"EaglePlayer" playback VS "real" playback

[chip]

Hi guys

I like to rip music modules and listen to those with EaglePlayer

Well, i simply want to know if there are difference in listening to the music this way

I mean, the "real" playback of game/demo tune is really better than the "external" EaglePlayer playback ?

Thanks in advance, chip

[meynaf]

In theory, no.
In practice, i've found pathological cases where EP fails to properly play the mod.

[Solo Kazuki]

Eagle Player with good settings of amplifier may sounds even better than "normal" replay, e.g. you can use surround panning.

But as Meynaf said, some modules could be replayed wrong.

[chip]

Thanks for replies guys

Yes, for sure i also find modules which are not played correctly by EaglePlayer

Technically speaking i have no idea why this happens

[Solo Kazuki]

It's default replayer not 100% compatible with ProTracker replay routine and some modules are using tricks.

There's more compatible PT replayer for EP made by Wanted Team. Also some exotic module format replayers are available here.

http://wt.exotica.org.uk/players.html

[chip]

Yes, i have ALL the Wanted Team eaglereplayers

Indeed i love exotic formats too

[meynaf]

If EP fails you may try DT (DeliTracker2). Not perfect, but it's usually quite good for protracker.

[chip]

Thanks for suggest .... i will try that !

[Nishicorn]

Originally Posted by meynaf

If EP fails you may try DT (DeliTracker2). Not perfect, but it's usually quite good for protracker.

It also plays AHX, TFMX, and quite many others.

Even the seven-channel Turrican II title song played perfectly, while showing all 7 channels in the Levelmeter! Can't ask for more than that.

And DeliTracker II's Levelmeters are 'proper volume' instead of the usual Protracker-style, that only shows when a note is triggered - it looks pretty cool to look at 7 different levelmeter bars showing constantly the volume of each of those channels.

The only fault I can find for Delitracker II is its name - it's a player, not a tracker. But I can forgive it, because of all that I just mentioned..

[lesta_smsc]

It's quite interesting. I always wondered why it would not be possible to extract the player/code or whatever it is that gives you playback in game as an external entity? This would surely then provide you with an exact replica just without the need to run through the software it came compiled in.

[alexh]

The majority of the guts of EP and DT players are made just as you say. They are the actual replay routine from the game. But they have to be modified. The problem is two fold, one the game code doesn't have to be aoS friendly but the EP/DT players do. Hard coded address offsets, non relocatable code, self modifying 68000 only code, they are usually hard coded to use timers or interrupts which again may be in use by the OS. Plus the more exotic modules, the replayers were game specific, meaning they didn't have revision numbers, releases, the songs have no player revision number in them, the song data my look identical format but the player be very slightly different from one game to the next. Instead of writing a player for each game the EP/DT players detect the game from the module and try to tweak the player. I think the module format CUST are ones where the exact replay routine has been used.

[lesta_smsc]

Originally Posted by alexh

The majority of the guts of EP and DT players are made just as you say. They are the actual replay routine from the game. But they have to be modified. The problem is two fold, one the game code doesn't have to be aoS friendly but the EP/DT players do. Hard coded address offsets, non relocatable code, self modifying 68000 only code, they are usually hard coded to use timers or interrupts which again may be in use by the OS. Plus the more exotic modules, the replayers were game specific, meaning they didn't have revision numbers, releases, the songs have no player revision number in them, the song data my look identical format but the player be very slightly different from one game to the next. Instead of writing a player for each game the EP/DT players detect the game from the module and try to tweak the player. I think the module format CUST are ones where the exact replay routine has been used.

Thank you. Very informative and highlights the difficulty in such matters. Just a side note, however, the music composers must have had a way of playing back somehow or was the format something generated after i.e. like making a file into .zip/.rar but containing the necessary files within it.

[chip]

Thank you guys for all your answers to this thread

[Hewitson]

Why bother using #?UAE to run old Amiga music players? Use UADE.

[alexh]

Who said anything about emulation?

[Pyromania]

I loved Eagle Player back in the day. Hopefully I can get it to work on my AmigaOne X5000.

[chip]

I love EaglePlayer too

I use it since 2002, when i discovered emulation

It's probably a question of taste, but for me this is the player which sounds better

I used also UADE a little, but i don't like the playback as much as EaglePlayer

Never tried Delitracker

Anyway, even if i'm not dogmatic, between a PC player like XMPlay and Amiga player like EaglePlayer i always used the Amiga one

[jarre]

Seems it's not playing some Mugician II modules right
(7voicesdemo sounds different under winuae), but can test it on real hardware..

[Nishicorn]

Originally Posted by Hewitson

Why bother using #?UAE to run old Amiga music players? Use UADE.

How about "use AMIGA"..?

[chip]

There's always a special case it seems

This module

http://janeway.exotica.org.uk/release.php?id=7535

is played in the wrong way by EaglePlayer

I didn't test anyway other Future Composer 1.4 modules to see if it is a general problem (of the format) or just a specific one (of the module)

Just an info for all members who can be interested in music issues