Hi,
Arkos will soon release a Windows-based tool to create your music for CPC. It's a bit like the STarKos, only more powerful and intuitive. Sound is outputed to your sound card, or directly to your CPC in real-time if you have a CPCBooster !
Here's a little preview :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3xqWeJjxVASome features of Arkos Tracker :
- 256 patterns available.
- Each pattern is composed of 3 independent tracks.
- 512 tracks available, each being reusable in any pattern, or even several times in the same pattern.
- Each track can be transposed independently in a pattern.
- A track has a height from 1 to 128 lines, independently of the pattern that uses it.
- 255 instruments available.
- The instrument editor allows you to modify each registers of the PSG.
- Replay frequency of 13, 25, 50, 100, 150 or 300hz.
- Possibility to put "events" in your song. They can either be used to synchronize your music with your production, or trigger digidrums for exemple.
- Big news : instruments are divised into two channels : a Software, and Hardware one. These channels can be independant or dependent from each other. Allows using two waves at the same time !
- Allows you to play sound effects in a very flexible and powerful way. You can also play the SFXs without any music.
- You can import any STarKos song.
- NO SID/DMA for CPC+ for now. I may plan that...
About the Player :
- Only 25 scanlines maximum used !
- On top of being faster than the STarKos player, it's lighter : one and a half kb.
- The player works on Amstrad CPC, MSX, Spectrum or Pentagon (using conditional assembling : only the necessary code is used).
- The generated songs are very light (about as much as the STarKos song. Sometimes a bit lighter, sometimes not).
- Can be used in Basic (call the player by yourself, or use it under interruptions), and Assembler.
- The source of the player is given, and documented.
- The format of the music is given. So you'll be able to create your own custom tools (conversion, new players...).
- Fade in/out available.
About the sound effects :
- Every instrument of your song becomes a sound effect.
- You can play/stop a sound effect on any, or all, of the 3 channels.
- You can choose the note, volume, speed of any triggered SFX.
- You can add Pitch to them (useful to add randomness to the sounds, for example).
- Sound effects are in a seperate file : you can use the same sound bank even if you change the music.
For the hardcore composers among you, nothing will prevent you from using STarKos. You can import you SKS song, convert them with Arkos Tracker, and use the new players !
I hope to release the tool in 2 or 3 weeks.
Thanks for reading and see you soon,
Targhan/Arkos.
