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- ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
- FREEWARE!, FREEWARE!, FREEWARE!, FREEWARE!, FREEWARE!, FREEWARE!
- UNIS669 Composer 1.10
- (16/02/1994)
- Latin: "All at Once! and at the same time"
-
- "A 669 Composer for the Gravis UltraSound Card"
- With a Borland TurboVision FrontEnd
- Composes Original 669 and my "669 Extended" Format
- (c) 1994 By Jason Nunn [BBBUS Computing/NTU] (aka JsNO BAR----NUNN)
- TC669 Trekker 1.32b - (c) 1993, 1994 By Jason Nunn (JsNO BAR----NUNN)
-
- FREEWARE!, FREEWARE!, FREEWARE!, FREEWARE!, FREEWARE!, FREEWARE!
- ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
- ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
- TurboVision (aka TV) is a registered trademark of Borland International.
- Windows[tm] is a registered trademark of Microsoft.
- MSDOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft.
- Gravis UltraSound Card is a registered trade mark of Gravis Advanced and
- Fort Technologies.
- Tomasz Pytel (aka "Tran") of RENAISSANCE is the Inventor of the Original 669
- format.
- ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-
- Contacts- Email: nunn@morinda.cs.ntu.edu.au (after Feb, 1994) or
- dcug@morinda.cs.ntu.edu.au (ditto)
-
- dcug@nutmeg.cs.ntu.edu.au (before feb, 1994).
-
- Snail: 32 Rothdale Road,
- Moil, Darwin,
- Northern Territory,
- 0810,
- AUSTRALIA.
-
- Voice: <been withheld>
-
- BBS: Sentinel BBS N.T. (61)(089) 452708 - Username: "jason nunn".
-
-
- UNIS669
- ──────────────────────────────────────────
-
- Beta Users:
-
- -Dick Verweij [DickyDick] (Programmer/Graphics)
- dick.verweij@hacom.wlink.nl [Holland/Leusden]
-
- -Jason Chong [tR/\Sh] (Composer/Prog)
- jlchong@tartarus.uwa.edu.au [Australia/Western Australia]
-
- -Thomas Wong (User)
- twong@civil.ubc.ca [Canada]
-
- - The Digital Infinity Guys
- - Christopter G. Mann [Snowman] (Composer/Prog)
- r3cgm@dax.cc.uakron.edu [USA/Ohio]
-
- - Daniel Potter (Programmer)
- dpotter@feenix.metronet.com [USA/Texas]
-
-
-
- About the beta users
- ────────────────────────────────────────────────
- They helped me test out UNIS. Thanks to them, more hours have gone into
- testing UNIS than actually coding it, ensuring that UNIS is a quality program.
- Snowman helped me tune in the tempos and effects to make is sound exactly like
- COMPOSD1. They have also given me suggestions as to improve UNIS.
- Dick Verweij (like me) is a PD software author, his most popular work is
- "MIDIBAND". Look out for Dicks future demos!!!!!!!!!! I might be joining up
- with him in a couple of them :). Jason Chong (tR/\Sh) of Enigma is an
- excellent composer of MOD files. He is *the* best Australian composer. Some of
- his works are "Freeze.mod" and "3Edges". Thomas Wong is the administrator of
- the famous EPAS site which holds all good software for the Gravis Ultrasound
- Card. Christopher George Mann (better known as Snowman) is legendary for his
- 669 compositions. Some of his famous works are the SIMON series, C.C.CING,
- Humanity and SnowFist (he gave me a sneak preview of it!). Daniel Potter, the
- author of the "Farandole Composer" (an excellent 16 channel composer) is also
- famous for his demos like: DIFTRO 1 & 2. So check out his Farondole tracker!!.
-
- Snowman and tR/\Sh have provided me with some "emergency catering". This
- distribution contains a 669 from each of them composed in UNIS669. They
- whipped up there works over night...amazing!.
