--------------------------------------------------------------- The Sound Site Newsletter Volume 1 #5 July 11, 1991 (S) ---------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright (C) 1991 by David Komatsu All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------- This newsletter may be distributed to bulletin boards, FTP sites or other media as long as no part of it is changed and there is no charge to receive the newsletter. Next Issue due: August 1, 1991. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Note from the Editor -------------------- Well here is the fifth edition of the Sound Site Newsletter at this time I would like to thank Dale Chun and Michael Minakami for their help in putting this together. Due to final exams, relocation and just a pile of other stuff there has been a long delay since our forth edition. Due to the HUGE overhead of managing the mailing list I ask that only those who have no alternative but receiving by mail add to the mailing list. This newsletter will be available on Simtel20, Garbo as well as posted to comp.sys.ibm.pc, comp.sys.macintosh, comp.sys.amiga and rec.games.misc. -----> Dave In this issue ------------- o Do you want to announce a new product? o How you can join the Sound Newsletter family o Rogue needs a new home... Can you provide it o Modplay (finally an Amiga player for the PC speaker) o Specs on the Adlib Gold card o Anonymous FTP sound Sites Do you want to announce a new product? --------------------------------------- If you have written a sound related program that is SHAREWARE, FREEWARE, or PUBLIC DOMAIN and would like to announce your program to the world contact us. In addition to an announcement on the sound-letter we will also see that your program is uploaded to ROGUE for international access! And best of all its F-R-E-E. If you wish for us to describe or evaluate your product, please contact us for further information. Attention Bulletin Board owners and FTP site administrators ----------------------------------------------------------- Starting with this July 1 issue the Sound Newsletter will go monthly. You can carry the sound newsletter on your site FREE of charge. For FTP sites please contact me at: komatsu@alcor.usc.edu. For BBS owners if you can find a copy feel free to post it. We are currently looking for BBS owner that will be able to keep a current copy posted and allow for downloads through a special account. Also starting with this issue if you run a bulletin board system we will mail copies of the newsletter to you via Fido Net or Compuserve if you will make them available for public download. If you do so your bbs will also be listed on our bbs distribution list. Attention FTP site operators and user of ROGUE ---------------------------------------------- The site at kfps-roble6-dynamic.stanford.edu (Rogue) is no longer in operation. Unfortunately Mike no longer has the facilities to run Rogue off his computer. He does recommend that all .mod file people refer to abcfd20.larc.nasa.gov and all .snd/.voc people refer to ccb.ucsf.edu for sound files. Our offer to FTP administrators is as follows. We need the following --------------------- (1) Anonymous FTP site (2) Approximately 100 Megabytes (or whatever space we can get) We will provide the following ----------------------------- (1) All files on Rogue (2) The latest in sound players of all types (3) The latest mod files as provided before (4) Complete maintenance of the sound directories. Thus if you can provide the space we will handle all the details of keeping the site up to date and smoothly running as ROGUE was. We also estimate an immediate influx or former ROGUE users. If you are interested please contact me at: komatsu@alcor.usc.edu. Sound Bits ---------- DISCLAIMER: The sound newsletter is not affiliated with any of the software and products mentioned below. The information is provided to give the reader a look at the product. We provide no guarantee on the performance of the software or products mentioned in the sound letter. ***** Modplay 1.16 This month I would like to feature a new program on the FREEWARE market. Modplay will play .mod files through the PC speaker or through various sound media including the Soundblaster and Adlib boards. Though many packages exist I especially like this since it plays clearly through the PC speaker, has the ability to fast-forward through files and is actively supported by the author Mark