drz@utcsri.UUCP (Jerry Zarycky) (01/08/88)
First of all, this article has NOTHING to do with the virus!
Now that I've got that off my chest (and off my disks :-)), I would
like to know how many people are actually hearing the Amiga's sonic
output in stereo (where available) and not through the 1080's one speaker.
As the (soon to be) proud owner of an A2000, I have decided to pick up
a Multiscan-like monitor (e.g.) NEC Multisync. The NEC (among others)
does not have any kind of audio output at all, so I figure that this
is a good time to spend some money and get real stereo-amplified sound
out of my Amiga. I envision getting a small stereo amplifier (say 15 watts
RMS per channel) and some small speakers to put on either side of my
system. (My audio system is in another room, so it isn't feasible
to use it instead.)
How many people are doing this currently?
What kind of setup do you have?
If you AREN'T using your home system, what kind of speakers and
amplifier are you using? After all, I don't want to spend an arm
and a leg on this! (There must be some good deals out there.)
Jerry Zarycky
Usenet: {cornell, uw-beaver, linus, ihnp4, allegra, decvax, floyd} !utcsri!drz
CSNET: drz@csri.toronto.edu UUCP: drz@utcsri.uucp
EAN: drz@csri.toronto.cdnlishka@uwslh.UUCP (Christopher Lishka) (01/10/88)
In article <5899@utcsri.UUCP> drz@utcsri.UUCP (Jerry Zarycky) writes: >Now that I've got that off my chest (and off my disks :-)), I would >like to know how many people are actually hearing the Amiga's sonic >output in stereo (where available) and not through the 1080's one speaker. > >How many people are doing this currently? >What kind of setup do you have? >If you AREN'T using your home system, what kind of speakers and >amplifier are you using? I hooked up my Amiga to my stereo, because I have speakers on each side of my desk and because my 1702 monitor only has mono sound. Impressive! It is really nice to play Sinbad with sound in nice stereo on either side of me. I highly recommend hooking up the sound in stereo, as it really makes the Amiga sound nicer. BTW, I tried only hooking up one channel through my 1702, but found that only half the sound was really annoying. Because I the inputs into my preamp were all used, I had to sacrifice my tuner for Amiga stero sound, but it was well worth it. Maybe I should just hook my tuner up thorugh the 1702! >Jerry Zarycky > >Usenet: {cornell, uw-beaver, linus, ihnp4, allegra, decvax, floyd} !utcsri!drz >CSNET: drz@csri.toronto.edu UUCP: drz@utcsri.uucp >EAN: drz@csri.toronto.cdn -- Chris Lishka /lishka@uwslh.uucp Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene <-lishka%uwslh.uucp@rsch.wisc.edu "What, me, serious? Get real!" \{seismo, harvard,topaz,...}!uwvax!uwslh!lishka
suh@cunixc.columbia.edu (Kenneth Suh) (01/10/88)
In article <5899@utcsri.UUCP> drz@utcsri.UUCP (Jerry Zarycky) writes: >out of my Amiga. I envision getting a small stereo amplifier (say 15 watts >RMS per channel) and some small speakers to put on either side of my >system. WARNING: Most speakers contain a powerful magnet (ceramic I think) which will distort your monitor permanently if placed to close to it. I learned this a very long time ago by placing a speaker on a color TV. Also, the magnet might erase your floppies. If you plan on using speakers, try and get the ones which are shielded and usually sold for TV monitors. I think that BOSE sells a model of the Roommate(?) line which is shielded. >How many people are doing this currently? >What kind of setup do you have? I use a "box" (also known as a boom-box, third world briefcase, portable integrated stereo, etc.) which has RCA input jacks. It works very well. /ken DISCLAIMER: I do not work for BOSE. SY.SUH@CU20B ARPAnet suh@CUNIXC.COLUMBIA.EDU BITnet
bryan@mothra.cs.utexas.edu (Bryan Bayerdorffer) (01/10/88)
