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- SiGnAlS -
Issue II Volume I
July 21, 1993
"Dedicated to all the coderz and their insane delusions..."
Executive Editor: Necr?s, The PsYcHiC MoNkS
I : Introduction
Welcome to the second issue of SiGnAlS. In this issue, we will cover more
basics for the newbies out there, some advanced tricks for the modhackers out
there, and some more of my wonderful (he he) commentary.
II : Basix
Last time we covered the basics of what a MOD is. This time, we shall examine
the whats and wheres of how to get started in the mod coding business. MOD
coding is not the easiest thing in the world to do, but with the right tools,
one can make the job much easier.
First, one needs a good tracker. A tracker is a program that allows you to
enter note data in MOD format, and to replay existing song data. Most support
many functions, like playlisting, sample looping and finetuning, and track
copy/pasting (more on that in the next issue). There are many decent trackers
out there, but make sure that the one you find supports all the Protracker 2.2
and up functions. Most good trackers will also support more than four tracks
of sample data. Large FTP sites (cs.uwp.edu, wuarchive.wustl.edu,
nic.funet.fi, etc.) usually have a few trackers in their /audio or /mods
directories. My personal favorite is Mr. T's FastTracker, which is a good
small (~55K) tracker which supports many functions.
Secondly, one needs a good playback program. Most trackers support playback,
but sometimes you will want to use a protected-mode MOD player. This will
allow you to run music in the DOS background, and put modules in extended or
expanded memory. The PMP/DMP series by Otto Chrons is a good series of
high-quality playback routines. There are also many other great players out
ther; look around and I'm sure you'll find what you need.
Finally, you need a source of samples. MODS do not use instrument files like
FM drivers. They use sampled instrument files (with a format similar to that
of .VOC files) to produce the sound data. Now, there are two way to get
samples. One, sample directly off CD or personal keyboard. It is easy to get
high-quality samples off a direct line-in connection via outside source.
Simply use a basic sampler, such as that hideous VEDIT2 supplied w/most
SoundBlaster cards, and grab the sound off the line-in port. Then, in your
tracker, convert the sample from .VOC format to .SMP format. You will then be
ready to go.
The other method is a little more dastardly. There are thousands of MODS
floating around out there on FTP sites. Each one probably has 15 to 20
samples. Out of these 15 to 20 samples, maybe five will be good
generally-usable samples. You can simply grab the sample out of the MOD and
save it to a .SMP file, for easy use in your songs. Usually about ten or
fifteen mods will provide a good variety for starters. Morally, this may be a
bit reprehensible. (You are practically stealing the work of others right from
the source.) What I would suggest is to avoid ripping off sounds from modules
that copyright their samples. Usually they'll indicate this in the instrument
names, for example, 'All sample data (C) 1993 Necr?s'. However, if they don't
copyright their stuff ... welcome to the land of public domain.
Anyways, I hope this has been somewhat helpful. More on the actual MOD file
itself in the next issue.
III: Tricks and Tips with Necr?s
Greetz hacker friends. Today we cover some of the more interesting efx you can
use in your modules. Here we go:
1 - The Famous Volume Slide
Many times you will have a basic chord sound in your mod. This may sit on its
track, all alone, repeating quietly until the end of time (and the track). How
canst one liven up this chordal sound? The answer- XXA0F! Ah, yes, now before
you accuse me of speaking in hex again, watch this little example.
00 E-2 01000 (a boring repeating) 00 E-2 01A0F (yes, what is this?)
01 --- 00000 (string chord sound) 01 --- 01A0F
02 --- 00000 02 --- 01A0F
03 --- 00000 03 --- 01A0F
04 --- 00000 <---------- VS. -------> 04 --- 01A0F
05 --- 00000 05 --- 01A0F
06 --- 00000 06 --- 01A0F
07 --- 00000 07 --- 01A0F
08 --- 00000 08 --- 01A0F
09 --- 00000 09 --- 01A0F
The pattern on the right uses the volume slide command, --A0F to create a
'stuttering chord' effect. The volume slide command slides the volume of the
track from 00 to 3F in one beat. This, when repeated, creates an interesting
effect. The effect can become even better when the pattern is slightly varied,
such as this:
00 E-2 01A0F Note that the sample number (1) is repeated in front
01 --- 00000 of the A0F effect. This is necessary for the slide
02 --- 01A0F to work correctly.
03 --- 01A0F
04 --- 01A0F
05 --- 00000
06 --- 01A0F
07 --- 01A0F
08 --- 00000
09 --- 01A0F
0A --- 01A0F
0B --- 00000
0C --- 01A0F
0D --- 00000
0E --- 01A0F (repeated 4X)
0F --- 00000
Enjoy!
2 - PhAsE Shifting from Hell
Phase shifting is the overlaying two samples so their peaks are off by a small
amount, creating a slow interference effect in the final waveform. (Ack!) In
other words, you play the same sample on two different tracks, at pitches that
are off from each other by a very small amount (+- 10 cents). This creates a
sweeping effect in the final sound. This works very well for snare drum
samples, sawtooth wave pads, guitars, and any sample with a textured wave. To
do this, simply take a sample (we'll use a generic snare sound for this
example) and layer them together with a pitch shift.
00 C-2 01000 C-2 01101 Here, we use the pitch shift effect, --1XX,
01 --- 00000 --- 00000 to create the needed shift. Do not make the
02 --- 00000 --- 00000 pitch shift too large! Sometimes you will
03 --- 00000 --- 00000 even want to use a finetuned pitch, if your
04 --- 00000 --- 00000 tracker supports it (--E1X).
The amount of the shift needed is inversely proportional to the pitch of the
note you are phasing. If the note is low (a C-1, perhaps) then you may need a
--102 or --103. If it is high (a C-3 or F-3) then you only need a slight pitch
shift (a finetune: --E11 works nicely).
Try this effect on long sustained samples (not looping, SUSTAINED ... there's
a difference.) Have fun, my friends.
Next issue: vibrato and what it can do for you, and the delicate art of the
drum track.
Any comments or tips? Please send 'em to me at:
segaag@craft.camp.clarkson.edu
(Subject : tricks and tips)
- Necr?s
IV : Visualizations
I'd like to offer up a few of my unanswered ruminations. If anyone has any
answers to enlighten me ... I'd be glad to hear them. Send any mail to me at
the above address.
Why is the United States of America such a shithole for demo groups? Everyone
around here seems interested in Windows NT and LAN networks and user-friendly
garbage like that. Walk into a computer software store, and you will see
nothing but the same rehashed plots and ideas shoveled out again to the
public. I'm moving to Finland. ;)
Why don't developers use MODS instead of lame FM crap in their games? It slows
things down, granted, but that is a small price to pay for the sound quality,
especially on higher-end machines. The only commercial game around here that
I've seen use MOD technology is Alone In The Dark. A French game! The
corporate giants don't know what they're missing.
The fact that techno mods are easy to write should not preclude people from
inventing new and interesting music.
And finally, (and I've oft wondered this myself), how does Internet make
money? I can call up nic.funet.fi and download nine billion megs, using weeks
of phone time, overseas, and not pay a dime. AT&T would shit if I tried this
on a voice line. Yet thousands of people do it all the time. Given, I'm
shelling out thousands of dollars for my education, with a internet account as
a side benefit, but it still seems like a huge loss of intercontinental
fiber-optic line time. Oh well. I'm not complaining.
- Necr?s
please send all submissions to:
e-mail: segaag@craft.camp.clarkson.edu
turtle-express: Necr?s
re: Signals
The PsYcHiC MoNkS
7958 State Route 69
Oriskany, NY 13424
thanks ;)