386 (for some strange reason).
Other copyrights, trademarks, and patents
References to programs other than QP and other SlugSoft programs
without their respective copyright, trademark, or patent notices are not
meant to be construed as challenges to such programs' copyright,
trademark, and/or patent statuses.