Cox. I have taken some excerpts from the manual to show what the program can do. _ __ _ __ _ , ) ) _// / ) ' ) / Amiga module player M O D /--' / /--/ / / for a 10Mhz or faster / /___ / (_ (__/_ IBM compatible PC // Version 1.16 (/ (C) Mark J Cox 1991 Modplay allows you to play (most) Amiga soundtracker/noisetracker files on a PC (10Mhz or faster clock speed). CGA minimum is required for the graphical display whilst playing, but no display at all is required just to play modules. MODPLAY detects automatically if a module is corrupt, and detects if it is a 15 or 31 instrument module. MODPLAY implements all Amiga effects such as volume sliding, vibrato etc. except for the looping which, although implemented as described in Soundtracker v3.0 (plays all the sample first, followed by the loop the rest of the time) does not seem to work with some modules. (See bugs section) MODPLAY will play modules through the PC Speaker as mentioned above, through an D to A converter on any of the three possible parallel ports, in stereo if you have an D to A converter on both LPT1 and LPT2 (this sounds really good) and also through a prototype board (currently in development by a friend - stereo replay and sampling). o Special keys to alter speed of playback o Command line option for people with slower/faster machines o Crashes less often on slower machines. o Will play multiple files from the command line. o Added Playing through LPT1 and 2 in mono mode, so I can listen to modules in mono without it only coming out just of one of my speakers. o Bug fixed that meant computer would reboot about 10% of the time when MODPLAY was started (I was calling the wrong address, so much for QA!) o Module file sizes are now displayed o Elapsed time display when playing a module o Plays to Soundblaster card at any base address (210,220...260) o Times out if no Soundblaster card found. o Displays filename of Module playing in multi-play mode (MP *) o OOOOppps! Someone just pointed out that modules are either 15 or 31 (not 30).. Modplay now will play all 31 samples. o Full screen display of playing samples o Resets time from RTC at end of tune o Stereo playing to 0300/0302 ports o /v compiled version information ** Coming very soon... o Autodection of where your Soundblaster card base address is. o Display estimate of playing time for each module o Option to write all information about all modules in a directory (Name, Size, Time etc. ) to a file/screen (stdout) o Allow individual samples to be played and saved to disk o Allow samples to be replaced by ones from disk o User definable output port for Mono and/or Stereo mode (for people with D/A's on a PC bus card). For more information please contact Mark at the address listed below. mp116e.zip (the latest release) can be found uop.uop.edu [138.9.200.1] In the directory /incoming/Mark_J_Cox. Mark J Cox Electronic Mail: 29 Lundie Close (JANET) mjhc8@uk.ac.bradford.eleceng Stenson Fields mjhc8@eleceng.bradford.ac.uk (non UK) Derby (NETMAIL) Mark Cox 2:250/404.5 DE2 3AN (Kingdom of Greyhawk BBS) (Or if before July 1991, 17 Kirkburn Place, Bradford, W Yorks BD7 2BZ is quicker) (From August 1st the first address will become obsolete.. the new address will be m.j.h.cox@uk.ac.bradford - please do not use the new address yet (it works but I don't get the mail!) ) All comments on PLAY, RESPLAY, MODPLAY or future software is welcomed! ***** Future Looks ***** Later this summer ADLIB will release what they call Adlib Gold. Listed below are some of the features. o 20 channels of synthesized sound plus 2 channels of sound sampling o Stereophonic recording and playback with programmable volume and tone controls o 12 bit stereo DAC accepting 16, 12, and 8 bit data o Antialiasing filter, plus two-times oversampling and two-times undersampling digital filters o Microphone input for voice recording and sound sampling o Audio mixer for combining CD audio, voice, synthesized sound, and sampled sound signals. o Auxiliary input for digital recordings from CDs, audio tapes and other analog sound sources. o MIDI input and output for interfacing with any standard MIDI device o Game port for all popular analog joysticks o Full Compliance with level 1 multimedia extensions to Microsoft Windows. o Fully downward compatible with the entertainment-industry-standard Ad Lib Music Synthesizer Card o Choice of PCM or ADPCM digital sampling at rates of 44.1, 22.05, 11.25, 7.35, or 5.5125 KHz o 3:1 