-
- Requirements
- ────────────────────────────────────────────
- -MSDOS 2.X
- -MSDOS Only Application
- -Mouse
- -A Gravis UltraSound Card.
- -An AT Class Machine with an AT class 101 keyboard.
- -400K of free conventional memory.
-
- ╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
- ║ Warning: Do not run UNIS669 in MSWindows, MS OS/2 or MS NT ║
- ╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
-
-
- Installation and Startup
- ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
- I have designed UNIS so that it is very easy the setup. Before you run it,
- make sure that you have your "ULTRASND" environment set. If you have installed
- your Gravis software disks correctly, then this will be set already. For
- further help, read the online help.
-
- For inexperenced people new to tracker software, I recommend that you first
- load up a 669 using the "Open" function in the "file menu" (or press F3),
- then play the 669 using the "Play All (Track)" in the "≡" menu (or just press
- Alt+F5). This will give you the basic "feel" of the UNIS environment. You'll
- find it exactly like many of the DOS Borland products.
-
-
- Freeware
- ─────────────────────────────────────────
- Yes sir!, UNIS669 is for free. So please enjoy....However, If you want to show
- your appreciation by sending me some money, I won't say no :).
-
- There is no written manual (for you to actively avoid), so I'll be happy to
- answer any questions that you may have. Hopefully I'll be available at one of
- the above Internet addresses. If you have trouble contacting me, ask one of my
- beta users, they should know of my where abouts.
-
- Please take time to read the FAQ down below. It covers mostly everything my
- beta users asked over a 3 week period.
-
-
- Where do I upload/download 669's?
- ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
- The following locations are a list of sites dedicated to module music in one
- way or another.
-
- InterNET
- (i) klingon.epas.utoronto.ca
-
- Upload to: \pub\pc\ultrasound\submit
- Download From: \pub\pc\ultrasound\sound\669\files
-
- (ii) wasp.eng.ufl.edu
-
- Upload to: \pub\msdos\demos\incoming
- Download From: \pub\msods\demos\music\669
-
- (iii) info.brad.ac.uk
- Upload to: \incoming\mc2
-
-
- BBS's
- (1) USA Music Channel BBS ???????????
- (2) NT/Australia Sentinel BBS (61)(089) 452708
- (3) NT/Australia Amiga Retreat (61)(089) 451516
- (4) VA/USA Data Connection +1-703-506-8598
- (5) Texas/USA Digital Oxygene +1-214-414-5041
- +1-214-530-4636
- +1-214-530-4820
- (6) Texas/USA Music Connection +1-214-596-2827
- +1-214-964-3743
- (7) Finland Necronomicon +358-0-388-2710
- (8) Pommy Land Sound & Vision BBS +44(0)932 252323
- (9) QB, Canada Wave of Wierdness +1-418-285-4838
- (10) Frog Side Zyllius +33-9332.0505
- +33-9332.0720
- +33-9332.6875
-
-
-
-
- There are many more, but I've forgotten what they are called.
-
-
- UNIS669-OBJ Availability
- ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
- In the next version of UNIS. I will be releasing a OBJ file of my TC669 1.32b
- playback routines, so that you can compose 669's to use in your demos. This
- OBJ file of course will be for free.
-
- Note: Due to some past bad experences, it isn't my policy to publicly release
- source code, and so I won't.
-
- For demo groups that have all ready made their own 669 code, I will assist
- you in every way possible to get your code compliant....if you ask for my
- source code, I will give it you to :)....But on the grounds that your tracker,
- game etc is FREEWARE and you must be able to prove it to me. (NB/ With the
- acception of a few mates of mine). The routines are written for TASM v4.
-
- I would rather you not ask me for it until I have fully developed the
- "669 Extended" format. What's there now WILL NOT change, I simply ran out of
- time for this session. The extensions are all drawen up, I didn't have time
- to implement them all. UNIS669 blew out of proportion time wise. I allocated
- myself 2 weeks for development and 1 week for testing- testing took 3 weeks.
