That's not a problem, I think. In the same way in wich the pattern change it forms/channels. The instrument list can change the values/icons when you're in a certain pattern. The instrument list can be dynamic, too.
Yes; instruments aren't much of an important problem other than the fact that you'd still be doing actual work by switching between them (& in a multi-expansion setting, the different instrument settings can be confusing to some).
But honestly, as a basic tracker with its interface, I think that implementing something like this is very plausible. That is, if an option for the tracker's visual interface were to be implemented.
Here's what I'm imagining from Im_a_Track_Man's idea; if FamiTracker had the ability to do multi-expansion projects, it could also have a GUI setting to force the expanded channels to visually appear in the main interface once a particular "effect" is triggered (say, his Xxx example,) without doing anything to the resulting module/NSF's properties.
Let's say X00 would be the effect to display only the base 2A03 channels, with all other channels hidden. Then, triggering X01 in any channel would trigger the interface to expose the FDS channel. Triggering X02 would hide the FDS channel & expose the MMC5 channels. X03 could hide the MMC5 channels from view & expose the VRC6 channels...
Basically, thanks to Im_a_Track_Man's idea, if multi-expansion projects were implemented, why not implement an "effect" that only controls the tracker's input interface? That way, you could still export an NSF without it breaking, while at the same time achieving the illusion of being able to jump between expansions on the fly.
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Technology: the one thing that's hated & cursed at by all engineers, technologists, scientists & technicians!
Basically, thanks to Im_a_Track_Man's idea, if multi-expansion projects were implemented, why not implement an "effect" that only controls the tracker's input interface? That way, you could still export an NSF without it breaking, while at the same time achieving the illusion of being able to jump between expansions on the fly.
Yeah, but, this needs to be prohibited?:
X01
...
...
X02
I'm glad you're liking the development, Im_a_Track_Man.
And that's another problem, Delek; some people might try to use the Xxx effect in the same way they'd use the Fxx effect to create a swing rhythm. There'd have to be some minimum number of lines before the effect can be reused again.
Maybe a minimum of 32 lines before being able to reuse the effect would be practical, unless you can tell me otherwise.
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Technology: the one thing that's hated & cursed at by all engineers, technologists, scientists & technicians!
My question is, why an effect to switch expansion when you could have all of them available simultaneously at all times, as has already been proposed? That idea seems to me like it's overcomplicating things, unless I'm missing something here.
32 lines seems like a good amount of time. In a slower song it may be a problem, but I don't see why someone would want to almost immediately want to change from, say, FDS to VRC7 in a very short amount of time. Maybe anywhere from 24 to 32 lines would work
An amount of frames rather than lines would be more appropriate, because one could simply make a 900bpm song and switch every 32 frames, whereas if you make a 150bpm song, then 32 lines translates to 192 frames, which is a big difference.
I still don't get the appeal of such an effect, mind you.
Hey danooct1, stop using that huge font sizes. You're destroying my netbook screen.
jrlepage wrote:
My question is, why an effect to switch expansion when you could have all of them available simultaneously at all times, as has already been proposed? That idea seems to me like it's overcomplicating things, unless I'm missing something here.
Well, all expansion chips at the time are 17 channels. Not too many, it may not be really uncomfortable to use them all at once.
Well, all expansion chips at the time are 17 channels. Not too many, it may not be really uncomfortable to use them all at once.
It's actually 28 channels (ABCDE = 2a03, F = FDS, GHIJKL = VRC7, MNO = VRC6, PQRSTUVW = N106, XYZ = 5B, ab = MMC5). But I could live with that, especially if there was a way to hide/show channels on command. Again, you don't have to use several expansion chips if you don't want to live with the consequences of that. I, for one, would; and I know a handful of other people who would as well.
EDIT: Thinking about it, that effect you're proposing could perhaps be a compromise, but again, it feels like it's making things overly complicated if extra channels could simply be hidden, and imposing limitations that shouldn't even exist (only being able to switch expansions every x frames/lines... why??), since the NSF format supports an unlimited amount of expansion chips at once. The original hardware didn't, granted, but as I've been trying to point out for ages, we aren't writing for the original hardware, we're writing for the NSF format.
Well, this whole idea is only a though from Im_a_Track_Man, being thrown out in the open (& being translated into a nerdy way by me). Obviously, it will over-complicate JSR's already complicated work, even though I can tell from Im_a_Track_Man that he brought this up with the hopes of simplify an end-user's work.
As flawed as the idea may be, it's plausible. Considering current circumstances, it's impossible until FamiTracker's in a more advanced stage & JSR's willing to keep improving it. But that's up to him.
As for programming to target the NSF format, you're also forgetting that there are some who only wish to target the FTM format (because it would also allow them to take advantage of some bugs in the tracker, like that 16k DPCM bug that Mex used for a multi-sample track).
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Technology: the one thing that's hated & cursed at by all engineers, technologists, scientists & technicians!
Another thread like this? I'll say it again. Let's let jsr decide on his own so he doesn't have to wade through pointless nonsence. Ranting about it in great lengths won't decide for him.
Yeah. if... IF... jsr stumbles upon this post, being the programming WIZARD that he is, let him decide for himself, and I would absolutely enjoy this being put into a future installation of FamiTracker
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