Atari 2600 Music Scale question

[Atari Charles]

Does anyone have the Atari 2600 Note Scale which corresponds a value with a musical Note?

 

Also does anyone has an asm, possibly with comments, so I can figure this out more easily?

 

I am going to compose a simple song(possibly 2k or 4k) and need some help figuring this out. I've done tons of songs using guitars, synths, and so on, but am trying to wrap my head around programming one for the Atari 2600.

[+Nathan Strum]

This is a good place to start.

 

This is also extremely handy.

[B00daW]

Don't try porting any music.

 

Tip: Don't make music WITH the TIA. Make music FOR the TIA.

[Atari Charles]

Thanks!

 

I want to make music for the TIA. I have concepts that have resulted in music done on synths and guitar, but as we know the Atari Scale is different. I guess what I am trying to do is create a song background that will work with a larger program, hence why I have to stick with a 2K or 4K song.

 

 

I've heard some amazing compositions here and on other sites that were made before after and with Paul's program which were pretty good. Tree Waves stuff using the Atari 2600 and other musical instruments is amazing stuff that definitely needs to see more exposure.

Edited February 26, 2008 by Atari Charles

[supercat]

Tip: Don't make music WITH the TIA. Make music FOR the TIA.

 

Excellent advice. Though some might argue that with Stella's Stocking I took the former approach. Others might argue that I really made the music with the 6507 and the TIA was just along for the ride.

 

Toyshop Trouble was a good example of making music for the TIA. I started out by figuring out what pitches I could use to make a I-IV-V-I progression in the bass that would fit with a scale in the treble. I liked the "Dashing through the snow/One horse open sleigh/etc." melodic progression as a starting point, but the fourth line didn't work (no high "G" in treble). Further, I wanted a the fourth line of the melody to end on a full perfect cadence (V-I progression with melody in the tonic). So I rewrote the fourth line of the melody.

 

Another interesting feature of the Toyshop Trouble melody is that the melody actually uses two different pitches for b-natural. The TIA doesn't have a good B natural available in voice 12. A divisor of 21 (AUDF1=20) will be a little bit sharp, and a divisor of 22 (AUDF1=21) will be quite a bit flat. In the third line, when the bass note is a noticeably flat G, I use the comparably flat AUDF1=21. In the fourth line, where the bass note is in tune and the B serves as a "leading tone", I use the somewhat sharp AUDF1=20. I don't think there's any pitch table anywhere that would suggest using AUDF1=21 for a B natural, but given the flat "G" in the bass, it's better for the treble note to be flat (even if it's severely flat) than for it to be sharp.

[B00daW]

supercat, brand me a n00b, but I'm totally unfamiliar with any sort of Atari 2600 developments. I'm a haphazard musician whom enjoys chips. I basically just looked at Slocum's document and the TIA register document and mashed some stuff up by comparing which notes were "available" and plinked out a few hooks on my keyboard.

 

Anyway, I'd like to hear some of that stuff you're talking about.

 

--

 

Unrelated, but I've been mulling over the idea of a TIA-related music site that provides composition utilities and a forum for TIA-related music composition. I've also been talking to a select few people who would be interested in making a hacked version of Slocum's engine to include volume control and eventually an RMT-like tracker -- since the TIA is like the aunt of POKEY. Yes yes... I know that notations would be difficult, but it would be an instrument-only based tracker for the two oscillators.

 

And now for a request for developers... Would anybody be willing to create a music plugin that is basically a TIA emulator that doesn't emulate any graphics instructions? The music format could still be *.bin, or for aesthetics *.tia.

 

Any objections or comments?

[Cybergoth]

And now for a request for developers... Would anybody be willing to create a music plugin that is basically a TIA emulator that doesn't emulate any graphics instructions?

 

Plugin for what? VST?

[B00daW]

Eww... VST? No, sir.