-
- Also note that I'm too busy to release the new TC669 1.32b. It won't be
- available for least a month (even though I've got the routines). I'm just
- tooooooooo flat out haha! ... (seeking contracts/jobs and all).
-
-
- Disclaimer
- ──────────────────────────────────────────
-
- If you use any version of UNIS669, or any program derived from any version of
- the TC669 playback routines, then you agreed to the following terms:
-
- - All versions of UNIS669 and TC669 are Freeware.
- - You may freely use UNIS669 to produce music for demos, games with the
- motive of making money, and for your pleasure.
- - Hardware Manufactures, or any organisational entity who wish to distribute
- UNIS 669 or TC669 with the intensions of making money shall not do so,
- unless that organisation or entity has my written consent.
- - You may not exploit UNIS669 or TC669 by defacing it in anyway, shape or
- form.
- - If you choose to redistribute UNIS669, the archive contents must be
- unchanged.
- - I will not be liable for any hardships faced by you when owning or using
- UNIS669 or TC669.
-
-
- Pottential Questions you may ask
- ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-
- These were generated by my beta users. No doubt you will ask the same
- questions (nb/ this list is not an exhaustive list).
-
- (1)
- ->Just a question: when you select pattern edit a window pops up, right?
- ->You edit that pattern, lets say it has number 0. Then you push again on
- ->the pattern edit button.. then ANOTHER window of pattern 0 comes up.. What
- ->is then the real window? Would it not be economical to use only one window
- ->PER pattern number, (memory).. I have stated this before, but you thought
- ->that I was talking about more windows for DIFFERENT pattern numbers.
-
- The opening of patterns is unconditional. I have designed it that way
- so that you can edit and compare two or more different patterns. It is
- an unfortunate spin-off that you can open the same pattern more than
- once. Note that if you do open up two of more pattern editors of the same
- pattern- if you edit one, the others WILL get updated, but they won't
- display it right way (until you do a scroll or something like that)...It
- is advisable to not do this. I did have a mechanism that prevented you from
- doing this, but it sort of complicated things a bit. I will address this
- problem in another version.
-
- (2)
- ->What is the amount of memory needed to run unis669? I have had some
- ->messages about memory..
-
- You need 400K of conventional memory to use UNIS.
-
- (3)
- ->i tried your polymorphic paste, etc. but i still aren't too sure
- ->what it does... is it the same as a "mix paste" .. if not you should
- ->include one :) you know, so the blank spots won't overwrite the notes
- ->already there when you paste over some stuff :) or also a different sort
- ->of paste so the notes already there in the place you wanna paste will
- ->take priority and thus not be "pasted over" by the clipboard :)
-
- Polymorphic paste turns this:
-
- 00C-1--
- 00D-1--
- 00E-1--
- 00F#1--
- 00G-1--
- 00A-1--
- 00B-1--
-
- into this:
-
- 00C-1--
- 00D-1--
- 00E-1--
- 00F#1--
- 00G-1--
- 00A-1--
- 00B-1--
-
- The "Component Paste" function allows you to do "priority pasting" as you
- described.
-
- (4)
- ->another small bug.. clicking _in_ the scroll bar of the scrolly
- ->dudez on the side of the window should do a page up and page down instead
- ->of line up and line down... like what the arrows at the end of the scroll
- ->bar do...
-
- It's not me....blame TV :). Nothing I can do about it. The scroll bars are
- from the standard TV object classes.
-
- (5)
- ->I like that you can use >64k samples
-
- TC669 always has done :).
-
- (6)
- ->timewarp.669 by c.c.catch too slow
-
- That's due to the volume ramping that makes it a bit slow. Unfixable
- unfortunity....a real bummer. I'll see what I can do though. I might
- have to cut my volume settings right back....like Joshua Jensen
- did with his GUSMOD.
