Answer: Use of *TYPE
In AMPLINEX 015 Allan Gardner said that he had experienced
problems when using the *TYPE command within AMPLE.
The answer may well be the Watford DFS. In using any of the
commands *TYPE, *LIST or *DUMP, page &1200 is used as a buffer - but, in
addition, the first few bytes of page &1300 are corrupted. So far as I
know, the quirk is unique to this DFS. In the case of *TYPE, the first 4 bytes
in page &1300 are set to zero.
So if, for example, the Aries control block is at &1300
or if the Staff display characters are suppressed and a module loads at this
address, the use of *TYPE will cause the system to lock up. When using BASIC,
the problem is unlikely to arise since page &1300 is normally unused.
The answer (if this is the cause) is to put the Aries
control block at &1400 and set OSHWM to &1500 with *FX179,21 (note:
21=&15) before booting the system disc. If the *FX command is included in
the !BOOT file, it must precede the */C.PREPARE R S K line.
Alan Minns
Question: Mixing Desk mystery
Can anyone please explain why the mix changes when I switch
to command mode and back to edit mode in the Mixing Desk? If I run a program
from the Mixing Desk, then press Tab to enter command mode (whether I enter a command
or not makes no difference), and then Tab to go back to edit mode, I find that
the channels have swapped themselves about.
I know it isn't a ROM clash as they are all unplugged.
Ordinarily, this isn't much problem, but occasionally it has caused a few
mutters because if I MAKE a mix, it makes the new setup. Is this a bug peculiar
to my system, (BBC+ 128 and two double-sided disc drives), or is it just one of
those things? Any advice would be surely welcome.
Bob Hanson
Question: Music City on Prestel
I have access to a modem, with membership to Prestel. Could
you tell me if you have any pages on this system or a similar system, and how
to access them. I have tried 'Music City' in Micronet through a gateway in Prestel,
but so far have found nothing in there that shows any relevance to the Music
5000.
I have a copy of the album 'Music City II', where it
explains where the songs on the album came from. It says they came from
contributors of the Micronet Viewdata service. Where is it?
Philip Robert Hunter
AMPLINEX has no links with any such service. We do not know
the status of Music City - perhaps other members can help? For some members
comments on the use of other telephone-based sources of AMPLE, see the Features
section of AMPLINEX 008.
Answer: What's a player?
In answer to David Bloxham's question in AMPLINEX 016, a
player is one of the things that plays the musical parts. When a PLAY
instruction is given, part1 is played on player 1, part2 on player 2 and so on.
There are 10 players - only 1-9 are available with PLAY, but 10 can be used by
a P(...)P instruction, although this is not necessary for most music. As well as
the ten there is player 0, the master player which is used by instructions
typed at the keyboard.
A definition of the word 'player' can be found on page 155
of the Music 5000 User Guide (in the glossary) and more information is given on
page 12 in the introduction under 'concurrency'. I have found that this manual,
and especially the tutorial section, covers most things like this, which you
may not know or may have forgotten.
Michael Lefevre
Question: AMPLINEX Staff Printer (1)
Having seen Bob Ord's Staff Printer (AMPLINEX 016) working
on a BBC Master it looks to be a very useful program, especially where several
parts need to be printed out together. Can anybody advise on the changes
required to run it on a BBC B with Aries B-32 Shadow RAM? On my BBC Model B,
Shadow RAM is selected by default, but running Bob's utility simply displays
the request to check lines 9-11 for Shadow RAM suitability.
I believe the lines '*FX114,0' and '*SHADOW' select the
Master's Shadow RAM, but I can't find '*FX20,3' in the BBC Master User Guide.
Deleting lines 9-11 results in a 'Bad program' message when the program is run.
Any solutions please, boffins?
Jack Wrigley
Question: AMPLINEX Staff Printer (2)
Help! Bob Ord's Staff Printer utility published in AMPLINEX
016, gives up at line 40 in U.AS2 unless I REM out the 'CALL code%' command in
that line. The JSR call at line 350 seems to be causing the trouble.
Using a BBC Model B with Aries B32, I have altered U.ASP to
suit. With code% removed all the program functions seem to work OK - am I
missing anything?
Neil Walker
Question: Waveform design utility
Concerning the waveform design utility published in AMPLINEX
014: having created your waveform, how do you store it and use it in other instruments?
If you can't do this, what is the point of the program? If I can store
waveforms for use in other instruments, then this will prove to be an extremely
useful utility.
David Bloxham
Answer: 'In The Night'
In reply to Richard Bettis (AMPLINEX 016): the problem of
'too many voices' or 'too many channels' is caused by the PLAY word in older
releases, like release 6. The word gives all the players a Simpleins voice if
there is no word called 'mix'. Programs like 'In The Night' which have words
like 'mix1' and 'mix2' (but no 'mix') are given a Simpleins voice on each player,
although they are not needed. When the program tries to use its mix, there are
no more voices (or channels) because they have been taken by Simpleins
instruments.