hardware compression/decompression o 16 byte MIDI I/O FIFO with three programmable timers o Two 128 byte sampling FIFO with a choice of eight interrupt conditions o Negligible wait time between successive chip writes THe care will be available in 3 models (1) PC-1000. This has microphone, jack, tabletop microphone, MIDI and game ports, and standard 1/8" stereo output and input jacks. (2) AT-2000. Same as PC-1000 plus SCSI interfact port of CD-ROM. (3) MC-2000. Same as AT-2000 with Micro Channel Architecture For further information contact Adlib ***** MediaVision Pro Audio Spectrum ------------------------------------------------ Thanks to Michael Minakami who relayed this information from a flier. MULTIMEDIA FOR YOUR PC HAS ARRIVED! The power and promise of multimedia is available today with Pro Audio- Spectrum. As multimedia changes the face of the PC industry, Pro AudioSpectrum keeps you on the leading edge, bringing together all the standard audio features required to transform your PC into a Microsoft Level 1 multimedia platform. PRO AUDIOSPECTRUM brings a new dimension to your favorite software by adding CD quality digital audio to your PC. Not only will you be able to create sounds and voice-overs for your own applications. but Pro AudioSpectrum is completely compatible with all games and software applications that support the AdLib sound board. And with our exclusive 22-voice stereo synthesizers, you'll hear them like you've never heard them before. Some Features: STEREO SYNTHESIZERS 22 simultaneous instrument sounds are provided by two on-board FM synth- esizers, giving you the richest, purest high-fidelity audio available for your PC. Spectrum Sound (TM) Special shielding and innovative circuitry are combined to produce high fidelity, low noise audio. Spectrum Sound means audio presentations are crisp and dynamic, and sound effects are more realistic. Multi-source analog mixer Puts a professional mixing board in your PC. The software controlled mixer creates studio effects like fade-in, fade-out, and pan. It also adjusts the relative volume of each of the audio sources: stereo FM synthesizer, stereo CD-audio, stereo digital audio (PCM), external audio source (such as an external MIDI synthesizer, VCR, laser disc, home stereo system), and the PC speaker. Output Amplifier Our on-board amplifier adjusts volume, bass and treble under full soft- ware control. The 1 watt per channel amp is powerful enough to drive headphones or a small set of stereo speakers., Or, you can connect Pro AudioSpectrum to an amplifier or a set of self-powered speakers. Stereo Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) Digitized voice, sound effects and acoustic music are plays back in full stereo, utilizing Spectrum Sound for high-fidelity, low-noise playback. Stereo Digital Recording Voice, music and sound effects are digitally recorded directly to a hard drive or floppy disk. 8-bit PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) samples are taken at user-selectable rates from 2kHz -44.1kHz. Spectrum Sound eliminates noise and ensures the highest quality digital recording. MIDI Interface High performance MIDI interface connects the Pro AudioSpectrum to other MIDI devices such as keyboard and external synthesizers. (Requires optional MIDI connector box.) SCSI Interface An on-board SCSI interface gives access to CD-ROM drives. SCSI is the industry standard CD-ROM interface and is supported by all CD-ROM manufacturers. (Requires optional CD-ROM cable kit.) IBM Standard Joystick Port Compatible with standard PC analog joysticks. The following software is included: AudioMate Integrates CD-Audio, stereo PCM, stereo synthesized audio, and MIDI into you existing Harvard Graphics, Autodesk Animator, or Lotus Freelance presentation. When combined with the analog mixing feature, AudioMate allows you to make a powerful statement with synchronized voice annotation, music and sound effects. Music Clip Library A library of music including jazz, classical, rock, pop and fanfares! Use the editing feature of Sp Spectrum to cut and paste music for the perfect presentation. Digitized Sound Effects Super sound effects to pump up your presentation. Sound effects help emphasize main points, increase your audience's understanding , or add humor to your statement. MIDI Sequencer (Sp Spectrum) Use Sp Spectrum to compose music with the on-board 22-voice synthesizers, or with external synthesizers through the MIDI port. Sp Spectrum can also be used to edit existing music such as the songs in the music clip library. Easy-to-use features include cut, paste, and loop for creating custom music segments of any length to fit your application. