Fastest 8 channel music playroutine

TCH · 22 January 2017, 16:38

Out of curiousity:

Which 8 channel tracker has the fastest playroutine, which consumes the less CPU time and thus, it's a competent tracker for gamemaking? I read OctaMED is quite slow.

daxb · 22 January 2017, 17:12

I guess Digibooster V1.8 (8 ch tracker) was one of the fastest.

TCH · 22 January 2017, 17:16

Thanks, but isn't 1.7 is the last version of DB?

daxb · 22 January 2017, 21:13

Maybe I remembered wrong.

Anakirob · 26 January 2017, 15:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsr

Thanks, but isn't 1.7 is the last version of DB?

Well I purchased DigiBooster version 2 a few months ago. And version 3 has been around for a while. DigiBooster 2 was known as DigiBooster Pro 2. So perhaps technically not DigiBooster period. But then they dropped the pro from the title of version three. So that would make version three the latest version of DigiBooster.

Although you probably want to stick with version 1.7 as it's free and far less resource intensive.

TCH · 26 January 2017, 18:56

I was aware of the DB Pro series, but those are not 8 channel trackers, they can handle even more. What i need is a very fast 8 channel tracker what works with KS 1.3 too.

daxb · 26 January 2017, 19:22

Maybe Octalyzer.

saimon69 · 26 January 2017, 19:37

I remember Oktalyzer was working on 1.2, just have no clue whether the replayroutine is fast enough for your needs, and if there is a replayroutine at all.

hitchhikr · 26 January 2017, 19:45

Startrekker v1.2 (replay included in archive): https://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=34759
or startrekker v1.3 (no replay but probably the same as v1.2): https://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=13415

Art of noise can handle 8 channels (replay included): https://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=34753

I don't know if the 8 channels replay of oktalyzer was released.
6/8 channels replay was used in this production: https://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=13459 but it was coded by the creator of oktalyzer so i don't know.

Some TFMX versions also have a 7 channels version (http://old.exotica.org.uk/editors/ar...6_7v_Fixed.lha).

Otherwise you could try your luck with (you'll have to disassemble to extract a replay,tho): http://old.exotica.org.uk/editors/archive/Voices-8.lha

But be prepared: they suck a *LOT* of CPU time.

EDIT: the source of the preview of oktalyzer is located here: http://old.exotica.org.uk/source/edi...alyzer_Pre.lha

Also digibooster v1.7 is here (they claim that the mixing routine is extremely fast):
http://aminet.net/package/mus/edit/DigiBooster1_7

TCH · 28 January 2017, 11:36

daxb, saimon69: Thanks for the tip, but this page claims, that Oktalyzer is slow.

hitchhikr: Thanks for the tips.

StarTrekker 1.3 is different from 1.2. I found a disk image of it, and it claims that there are replay routines for 1.3, but there are no sign of them anyhwere on the internet. In this thread StingRay claims that he has the sources, but the thread is dead for years. However, replay 1.2 here claims that the 8 channel replayer eats up lot of raster time, so probably it's not sufficient for games.

Art of Noise's README states it's requirements as

Quote:

You need at least 1meg RAM , Kickstart2.0+. A MC68020+ is required for 8-Channel mode.

so, it's not exactly an A500 friendly tracker.

I have TFMX, but i need an eight channel tracker.

So, this leaves DigiBooster 1.7 as the best choice for an 8 channel tracker with fast replayer?

Anakirob · 28 January 2017, 12:55

http://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=52297

Quote:

His fast and accurate mixing routine permit to play up to 8 channels on an unexpanded A1200 and only takes 1/4 of a frame.

If it takes 1/4 of a frame on an A1200 will that be quick enough for you to use in a game which is supposed to run on a 1.3 A500? I think the original OctaMED 8-ch mode (not the high-quality one introduced with version 5) is faster than that. But far lower quality of course.

daxb · 28 January 2017, 13:05

8ch on an A500 (68000) takes "all" the cpu time if it works anyway. If the game shall do something beside playing the music it will "not" work. I fear for stock A500 your are stick to 4ch.

