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Post by gliptitude on Jul 11, 2012 13:50:05 GMT -5
I'm wondering if anyone can direct me to a simple means of demo-ing music and sound effects on the Vectrex?
I want to be able to play around and create very very simple compositions and sound effects which I can arrange and flash as a ROM and listen to on an actual Vectrex, at least get it to make a variety of noises.
I'm not a programmer, but I have been able to get a couple sprites to display by using this VecDraw tool available on the Vectorzoa site. It's a fairly simple to use tool where you just edit a small portion of the code and it compiles into a ROM using a couple other included files. By editing the header you can change the overture music from a selection of 9 gce game themes, that I guess are built into the system.
Looking for a similar tool dedicated to making sounds. Does it exist?
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swainy
Vector Runner
Posts: 26
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Post by swainy on Jul 14, 2012 18:26:01 GMT -5
Well it's an AY chip, try searching for an AY tracker.
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Post by xefned on Dec 24, 2013 6:58:09 GMT -5
There is a compiler out there that will turn YM files into a Vectrex-playable bin file. Are you starting with YM?
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Post by gliptitude on Dec 24, 2013 18:42:34 GMT -5
I was starting with nothing when I first posted this. Still have nothing. Don't know what YM is.
With the VecDraw package, you just edit a section of the included text file, (change the numbers that correspond to coordinates of a vector image). The package include a compiler and some other necessary files. So after you edit the coordinates within the one text file, you simply double click an included file "Compile Now", and a new .BIN is produced.
.. So I thought it would be possible to have a similar setup that involved editing sound instructions within a program text that was made for it.
But I suppose sound data has more unique variables than graphics?
The VecDraw tool was devised for a CONTEST. The author was asking for fans to design one of the sprites for his new game, and he wanted people to be able to test it before hand, as well as send him something he could see on Vectrex himself, in order to evaluate the submissions. There is some additional code in the program, in order to give button functionality, (to scale and move the sprite around etc).
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Post by xefned on Dec 25, 2013 16:13:22 GMT -5
OK, so the first thing we all need to do is craw a sea creature so Vectorzoa can get SSSS underway! Vecsound apparently does for sound what VecDraw does for images. Feed it your sound file, and it generates a .bin you can use on the Vectrex. (I've used neither Vecsound or Vecdraw.) .YM files are native sound files for the Atari ST, which I presume uses the same sound chip as the Vectrex. So you can use one of the many sound creation programs for the ST within an ST emulator, and feed that to VecSound. However, I'm not certain you can extract code to incorporate into your own games. (I'm assuming that's the end goal?) VecSound comes with sample .ym files, so you can try with those first to see if it meets your needs before investing time in an ST emulator. For the record, I don't know sh*t about any of this. I'm just paraphrasing what I read at PlayVectrex.com. (Thank you Brett.) Let us know how it goes. I'm still trying to digest the intro to programming guide that Chris Tumbler wrote.
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Post by gauze on Dec 25, 2013 22:17:12 GMT -5
I ported vecsound to unix a decade ago so I have some notes on usage from when I did it, the command ym_vpack will create ASM for you to use in your programs.
As for note by note programming on vectrex, you got me, jack.
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Post by xefned on Dec 26, 2013 13:17:55 GMT -5
--> the command ym_vpack will create ASM for you to use in your programs. Ah, that's very good to know! That could give us newbies a little help with sound programming. The readme.txt warns that you can pretty easily go over the max 32k rendering your final .bin unplayable on a real Vectrex. I'm hoping that's not a code-optimization problem, but rather just the case of full songs being long and complicated. Did you use VecSound for Spike's Slam Pit?
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Post by gliptitude on Dec 26, 2013 19:40:28 GMT -5
These are some good clues and starting points I think. I also downloaded the program I guess Der Luchs used, but haven't messed with it yet. .. Main priority is just getting a sound file of my own composition to play on Vectrex. But eventually yes, I would want something capable of dropping into a game program. Also I am equally interested to devise sound effects, in addition to music.
Vecdraw doesn't produce such a piece of program either, but it is easy enough to (manually) translate a drawing into the program that does.
I don't know even the basics of game programming so I have no immediate use for this. In the past I was collaborating with a programmer though, and he had asked for program ready graphics elements.
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Post by gauze on Dec 26, 2013 22:38:42 GMT -5
--> the command ym_vpack will create ASM for you to use in your programs. Ah, that's very good to know! That could give us newbies a little help with sound programming. The readme.txt warns that you can pretty easily go over the max 32k rendering your final .bin unplayable on a real Vectrex. I'm hoping that's not a code-optimization problem, but rather just the case of full songs being long and complicated. Did you use VecSound for Spike's Slam Pit? Well that was never completed and as far as I can tell I have lost all the source for it at this point. Someday I hope to finish spudster's revenge but I am easily distracted for decades at a time.
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Post by vectrexrc on Jan 16, 2014 8:42:05 GMT -5
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Post by gauze on Jan 16, 2014 8:45:03 GMT -5
dude that's insane
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Post by vectrexrc on Jan 16, 2014 9:50:54 GMT -5
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Post by gauze on Jan 20, 2014 9:08:46 GMT -5
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Post by vectrexrcx on Jan 31, 2014 16:16:04 GMT -5
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Post by mikiex on Feb 2, 2014 18:01:58 GMT -5
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