In article <5899@utcsri.UUCP> drz@utcsri.UUCP (Jerry Zarycky) writes: =-First of all, this article has NOTHING to do with the virus! =- Aahhh Choooo! :-) =-I envision getting a small stereo amplifier (say 15 watts =-RMS per channel) and some small speakers to put on either side of my =-system. =- =-If you AREN'T using your home system, what kind of speakers and =-amplifier are you using? After all, I don't want to spend an arm =-and a leg on this! (There must be some good deals out there.) Well, I was in the same boat--my Amiga is rooms away from my big stereo, so I went to Radio Shaft and bought me an SA-10 10W stereo amp and a pair of Minimus 3.5" (to match my floppies :-)) speakers. Granted, it's no NAD/Audio Research setup, but with the speakers sitting at about ear-level on my shelf, the separation makes them sound pretty good. A minor annoyance, though, is that the amp has RCA jacks, but the speakers have wire clips. ______________________________________________________________________________ /_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/_____/ |_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| _No dark sarcasm in the classroom|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|___ |____Teachers leave the kids alone__|_____|_____|bryan@mothra.cs.utexas.edu___| ___|_____|_____|_____|___{ihnp4,seismo,...}!ut-sally!mothra.cs.utexas.edu!bryan |_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|
hrlaser@pnet02.cts.com (Harv Laser) (01/10/88)
drz@utcsri.UUCP (Jerry Zarycky) writes: > >like to know how many people are actually hearing the Amiga's sonic >output in stereo (where available) and not through the 1080's one speaker. >How many people are doing this currently? >What kind of setup do you have? >If you AREN'T using your home system, what kind of speakers and >amplifier are you using? After all, I don't want to spend an arm >and a leg on this! (There must be some good deals out there.) > >Jerry Zarycky > >Usenet: {cornell, uw-beaver, linus, ihnp4, allegra, decvax, floyd} !utcsri!drz >CSNET: drz@csri.toronto.edu UUCP: drz@utcsri.uucp >EAN: drz@csri.toronto.cdn My Amiga's RCA stereo output jacks output right over to my home hifi rig thru a cheap Numark Disco Mixer into which is plugged a lot of other junk (two turntables, a CD player, a cassette deck, a 20 band EQ, with a 100 watt Sony receiver driving the whole mess through two pairs of speakers in my living room)... You mention your hifi is in "another room." It might not be the most elegant way to do it, but you could, depending on how far apart your computer and your hifi are, run cables from the Amiga to the hifi, and put another pair of speakers (as in A/B) in your computer room. However you end up doing it, you'll be amazed how good the Amiga can sound coming out of something better than the pathetic A1080 mono speaker. I've got some DMCS scores (Riders on the Storm with "Prarie Thunder" instrument, The 1812 Overture with "cannon" instrument, &etc) on which the bass fundamentals are amazing. Or listen to the theme music from the game, The Pawn.. visitors are astonished to learn this isn't a record playing when they hear it. UUCP: {ihnp4!scgvaxd!cadovax, rutgers!marque}!gryphon!pnet02!hrlaser INET: hrlaser@pnet02.cts.com
chasgren@pnet02.cts.com (Charlie Greene) (01/11/88)
I use a pair of Video speakers that i bought from C.O.M.B. the mail order
liquidator company. They are made by Ambico. They have an 8 watt amp with a 2"
tweeter and 4" woofer. There are 3 input connections for the Amiga a
walkman.etc. They sound pretty good and i have them right next to my monitor
..no problems here. I don't know if C.O.M.B. has anymore but you can give them
a callat 1-800-328-0609. They cost $49 + shipping ($9).
UUCP: {ihnp4!scgvaxd!cadovax rutgers!marque}!gryphon!pnet02!chasgren
INET: chasgren@pnet02.cts.comsarge@percival.UUCP (Rod Sargent) (01/11/88)
[Line Eaters....take a byte out of lines]
There are a number of inexpensive stereo amplifiers on the market which
will work with just about any old speakers you may have in the house.
Radio Shack sells a SA-10 Solid State Stereo Amplifier for about $29.00
This is a small (3" X 7" X 4") black box with seperate left/right channel
volume controls etc.. I have had one for about 8 months and it has worked
extremely well with my Amiga (+ 2 small Radio Shack speakers < $15).
As this is a rather small amplifier, it fits easily along side/above your
system and can easily be switched on and off (or stereo to mono for that matter)
--
Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers.
