462 lines
16 KiB
Plaintext
462 lines
16 KiB
Plaintext
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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APPLE II MUSIC & SOUND FORUM CONFERENCE LOG
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April 10, 1991 10 PM ET
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Topic: Starting Your Own Band
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Forum Leader: Joyce Madden (AFL JoyceM),
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Forum Assistant: Gene Koh (AFA Gene)
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Forum Consultants: Greg Dib (ELECTMUSIC), Ed Rosenblatt
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(AFC Eddie), Lindsay Hough (LindsayGS)
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Copyright (c) 1991 America Online
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All Rights Reserved
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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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AFL JoyceM Welcome to the Apple II Music & Sound chat - our discussion will
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be on NoiseTracker - the new FTA music program for the GS. AFA
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Gene will be our host this evening...Gene, the floor is yours :)
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AFA Gene Hi all... well first I'd like to point out, if y'all aren't aware
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yet, that a spanking new version of NoiseTracker has recently
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been released (9 days ago) and is now available in our New Files
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library. It is version 0.5. I haven't played around with it much
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yet, but it's supposed to fix a lot of the little bugs in 0.3
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(the first version we had online). NoiseTracker also includes
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the ability to directly import "modules," a term used for a
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certain type of Amiga song file which has become popular among PC
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users using the SoundBlaster sound card.
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Now, via NT, these "MOD" files are accessible by the GS. We
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expect to see a lot of activity on this end as far as ports from
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the PC and Amiga go. Note that you should be able to go straight
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to the PC music forum and download any recently uploaded MOD
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songfiles (there was a bug in the first wide release of the PCAO
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software, however, so a bunch of files with dates between around
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March 1991 and September 1991 may not download properly. Note that
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to use these PC MOD files, you'll have to rename the downloaded
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file "MOD.xxxxxx" if you want it to show up automatically in NT's
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"open" dialog box. (On the PC, all MOD files are named
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"xxxxxxxx.MOD" instead.) Also, if the files are packed with ZIP
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compression, you'll need a program from the Communications Forum
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called AGATE -- it's a terminal program that includes the ability
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to unpack ZIP files.
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Now, I guess the best thing to do would be to talk about our
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favorite songfiles... there have been a few complaints, in fact,
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that people were not being "descriptive" enough in their file
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descriptions for uploads in describing the songs.
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AFC Eddie ?
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AFA Gene GA ed
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AFC Eddie Once a MOD file is unpacked with Agate, is a file type change
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needed?
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AFA Gene Nope, since all that NT looks for is the "MOD." being the first
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four characters in the filename.
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AFC Eddie OK, Thanks!
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Deanna7332 Question...
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JonL7 Can you list some of the features of Noisetracker?
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AFA Gene (you don't even need that "MOD." if you want to type the name in
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directly.)
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Deanna7332 Did any of these mod files have anything to do with FTA's "Module
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A"
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AFA Gene Sure Jon, right after we answer Deanna's question. Deanna, you
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mean "Modulae?"
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Deanna7332 Yes, that's it.
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AFA Gene Modulae was a demo written by FTA last year. (i'll get to you in a
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sec Doors). It used SoundSmith v0.95 for all it's music. There
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is no connection between MOD files and Modulae by FTA.
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Deanna7332 Throughout the demo it said "Loading modules"
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AFA Gene Those "modules" are not the same as Amiga soundfile "modules" --
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you see, what Modulae really was was a "stringing together" of a
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bunch of neat little tiny demos that FTA had written. So they
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called each little demo a "module" and thus the entire demo as a
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whole, "Modulae" (fancy plural of module?)
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Deanna7332 Ok I understand. Thank you. :)
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AFL JoyceM Latin, Gene :)
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AFA Gene The term "MODule" from the Amiga comes from the idea that all the
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stuff needed to play the songfile (all the instruments + the
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sequence file) are included into one file, the "module."
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TheDoors1 Gene, I have tried to d/l some recent uploaded MODs in the PC
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music area and still the problem exists.
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AFA Gene As I understand it, the problem was fixed VERY recently (correct
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me on this Joyce) and files uploaded as recently as early
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November still might not work depending on the version of the
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PCAO software that the uploader used.
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AFL JoyceM Actually, Gene...I was under the impression that it had been, but
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if Doors is still having a problem, then it must not be fixed.
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AFA Gene What date was the file you tried to d/l, Door?
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TheDoors1 umm 11/17, around there
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AFA Gene hmmm.... well i can tell you one thing... if it didn't work, don't
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waste your time again later... the problem is in the Apple
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software's method of d/lling files, and there are no plans to
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upgrade the Apple AO software.
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AFL JoyceM I will endeavor to get an answer to that PC downloading
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problem/question :)
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ThomasK63 i have a quick question... what can you use to unpack amiga mod
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files? On the PC side, that is.
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TheDoors1 Agate Thomas
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ELECTMUSIC Doors... what happens on after downloading..
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Deanna7332 If it's LZHed you can't unless you have an IBM or
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PC/Transporter.
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AFA Gene If GS-ShrinkIt doesn't have that ability, i don't think there
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exists any such utility on the GS.