-
- (7)
- ->I've found the files created works well with tc669, p669gu0 and of
- ->course unis669. But all the same results if I play them on other 669
- ->compatible players like Inertia Module PLayer, DMP, and PMP. It
- ->doesn't play correctly and also produces lots of static. And this is
- ->with loading cryname.669 (that came with unis669) and saving it as
- ->under a new filename. (update: I tried cryname itself on the other
- ->players and got the same problems)
-
- Note that many of the multi format trackers do not play 669's correctly.
- I'm not trying to bash them, but they either (i) doesn't seem to play samples
- that have C-1 as notes, or (ii) doesn't process the Break location properly.
- The static is probably due Ultraclicking.
-
- (8)
- ->what frequency must the .snd file be again? I have some .snd file
- ->of the wrong speed hence don't sound too good in my .669 :)
-
- Use the standard 8000, 11000, 22000, 44100. Note that the sample file
- has to be a RAW UNSIGNED 8 bit file. Note that the "playfile" utility in
- your Gravis Ultrasound pack records this type SND file.
-
- (9)
- ->Is there a way of can close the pattern editors with the keys?
-
- No, you have to use the mouse to click in the little green square thingamy
- doo-dar at the top left hand side of the window.
-
- (10)
- ->There is no way to block using the mouse hence can't use the edit functions
- ->if I'm a mouse user.
-
- I've already tried mouse manipulation, I do not know enough about TurboVision
- to be able to do this. Again, as soon as there is some headway, I'll implement
- it. Right now, You're going to have to use the keys to select slots.
-
- (11)
- ->when loading samples or 669's samples, the mouse acts weird.
-
- Maskable intterupts must be shut off when transfering data to the GUS. If you
- don't do this then you get pops and clicks in your samples. That explains why
- the mouse freezes when loading is being done.
-
- (12)
- ->I tried to run UNIS is OS/2. Sometimes it crashes and sometimes it works
- ->fine.
-
- I put a warning at the start of this document not to use it in OS/2. So please
- don't.
-
- (13)
- ->What's wrong with letting the user load <64 byte samples? Who cares if
- ->he wants to have a sucky-sounding song? :)
-
-
- i've put it in there for ultraclick reasons (specific to my code and setup).
-
- For those of you that used COMPOSD1, you may remember that in order to
- comment a sample entry, you had to load a 4 byte sample for COMPOSD1 to
- remember the sample entry. In UNIS is don't have to do this, you can simply
- rename an entry without adding a sample to that entry....UNIS will remember
- it. (NB/ Snowman does this a lot, and I have catered for his needs).
-
- (14)
- ->You have to stop playing the song to do almost anything.. might want
- ->to look into a way around that.
-
- ya....this is because is stuffs things up with my play back routines and
- TV. I't's very hard to explain....trust me on this one - you can't do both.
-
- (15)
- ->I found everything a little too mouse dependant (maybe I'm justa
- ->little to used to my composer, with NO mouse:).
-
- Well, there's nothing I can really do about that, but I'm trying my best to
- cater for everybody :).
-
- (16)
- -> Load either signed or unsigned data (does it do this yet?)
-
- naaah, it doesn't do this yet. I'll put it in next version.
-
- (17)
- ->No recording option, (it is hard to make a decent song)
- ->recording= playing pattern & storing pressed keys in pattern on right time
- ->Ultra 1.50 has this option.
-
- Do you mean real time editting?. Sure that can be put in for you :)...but
- next version.
-
- (18)
- ->-/+ only .snd format (.wav??)
-
- Well, UNIS will only ever have Gravis support. What does the GUS bible
- say composers should record in? ...the SND format :).
-
- But, I'll "WAVer" that (get it, get it :)). I'll put it in as soon as I can.
-
- (19)
- ->> Well, UNIS will only ever have Gravis support. What does the GUS bible
- ->> say composers should record in? ...the SND format :).
- ->
- ->Why, no, they should record in .FSM format (hahaha joke :)
-
- no, no...give me your format Daniel and I will put it in :).