..!{ucbvax,ihnp4,seismo}!tektronix!reed!percival!sargecjp@antique.UUCP (Charles Poirier) (01/12/88)
In article <2082@gryphon.CTS.COM> hrlaser@pnet02.cts.com (Harv Laser) writes: >drz@utcsri.UUCP (Jerry Zarycky) writes: >> >>like to know how many people are actually hearing the Amiga's sonic >>output in stereo (where available) and not through the 1080's one speaker. >You mention your hifi is in "another room." It might not be the most >elegant way to do it, but you could, depending on how far apart your >computer and your hifi are, run cables from the Amiga to the hifi, and >put another pair of speakers (as in A/B) in your computer room. I'd like to put in a word of warning. I tried to run cables from my Amiga to my stereo across the room. These were 25 foot, cheap Radio Snack coaxial audio cables. They picked up an unacceptable level of hum and noise. I'm back to the monitor's speaker for now. I've thought about trying the RS 10-watter mentioned, but that's probably inflated watts; more like 3 watts per channel, I'd guess. I don't think you can get good rolling thunder from three watts/ch. I've shopped at audio stores but the only pure amplifiers you can get are sky-high audiophile equipment. A low-end receiver is a possibility, but it seems like a waste to pay for built-in tuner and phono sections that will never be used. Also these receivers tend to be a bit larger than I'd like. I thought of Heathkit but they are no longer in the audio business. I looked at getting a pair of guitar mini-amps but this is not cost-effective. Anyone have some other ideas? -- Charles Poirier (decvax,ihnp4,attmail)!vax135!cjp "Docking complete... Docking complete... Docking complete..."
NETOPRHM@NCSUVM.BITNET (Hal Meeks) (01/13/88)
I am currently using something made by Mura, a boombox that accepts
headphone output from a walkman. All I did was put a pair of 20k
audio taper pots between the output of the Amiga and the input on
the box. Viola! Volume controls. I lucked out, the Mura box only
cost me $5.00; it was in a pile of clearance stuff at a Kmart. Sounds
just fine; it isn't "hifi", but is a definite improvement over the mono
output of my Sony monitor.
Sony make a line of small, amplified speakers that would work well.
The ones I recommend cost around $74.00 for the pair (discounted). They
are in small rectangular boxes, and have individual volume controls.
They are not particularly loud, but adequate for a small room.
Other options--
If you go to a Goodwill or Salvation Army, many times you will
find cheap "all-in-one" stereos for $20.00. Most of these units have
line level inputs (usually marked Aux In). Again, not hifi, but an
improvement for little bucks.
For a few dollars more: There are several manufacturers of self-
powered minispeakers now. Bose Roommates are the most well known.
They make a version called "Pro Roomates" that have level controls;
nice but expensive. AR makes something similar called "Rockpartners"
that have level controls, tone controls and will accept either a line
level or headphone level input. They sound good, and go for $190.00
a pair. Yamaha also makes something similar, they have a "bass boost"
control. They go for about $160 -$170 a pair. Haven't tried them,
just looked at them.
Remember, pawn shops can be a really good place to find cheap,
used stereo equipment, that may not be that great as a primary system,
but will work very well in a A/V system. If you get unshielded speakers,
don't stack them next to your monitor. I am probably going to get a
pair of the AR speakers, as soon as I can get a _really_ good price
on them. I have had a need for something like them for some time now,
to hook up to my Fostex 4-track.
--hal
cmcmanis%pepper@Sun.COM (Chuck McManis) (01/13/88)
In article <2026@antique.UUCP> cjp@vax135.UUCP (Charles Poirier) writes: |> I'd like to put in a word of warning. I tried to run cables from my Amiga |> to my stereo across the room. These were 25 foot, cheap Radio Snack |> coaxial audio cables. They picked up an unacceptable level of hum and |> noise. I'm back to the monitor's speaker for now. I've thought about |> trying the RS 10-watter mentioned, but that's probably inflated watts; |> more like 3 watts per channel, I'd guess. I don't think you can get good |> rolling thunder from three watts/ch. ... Yup, about 3 watts is all you get. And running the output through even a 35 watt amp is much better. |> ... I've shopped at audio stores but the |> only pure amplifiers you can get are sky-high audiophile equipment. A |> low-end receiver is a possibility, but it seems like a waste to pay for |> built-in tuner and phono sections that will never be used. Also these |> receivers tend to be a bit larger than I'd like. I thought |> of Heathkit but they are no longer in the audio business. I looked |> at getting a pair of guitar mini-amps but this is not cost-effective. |> Anyone have some other ideas? Well there are a couple of options, one look around college campuses or in the classifieds/garage sales for someone dumping their 'dorm' stereo. Usually an all in one unit and usually somewhere between 25 and 35 watts. Sometimes you can get these for 10 - 50 dollars. (Don't look to interested though, that raises the price). The other option is a 100 watt digital amp that is offered in Kit form for $149. I read about it in Modern Electronics and it looked a pretty cheap (but reasonable sound wise) way to go. --Chuck McManis uucp: {anywhere}!sun!cmcmanis BIX: cmcmanis ARPAnet: cmcmanis@sun.com These opinions are my own and no one elses, but you knew that didn't you.
