One Question

[emkay]

If you'd bought a game with POKEY support back in the 80s or so... What would you have thought, if a tune sounded like this?

 

 

[Paul Westphal]

I would think it was magic

[Jinroh]

That is killer! 

 

It would have been music to my ears, as it is now.

 

[Geoff Oltmans]

Sounds a lot like a SID!

[emkay]

22 hours ago, Geoff Oltmans said:

Sounds a lot like a SID!

From the timeline more exactly SID sounds like POKEY

It's all in there what SID could do musically. There is the Pulse Width Modulation. For some patterns you hear real Ring Modulation. You also have high note triangle sound. And, as you might see, it's very low on CPU usage. 

It's all done "fiddling" within the limits of the Raster Music Tracker. 

Sadly, there is absolutely no built in support for that. Also, the tracker misses some really needed features for music creation.

Or, to use other words : There is much more possible.    

[emkay]

Actually, it's my newest approach to handle Pulse Width Modulations best in the Raster Music Tracker. 

 

Here you are free to listen to 2 more edits.

 

Jungly version of Commando

 

 

 

 

 

or how about some OPL ?

 

 

 

It's depending , on what you prefer

 

[CPUWIZ]

Awesome.

[+Propane13]

I would like to learn more about this.  Would you have any resources you can share?

 

Specifically, I understand how to strobe different registers and make all of the boops and the beeps.  But there are interesting things happening in these compositions, like echo effects, vibrato, and glissandos/slides.  There's a major difference here between say, listening to Ballblazer on the 7800 vs. the VVVVVV original soundtrack.  I'd be very interested in reading up / learning how to generate these effects, but it's something I have zero familiarity with, so I'm curious if you would have any beginner resources available.  Seems like if mastered, you can do some pretty powerful stuff, music-wise.

 

Thanks!

 

[emkay]

On 9/17/2020 at 2:44 PM, Propane13 said:

I would like to learn more about this.  Would you have any resources you can share?

 

Specifically, I understand how to strobe different registers and make all of the boops and the beeps.  But there are interesting things happening in these compositions, like echo effects, vibrato, and glissandos/slides.  There's a major difference here between say, listening to Ballblazer on the 7800 vs. the VVVVVV original soundtrack.  I'd be very interested in reading up / learning how to generate these effects, but it's something I have zero familiarity with, so I'm curious if you would have any beginner resources available.  Seems like if mastered, you can do some pretty powerful stuff, music-wise.

 

Thanks!

 

 

What to say? POKEY's ability of replaying music is like a sorted chaos

If you have a closer look at the videos, you might recognize that there weren't any "special" tricks used. Just like clocking changes, 16 Bit. 

What's been used is the "hi pass filter". But the definition of a "hi-pass filter" is wrong. It's actually a real modulation feature as SID has, or the NES Chip ...

POKEY's biggest problem is also the biggest advantage here. As it is possible to program the 9 registers directly, everything is possible. 

The "ring modulation" you hear in the 1st tune, is just POKEY itself. All channels are bound together. That's why sometime the tones add and sometimes can cancel each other. 

As you might have recognized in the 1st tune, it can be handled without huge problems. 

The general key for programmed modulations is the fact that when you join two channels with "hi-pass filter", they have the same wave start. You can tickle them together. My solution is to play the highest pitch on both channels at the same time. Everything else is physics. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[emkay]

Here a try to explain that things get get much more better that what I reached here already. 

POKEY music on the Atari and it'S development stalled somehow in the early 80s. 

It' just that the Raster Music Tracker appeared in 2003 , allowing to do the "known" within a Tracker that runs on a PC. 

MOD import, and MIDI features were well included. The coder of the Tracker died years ago, so everything is in a time loop, if you understand. 

The Raster Music Tracker is the best tool for creating music for the atari, but it misses a lot that is needed to  be a real music tracker. 

The following tune is a real replayed Amiga-Mod. Not taking care here for the sounds itself. It's just simulating FX that can be adjusted in any MOD Tracker.  

As it is real 4 channel, it is also real  8 bit resolution. But the "Tracker FX" let it sound better than that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[emkay]

It is not possible to use "Tracker FX" and "perfect sounds" at the same time. It may cost some more RAM and some CPU cycles, but still in a usable range to be added to any game or demo. 

 

And, btw. 

 

The tune "hymn to aurora" is originally an Amiga MOD file. 

Here is a tune that add better "waves" and some partial Tracker FX (pitch trimming). 

 

Imagine this one with full Tracker FX support

 

 

 

[emkay]

Yeah. I see, the 1st video got the most positive reactions. 

There is another relevant point. 

Some might know that it is a conversion of a SID tune "Chordian". 

3 Channels and a lot synth playing on the envelope. 

This is exactly what RMT allows to do. The long playes synth sounds also allow a lot playing with the modulations features of Pokey. 

So, in theory: Every SID "3 channel" notation that is based on synth manipulations for long instrument envelopes, could result in such a nice Pokey tune.  

[0078265317]

pretty good

[Justin Payne]

I, too, would like to learn more about making music for the Atari but the Raster Music Tracker isn't exactly like other music trackers I have found tutorials for. Although their is some documentation, it's not great for beginners. Sure would be helpful if someone would do a video or two on this. (wink wink).

[+x=usr(1536)]

@emkay: I have to say...  That is a damn fine job that you did with morse corse.  Truly excellent.

[emkay]

Some time has passed. 

Software luckily has been upgraded. 

So here are some video of the current possibilities. 

 

It would be nice, to have some severe opinoins ( I won't get angry  )

 

Here are some late results:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And my latest edit...

 

 

 

You know, Videos have a time index. So pls. feel free to comment, what you like or not.