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TheDoors1 What do you mean Elect?
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ELECTMUSIC After you download the file... where do you encounter a problem?
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TheDoors1 ok, you know when you download the file and at some point in the
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download the file starts to appear on your screen. That's when I
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cancel it.
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ThomasK63 I am sure soething good can be made w/out resorting to Amiga
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files
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AFC Eddie Yes, Doors, I believe the problem is with the PC software it was
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UL'd with.
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TheDoors1 yeah Eddie.
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GNO Tim Amiga MOD files are typically compressed using LHarc. I've
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uncompressed several on my Unix machine at school.
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ThomasK63 good time for someone to make a lharc unpacker...
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AFC DYAJim someone might be ;)
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GNO Tim Several people are already
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AFC Eddie Can't wait, Jim!
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AFA Gene Jon, did you have a question?
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JonL7 The features of Noisetracker :)
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AFA Gene Oh yes... okay, here goes, in a nutshell, from most important to
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least:
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AFA Gene * ability to import MOD files
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* ability to import Soundsmith files
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* ProDOS 8 based
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* virtually no editing abilities (not a feature but important to
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know)
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AFC DYAJim :)
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AFA Gene * forgot: and the most important feature of all, the ability to
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hold instrument files in regular system RAM instead of DOC RAM,
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allowing for instruments far beyond the regular 64K limit found
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in ALL other GS music programs.
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ThomasK63 I'll buy that!
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TheDoors1 I have another question...when you're ready.
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AFA Gene GA Doors
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TheDoors1 ok..is it true that NoiseTracker will take in soundsmith files and
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play them more clearly
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AFA Gene Well, as far as "what you hear," yes there is a definite
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difference with some instruments. It does NOT play the sounds
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more "clearly," but it just plays them in a different way. What
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many people seem to like about this "different way" is that
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sustained instruments (i.e. instruments designed to be played
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in a loop to simulate a long held note) seem to work better (or
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perhaps simply the way they were originally intended to work).
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TheDoors1 I see
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Deanna7332 Which takes up more space - MOD or NT w/soundfile ?
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AFA Gene Deanna, it depends a few things, such as how big the sequence is,
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how many instruments you have, etc. Once you have a lot of
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assorted files, it'll probably average out to be about the same
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give or take a hundred blocks on your HD. So it basically depends
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on whether you prefer to have your instruments separate or not.
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Deanna7332 Does playing quality differ with either one ?
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AFA Gene Nope. It's exactly the same either way. Loading time is the same
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too.
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AFC Eddie Can NT save songs as MOD files?
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AFA Gene Nope. It has options for Open and Close module, but these are
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still inactive.
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AFA Gene If there are no more questions, I'd like to talk about which NT
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files out there are the "hottest," since this info could be
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useful to many users who are interested in downloading NT/MOD
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files.
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My personal favorite is "Lambada," which is supplied by FTA with
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the program but is available separately on America
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Online.Everything about this file is really impressive except
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perhaps the sound quality of the horn-ish melody instrument.
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What about y'all, what are your favorite NT files?
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AFL JoyceM Gene, there is a classical song for NT, but can't remember the
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name, but it is good.
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AFC Eddie I like Dragnet!
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ELECTMUSIC So do I Ed
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TheDoors1 I like Seven something
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Deanna7332 My most favorite of all mod files is Pleasure Principle
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AFC Eddie <--appreciate's Greg's taste!
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AFL JoyceM :)
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AFA Gene Deanna, i assume you got that from a local board?
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Deanna7332 I got it from the PC forum here.
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TheDoors1 I saw it there also
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Deanna7332 I think under "Pleasure"
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AFA Gene Would you be able to upload it here? If it's really that good, we
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ought to have it available directly in our oun NT lib here (BTW
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folks, we will be releasing a new NoiseTracker software library
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soon!)
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AFC Eddie What a Forum!!!
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Deanna7332 That sounds great!
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AFL JoyceM Gene, do you think it will be possible for synthLAB files to be
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converted to MOD files?
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AFL JoyceM MOD files?
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AFA Gene I doubt it, Joyce. The formats are so diametrically opposed in
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their entire basis of their file formats that it wouldn't be
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worth the time for a programmer to develop such a convertor.
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Deanna7332 Isn't it possible to move the mod file from the PC forum to our
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music library?
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AFA Gene But..... it might be worth the time for a MIDI File Format to MOD
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convertor, since these two formats are more widely accepted.
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Nuzz they have nothing better to do Gene
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ELECTMUSIC Gene.. some interesting similarities with DTune and NTracker
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AFA Gene They lose the file, tho, Deanna. :)
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AFL JoyceM In what way, Greg?
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ELECTMUSIC Both Prodos 8
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Deanna7332 Shhh they won't know a thing :)
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ELECTMUSIC I also believe Bill uses a shuttling of sound data between Doc
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Ram and Ram.
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AFC Eddie Interesting, Greg.
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ELECTMUSIC Thats how he gets some of the excellent instrument quality
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AFC Eddie But Diversitune has that one distinction: MIDI input.