 

A plug-in for a media player like Winamp or (preferably) XMPlay that emulates solely audio. Stella is great, but even on a high-resources machine there are skips and inaccuracy in playback for TIA-intensive music.

 

Also, *plug plug* if anybody would be kind enough to verify if this song plays correctly on hardware, I could determine whether the inconsistencies exist on hardware too or if Stella just isn't emulating properly so the issue can be formally addressed to the author.

[vdub_bobby]

Don't try porting any music.

 

Tip: Don't make music WITH the TIA. Make music FOR the TIA.

Disagree! You can port music, you just have to be very careful in porting as well as in choosing what music to port. Plus you have to accept that it won't sound exactly like the original. But I have ported, or had my brother port, lots and lots of tunes to the 2600. Sometimes we just couldn't get it to sound good, but we often could.

 

But I will agree that *most* of the best 2600 music was written specifically for the TIA.

[Cybergoth]

A plug-in for a media player like Winamp or (preferably) XMPlay that emulates solely audio.

 

Hm... I don't know XMPlay and WinAmp recently dropped Win'98 compatibility. Is XMPlay any good?

 

Personally I'm using DeliPlayer right now, which is pretty cool, since it supports tons of formats like dozens of Amiga players, MODs, SIDs, NSFs, SAPs, AYs... - almost everything actually.

[B00daW]

Hm... I don't know XMPlay and WinAmp recently dropped Win'98 compatibility. Is XMPlay any good?

 

It's great. Uses half the resources and uses Winamp's and its own plugins. Just put the plugins in the /Plugins directory and you're good to go.

 

But to reiterate the point I'm interested in, is there anyone that would be able to have the talent to take existing emulation code and create a plugin for either Winamp or XMPlay?

 

This way we could really start to see a TIA music scene emerge. Regarding Battle of the Bits, this is the first year that we've included TIA submissions. There are a few days left if anybody is interested.

 

To summarize, a TIA media player would be very useful. Also, please join in making music for our competition.

[Atari Charles]

Hm... I don't know XMPlay and WinAmp recently dropped Win'98 compatibility. Is XMPlay any good?

 

It's great. Uses half the resources and uses Winamp's and its own plugins. Just put the plugins in the /Plugins directory and you're good to go.

 

But to reiterate the point I'm interested in, is there anyone that would be able to have the talent to take existing emulation code and create a plugin for either Winamp or XMPlay?

 

This way we could really start to see a TIA music scene emerge. Regarding Battle of the Bits, this is the first year that we've included TIA submissions. There are a few days left if anybody is interested.

 

To summarize, a TIA media player would be very useful. Also, please join in making music for our competition.

 

Submitted entry.

Edited February 27, 2008 by Atari Charles

[B00daW]

Submitted entry.

 

HAHAAHA!!! j00 almost got banz0r3d, kiddo! Use ol' Slocum's source or hack my sourcecode.

Edited February 27, 2008 by B00daW

[Tom]

But I have ported, or had my brother port, lots and lots of tunes to the 2600. Sometimes we just couldn't get it to sound good, but we often could.

 

Ist this available somewhere?

[Cybergoth]

Bob posted several tunes in his blog I think.

[vdub_bobby]

But I have ported, or had my brother port, lots and lots of tunes to the 2600. Sometimes we just couldn't get it to sound good, but we often could.

 

Ist this available somewhere?

 

 

Bob posted several tunes in his blog I think.

Yeah, check out the Metroid demo I made - that has examples of both successful and failed conversions - plus we converted a tune from some Final Fantasy (Gilgamesh something or other), the Wizards & Warriors title theme, Fanfare for the Common Man is the title theme to BLiP Football, I *think* I posted a sort-of conversion of a song from R.O.D. The TV somewhere, I did that for the R.P.S. game. Actually, maybe I never publicly posted that. Anyway, I also did 4-5 Christmas songs for Reindeer Rescue. And a couple Mega Man tunes, though I maybe never publicly posted those either.