zrh@amdahl.amdahl.com (Zealand R. Hatch) (01/13/88)
>drz@utcsri.UUCP (Jerry Zarycky) writes: >like to know how many people are actually hearing the Amiga's sonic >output in stereo (where available) and not through the 1080's one speaker. I use a pair of Sony APM-007AV. They have built in amps and are magnetically shielded. They are fairly small 6x4x4 (HxWxD) and can be battery powered. Each speaker has its own on-off/volume control. The price is not cheap, about $100, but this includes the AC adapter. They appear designed for use with a portable CD player. They have real good sound. But not "listen two rooms away" volume. I like them, maybe you would too. Zealand --- No I don't work for Sony --- -- ---- Zealand Hatch - 408 746-8720 - {where_ever}!amdahl!zrh Amdahl Corporation -or- zrh@amdahl.amdahl.com [ The opinions expressed are mine and do not reflect the opinions or policies of Amdahl Corp. ]
phil@titan.rice.edu (William LeFebvre) (01/13/88)
In article <2026@antique.UUCP> cjp@vax135.UUCP (Charles Poirier) writes: >...I've shopped at audio stores but the >only pure amplifiers you can get are sky-high audiophile equipment. A >low-end receiver is a possibility, but it seems like a waste to pay for >built-in tuner and phono sections that will never be used. Also these >receivers tend to be a bit larger than I'd like.... >Anyone have some other ideas? I use an old "boom box" (a.k.a "ghetto blaster") that we had lying around. It just happened to have RCA plugs in the back for an "auxiliary" input. I don't get a good stereo effect because (1) the speakers are not detachable and (2) I can't put the box directly over the monitor. But I have seen "boom boxes" with detachable speakers. You still have to pay for a tuner and (in this case) a tape transport (a tape might actually be useful if you want to record a selection that your Amy is playing---like the music from Marble Madness! :-), and you have to make sure that the unit has aux input (not all of them do), but it might be worth looking in to. How much power do those units have? William LeFebvre Department of Computer Science Rice University <phil@Rice.edu>
dillon@CORY.BERKELEY.EDU (Matt Dillon) (01/14/88)
I've got a JVC PC-37, a small box with a tapedeck, tuner (the standard stuff), and two aux inputs with RCA jacks. It works great! Almost forgot: yah, it is on top of my monitor with the speakers detached -Matt
grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins) (01/14/88)
In article <2026@antique.UUCP> cjp@vax135.UUCP (Charles Poirier) writes: > In article <2082@gryphon.CTS.COM> hrlaser@pnet02.cts.com (Harv Laser) writes: > >drz@utcsri.UUCP (Jerry Zarycky) writes: > >> > >>like to know how many people are actually hearing the Amiga's sonic > >>output in stereo (where available) and not through the 1080's one speaker. > >You mention your hifi is in "another room." It might not be the most > >elegant way to do it, but you could, depending on how far apart your > >computer and your hifi are, run cables from the Amiga to the hifi, and > >put another pair of speakers (as in A/B) in your computer room. > > I'd like to put in a word of warning. I tried to run cables from my Amiga > to my stereo across the room. These were 25 foot, cheap Radio Snack > coaxial audio cables. They picked up an unacceptable level of hum and > noise. I'm back to the monitor's speaker for now. I've thought about > trying the RS 10-watter mentioned, but that's probably inflated watts; > more like 3 watts per channel, I'd guess. I don't think you can get good > rolling thunder from three watts/ch. I've shopped at audio stores but the > only pure amplifiers you can get are sky-high audiophile equipment. Yeah, long cables are likely to be a problem, especially if the system and the stereo aren't plugged into the same outlet. The various speakers with built-in amplifiers seem to be popular for demos, but are probably more expensive that desirable. I wouldn't bother with the Radio Shack SA-10, maybe an SA-102 or whatever that series is up to now, although these are not exactly audiophile delights. You might check if there are any used stereo places or "stero exchanges" or hi-fi stores that sell used equipment in your area. You can usually pick up a low-end or "department store" class receiver pretty cheap. -- George Robbins - now working for, uucp: {uunet|ihnp4|rutgers}!cbmvax!grr but no way officially representing arpa: cbmvax!grr@uunet.uu.net Commodore, Engineering Department fone: 215-431-9255 (only by moonlite)
farren@gethen.UUCP (Michael J. Farren) (01/14/88)
I use the cheapest amp that Radio Shack sells (model number SA-10, cost
about $25), and a pair of speakers I picked up at Pacific Stereo (now
defunct) for $17. Works great. Not the highest fidelity, perhaps, but
then, neither is the Amiga.
