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Archived Messages: "Note Synthesizer"
From: America Online Apple II Developers Forum.
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This topic is for the discussion of the Apple IIGS Note Synthesizer Tool Set
(tool set #25).
Type: Response Log
Date: 88-03-17 20:01:53 EST
Re: Re: Producing sound
I have learned how to work the note synth and the free form synth and in
learning this I found mention a few times that there is a way to start a
generator playing attached to a random waveform. This would be used to produce
sounds of explosions and noise. Can anyone tell me how to do this?
Thanks,
Doug Whatley
Type: Response
From: FL Jim
Date: 88-03-19 16:00:44 EST
Re: izer
Where was that mentioned, Douglas? I'm still looking for good information on
this tool.
--Jim
Type: Response
From: DouglasW15
Date: 88-03-20 22:08:38 EST
88-03-20 22:08:38 EST
CC: SYSOP jim
Re: Re: Note Synthesizer
I think I saw it in Gary Little's book EXPLORING THE APPLE IIGS.
But I am not sure. I have been able to play sounds digitized using the
supersonic digitizer from assembly programs but have so far been unable to get
a C version working? I will let you know if I find the reference.
Type: Response
From: FL Jim
Date: 88-03-20 23:02:13 EST
Re: Re: Note Synthesizer
The only two books I've found that talk about the Note Synthesizer are Gary
Little's "Exploring the Apple IIGS" and Dan Gookin and Morgan Davis' "Mastering
the Apple IIGS Toolbox."
Type: Response
From: AlbertW7
Date: 88-03-22 00:45:31 EST
88-03-22 00:45:31 EST
CC: SYSOP jim
Re: Re: Note Synthesizer
I can tell where there definitely NO documentation for this tool: the Toolbox
Reference! Apple says there will be yet another manual to describe this tool.
When? Only God and Addison-Wesley know.
Type: Response
From: Jim Frison
Date: 88-03-22 20:26:39 EST
88-03-22 20:26:39 EST
CC: SYSOP jim
Re: Re: Note Synthesizer
Programming the Apple IIgs in C and Assembly Language by Mark Andrews (Howard
Sams) contains a little bit of information on the Note Synthesizer *and* a 3-4
page program (in C) which permits the keyboard to be used as a "piano". It
provides some clues to this tool set.
Type: Response
From: AIIDTS
Date: 88-03-28 20:23:45 EST
88-03-28 20:23:45 EST
CC: SYSOP jim
Re: Re: Note Synthesizer
The gary little book is an excelent reference for the note synthesizer. If you
want to make an explosion note, you would have to load the DOC ram with
'random' white noise. ( believe it or not, you can get a formula for this from
most good electronic music theory books ). I have found that picking a page of
ROM and loading it works pretty good ( make sure you filter the sounds for any
0 bytes as they could cause the oscilator to prematurely stop...)
Type: Response
From: Nuzz
Date: 88-04-16 23:05:50 EST
88-04-16 23:05:50 EST
CC: SYSOP jim
Re: Re: Note Sequencer
Does anyone have a short source file in Assembly to give an example of calls to
the note sequencer. Particular interest in
_SetTrkinfo call. Second input is Instindex - is this a pointer to the
instrument? There is also no mention of directing instruments to either left or
right channels.
Type: Response
From: FL Jim
Date: 88-04-17 09:04:18 EST
Re: Re: Note Synthesizer
Not me, but Morgan Davis or Jim Mensch could probably help you. I'll point them
this way.
Type: Response
From: MDavis
Date: 88-04-18 21:27:19 EST
88-04-18 21:27:19 EST
CC: SYSOP jim
Re: Re: Note Synthesizer
InstIndex is not a pointer (not an address pointer, in other words). It's a
16-bit integer that corresponds to the instrument in the instrument table
(i.e., 0 is the first instrument, 1 is the next one, etc.). Note that this
specification is only relevant for the *track* you've specified with the
TrackNum parameter.
You can use bit 15 of InstIndex to specify whether or not internal voices are
used (if bit 15 is set, internal voices are not used). Bit 15 of the TrackNum
parameter decides if MIDI information is generated for a certain auxiliary
track. That track is the low-nibble of TrackNum's high-byte. For example, if
TrackNum was $0001, all information is played through internal Channel 1. To
send MIDI output to an additional channel, say three, you would use a track
number of $8301.
I can't find any information on how to route sound to a left or right stereo
channel, unless this is specified by the internal channels in TrackNum. Like
everyone else, I'm short on info about the sound tools, too.