Estrayk · 28 January 2017, 18:06

Anyone remember this old musicdisk? It works with an A500 and it plays 6 and 8 channels Oktalyzer songs and show a simple wireframe vector and scroll. (when plays 8 channel, the coder seems quit the vector)

[ Show youtube player ]

TCH · 28 January 2017, 19:20

Anakirob: If DB takes 1/4 frame on a stock 1200, then on the A500 it will take more than 1/2 frame, i guess... If 1/2 frame is enough, then it's fast enough.

daxb: TFMX had 7 channel and it was used in a lot of games, like the Turrican series, so i believe it's possible to use a 8 channel tracker for games on the A500. Actually just i found that there are versions of TFMX which supports up to eight channels; the question is, were it used in games, or that was the 7 channel version?

So, i think we narrowed down to two: TFMX and DigiBooster. Which one may be the faster?

Estrayk: This is Oktalyzer, right? If it's fast enough, to show some vectors, during playing, then DB or TFMX should be fast enough.

hitchhikr · 28 January 2017, 19:38

I didn't know there's a 8 channels TFMX.

TFMX modules with 7 channels were used in Turrican 2 and 3, in Apydia also in BC Kid but only for title screens or credits rolls.

It depends on the type of game you want to make, it's probably OK for puzzle games or other similar games that don't require too many moving objects displayed on the screen.

TCH · 28 January 2017, 21:48

So, in the game, those TFMX musics only had 4 channels?

It would be a platform game, but not as sophisticated as the Turricans.

hitchhikr · 28 January 2017, 22:12

You can listen to these tunes with Deliplayer
(Open "detail information" to know the number of channels used in the playing music):

http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php/DeliPlayer

Some TFMX tunes:

http://www.exotica.org.uk/wiki/UnExo...By_Format/TFMX
http://www.exotica.org.uk/wiki/UnExo...Format/TFMX_7V
http://www.exotica.org.uk/wiki/UnExo...ormat/TFMX_Pro

phx · 29 January 2017, 11:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsr

So, in the game, those TFMX musics only had 4 channels?

Yes, I'm quite sure about that. You don't have time for channel mixing in such a game.

The famous Turrican intros likely use more than 4 channels though.

TCH · 29 January 2017, 15:49

hitchhikr: I checked some TFMX With Deli. All ingame tunes were 4 channel ones. Too bad.

phx: Well, i beginning to realize that, but that's too bad, the music has been already written (in Impulse Tracker) and i thought, since it's just use 7 channel, it just needed to be converted into an 8 channel Amiga format.

Yes, the Turrican 2 and 3 titles are using 7 channels.

Shatterhand · 29 January 2017, 16:11

Feel free to correct if I'm wrong.

But Huelsbeck's games don't mix 2 channels into 4 for music while ingame, so the other 2 channels are free for sfx ?

22 January 2017, 16:38	#1
TCH Newbie Amiga programmer Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Front of my A500+ Age: 38 Posts: 372	Fastest 8 channel music playroutine Out of curiousity: Which 8 channel tracker has the fastest playroutine, which consumes the less CPU time and thus, it's a competent tracker for gamemaking? I read OctaMED is quite slow.

26 January 2017, 19:45	#9
hitchhikr Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: somewhere else Posts: 511	Startrekker v1.2 (replay included in archive): https://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=34759 or startrekker v1.3 (no replay but probably the same as v1.2): https://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=13415 Art of noise can handle 8 channels (replay included): https://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=34753 I don't know if the 8 channels replay of oktalyzer was released. 6/8 channels replay was used in this production: https://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=13459 but it was coded by the creator of oktalyzer so i don't know. Some TFMX versions also have a 7 channels version (http://old.exotica.org.uk/editors/ar...6_7v_Fixed.lha). Otherwise you could try your luck with (you'll have to disassemble to extract a replay,tho): http://old.exotica.org.uk/editors/archive/Voices-8.lha But be prepared: they suck a LOT of CPU time. EDIT: the source of the preview of oktalyzer is located here: http://old.exotica.org.uk/source/edi...alyzer_Pre.lha Also digibooster v1.7 is here (they claim that the mixing routine is extremely fast): http://aminet.net/package/mus/edit/DigiBooster1_7 Last edited by hitchhikr; 26 January 2017 at 21:51.

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22 January 2017, 17:12	#2
daxb Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Germany Posts: 3,303	I guess Digibooster V1.8 (8 ch tracker) was one of the fastest.