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Synthesizers - 2 YAMAHA YM3812's (one per channel) - 22 voices (11 per channel) - 18 Timbres ( 9 per channel) Audio Mixing (10 input audio mixing with independent left/right channel control) - internal synthesizers (stereo) - internal CD-audio (stereo) - External line-in audio (stereo) - Digitally sampled audio (stereo) - Microphone (mono) - PC speaker (mono) Sample Quality (1 Vp-p reference) - Sample Rate (8-bit PCM): 2kHz - 44.1kHz (programmable frequency step size < 1uS) - Dynamic Range and Signal-to-noise - Synthesized mixed audio: -75dB - Sampled Audio (PCM): -55dB - Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz (+/- 3dB) - Filtering: 4kHz - 20kHz programmable - Volume control (programmable in steps with adjustment of left and right channels) - Master Volume: 0 to -80 dB (2dB/step) - Mixer: +3 to -12dB (1dB/step) Audio Outputs - Drive Level: 1.414Vrms (4Vp-p) - Drive Power: 1W - Load Impedance: 8 Ohms - Output Connections: mini-stereo jacks MIDI Controller: Yamaha 3802 SCSI Interface: 153kB/sec (maximum CD-ROM rate) Adlib Compatible System Requirements - IBM XT/AT, 386, 486, PS/2 (model 25/30), TANDY (except 1000EX/HX) and compatibles - 640KB RAM minimum - DOS 3.0 or higher - 720KB or 1.2MB disk drive (low density format available) ---------------------------- Anonymous Sound FTP SITES ---------------------------- To connect to an anonymous FTP site do the following (we are using the sound-site as an example) ftp ccb.ucsf.edu or ftp 128.218.1.13 name: anonymous password: If you know of any other Sound ftp sites please forward the information this way. If you know the administrators of the below sound sites or you are in charge of one of the below sound sites please e-mail me so we can join efforts. Your input to this sound-list would be greatly appreciated. Name IP# What ------------------------------------------------------------------------ abcfd20.larc.nasa.gov 128.155.23.64 amiga sounds ccb.ucsf.edu 128.218.1.13 (.snd), players. THIS NEWSLETTER directory: Pub/Sound_list garbo.uwasa.fi 128.214.12.37 Scream Tracker files ems.media.mit.edu 18.99.99.99 csound neon.stanford.edu 36.80.0.138 sounds for soundblaster rtag.ee.lbl.gov 128.3.254.68 sounds sounds/*.au sciences.sdsu.edu 130.191.224.2 sounds snake.mcs.kent.edu 131.123.2.222 SoundBlaster & Adlib stuff directory: pub/SB-Adlib sumex-aim.stanford.edu (.snd) files terminator.cc.umich.edu 141.211.164.8 sounds and misc archive site ucsd.edu 128.54.16.1 sounds for sparc uop.uop.edu 138.9.200.1 modplay,play directory: /incoming/Mark_J_Cox. xanth.cs.odu.edu 128.82.8.1 startrek sounds dir: pub/star-trek/stsounds. wsmr-simtel20.army.mil 192.88.110.20 Sound players The sound Newsletter can also be found on the following bulletin boards. If you operate a board and have a UNIX, FidoNet or Compuserve address mail it to me and you will be put on a select list to receive the sound letter. Please also include the name of your board, modem speed and phone number if you want it listed. Readers if you choose to sign on to one of this boards please tell the sysop you found the number in the SOUND NEWSLETTER! United States Board Speed Phone Sysop ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Network One Systems Fantasy Island 9600 (HST) (808) 689-0040 Ken Ludwig Lost City Of Atlantis 2400 (808) 689-7734 Ken Ludwig Listening Post 9600 (HST) (808) 689-8583 Lou Braun Random Motion 2400 (808) 689-4043 Lou Braun Graphics Plus 2400 (808) 531-6509 Eric Lui Abroad Board Speed Phone Sysop --------------------------------------------------------------------- Einstein BBS 2400 +47 4 53 46 18 Kjetil Krag |------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Note: ccb.ucsf.edu contains 15 megs of sound files for REmac & Playmac | | Mail: sound@ccb.ucsf.edu (with ADD-ME: name@site to be added to the | | sound list providing information on PC sound programs | |------------------------------------------------------------------------- | sound@ccb.ucsf.edu | Playmac Technologies | | komatsu@aludra.usc.edu | Co-author / Public Relations | | -----> Dave | Playmac 2.00, SIMP, TP, QL etc | --------------------------------------------------------------------------