This section is a focus for news about the workings of
AMPLINEX, corrections to items in previous issues, and other small items of
information which might otherwise be missed amongst the details of each issue.
Studio 5000 Release 2 issue
In AMPLINEX 016 I added a note to the music file '$.Django'
which read:
This piece seems to 'hang' on Studio 5000 Release 2 but plays
correctly on Release 8. If anyone can work out why, please let me know.
We have experienced problems before with long PLAY strings
on release 2, but this didn't seem to be the problem here.
Alan Minns has kindly replied to the appeal:
I had already found the problem before reading your note.
This was on Studio 5000 Release 3, although my two versions of the Studio 4000 software
played it correctly.
Part 9, the time base distortion factor, would seem to be the
likely culprit and removing it does cure the problem - but that is cheating!
Part 9 consists of one word only:
"part9a" [
SCORE 24,/ REP(2 WIND 48,/)REP
]
SCORE 24,/ REP(2 WIND 48,/)REP
]
which is taken directly from the AMPLE Nucleus Programmer
Guide (page 199) where it is described as a method of "adding global
'swing'".
Alan experimented with a variety of changes to the program
and identified three methods to make it work correctly:
1) Changing part9a so that the REP(...)REP loop is made
conditional and is switched off for the duration of parts 'c' with a variable
'flag'.
"part9a" [
SCORE 24,/ OFF flag #!
REP(2 WIND 48,/ flag #?)UNTIL()REP
]
SCORE 24,/ OFF flag #!
REP(2 WIND 48,/ flag #?)UNTIL()REP
]
2) Replacing the PLAY string
"123459-iabcd" PLAY
by an equivalent P(...)P structure:
"play" [READY mix
1P(part1i
2P(part2a part2b part2c part2d)P
3P(part3a part3b part3c part3d)P
4P(part4a part4b part4c part4d)P
9P(part9a)P
part1a part1b part1c part1d)P
GO
]
1P(part1i
2P(part2a part2b part2c part2d)P
3P(part3a part3b part3c part3d)P
4P(part4a part4b part4c part4d)P
9P(part9a)P
part1a part1b part1c part1d)P
GO
]
3) Shortening the PLAY string to:
"12349-iae" PLAY
where the 'e' parts merely group together the 'b', 'c' and
'd' parts.
Alan concludes:
It would seem therefore that the problem is yet another
manifestation of the FX1A/PLAY bug.
We would like to thank Alan for his investigative work which
may help us to provide music files which can be played on all versions of the
Studio 5000 software.
Music title
Our apologies to Carl Robinson for mis-naming his music
contribution in the Music section of AMPLINEX 015. The piece he submitted was a
version of 'Caroline' by Status Quo and not, as we put in the Music menu,
'Sweet Caroline' - which is by Neil Diamond.
ROM ID
A couple of members have recently asked to know the ID
number of the ROM which is used to prepare the AMPLINEX disc. This is the
number displayed when AMPLE is entered and at the top of the editing screens.
For their information, the ROM ID used to create the
AMPLINEX disc is 11134.
We always welcome suggestions for improvements in the
workings or contents of AMPLINEX - most of the changes made to date have
originated from members' suggestions. So, if you have an idea to improve
AMPLINEX, let us know.
Also, please let us know if you spot an error or omission in
the contents of AMPLINEX - you may be the first one who has noticed.
Published in AMPLINEX 018, July 1990