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AFL JoyceM Deanna, we would greatly appreciate it if you would upload that
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'Pleasure' song to our library :)
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ELECTMUSIC Agreed Ed.. one of the factors FTA doesn't like to incorporate
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into their programs.
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Deanna7332 I'll u/l it tonight if possible.
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AFL JoyceM Thanks :)
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AFC Eddie Thanks, Deanna!
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AFL JoyceM I will send Bill B a copy of NoiseTracker + some MOD files...to
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see what comments we get from him (will send when I get back).
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AFC DYAJim What ever happened to that diversitune upgrade that was talked
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about ?
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ELECTMUSIC That would be interesting Joyce
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AFC Eddie Bill apparently still working on it, Jim.
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ELECTMUSIC I am sure he would appreciate the Prodos 8
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AFC DYAJim good..
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AFL JoyceM Jim...RSN....he was hoping by Christmas (this year), but he is
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soooo busy with his job, who knows?
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AFC DYAJim Oh yeah, I noticed the speed calcuation in NT .5 is inaccurate
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:)
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AFC DYAJim I recall he has set a lot of Christmas projected dates :)
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ELECTMUSIC He was one of the first "Free Tools" experts in breaking all the
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rules for economic sake.
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AFC DYAJim like for the vaporware DT inst editor like 2 years ago.
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Deanna7332 Are there any Christmas Mod or NT songs?
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AFC Eddie Oh yeah, Diversi-Editor!
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AFL JoyceM I know, Jim - but that I know he has been working on.
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AFC DYAJim he projected Christmas for it, and it never came :)
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AFA Gene Not yet in AMS, but hopefully the Holiday Contest will change all
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that. :)
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AFC DYAJim I look foreward to any upgrades..
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AFL JoyceM Not that I am aware of Deanna - you have some? hint, hint
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Deanna7332 Nope sorry. I was hoping there were some that could be u/led
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here
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AFC DYAJim I'll be breaking out the xmas tune book rsn.. I should be able to
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midi a few :) (which rules out nt)
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AFL JoyceM Question...
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AFC Eddie It would be more appropriate to have a converter from Appleworks
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spreadsheet to MOD than from MIDI!
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AFL JoyceM If I got ahold of an Amiga song (MOD) disk...how would I convert
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them for here?
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AFA Gene You mean an Amiga-formatted disk?
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AFL JoyceM Yes
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AFC DYAJim Ack.. methinks you need an amiga and a null modem cable or a
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modem.
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AFA Gene Methinks Jim is right
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AFC DYAJim LOL!! Design your music in the spreadsheet then import to NT :)
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IT might actually have better editing?!! :)
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AFC Eddie Right!
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AFL JoyceM Me thinks he is right. If I had them upload to me, would that
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work?
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AFA Gene Yep; should work like a charm.
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AFC DYAJim Yah.. as long as they're coming from an amiga
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AFL JoyceM Great....I will work on that when I get back (making note now).
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AFL JoyceM Gene, will you get some of those files (NT) sent to that area
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tonight? If so, I will leave the needed message :)
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AFA Gene That's all I have planned for tonight's chat, Joyce. Yep, I'll
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move some files right now.
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AFL JoyceM Thanks...
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AFL JoyceM Then we should have our NoiseTracker Library by end of the week in
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AMS :)
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ELECTMUSIC Gene... quick question: Are you launching NTracker from a 3.5
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disk?
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AFL JoyceM Okay, guys...I will see you all the week of December 11th (may the
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4th) as I am off on vacation.
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AFA Gene Yep greg
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AFC JohnC Where are you going?
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ELECTMUSIC Do you encounter out of memory problems
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AFL JoyceM Night all...and Gene, thanks for an excellent chat and great
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explanations of NoiseTracker.
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Nuzz Joyce, I have good news for FutureSound owners. SoundConvert will
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support it in the first release
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AFC Eddie Great, Mike!
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AFA Gene Greg, i always keep my RAMdisk at 0 when using noisetracker. Not
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only are
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AFC JohnC Mike...SoundConvert...released?
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AFL JoyceM Great, Mike. When can we get SoundConvert, Mike? and FutureSound
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:)
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AFA Gene there a couple of bugs with memory management, but if you're
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loading in a MOD file that's really big, NT will eat your RAMdisk.
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AFC Eddie Sounds good.
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Nuzz The manual is being "layout". Release date should be about 1st
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week of Dec
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ELECTMUSIC Tnxs Gene
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AFC JohnC YES.......WTG Nuzz!!!!!!!!
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Deanna7332 Yes, why is there on some MOD files a stop somewhere in the middle
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?
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Deanna7332 That's really frustrating!
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AFL JoyceM Mike, leave me E-Mail on when and how I can send your the $$ to
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get it.
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AFL JoyceM Again...night all
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Nuzz gee John, I had to do something to explain the delay :)
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ELECTMUSIC Thanks Gene for a GREAT chat!
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AFC Eddie Yes, Gene! Great!
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AFA Gene Thanks Greg, 'night!
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AFA Gene thanx, see y'all later :)
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AFC Eddie --------------------- Log Off-----------------------
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