--
Michael J. Farren | "INVESTIGATE your point of view, don't just
{ucbvax, uunet, hoptoad}! | dogmatize it! Reflect on it and re-evaluate
unisoft!gethen!farren | it. You may want to change your mind someday."
gethen!farren@lll-winken.llnl.gov ----- Tom Reingold, from alt.flame erikj@hi.unm.edu (Erik Johannes) (01/15/88)
If you want a cheap stereo to hook your Amiga up to, try going to a Goodwill. They have old stereos there. I use an old stereo that a previous tenant had left in the garage of my apartment. It works very well with the Amiga. In addition it has a tuner, so when I don't need to listen to the Amiga I can listen to the radio. If you can't find anything at Goodwill that pleases, try the for sale ads in the paper. Garage sales may also have a cheap stereo that will work. -Erik
sean@ms.uky.edu (Sean Casey) (01/16/88)
I've got a pair of Bose Video Roomates so my Amiga can talk to me. They're
quite useful for other things too. I can put the speakers and my portable
CD player in a box and set up an instant concert. They're also good for
toting to a friends house when everyone wants to watch TV and they only have
TV speakers.
If I flip a switch on my preamp, my Amiga is connected to an Adcom GFA-555,
which can pump out 350 watts/channel into my 4 ohm speakers. I've rattled
the entire left wing of my apartment building playing around with the
Synthia demo. My neighbors probably don't have the high opinion of the
Amiga that I do.
Sean
--
-- Sean Casey sean@ms.uky.edu, sean@ukma.bitneT
-- (the Empire guy) {rutgers,uunet,cbosgd}!ukma!sean
-- University of Kentucky in Lexington Kentucky, USA
-- "If something can go will, it wrong."karl@sugar.UUCP (Karl Lehenbauer) (01/16/88)
In article <2026@antique.UUCP>, cjp@antique.UUCP (Charles Poirier) writes: > I'd like to put in a word of warning. I tried to run cables from my Amiga > to my stereo across the room. These were 25 foot, cheap Radio Snack > coaxial audio cables. They picked up an unacceptable level of hum and > noise. It's probably not the 25 foot coaxial audio cables, unless they ran parallel (and close) to power lines a lot of the way. More likely is that you have a ground loop; that is, 60 Hz AC is leaking into your setup through improperly grounded power, antenna, audio and/or video lines and such. When I hooked my Amiga up to my stereo in the living room as well as some semipro audio gear I've got in the room with the machine, I had AC hum everywhere that took quite a long time to zen out. It turned out that the cable TV feed was the culprit. After disconnecting the cable I had a (nearly) quiet system. Incidentally, for those looking for a hi-fi Amiga experience who want something small, reasonably inexpensive and that sounds really good, I recommend the Bose Video Roomates. They cost around $200, come as a pair of stereo speakers (one speaker has the stereo amp built in. It uses AC power). Two RCA plugs are provided for input; there's a master volume control on one of the speakers (no balance). The speakers have internal sheilding to prevent the speakers' magnets from damaging your monitor, tapes, diskettes, etc. -- ..!uunet!nuchat!sugar!karl, Unix BBS (713) 933-2440
ssd@sugar.UUCP (Scott Denham) (01/18/88)
................... I envision getting a small stereo amplifier (say 15 watts > RMS per channel) and some small speakers to put on either side of my > system. (My audio system is in another room, so it isn't feasible > to use it instead.) > > How many people are doing this currently? > What kind of setup do you have? > If you AREN'T using your home system, what kind of speakers and > amplifier are you using? After all, I don't want to spend an arm > and a leg on this! (There must be some good deals out there.) I'm doing just about that on my A-2000 using an ancient Heathkit tube amp (I KNEW i saved it for a good reason) and some speakers that work great but my wife says are too ugly to go in 'her' part of the house) The stereo is quite nice with Sonix, but nasty with DMCS as it chooses sound channels in a strange way. RMS is about 10-12 per side, through 12" high efficiency speakers; I highly recommend it. I believe there are still some low end Heath amplifiers (sans tubes!!) that might suit your purposes.