-
- (20)
- ->well, not a bug, but i realise that you've got sort of "windows"
- ->that you have to click on to activate first b4 you can select anything
- ->inside that window.. the Sequence list and the Pattern list also seem to
- ->window areas you have defined... so after clicking onthe sequence list,
- ->to select a pattern you have to "double-click" on that particular pattern
- ->to activate it (once to activate the pattern window and second to
- ->activate the pattern) .. well, of course after activating the pattern
- ->window you can click once in that pattern list to select any pattern... i
- ->was wondering if you could change that to one click only ?? since it is
- ->in the main control window :)
-
- This is a little confusing I know. It's because the sample lister, sequence
- select, pattern selecter etc are all seperate objects within the control
- window. Hence you have to activate them first (sort of like mini windows in
- the control window).
- What I will be doing (when I work out how), is have the titles for each object
- change colour when you active them. That way the people will see what's active
- and what's not.
-
- (21)
- ->i like your window system, but it is easy to lose a window :)
- ->perhaps include a window menu (like Windoze :) to activate that
- ->particular window
-
- do I detect a pun there Trash -> Microsofts exciting new opening systems OS:
- "MicroSoft Looser-Windows" hahaha :) ....hhmmm...I bet nobody got that :(
- ...but anyway
-
- Yep, next version I'll be sticking in a window history (You'll see it in a
- menubox...somewhere).
-
- (22)
- ->the system you use of going down to the next line automatically
- ->when you enter a note is good.. but it can be cumbersome when entering
- ->chords across the tracks coz you have to move up and across... perhaps
- ->you could have a system setting that the user can choose the default
- ->movement of the cursor when editing ?
-
- Ok I can do that :).....next version.
-
- (23)
- ->people like otto chrons (The DMP dude), and i don't want to trash the
- ->poor guy coz the mod side of his player is good, but it's gunna take him
- ->5000000000 million mutations of DMP just to get the your extended format
- ->right :). Shouldn't you be releasing source?
-
- It's not my policy to, but if otto wants to use my TC669-OBJ library, he's
- quite welcome to and I'll certainly me happy to help him.
-
- (24)
- ->I've got one of those samsang computers...Unfortunitely I don't have a
- ->standard AT keyboard....I can't use your composer.
-
- Sorry, I can't. Snowman is one of many composers that won't touch my
- composer unless the keyboard configuration as exactly like COMPOSD1 and I
- want him and many others to be happy. Suffice to say - I don't have a say
- in the matter!. If you want to keys changed....fight it out with snowman.
-
- Next version i'll be making it so that you can have UNIS keys or COMPOSD1
- keys (user definable).
-
- (25)
- ->I have trubble setting the octave higher than 4...I sampled a nice peace but
- ->i cannot get in the right tune...
-
- when you reach the highest octave using the "/ and *" keys (which is 4), use
- the "qwerty" keys to access the fifth octave.
-
- (26)
- ->oh, could u incorporate user-definable macros in either this or an
- ->upcoming version ?? there's a few strange things that we may do often
- ->that macros might come in handy..
-
- yep, next version.
-
- (27)
- ->i spose, linked in with the above and Snowman's keyboard
- ->preferences.. you could perhaps have several keycharts or user-definable
- ->keyboard maps.. like a Windoze one, a COMPOSD1 one, a Wordstar type one
- ->(^KB, ^KK, ^KC, etc for block begin, end, copy :), and a user-definable
- ->for all the commands ?? this would end up being like the new MS Word 4
- ->Windoze or something like that !!
-
- yep.
-
- (28)
- ->oh.. to be extra spiffy.. you could include display options ?? for
- ->foreground and background colours of the editing window, etc.. i spose
- ->this'll come in l8r :) but like if someone had a monochrome.. NAH !!
-
- .....NAH!!...they won't Trash haha :). If these people are too stingy to buy
- a bottom-of-the-line $100 colour monitor, then they will be too stingy to get
- a $300 Gravis card :). But anyhow, TV automatically sets the colour palletes
- for the detected graphics card.
-
- I tried to put in a user definable colour editor, but I had problems with it.