Making all the other voices UNUSED is one solution, a much
simpler one is to have a dummy mix word which can be created with:
"mix" []
However, it is still a good idea to get a new version of the
system disc, which recognises mix words with a number.
Michael Lefevre
See the Hints and Tips section for Richard Bettis's own
solution to this problem.
Question: Mozart's musical dice-game
Does anyone have any information on Mozart's musical dice
game? All I know is that it is a means of assembling together a series of
'preset' musical phrases, by throwing dice, and consistently generating an
acceptable musical result (waltzes, I think). It's been featured in a few
magazines over the years (Practical Electronics, and Your Computer to name two)
but I can't lay my hands on the back-issues. Armed with a suitable algorithm,
I'd like to try coding it in AMPLE.
Vincent Fojut
Question: MIDI drum kit problem
As a newcomer to the delights of using the Music 2000, can someone
solve the following problem? Page 41 of the Music 2000 User Guide gives an
example of the use of VEL to balance instruments in a kit, but I can't get it
to work.
The guide shows
5 SHARE 10 VOICES MIDIV
1 VOICE 35 midikey 80 VEL
2 VOICE 38 midikey 60 VEL
3 VOICE 39 midikey 75 VEL
...
1 VOICE 35 midikey 80 VEL
2 VOICE 38 midikey 60 VEL
3 VOICE 39 midikey 75 VEL
...
and seems to have been written with Roland gear in mind
because the midikey numbers on page 40 correlate with the drums on the Roland
D10 I've been using.
However, trying to apply this to the D10 causes every voice
in the kit to be the same volume. The tip given recently in AMPLINEX of using
[number] 7 MIDICONTROL has the same effect and cannot be used on an individual
VOICE within a kit.
If anyone knows how to solve this I would be happy for you
to phone me reverse charges on 081 953 6867 (before sending the answer to
AMPLINEX for the benefit of other members - Editor).
Bernie Dawson
Answer: The 'M.M5' module
In AMPLINEX 016 Michael Lefevre asks about the meaning of
various words in the M5 module. Referring to the Music 500 User Guide may throw
a little light on some of these:
number AENV - select amplitude envelope (number in range 1-10)
number PENV - select pitch envelope (number in range 1-10)
These could well be the functions of AEN and PEN, though I
cannot find any equivalent for ONEN. Maybe they access envelopes by number,
rather than by name - but the available envelopes are contained in the EW
module, not in M5.
I have not actually tested any of these findings, however,
so I cannot be sure of their effects. Perhaps someone with more knowledge of
the sound generation process would be better placed to advise.
Tony Walduck
Question: Watford Shadow RAM
I am the owner of a BBC Model B, as well as the Music 5000,
4000 and 3000. In my computer I have fitted the Watford Shadow RAM, and have
found that for some reason AMPLE will not recognise it as free memory, giving about
the same memory it would if it wasn't there at all. Thanks to Bob Ord in
AMPLINEX 015 I gained about 1K. What has happened to the other 31K?
I also want to know whether it would be advisable to buy a
second processor for my computer, as using the Shadow RAM seems to slow the
computer down so much, that the music it is playing jumbles-up, as if the CPU
can't keep up. Would a second processor solve this problem?
Philip Robert Hunter
Question: Shadow RAM choice
Like others I am thinking of expanding my system with a
Music 3000. I have a BBC Model B and Music 4000 and would like to expand my
memory with Shadow RAM. I am quite a new member and in some of the back-issues
of AMPLINEX which I have received people have noted problems with Shadow RAM.
What I would like to know is: is there anybody with a Shadow
RAM that works well with the music system and also doesn't interfere with other
programs like games?
I would be very grateful for any assistance in selecting
one.
Keith Taylor
Question: Long-playing music discs
Does anyone know of a way of chaining items of music so that
all of the files on a disc can be played without user intervention - i.e. as on
a long-playing record?
F Isaac-Dixon
See the Utilities section in this issue.
Answer: Music 3000 system disc (1)
In reply to David Bloxham's question in AMPLINEX 016: the
Music 3000 system disc does not create an entire set of new modules; instead it
updates any system disc by replacing the MIX and M5 modules and C.PREPARE. This
means that the amount of memory available depends on the system disc you
started with: which release it is, and what type (i.e. with or without a Music 4000,
3000, or 2000). With Shadow RAM, the screen memory, which takes up different
amounts depending on the mode, is gained.
On my system, which is a Studio 5000-4 release 2 updated
with the Studio -3 disc, I get 16049 bytes (nearly 16K) free with no editors
loaded. With the Mixing Desk loaded I have 10664 bytes free.
