Re: MIDI files on IIgs?

[irsman@iag.net (Ian Schmidt)]

In article <338EF62A.37A@library.ucla.edu>,  <pubpc1@library.ucla.edu> wrote:
>mjmahon@aol.com (MJMahon) wrote,
>in response to my reply:

>Interesting, so the _theoretical_ maximum dynamic range of an
>Apple IIgs is 14-bits, since the Ensoniq 5503 has 32 oscillators.
>Not bad at all, although I know that this technique is not
>implemented on any GS software.  Still, this may be an interesting
>challenge to programmers.  Only useful for playing samples, of
>course.
>
>Two oscillators is commonly paired for music programs and four
>are paired for MIDIsynth, so it's not like oscillators have not
>been used together before.

Right, but the reason they're stacked isn't to fake out extra bits (which
wouldn't really work - fake 14-bit would get you nowhere because the OUTPUT
stage of the 5503 is still 8 bit, which is why most programs don't turn
individual oscillators up past 3/4ths volume or so - the clipping is godawful).

They're stacked just to get a slightly 'fatter' sound, since the 5503's 
oscillators sound thinner than most chips (even Ensoniq's synths based on the
5503 routinely used 2 or 3 oscillators per voice for this reason).

---
Ian Schmidt
irsman@iag.net