=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- APPLE II MUSIC & SOUND FORUM CONFERENCE LOG October 28, 1992 10 PM ET Topic: The News From Ian Schmidt Forum Leader: Joyce Madden (AFL JoyceM), Forum Assistant: Gene Koh (AFA Gene) Forum Consultants: Greg Dib (ELECTMUSIC), Ed Rosenblatt (AFC Eddie), Lindsay Hough (LindsayGS) Copyright (c) 1992 America Online All Rights Reserved =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- AFL JoyceM I would like to welcome our special guest...IRSMan or Ian Schmidt...Ian the floor is open to you and those who have questions or whatever... IRSMan okay, now that I'm welcomed we can do whatever :) StingRay63 So what exactly is AudioZap? IRSMan AudioZap is a sound digitizer/editor/converter program StingRay63 What type of sounds does it edit/convert? IRSMan digitized (also known as sampled). You can import about 10 different file formats and export I think 7 in 1.2.1 StingRay63 Do SoundSmith instruments qualify? IRSMan Sure! SoundSmith instruments are one of the more fun things you can make/convert with AZ. James Brookes, of Columns 2.0 / VIAD fame makes his instruments with AZ. VIAD for those who dont have it has THE most stunning soundtrack I've ever heard on the IIgs, well worth every penny of the download :) Daver II What's VIAD? IRSMan VIAD = Vocabulary In Any Direction, a word-tris type game from Kenrick Mock. It has music by James Brookes and was beta tested by myself :) Daver II Cool. IRSMan its avalible in A2 GAMES StingRay63 Ian, you mentioned creating SS instruments with AZ. How would one go about doing that? AFL JoyceM I read today that the upgrade to Platinum Paint will now use sounds...I wonder what kind :) IRSMan StingRay63: well, just load up the sound you want, select "SoundSmith" from the Format menu and Save As from file. That's all there is to it. StingRay63 And you can edit them?? IRSMan Sure! You can amplify, snip, backwards (if your into devil music like Jawaid) and other neat stuff GNO Jawaid Right, Ian. :) ELECTMUSIC Joyce... whats the current version of Platium Paint? AFL JoyceM 2.0 with the new release (Nov 1st) IRSMan 1.0.8 I think now. It'll be thru Quality Computers, since Beagle is no more. AFL JoyceM 1.08 is right, Ian AFA Andy I guess I will be calling Quality real soon :) IRSMan Joyce: BeagleWorks was bought by Word Perfect Inc and Beagle is now out of it AFL JoyceM Hm....didn't know that, Ian. Thanks IRSMan Probably by the end of the year. Chances are only registered users will recieve AudioZap 2.0 AFC Eddie <---Glad I'm registered! StingRay63 So I take it one can download version 1.x from here? AFL JoyceM Yes IRSMan sure, 1.2.1s is avalible here AFC Eddie <---Also waiting for ModZap 1.0 AFC Eddie :) IRSMan Eddie: I wouldn't hold my breath :) soniqTracker 1.0 will be out in January th ($60 commercial from Procyon) AFC Eddie What will commercial Soniqtracker do that the latest does not? IRSMan It'll have an editor and probably support additional kinds of files AFC Eddie Nice! Smullen Is tonight's topic only AudioZap or can we discuss MODZap too? IRSMan You can talk about anything you like, I dont care :) AFC Eddie Go ahead, Smullen! IRSMan I'm sorta surprised the 'official' topic doesn't include modzap :) IRSMan I'm the guest, question me at will Smullen What about the chance of VOC support in AudioZap? IRSMan smullen: VOC support? :) Smullen SoundBlaster digitizer sounds... IRSMan oh, .VOC. That'll be in 2.0. You can load .VOC files now and manually Cut the header off. They work okay :) Smullen They are in basically the same format as Mac/GS sounds? AFL JoyceM What are .VOC files? IRSMan its Mac/GS raw data with a 20 or 30 byte header. SoundBlaster sound files (IBM). Windoze 3.1 .WAV files are the same way AFL JoyceM thanks - I think Smullen