File Type $D6 (214)
All Auxiliary Types

Full Name: Instrument File
Short Name: Instrument

Written by Matt Deatherage (January 1990)

Files of this type and auxiliary type contain musical instruments.


Files of type $D6 contain data that is to be interpreted as a definition of a musical instrument. Programs which work with music have widely varying needs; while Apple proposes a standard instrument definition (ASIF), it is largely designed for the Apple IIGS Note Synthesizer and is listed under file type $D8, Sampled Sound. Programs not using that tool may require files to store their own instruments. Apple assigns auxiliary types in this file type for such purposes.

The following auxiliary type assignments are current for this file type as of the publication date of this Note:


        Auxiliary Type  Short Name                    Developer
        _____________________________________________________________
        $0000           Music Construction Set inst.* Electronic Arts
        $8002           Diversi-Tune instrument       DSR
        _____________________________________________________________

                    Table 1 - Auxiliary Type Assignments

The auxiliary types for this file type are reserved; any not listed in this Note or About File Type Notes must be assigned by Apple Computer, Inc. Using any file type or auxiliary type not assigned may result in conflicting identification of files by totally unrelated programs. To obtain an auxiliary type assignment in this file type, see About File Type Notes.

Note: Although Electronic Arts' program Music Construction Set for the Apple IIGS only creates sequences of this file type and auxiliary type $0000, the program actually attempts to read any file with type $D6. Creators of sequence files may wish to note this irregularity in their documentation.

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