22 January 2017, 17:16	#3
TCH Newbie Amiga programmer Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Front of my A500+ Age: 38 Posts: 372	Thanks, but isn't 1.7 is the last version of DB?

22 January 2017, 21:13	#4
daxb Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Germany Posts: 3,303	Maybe I remembered wrong.

26 January 2017, 18:56	#6
TCH Newbie Amiga programmer Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Front of my A500+ Age: 38 Posts: 372	I was aware of the DB Pro series, but those are not 8 channel trackers, they can handle even more. What i need is a very fast 8 channel tracker what works with KS 1.3 too.

26 January 2017, 19:22	#7
daxb Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Germany Posts: 3,303	Maybe Octalyzer.

26 January 2017, 19:37	#8
saimon69 J.M.D - Bedroom Musician Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: los angeles,ca Posts: 3,519	I remember Oktalyzer was working on 1.2, just have no clue whether the replayroutine is fast enough for your needs, and if there is a replayroutine at all.

28 January 2017, 13:05	#12
daxb Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Germany Posts: 3,303	8ch on an A500 (68000) takes "all" the cpu time if it works anyway. If the game shall do something beside playing the music it will "not" work. I fear for stock A500 your are stick to 4ch.

28 January 2017, 18:06	#13
Estrayk Registered User Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Spain Posts: 511	Anyone remember this old musicdisk? It works with an A500 and it plays 6 and 8 channels Oktalyzer songs and show a simple wireframe vector and scroll. (when plays 8 channel, the coder seems quit the vector) [ Show youtube player ]

28 January 2017, 19:20	#14
TCH Newbie Amiga programmer Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Front of my A500+ Age: 38 Posts: 372	Anakirob: If DB takes 1/4 frame on a stock 1200, then on the A500 it will take more than 1/2 frame, i guess... If 1/2 frame is enough, then it's fast enough. daxb: TFMX had 7 channel and it was used in a lot of games, like the Turrican series, so i believe it's possible to use a 8 channel tracker for games on the A500. Actually just i found that there are versions of TFMX which supports up to eight channels; the question is, were it used in games, or that was the 7 channel version? So, i think we narrowed down to two: TFMX and DigiBooster. Which one may be the faster? Estrayk: This is Oktalyzer, right? If it's fast enough, to show some vectors, during playing, then DB or TFMX should be fast enough.

28 January 2017, 19:38	#15
hitchhikr Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: somewhere else Posts: 511	I didn't know there's a 8 channels TFMX. TFMX modules with 7 channels were used in Turrican 2 and 3, in Apydia also in BC Kid but only for title screens or credits rolls. It depends on the type of game you want to make, it's probably OK for puzzle games or other similar games that don't require too many moving objects displayed on the screen.

28 January 2017, 21:48	#16
TCH Newbie Amiga programmer Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Front of my A500+ Age: 38 Posts: 372	So, in the game, those TFMX musics only had 4 channels? It would be a platform game, but not as sophisticated as the Turricans.

28 January 2017, 22:12	#17
hitchhikr Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: somewhere else Posts: 511	You can listen to these tunes with Deliplayer (Open "detail information" to know the number of channels used in the playing music): http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php/DeliPlayer Some TFMX tunes: http://www.exotica.org.uk/wiki/UnExo...By_Format/TFMX http://www.exotica.org.uk/wiki/UnExo...Format/TFMX_7V http://www.exotica.org.uk/wiki/UnExo...ormat/TFMX_Pro

29 January 2017, 15:49	#19
TCH Newbie Amiga programmer Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Front of my A500+ Age: 38 Posts: 372	hitchhikr: I checked some TFMX With Deli. All ingame tunes were 4 channel ones. Too bad. phx: Well, i beginning to realize that, but that's too bad, the music has been already written (in Impulse Tracker) and i thought, since it's just use 7 channel, it just needed to be converted into an 8 channel Amiga format. Yes, the Turrican 2 and 3 titles are using 7 channels.

29 January 2017, 16:11	#20
Shatterhand Warhasneverbeensomuchfun Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Rio de Janeiro / Brazil Age: 41 Posts: 3,450	Feel free to correct if I'm wrong. But Huelsbeck's games don't mix 2 channels into 4 for music while ingame, so the other 2 channels are free for sfx ?

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