Re: ShellPlay

[irsman@iastate.edu (Ian Schmidt)]

In article <2BC4DD82.9657@news.service.uci.edu> andrep@balboa.eng.uci.edu (Andre Prellwitz) writes:
>In article <fmlinC56w55.6nw@netcom.com> fmlin@netcom.com (Frank M. Lin) writes:
>>ShellPlay does indeed have the best sound quality.  It sounded messed up at
>>first because I have AppleTalk IRQ set to off ( TWGS ).  With it on, it
>>produce the best sounds.
>
>The docs for shellplay (yes, somebody actually reads docs, though not _before_
>using wares :) state that the program uses a "nifty" loop-mode algorithm to
>produce sound rather than the (now) outdated swap-mode alg.  So, Tim and Ian,
>why is it that sT and MZ need to use swap mode?  Perhaps now we can have more
>buzz-free mod players.

Umm, sT and MZ's authors both expended a fair amount of time and energy
creating buzz-free swap mode algortihms.  They seem to feel that loop mode
is stupid.  (Note: the buzz-suppression is only in sT .5 and later and
MZ .9 and later).  In any case, they aren't outdated.

>>What does IRQ have to do with sounds?  SoniqTracker, ModZap, NoiseTracker
>>all sounds with with IRQ off.  But with SynthLab, ShellPlay, IRQ must
>>be on or else the samples won't play right.
>
>I don't know for sure what you mean.  sT, MZ, and NT all use interrupts to
>do certain things (either update DOC RAM or update music sequences and/or 
>screen data).  It seems to me that ANY mod player would require IRQ to be on.

He's talking about the TransSuck's AppleTalk/IRQ setting which slows the
machine down to 2.8 mhz each time an interrupt occurs.  There's no reason
for anything, especially synthLAB, to require such a setting.



-- 
        Ian Schmidt - Two Meg Software: irsman@{iastate.edu | aol.com}
"I will choose a path that's     | Author of AudioZap, MODZap, and more.
 clear: I will choose free will" | Co-author of SoundConvert and DeskTracker.
 - N. Peart, 1980                | Coder and Musician for the GS<>IRC.