Arkos Tracker

[Gryzor]

Yes, it's obvious the demo song is just that; a demo But last night I worked at my PC listening to the SKS songs (what format is this???) in the background and I really enjoyed it. I wish the tracker had a more complete player module, like one that accepts playlists (I know it's got nothing to do with a tracker's functionality, I'm just saying), because I had to go back to the program and change song each time I realized the loop played again and again.

Time to toy around with it - I didn't notice, are there any instruments in the package?

Oh, also, it seems that Alt+F4 or the X control don't work when a song is playing...?

[Targhan]

>listening to the SKS songs (what format is this???)
SKS is the STarKos format.
>I wish the tracker had a more complete player module
One possible way to do it is to export the songs to WAV or YM and use any software which can read it...


>Time to toy around with it - I didn't notice, are there any instruments in the package?
"Instruments" folder .


>Oh, also, it seems that Alt+F4 or the X control don't work when a song is playing...?
As written in the manual, it may not work if the player is running (it's a known bug). Either use "Exit" in the "File" menu, or press "Stop" (or Esc) to stop the song, and press the cross or Alt+F4
Targhan/Arkos.

[Gryzor]

1. Ah I see
2. Yes, but awkward. Still, doable for songs one really likes!
3. As I said, I didn't look. Thanks
4. ...and I didn't have the time to read the manual. So sorry for bringing old news!

[Targhan]

No problem .

[CPCIak]

Which MS .NET version do you recommend Targhan?

[Targhan]

The software is compiled for 3.5. In future version I *may* try to use down to 2.0, if people can't install the latest framework. But it also depends on functionality I use...

[Targhan]

>Thanx. I'm a little bit confused: MS already released four .Net versions:
Is .Net v4.0 down-compatible?



Yes, Net is retro compatible. It's simply that I didn't designed my app for this framework. With a bit of tweaking, Arkos Tracker should be working on .net 2.0, but I'd loose some comfort programming some functionality.
Trg.Aks

[AugustoRuiz]

I used C#. That's why I don't think it can be easily ported on other system. The software in itself should, but not the library I used (from Augusto Ruiz, the creator of WyzTracker. Thanks for your awesome support !!) to play the sounds, as it uses unmanaged code, which I guess is not supported by Mono.

Targhan, maybe we can have a look at porting the MCI code (the only code that is platform-dependant) to Linux? I think I know how to do so, cause it's basically write to some sort of virtual file...

[Targhan]

>Targhan, maybe we can have a look at porting the MCI code (the only code that is platform-dependant) to Linux? I think I know how to do so, cause it's basically write to some sort of virtual file...


I have no knowledge of Mac OSx or Linux. If you can come up with one solution it would be great. For now I'd rather concentrate on the Windows release I admit .

[fano]

Great utility as expected , i made the awfull effort to install .NET 3.5 (vomits)

[TFM]

This tracker/player is awesome!!!

Now one question: How can I convert a Soundtrakker song to it?

My problem is that I have my Songs for Giana Sisters in Soundtrakker format and they use up more than 40 (!!!) scanlines !!! If Starkos and the new Arkos Tracker only use 25 scanlines, than this would really solve some serious timing problems.

Can anybody help?

[Targhan]

Hi,
There is no converter from Soundtrakker to STarkos or Arkos Tracker. You must either create a converter or convert the songs by hand. The latter will probably be the fastest . Soundtrakker format is simple though. STarkos/AT isn't. Maybe the original composer could make the convertion (Kangaroo ?) ?
Trg.Aks

[TFM]

Hi,
There is no converter from Soundtrakker to STarkos or Arkos Tracker. You must either create a converter or convert the songs by hand. The latter will probably be the fastest . Soundtrakker format is simple though. STarkos/AT isn't. Maybe the original composer could make the convertion (Kangaroo ?) ?
Trg.Aks

You're right! Maybe it's the best to do it by hand. Let's see how this works with instruments.
Well, Kangaroo ... hmm... guess .... hmmm.... I better ask Tolkin to do so, he has also some Sound experiences ;-)

[fano]

I am looking at the player to integrate it in my code and i must say the SFX management is great !
I am very impressed with the work you made here , remember some PC sound libraries , it is pretty simple to use and allows a lot of things 

[mr_lou]

I have an idea for an "expansion" for Arkos Tracker and STarKos.

There is a utility from 1986 by Superior called Speech. It loads some RSX commands, so that you can do e.g. |say,"Hello there"
And then your CPC speaks. It's quite neat.

It could be cool to have a tool that would let me generate instruments for STarKos like that. Maybe like an addon for Speech, so that when loaded I could do |instrument,"Hello there"
And then it should save an instrument to disk, which can then be loaded with STarKos.