What about adding such a header? IRSMan you can save 'em in 2.0 also :) btw, the Amiga now has a program called "SoundZAP"....I'm amused, are you? :) AFC Eddie How do you get rid of the header? IRSMan select the beginning and snip it Counse Ian - any chance of a real time sound changer? Such as digitize with a mike while outputting a different frequency... IRSMan like the good old pitch changer from A+ mag? Counse hmm, possibly. Thinking more elaborately...something you could eventually hook to a phone for funky phone conversations :) IRSMan heeheeehee AFL JoyceM Read today that A+ as we know is won't be after Feb - just another Mac mag... IRSMan joyce: yeah...Joe Kohn will still have his A2 columns, but that's about it AFC Brite where'd you read that? ThomasO2 Can you create a sound resource file directly from audiozap? IRSMan I saw it on comp.sys.apple2 IRSMan Joe Kohn who's an editor confirmed it StingRay63 Yea, and I just got my renewal letter! AFL JoyceM Read it in Resource Cental AFC Eddie Yes, I read that too. Smullen I know programmers HATE this question, but I'm just dying of curiosity, when do you think AZ v2.0 will be released? Counse it was also in Murph Sewall's latest vaporware column IRSMan ThomasO2: that's not possible due to legal problems since I worked on Triad's cool SoundConvert (plug, plug :) AFL JoyceM Sad...oh well, ELECTMUSIC So it will be a Mac Magazine with just one columne devoted to Apple II? IRSMan yeah StingRay63 Ian, will MOD/AudioZap support the SoundMiester card when it comes out? AFL JoyceM Probably, Greg IRSMan StingRay: if/when soundmeister comes out (its wirewrap proto now) StingRay63 Still?? IRSMan MODZap will support it automagically if it follows the usual stereo protocols ELECTMUSIC I wonder if they will change the name of the Mag? StingRay63 OIC. Since I have yet to buy a stereo card, was going to wait and see. IRSMan If/when it comes out I'll be first in line to buy one (or close anyway :) IRSMan ELECT: yes, they will. It'll just be "A+" according to rumor AFL JoyceM I think so, Greg DangardAce Soundmeister sounded pretty good at AppleExpo.. AFC Eddie That leaves GS+ for us. StingRay63 They have a prototype there? Smullen Wish someone would come out with a card that had expandable sound ram... AFL JoyceM And Resource Central DangardAce <- waiting with baited breath for GS+ Expo issue.. I get credit for more jokes. :) ELECTMUSIC Yep... it looks that way Eddie.... what about the Apple IIE users? AFL JoyceM I still use the old MDIdeas stereo/digi card AFC Eddie Yes, but GS+ is the only GS mag. AFL JoyceM True, Eddie StingRay63 So Ian, how did you get started in creating music on the GS? IRSMan well, I was always into music, which is why I got a GS in the first place :) (I've been in marching band all thru JH, HS, and am in my second year in the ISUCFVMB :) Counse what instrument? IRSMan Clarinet. I bought MCS with my GS and played with it for a while,then I saw SoundStudio and thought it was cool, but not cool enough, so I started on AZ and then soundsmith came out. So once I figured out how SS worked I wrote all kinds of music and got really into it :) ThomasO2 Well, IRSMan, thanks for your help. I will keep an eye out for az 2.0. IRSMan for MIDI mavens here (are there any?) it'll soon be possible to convert and play Roland MT-32 songs on synhtLAB, courtesy of a program and a .BNK file I'm working on :) AFC Eddie That's great news! By Roland 32 songs, you mean MIDI files? IRSMan it works on several PD MIDI files I have as well as some IBM MIDI game scores (all Sierra stuff has MT-32 MIDI files for example :) Eddie: yeah, standard midi files. the BNK file has the instruments set up. AFA Gene Ian, is the idea basically a .bnk and .wav setup that approximates 15 of MT-32's most