Michael Lefevre
Answer: Music 3000 system disc (2)
I have obtained the following free RAM amounts with the
configurations shown:
System ------- modules
loaded -------
disc 'Basic' PAD MIX STAFF REC
disc 'Basic' PAD MIX STAFF REC
5000 15537 10929 10673 2737 --
-4 14505 9897 9641 1705 8873
-4D 14505 9897 9385 1705 8873
-3 14257 9649 8872 1457 --
-4D-3 13225 8617 7840 425 7593
These figures are without using Shadow RAM. Using Aries
Shadow RAM increases space by 768 bytes generally, but by 7936 bytes in the
Staff editor.
Tony Walduck
Question: AMPLE disassembly
I have performed a cursory disassembly of the AMPLE ROM and
am overwhelmed by the task of deciphering all the data. Could other AMPLINEX
members who have already trodden this path offer any time-saving tips and hints
- e.g. addresses of key routines, data areas, embedded AMPLE code, key memory locations,
etc?
Vincent Fojut
Question: AMPLINEX and ADFS (1)
In order to save disc space, I have transferred all of the
past issues of AMPLINEX to ADFS format discs, storing each issue in a different
directory (e.g. 016 for issue 016). Following a tip given in an earlier
AMPLINEX issue, I changed the required line in the word 'lr' to access the correct
directory.
However, on issues 015 and 016 I have been unable to do
this, getting a 'too long' type message when trying to TYPE the word. Can you
please tell me how to get around this as I am unable to access the Music menu
from my ADFS discs?
Graham M Tipping
Question: AMPLINEX and ADFS (2)
Normally I transfer AMPLINEX to an ADFS disc, which will
take three issues. However, on issues 015 and 016 when I attempted to change
the 'lr' word to read '$.FIFTEEN' or '$.SIXTEEN' (so that on returning from a piece
of music to the music menu I stay within the appropriate directory) I met with
difficulties. I change 'lr' by *SPOOLing the word to disc, loading the file
into View, making the alteration and *EXECing it back into the A.MPLINEX
program.
However, when *SPOOLing the word it gives the message '! Too
many characters'. I assume this is because you have COMPILEd the program with Toolbox.
On attempting to DISCOMPILE the program I continually get the message '! No
room' no matter how many modules I do not load. Can you suggest a remedy?
M F Mellor
The reason you cannot *SPOOL the word 'lr' is indeed because
it has been COMPILEd to save memory. However, the word has not been changed, so
use an issue 014 disc to *SPOOL the word and then continue as before.
Question: Microphone input
I have a piece of literature advertising the Music 5000
synthesiser from Peartree Computers. On the back are examples of various
screens. One of them shows a sample menu on which one of the selections is
'microphone input'.
Can this be done, or is it a bit of someone's imagination?
The literature does not appear to make reference to the MIDI system so can it
be attached somehow to the Music 5000 Unit?
Keith Taylor
In answer to a similar question in AMPLINEX 010, Hybrid
Technology commented: "we made and demonstrated a working microphone input
add-on prototype, but development was halted in 1986, and this is unlikely to appear
as a product in this form. Frankly, though the unit works well, the whole
principle is not as useful as you might expect."
AMPLINEX in drive 1
Like David Bloxham (AMPLINEX 016) I too have had problems in
running AMPLINEX from drive 1. My AMPLINEX issues arrive on two 40-track discs which
I now transfer to a single 3.5" disc. I have problems in starting (in my
first issue I didn't discover the musical intro as my system went straight into
the menu) and issue 016 would not load A.MPLINEX but gave a 'Too big' error.
I have solved my problems by creating a duplicate AMPLE
system disc with a modified !BOOT file especially for AMPLINEX. In this !BOOT
file I have deleted the 'MAIN' command and appended
*DRIVE1
"A.MPLINEX"LOADRUN
"A.MPLINEX"LOADRUN
So if I now put the system disc in drive 0 and AMPLINEX in
drive 1 and press <SHIFT><BREAK> AMPLINEX will run. Furthermore,
all of my difficulties have gone away!
To create your own customised AMPLE system disc is easy:
1) Load the system disc and enter '*TYPE !BOOT'.
2) Enter '*BUILD !BOOT' and load a new formatted disc.
3) Use cursor arrow keys to copy the displayed lines until
'MAIN' is reached. Don't copy 'MAIN'.
4) Now enter *DRIVE1 (or any other drive number).
5) Enter "A.MPLINEX"LOADRUN then hit <ESCAPE>
to save the file.
6) Enter '*OPT 4,3' and then '*ACCESS *.* L'
7) Copy from your system disc all prefixed files (all except
the $. files
8) Stick a write protect tab on the new disc and label
'AMPLINEX BOOT DISC'
Fred Isaac-Dixon
Editor's note:
The comments following some of the questions above are only
my opinions on the subject and should not be taken as definitive answers.
Your comments are most welcome on any of the questions
posed, whether they supplement, confirm or correct any I have expressed.
Published in AMPLINEX 017, May 1990