Alas, one of the sticky points about the books I did was that Apple was
TERRIBLE in getting any information at all to me. Dan, my co-author, struggled
through our admittedly anemic chapter on sound. In fact, we had to procure all
of our technical information from one of Apple's janitors after hours. I'm
serious. (Well, perhaps not the janitor -- but we do have an inside contact
who was there to help out when Apple's "Evangelists" failed to produce). It
was maddening, and frustrating -- and I will not apologize to the readers for
not having all the information we wanted to provide.
Type: Response
From: Nuzz
Date: 88-04-18 22:30:48 EST
88-04-18 22:30:48 EST
CC: SYSOP jim
Re: Re: Note Synthesizer
Ok. Instindex is an integer. To the instTable I guess?
Morga, you have plenty more information than I have. All I have is the ERS
dated August 1987. No mention or support for Midi back then. When you mentioned
internal voices, I assume you are reffering to hard coded instruments?
It would be strange if no provision was made for stereo playback. But
then..........
Mike Nuzzi
Type: Response
From: AIIDTS
Date: 88-04-18 23:37:05 EST
88-04-18 23:37:05 EST
CC: SYSOP jim
Re: Re: Note Synthesizer
Geez,
Apple IIgs tech note 19 tells how the channel bits are used to determine what
stereo side your sound will come out of. dated june 1987! The note synth ERS
has not been revised since the version you got. but then, it is acurate enough!
the note seq and MIDI tools are not yet released, why would you expect
published documentation. If you want, I do happen to know that developers can
liscence the ers's for them ( by the way, the MIDI ers is particularly well
written and very good at explaining everything you would want to do). Developer
tech support has been sending out info on the note synth for a while as well as
the sound manager stuff. Why must people always try to make it sound like a
'spy' game, when in fact it could be as easy as asking the right people for the
info! if you are a registered developer, which you can easily become if you are
an author, just ask Developer tech support. If not, why not pick up Gary
little's book, it has a great discussion of the note synth...
by the way, the low order bit of the channel nibble determines left and right,
set for left reset for right. the higher bits are undefined and should probably
not be used since they are undefined ( reference the tech note mentioned
above...)
Jim 'Cloak and dagger' Mensch
Type: Response
From: AFC DYAJim
Date: 92-01-12 15:49:00 EST
Re: Moved Message
Path: IIGS Toolbox/MIDISynth Toolset
Subj: Note Synth 92-01-12 13:08:22 EST
From: Phantym
Posted on: America Online
I'm writing a program useing the NoteSynth toolset and having a billion
headaches as a result.
I'm using Orca/C, a simple li'l sine wave, a simple instrument record, and some
asssembly source from a book as a guide.
It runs very nicely, up to part where noise is supposed to appear.
None does.
I stuck in a call to FFGeneratorStatus. It told me that my generator was
currently playing a Note Synthesizer noise, but this was so obviously
contradictory to what I was hearing ( or not hearing ) that became irate.
A dozen or two error trap routines provided no help.
Also, the toolset adamantly refused to call my sequencer routine, no matter how
hard I tried to persuade it to.
Low-level debugging pragmas finally revealed a stack error. I said, well
obviously I need a bigger stack, right?
So I made a bigger stack. The compiler didn't like that and told me I had no
bank 0 memory. I tried different stack sizes, including the supposed default
of 0x8000, and there was always to little bank zero memory.
What gives?
I would reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeealy appreciate any help.
Phantym
Type: Response
From: Phantym
Date: 92-02-13 19:30:14 EST
Re: ARGH!
An update on my problems with the Note Synthesizer:
My stack problems have gone with the removal of a printf call after my
NewHandle call. What The HELL?! I said to myself.
The waveform is okay. I checked it with a call to FFStartSound.
It made a little *POP* noise. My Sequencer routine is still being ignored, and
the NoteOn call refuses to produce noise. I'm getting annoyed.
Phantym
Type: Response
From: GNO Tim
Date: 92-02-13 19:50:26 EST
Re: printf...
Make sure each of your '%'s is EXACTLY the same as as what you're passing to
it, otherwise your stack will get messed up. Since your print is right after a
NewHandle I'm guessing you're displaying the handle or pointer returned from
NewHandle.. if so, make sure it's a %ld...
-tim
Type: Response
From: Phantym
Date: 92-02-16 14:44:10 EST
Re: Ah-Hah!
That explains a few things! %ld, you say! gosh what won't they think of next!
thanks
Phantym