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FamiTracker
Encouraged by the positive output and criticism on my first cover, I decided to make another -- this time of Yoshi's Island's athletic theme. Also, this is my first time using N163, and was surprised how handy it is. Although I'm more for using the classic 5 channels, this song doesn't deserve that limitation.
There may be incorrect notes since I did this by ear by separating the eight DSP channels, so unless Kondo pulled a trick on me with his divine composing, there shouldn't be any. Though, I did manage to mimick the intricate note lengths of most of the instruments.
Regardless, I am disappoint with the volumes of the continuous "organ" (Namco 2-3 channels) hits in the background, though, on their own, they sound decent. I think they just blend in with the similar sounds of the lead. Meh.
I'll probably submit to my OCD and end up going back and calculating the correct volumes for each of the notes using the SPC sequence data, but for now, I'm fine with them.
Hope you enjoy this.
Immense thanks for help goes to jrlepage for tempo/note fixes and an improved N163 melody!
That's nice... But what happened to that first Namco channel?! You could use that one for doubling the melody an octave higher with a different sounding wave or something.
Those G-2's on lines 0x20 and 0x30 of frame 02 of the bass channel (Namco 4) should be F#2's, too!
Otherwise very neatly done!
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[quote=jrlepage]That's nice... But what happened to that first Namco channel?! You could use that one for doubling the melody an octave higher with a different sounding wave or something.[/quote]
I used the first one for the pseudo-organ-thing's triads at the beginning, but realized the rest of the song uses only 2 notes for that, and left the first one empty. The reason for the ==/0/-- garbage in the 0x00 frame for Namco 1 is because of a N163 *.NSF-exporting error I encountered in the remaking process. There was a dead note left holding from the intro.
I would use the Namco 1 the melody, but as the N163 isn't instrument-change-friendly, I decided I mustn't drown out the Namco 2-3 channels any more than I already do. I'll try to see what that sounds like regardless. Appreciate the input!
[quote=jrlepage]Those G-2's on lines 0x20 and 0x30 of frame 02 of the bass channel (Namco 4) should be F#2's, too![/quote]
Thanks for pointing that out! I reuploaded the *.ftm with the F# notes fixed.
Here's what I make of your FTM. :)
[url=http://dl.dropbox.com/u/34026765/yoshis_island_jrlepage.ftm]Download
Changes I made:
-Changed the tempo from 132 to 150 to make the following change easier.
-Controlled the swing entirely using Fxx (change speed).
-Removed all occurences of Gxx.
-Added a N163 instrument to double the melody.
-Increased the 2A03 melody by 1 octave.
-Used Sxx instead of note cuts in pattern 11 (triangle).
-Corrected the wrong note pointed out above.
You'll find my version has a much more stable tempo (less random skips). I hope I don't come off as arrogant; I'm only trying to be helpful by teaching you some tricks I use that might help you in the future. :)
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Follow me on [url=https://twitter.com/jrlepage2a03]Twitter.
I record (some) NSFs on hardware. Feel free to [url=http://www.famitracker.com/forum/posts.php?id=3633]request a hardware render.
Wow! That's a lot better than mine to be honest. :P Seriously though, I'll put yours on repeat from now on. And no, I don't find you at all to be arrogant. The tempo is, indeed, a lot more stable in yours.
I don't know how you managed to get multiple instruments in the N163 simultaneously. I tried to do it and it kept making all the Namco channels the same instrument when I set the instruments.
As for the tempo/swinging rhythm changes, that helps out a lot as well. That Gxx spamming was getting to be a real pain with note cuts. I didn't know about Sxx though. That'll surely come in handy.
I still don't quite grasp the impact the row speed/tempo/etc. has on the effects involving delays. I'll need to look into that more and fiddle with it.
I messed with your version a bit, fixing the volume of the two 2A03 pulse channels in the frames 0x06/0x07. They were quiet and were annoying me from the get-go, and I kept forgetting to fix it. I also took your clarinet N163 instrument and made a duplicate for semi-tone glisses (a la instruments 5/6) that are used occasionally.
Anyway, thanks a lot for the help! Glad you took your time to fix the issues.
[quote=arookas]I don't know how you managed to get multiple instruments in the N163 simultaneously. I tried to do it and it kept making all the Namco channels the same instrument when I set the instruments.[/quote]
It's to do with how the chip itself works in term of wave memory. Each wave sits in a certain position within the chip's 256 bits of RAM, and the longer the wave, the more memory it uses up. The tracker lets you choose where to put each one of your waves, so a 32-sample wave sitting in Wave memory position 0 would occupy positions 0-31 of memory. You can't have two waves sitting in the same position, or else you get conflicts (which is what was happening to you). If one wave occupies 0-31 and you try to write a different wave on pos. 0, the first one will gain priority. If you try to write a wave in 16-48 (still with another wave in 0-31), th first half will sound like the second half of your first wave, and the second half will play fine.
It's your job to ensure you don't have any conflicts, and the more waves you use throughout your module, the more of a headache it becomes! Especially with shorter waves...
[quote=arookas]I still don't quite grasp the impact the row speed/tempo/etc. has on the effects involving delays. I'll need to look into that more and fiddle with it.[/quote]
Basically at 150 bpm, the "speed values" equals the number of APU updates per tracker row. Effects like Gxx and Sxx use APU updates as their value so using 150 bpm + Fxx helps a lot if you have to work with those. Each number in an instrument macro also represents one APU update, so aligning instruments correctly within the track is also helped a lot by using the default tempo.
A broader range of tempi can be achieved if you play around with different ways of alternating between values of Fxx on every row (or every other row, or on rows 1 and 4 of every beat, etc.). This DOES introduce a slight unevenness in the tempo of the track, but it's almost unnoticeable in most cases and, again, helps immensely if you have to work with Gxx and whatnot.
[quote=arookas]Anyway, thanks a lot for the help! Glad you took your time to fix the issues. :) Should I put this one in the original post?[/quote]
No problem. Your cover is still great btw, I only applied some techniques I learned through experience to it; musically, I didn't have to do anything other than this slight wrong note correction - you did a great job!
Sure, you can put it up there; just mention my name somewhere I guess. :p
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Follow me on [url=https://twitter.com/jrlepage2a03]Twitter.
I record (some) NSFs on hardware. Feel free to [url=http://www.famitracker.com/forum/posts.php?id=3633]request a hardware render.
Oh, wow, thanks for the explanations! I think I understand it now. I'll keep in mind the tempo and wave techniques I've learned from you and use them in later *.ftms.
_______________________
Follow me on [url=https://twitter.com/jrlepage2a03]Twitter.
I record (some) NSFs on hardware. Feel free to [url=http://www.famitracker.com/forum/posts.php?id=3633]request a hardware render.
Very nice! I love how it sounds like a guitar strumming. I used this in a few really old games I made when I was little, so it's kind of nostalgic for the wrong reasons :P...
I also have a request. Could you cover... all songs? (At least as far back as 1600 BC, I would still accept that)
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