Deprecated: mysql_connect(): The mysql extension is deprecated and will be removed in the future: use mysqli or PDO instead in /storage/content/49/145849/famitracker.com/public_html/forum/classes/dbHandler.php on line 29
FamiTracker
Maybe a bit a of a newbie question or two (please don't redirect me to the wiki, cos I've looked already and it hasn't helped me). I've found mixing my famitracker tunes a very limited affair (limited to what volume control I have in the channels). "The IK+ Trousers Down Reggae" came out sounding louder overall than "47 Southside". I guess this has something to do with the triangle bass vs, saw bass, and how everything's affecting each other in the channels that affect each other. Plus, I'm haven't been happy as yet with the output of the drums - they're really not kicking! I know with the tonal channels I can make more forceful drums, but what about powering up the dpcm channel, is there any way?
So, my basic question is this: do you have any tips and tricks on mixdown for famitracker? How do you get things to sound loud and good?
My secondary question, which may have something to do with the first question or may not, is: is there any practical use for an NSF file if you are just working from a laptop? What do you use NSF files for in general (I'm asking this here as well because I'm suspicious that people may use them for mixdown)?
Cheers in advance for your help and replies to this
Double click on channel to solo, export WAV, repeat for all channels. Do your mixing with an audio editor (e.g. Audacity).
What do you mean "if you are just working from a laptop"? What's different about a laptop? (I work from a laptop all the time.)
I use NSFs to listen to in an NSF player. They are more compact than MP3, but also the great thing about them is because players are emulating the chips, there is a whole lot you can do to inspect/modify playback in a good player (e.g. mute/mix channels, stereo panning, remove the vibrato click nuissance, etc.) With NSFPlay you can actually see a lot about what's going on in the music from its keyboard view.
NFSs are a barely modified form of the original game ROMs; they run pretty much exactly like the corresponding NES game would. This is why they're such a great tool for NES music.
How exactly do you output the triangle channel alone if there is DPCM? Output the DPCM channel, invert (not reverse) it, and then combine with the triangle+DPCM?
Thanks Rainwarrior. I already thought of doing that with my files, but I want to see what I can do without "cheating" (I don't go in for that puritanism, but I want to use famitracker to it's utmost extent before utilising other programs to augment it). When I said "just from a laptop" I was making an assumption that NSFs were utilised in Nintendo hardware, I don't know if this is true or not.
Can you recommend me a good (free) NES emulator/NSF player to get me started?
Overall, you're going to have to mix everything more quietly if you want the bass and percussion to cut through. Those are at their max volume always, so your mix should bow down to them.
To get bass or perc to cut through a bit more, you can also use the noise channel to add more transient detail to the drums and a sqaure channel to do the same to the tri/bass. Choosing the best duty cycle fit for the job is also important.
Making good use of delay effects is also important for getting the mix to sound smoother and full, especially since you're doing Reggae/Dub tunes. Some well executed delay techniques will really bring things together.
At the end of the day, the mix may sound 'quiter' (cos it is, in fact) but it will be well mixed and balanced. The only post processing you should need is to just normalize the final waveform and it'll sound amazing.
When I get a little time, I'll look at the first ftm you posted and edit in some things I would do here and there and also throw in some explanations.
The tri, noise, and DPCM all share the same amount of headroom. I.e. their volumes affect each other somewhat.
I would recommend using a sound editor (I'm biased towards audacity) to first amplify the wave such that it is at full volume. Possibly apply some compression.
Then create your .dmc files using RushJet1's tool RJDMC. I haven't used it in a while, so I don't remember if you can get the end of the .dmc file to slowly reset to 0. You can definitely do so in famitracker's DPCM editor, use the Tilt function. You want the wave to end near the top (effectively the same as manually setting Z00).
If you ensure that your DPCM ends up on zero, then it won't be taking away dynamic room from the tri/noise.
And like gyms said, when you can't amplify the sound you want anymore, it's time to quiet down the other channels.