- I think there might be a bug in the standard TV colour editor, coz you
- couldn't change the colour of an inactive window (made it look really horrid).
-
- (29)
- ->a DOS shell ?? everyone program has one nowadays :) mebbe a DOS
- ->window if you wanna be extra tricky *grin*
-
- next version -> DOS window :)
-
- (30)
- ->hehe.. when renaming samples, the left arrow key doesn't seem to
- ->work.. i can only go backward with the backspace key.. a bit troulbesome
- ->when u wanna centre your message :)
-
- yaaar, that's because your talking to a bit of code (or rather a class) that
- I quickly slapped up. I didn't have time to make the line editor really good.
- as the stardard one sucked for the task at hand. Next version I will improve
- it.
-
- (31)
- ->since u disable everything when you playing a part of the 669,
- ->perhaps u could make any key or mouse button stop it ??? or perhaps, just
- ->the [spacebar] and F8.. it's a bit troublesome to keep on reaching over
- ->to tap the F8 to stop the play routine...
-
- hmmmm....will see (I don't really like doing that coz it's not the WOOPPPPSS
- thing).
-
- NB/ WOOPPPPSS stands for "Windows Object Orientated Programming"
-
- (32)
- ->if you're not using the home and end keys, could u map those to go
- ->to the top and the bottom of the current pattern respectively ??
-
- your the 100,000,000,000,000,000 person that's pulled me up about this :)
- I will find a use for them next version :).
-
- ->oh, can you program it so arrow keys are active in the
- ->sequence/patten window so one can copy and paste a selection of
- ->sequences? i've noticed that the mouse block functions still don't work ?
-
- that's gtting a little bit toooooooo tricky. good idea though :). Might make
- a function that be allow to you edit sets of patterns.
-
- (33)
- ->could you somehow put in a redo and undo ??
-
- I was going to put it in this version, but I ran out of time.
-
- (34)
- ->oh.. tnx for making it so different tracks play different notes
- ->(polyphonically) while editing .. however, i had some looped samples, and
- ->they kept on playing until i like did a F6 and a F8.. perhaps you could
- ->stop the playing via F8 or something ?? i'm not sure..
-
- use the F8 key to tell the GUS card to "shut up" :).
-
- (35)
- ->abt looping samples.. it's hard to put in a loop value, coz i didn't
- ->know how long the sample was.. you should have some display somewhere abt
- ->the length of the highlighted sample, or something like that..
-
- yaa well....your going to have to rough to for now.
-
- (36)
- ->i nearly forgot, you don't have a cut !! it's just copy and clear in
- ->one command !! but useful for moveing things around !!
-
- You'll be cutting it in next version.
-
- (37)
- ->how about a MIDI keyboard interface?
-
- ditto.
-
- (38)
- ->COMPOSD1 and many other tracker have got a "LOOP END" setting that you can
- ->change to ajust the end of a loop. Could you explain why you haven't put it
- ->in?.
-
-
- That's a good question!. The reason why I havn't put it in is to make the
- 669 format storage is efficent and compact as possible.....how you ask?
-
- ok, if you can imagine a sample in memory. As follows:
-
- ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
- │ Mr Sample X │
- └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
- (NB/ X marks the spot)
-
- When you set a "LOOP END" to a value less than the length of the sample (
- say for example where the "X" is), you're effectively "cutting" out the end
- bit of the sample. So when you distribute your 669, your going to have some
- data sitting in your 669 simply taking up space.
-
- What I suggest to you is that you edit your sample in a sample editor, and
- cut out any unneeded sample at the end....this will reduce wasteage - hence
- "waste not, want not" or "hasty wasty". I am planning to put a sample editor
- in UNIS so that you can do all this stuff. But for now, you're just going to
- have to rough it with a sample editor.
-
- I'll put it in for you if you like, but it causes wasteage (the whole idea
- about 669's is there compactness, I though I would honour the policy).
-
-
- ooo0ooo
-