Path: chuka.playstation.co.uk!news From: Developer Support Newsgroups: scee.yaroze.programming.sound Subject: Re: MOD player Date: Thu, 04 Sep 1997 08:14:24 +0100 Organization: PlayStation Net Yaroze (SCEE) Lines: 95 Message-ID: <340E5FCF.1386@interactive.sony.com> References: <3408ECA2.D5D11A95@ibm.net> <340D31C1.6FA4@interactive.sony.com> <340E1EA4.7A5F@peace.co.nz> NNTP-Posting-Host: 194.203.13.10 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01 (Win95; I) James Russell wrote: > So to clarify: > > If I have a MIDI file in SMF-1 format, with 2 tracks (each track is one > instrument) I would have TWO Programs: > Program 0 would map to the Midi Track 0 (Instrument 0), > Program 1 would map to the Midi Track 1 (Instrument 0). > > When I play the SEQ file (made from the SMF-1 file) on my PSX, and > the SMF file sez "Play Note C, octave 4 on Instrument 1", what's > happening in the PSX is: > > o The note "C-4" is converted to a Note number (60 ?) > o The PSX looks up Program 1 (which holds Instrument 1) > which holds a number of tones. > o Each Tone in Program 1 which has a range that contains the "C-4" note > (i.e. range_min <= 60 <= range_max) should be played. > o For each such tone, look up the VAG associated with it, and play > that VAG with the settings described in that Tone and Program 1. > That's almost right, but midi contains program change messages, so a midi track could be using program 1 at first, then switch to program 2 later. > Now this sounds right (although I'm not sure) but my biggest problem with it > is that it requires the use of a waveform (the VAG, or sound sample), and > I was under the impression that MIDI didn't HAVE to have sound samples. > MIDI is just a way of controlling a musical instrument, it effectively records all of the key presses from a synth or master keyboard. In this case the Playstation plays back the midi note using sampled instruments ( in a VAB file ) > So: > 1) How are the VAG numbers in the tone used? > Vag numbers correspond to midi programs > 2) When the PSX emits sound, are there ** 2 ** possible sources, the CD player and > the sound samples in the SPU memory, > OR are there ** 3 ** possible sources, the CD player, the sound samples in > SPU memory and real-time generated MIDI instruments? > 2 sources... > I ask this because at the end of the manual it sez: > "Sampled waveform data can be used in the same way as MIDI waveform data. For more > information, see the Yaroze web site." > > What exactly is this supposed to mean? MIDI can use sampled sounds? Or by 'waveform' > do they mean ADSR and so on? > Oops, looks like an incredibly bad translation from Japanese; I think the gist of it is that you can use a VAB to provide instruments sounds for MIDI seq's as well as individual sound effects ( for explosions etc ) > I know this doesn't really relate to the XM player so much, but I'd sure like to > know. > > And please, if you understand what the manual means when it sez: > > "The following items are included from 'control change': > data entry (6) > panpot (10) > . > . > nprn(98,99) " > > What are these things? MIDI events? What are the numbers then? Event numbers? > They are midi control events ( The number is the controller code ) > > Tracker to MIDI have problems with pitchbend though, so I would do it > > under Vsync if I were you. > > Sounds like the plan. > > Ta > > J > > -- > ==PEACE COMPUTERS > ==James.Russell@peace.co.nz - 64(9)3730400 -Fax 64(9)3730401 > > Why do they put expiration dates on sour cream?