If I wanted six channel sound for a future CPC game, what music trackers could be used to make it? I ask so whoever makes the music has an easy time. At the moment I can only think to use arkos tracker to compose three at a time and then double check on a real CPC. It would make composing a bit more work if done this way. Any tools on PC or St?
Vortex Tracker II on PC allow to compose 6ch musics that can be replayed on CPC.
VortexTracker - Unreeeal Superhero [.pt]3 (2 x AY-3-8910) - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_36Rixs9eo)
Is it doable to use a 9 channel player too ? (3 PSG, 6 YMZ). That would be what I really need. :)
Quote from: TFM on 18:19, 25 August 14
Is it doable to use a 9 channel player too ? (3 PSG, 6 YMZ). That would be what I really need. :)
My original idea was to use arkos tracker to make a 6 channel music and to make it 3 channels at a time.
But it's good that I can use Vortex tracker to make 6 channels.
Perhaps you can use vortex tracker and arkos tracker. Play them both at the same time. Alternatively, I am sure arkos tracker could be extended to 9 channels with some copy+paste.
Of course it will take more raster time because you now need to process 9 channels. Then send 6 to YMZ and 3 to PSG.
The main problem I see is to make it easy for the musician to make this music.
When we started the "CTC-AY" project, it was expected to use only one extra AY to allow 6ch at all.
But, we finally put 2 YMZ to allow a faster 6ch mode to improve games speed. (only use the AY as I/O ports controller)
If you finally add the AY channels to reach 6+3, you lose this advantage and goes slower that an original CPC. :-\
(but sure, you does as you want...)
Not in every case. Depends how you do it. If you use the PSG for FX only and the YMZ for 6-channel sound it will be faster as a conventional 3 channel PSG game IMHO. Of course it depends on the time FX are used, but they are usually not CPU intense (like a song player).
Allowing people to use it like they want makes it more popular.
Sure, but it will be never faster than 6ch YMZ "only". ;D
That's absolutely right.
Quote from: TotO on 22:17, 25 August 14
Sure, but it will be never faster than 6ch YMZ "only". ;D
But Cyber Chicken works wonderfully with the extra channels used for Stereo effects and the on board sound for the music.
so perhaps it is not *such* a slowdown when running with 6+3 ;)
Craig
Right, at the days end all the playing of music will never take up more than about 15% of CPU time (IMHO). The by far biggest amount of CPU time get's wasted always for writing data into the Video-RAM.