often-used insts? IRSMan yeah, it approximates the factory defaults basically, which nearly all MT-32 music uses AFA Gene Aren't there 128 defaults? IRSMan synth.BNK actually wasn't that far off of the MT-32. there are 128 default patches, but 16 channels which power-on to a certain set of patches. The BNK file has the power-on state and it's worked with all the files I've tried. The Silpheed and Thexder MT-32 scores sounded especially nice AFA Gene But I assume it's the patch sounds you were after? You fit an entire approximation of MT-32 into ONE .bnk file? :) IRSMan like I said, synth.BNK was darned close to being a good approximation. I moved some of the insts around and edited a few others. The drum kit is the real pain AFA Gene Ah... waitasecond, did Silpheed and Thexder use separate .bnk files but share the same .wav file? IRSMan Silpheed and Thexder's internal players both emulate an MT-32, but with a limited instrument set. Thexder has only like 3 or 4 of the patches, silpheed has 10 or 12. AFA Gene I mean in the synthLAB approximation IRSMan they both work fine with the same MT32.BNK. MT32.BNK uses Synth.WAV which comes with SL. AFA Gene what?!?! :) IRSMan its not gonna sound exactly like a MT-32 but its close enough for jazz, blues, and rock :) AFL JoyceM No Classical? AFA Gene I see what you did now... clever idea. IRSMan well, classical will work too AFL JoyceM :) IRSMan although there's no strings in MT32.BNK, and you -gotta- have strings for classical usually :) AFL JoyceM Why? IRSMan primarily becuase there aren't any in synth.wav :) Also, I dont think the MT32 has any in its default setup. The real problem is synthlab's 7 voice polyphony limit with the songs I've tried :( AFL JoyceM Ian, but I think that synthLAB does have some string sounds? IRSMan yes, it has some very nice ones in ORCH.BNK, but not in synth.wav, and there's no patch librarian AFL JoyceM Oh,,,...I see what you're saying. Is the MT newer or older than the D-5? by Roland IRSMan not sure, I think the D-50 is newer AFC Eddie It's about the same vintage, Joyce. IRSMan ahh :) AFL JoyceM What's the difference then AFC Eddie BOth use subtractive synthesis. IRSMan the MT-32 has 128 patches, and that's it AFA Gene The MT-32 is actually a repackaged unit somewhere inbetween D-5 and D-10 in sounds. AFC Eddie Same sounds, basically, Joyce. IRSMan you can't actually program the sounds AFA Gene I believe it shares some of the same sounds that exist in the D-10. IRSMan In any case, it is/was the de facto standard for IBM MIDI stuff so theres tons of cool scores for it and I wanted to tap into some of them :) AFL JoyceM I have the D-5, just curious AFC Eddie Yes, the new generation of Roland sounds is in the Sound Canvas. AFA Gene Was made by Roland to compete in the PC market, as a simple sound module that videogames would access automatically (user would just plug in and go) ...LAPC-1 is/was an MT-32 (now CM-32) on a card... but Ed is correct, SoundCanvas/etc is the new generation... but the new generation is not geared specifically for PC use anymore. i.e. Roland pretty much lost their chance to corner the market for PC sound expansion. AFL JoyceM Gee, and I haven't even tapped the power of my D-5 and it now obsolete :( BUT I will enjoy it AFA Gene Not obsolete at all, Joyce... I still use my D-5 a lot, and many of the "synth" sounds haven't been improved upon much... still very viable;. IRSMan I know someone who just bought a used D-20 and they're quite happy with it (except that it uses active sensing which confuses/crashes MegaTracker :) AFC Eddie I love my d20. AFL JoyceM Ian, thank you for being our guest...I appreciate it, as do our members... IRSMan ok, no problem AFC Eddie Thanks, Ian!! StingRay63 Yes, thanks Ian!! AFL JoyceM Thanks all