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FamiTracker
I was wondering how you all mix your channels. I've been messing around with some different volumes to try and produce the best results for live gigs im going to be doing. mine look like this (these are the max volumes i keep on each)
square1: 9
square2: 7
noise: 6
so far those numbers have seemed to produce a decent result as far as mixing internally, do you guys have any recommendations for a good level mix?
With the square channels, you can do a maximum of 15 (or F,) as I'm sure you already know. There may be times where you may want to increase one channel to 15 & decrease the other to C or A. There may be a time where you need to use 9 & 7. You may encounter a time where you may need to alternate & fade your volume for individual channels as well.
And if you're doing a gig, I'm sure you're also using an external amp; a volume of 9 for one square channel is absolutely perfect with the other being at 7 or 6. You can always adjust the amp's volume later.
As for the noise, it also depends on how you want your percussion to behave (an example would be if you want a lout thunder clap to overpower the lead tune at certain moments, while the rest of the percussion is at a minimal volume, like a short hi-hat beat in between your kick-drums or snare).
I'd honestly recommend a volume range when it comes to the noise; 6 to 8 should do, depending on the way you want to use it for percussion.
But this is only an opinion.
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Technology: the one thing that's hated & cursed at by all engineers, technologists, scientists & technicians!
i usually don't go above B with a stacatto instrument, and not usually above 8 with anything solid. my noise shouldn't really often rise above 6. i use ze square channels hyperactively and mix and match based on where zere's open space, so i can't say i established separate rules for zem
zat said, people really hate ze way my music is produced haha
Set the Lead Square instrument (or whatever you want to call it) volume envelope to 15 12 11. It works best for me. For Noise, try a volume somewhere between A and D. Triangle is always set at 15, so do a Frame 1 Cut.
It somewhat depends on the triangle channel (which generally can't be adjusted). I would first choose a "root" triangle note (the note which will be used the most, or sounds the most pleasing) and use that as a reference for mixing everything else. I would likewise choose a favorite noise tone when mixing the noise channel. This is because the tri and noise channels vary somewhat in perceived volume across different notes.
Mixing squares is a bit complicated. One volume setting often doesn't work for all three duty cycles; likewise, two squares playing in unison may require different volume adjustments than a lead and counter melody. The loudest I'd go would probably be 8 or 9 (for a non-doubled lead using @1)...the note attack can be louder of course.
Mixing squares is a bit complicated. One volume setting often doesn't work for all three duty cycles.[/quote]
interesting, i never knew this.
so does this mean certain duty cycles are louder than others no matter what volume they are at? does it have anything to do with the frequency of the particular duty cycle? (how it cuts through the rest of the mix)?
also in regards to the triangle and dpcm channels, what Zxx effect have you guys found to boost the triangle just right while keeping the rest of the mix desirable?
it would be cool if famitracker had mix controls per channel, whether it would affect nsf export or not and was just simply there for convenience. in other trackers there's note velocity as well as channel volume so you can perform dynamics and mixing. not so easy with NES music, granted...
oh, and i guess i don't go above B for un-enveloped pulsewave parts. as a rule. a rule i break often depending on what i'm doing.
[quote=nicetas_c]No, only that certain waveforms are seemingly louder to some people. (e.g. sine wave is louder compared to a 12.5% square wave at the same amplitude)[/quote]
Another note to add to that; the closer you get that square waveform to a 50% duty cycle, the more muffled the volume will appear. This will also happen if you have a sine wave & clip the amplitude; do this to a point where the wave looks almost like a 50% duty square wave & you'll see what I'm talking about (this is used a lot in Acid-styled music).
But I learned this the hard way (& thanks to nicetas_c's guidance); try your best to avoid using two square waves at the same octave, volume & duty cycle. The waves' amplitudes will build up & create an overall volume that's the sum of both channels' volumes, plus the interference from the two waves will be intolerable (considering that they'd have the same duty cycle & octave).
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Technology: the one thing that's hated & cursed at by all engineers, technologists, scientists & technicians!
How does the volume column in the pattern editor interact with an instrument's volume envelope?
For example, you have a volume envelope as 10 8 6 and then you use that instrument with a volume column setting at F, does that mean the attack would still be at 10 or rather now as 15 (F)?
If that doesn't make sense, say you had a volume envelope as just a constant 7. If you used that instrument with a volume column of F in the pattern editor, would it now be playing at 7 or F?
Find the intersection of the envelope volume and the channel volume. If you use the envelope 13 11 9 7 5 while using the channel volume A, you will get this:
The intersection of D and A is 8;
The intersection of B and A is 7;
The intersection of 9 and A is 6;
The intersection of 7 and A is 4;
The intersection of 5 and A is 3;
Thus it is 8 7 6 4 3.
There is more to do with Axy though. Feel free to be curious and ask.
Whoa, seriously? You have to use that Volume Table as a reference every time then? It looks like I may have to to a ton of alterations on my .ftms now then...
I have most of them sounding okay by ear. But there's some that just confuse me. What if you have an instrument with a really long envelope? Sounds like a translating nightmare!
Most of the time however you won't really care about miscellaneous changes, you just mess around it until you get a satisfying volume.
Things, however, are definitely different in covers - that is, instrumentation is rarely done with the channel volume (leave it as F) with the major exception 15E BPM covers.
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