Speech uses 49 phonemens, according to the demo. So I'm thinking that it's about translating these 49 phonemens into STarKos instrument data. Dunno if it's doable though. But my idea is hereby shared.

[arnoldemu]

I have an idea for an "expansion" for Arkos Tracker and STarKos.

There is a utility from 1986 by Superior called Speech. It loads some RSX commands, so that you can do e.g. |say,"Hello there"
And then your CPC speaks. It's quite neat.

It could be cool to have a tool that would let me generate instruments for STarKos like that. Maybe like an addon for Speech, so that when loaded I could do |instrument,"Hello there"
And then it should save an instrument to disk, which can then be loaded with STarKos.



Speech uses 49 phonemens, according to the demo. So I'm thinking that it's about translating these 49 phonemens into STarKos instrument data. Dunno if it's doable though. But my idea is hereby shared.

The phonemes are 4-bit samples.
I think they are packed in the same way as robocop stores them (two samples in a byte).
so may be possible to extract and use with starkos.
Then you would need to trigger them in your music?

[mr_lou]

Being used to track music with Protracker and Milkytracker, I don't know if I'd call that data "samples".

But anyway. It's "just" a matter of translating those "samples" into STarKos instrument data.

I wouldn't know how do to that myself.

[Targhan]

These are samples. They are as much supported as digidrums. Trigger them if you want, but for now you can't hear them in the Tracker. But you could use the digidrums code you can find in the STarKos kit to play these samples if you want to...
And you can't "translate" these "voice samples" in STarKos. STarKos doesn't allow changing the volume with the sound channel cut (which is necessary to play samples), and 300hz wouldn't even be enough. Better play samples like digidrums !

[mr_lou]

Hm, I must have overlooked something. I didn't think it was possible to use samples in STarKos....
I'll have a look again.

[Targhan]

It is not possible to *hear* samples *inside* STarKos/Arkos Tracker. But you can trigger them (or anything else !) using the D command in the Special Track. For example, if you write D01 somewhere in your song, then when you're using the external player, simply read the "Digidrum" byte (if you're using the source file, else it's a simple offset like Player+x (I forgot what value, check the STarKos website)). If it's 0, then nothing is triggered. If the song comes to the point where you put a "D01", then the value "1" can be found at the Digidrum address. So you can use that to play digidrum (1=bass drum  2=snare ...), or synchronize anything with your song (1=first effect coming, 2=logo appears)... 
Couples that with the Digidrum player you can find in the STarKos kit, and you can play samples whenever you want in your song. The only drawback is that you can't hear them inside STarKos or Arkos Tracker (for now).
Trg.Aks

[mr_lou]

That's quite interesting.

Sorry for being all newbie'ish here, and for making you re-explain what's already described on the documentation page.
It seems everyone had the joy of experiencing digidrums and such way back, and I'm way behind, only discovering this now.

But anyway. How do I create these SPL files? I'm unable to find a Digidrums application anywhere. Googling for CPC Digidrums doesn't give me anything. Searching for SPL or Digidrums here at the wiki doesn't give me anything either.

And another question: When playing back MDL files, we use lots of CPU power. Roughly how much CPU power do we use for a single track of Digidrums in a SKS track?

[Targhan]

>How do I create these SPL files?

They are 8 bits unsigned wav files. I guess they are converted on the fly by my digidrum code.

>When playing back MDL files, we use lots of CPU power. Roughly how much   CPU power do we use for a single track of Digidrums in a SKS track?

If you want to do anything else besides digidrums, you have to micro-code your routines WHILE playing the digidrum. To have a 16khz digidrum (quite useless, 8kz is enough), you have to play one sample each scanline (each 64 nops). If playing one sample takes about 10 nops, then you have to microcode everything else in 54 nops...

So let's pretend that playing digidrums uses 20% on the ressources, but is limitating as you have to micro code the other codes, else your screw the sample replay (which is not really important while playing a drum, that's why we can use a "raw" player like the STarkos one, and not a microcode one. But playing a "real" sample would be crappy with a non-microcoded player).

[mr_lou]

Discussion about Digidrums continued here

[arnoldemu]

I downloaded Arkos Tracker, I want to run it under Linux.

I have mono installed, the command-line tools work like this e.g. "mono AKSToBIN.exe"

I installed lib winforms 2.0 (probably need to install 3.5 or similar). I run ArkosTracker.

It throws a null exception in "InstrumentViewRefresh".
I tried it with "sudo mono ArkosTracker.exe" - same problem.

I'm making progress.

[arnoldemu]

Getting furthur. Installed "mono for windows" using wine.
Now I get a different error when I do this "wine ArkosTracker.exe".
Before wine would tell me I needed to install mono if I wanted to use .net programs