cjp@antique.UUCP (Charles Poirier) (01/20/88)
In article <1411@sugar.UUCP> ssd@sugar.UUCP writes: >RMS is about 10-12 per side, through >12" high efficiency speakers; I highly recommend it. I believe there >are still some low end Heath amplifiers (sans tubes!!) that might suit >your purposes. This is the kind of thing I want, except maybe smaller speakers. But as I said, Heath no longer makes any audio gear (except a ONE watt monaural experimenter's kit). -- Charles Poirier (decvax,ihnp4,attmail)!vax135!cjp "Docking complete... Docking complete... Docking complete..."
rad@masscomp.UUCP (Bob Doolittle) (01/21/88)
I have a MIDI keyboard controller, piano synth, and PA system that I mix
my Amiga into. It sounds great. However (and I'm surprised nobody else
mentioned this), all music packages for the Amiga to which I've had
exposure do a very poor job of utilizing the stereo. I use the Mimetics
Pro MIDI Studio. Even if I only lay down 2 tracks (using 2 voices),
when I play it back the tracks jump from right to left between notes.
I've heard the same problem holds for Deluxe Music Construction Set.
This effect can really ruin an otherwise reasonable sounding piece. I
presume that these packages are simply allocating a free channel on a
note-by-note basis, rather than being intelligent about channel
allocation.
I've never programmed the sound - can anybody think of a good reason why
software is written this way? Is it really so hard to do right?
While I'm sort of on the subject, I've heard great things about Dynamic
Drums. I know it can take an external MIDI clock, but can you start/stop
sequences with other MIDI events? How about simply tying a MIDI channel
to a drum voice and playing it from a MIDI source? I'd appreciate hearing
from anyone with experience with the package.
--
Once in a while
you get shown the light UUCP Address:
in the strangest of places ...!{ihnp4,ulowell,ucbcad,gatech}!masscomp!rad
if you look at it right! -Robert Hunterrap@dana.UUCP (Rob Peck) (01/26/88)
In article <2793@masscomp.UUCP>, rad@masscomp.UUCP (Bob Doolittle) writes: > mentioned this), all music packages for the Amiga to which I've had > exposure do a very poor job of utilizing the stereo. I use the Mimetics > Pro MIDI Studio. Even if I only lay down 2 tracks (using 2 voices), > when I play it back the tracks jump from right to left between notes. > I've heard the same problem holds for Deluxe Music Construction Set. > This effect can really ruin an otherwise reasonable sounding piece. I > presume that these packages are simply allocating a free channel on a > note-by-note basis, rather than being intelligent about channel > allocation. > > I've never programmed the sound - can anybody think of a good reason why > software is written this way? Is it really so hard to do right? > You are correct as to the effect that you are hearing, one can only hope that the authors of these programs see your posting (or better still, you might consider writing to them directly and point out the problem... send a copy of your otherwise delightful music piece as an example and ask WHY they made it do this. One would assume that individual tracks would automatically be assigned to individual channels of the audio, at least until one goes past the four available real channels, and even then individual tracks should STILL stay on the same channel. Musicraft, (now known as SONIX) does the same thing for the Amy keyboard when it is being played individually, notes jump from channel to channel.... some of this is a necessary byproduct of trying to have four notes going simultaneously, each of which has an ADSR waveform associated with it. You may be running into the same problem. What I'd look for is an option to be added to the program, in a preferences sort of thing, that would assign tracks to left-side or right side, then use pre-emptive scheduling of the notes. Then the note that is farther down the ADSR waveform gets cancelled after there are more than 2 notes going at a time in a left or right channel. But then, again, one might consider how BAD this might sound (of course nowhere near as bad as having the image jump from one channel to another). The only way out that I can see is to make the software even more complex internally, and to simulate multiple hardware channels using single hardware channels as a base (adding interrupt routines, dynamically adding up waveform components and fully double buffering the sound waveforms for each real hardware output channel). Unfortunately, this method eats up some bits of precision along the way (2 waves, each at max volume, could only be added together at half-max volume otherwise take a chance on clipping), but it might be worth the effort to try it. [side note to owners of the original ROM Kernel manuals - this technique there was known as Double-Duffering (grin) ... one of the few typos that folks pointed out to us, but in LARGE print]. Someone (maybe me) will eventually hack the AudioTools to add emulation of multiple hardware channels. Would be nice. Rob Peck ...ihnp4!hplabs!dana!rap
ssd@sugar.UUCP (Scott Denham) (02/09/88)
In article <2793@masscomp.UUCP>, rad@masscomp.UUCP (Bob Doolittle) writes: > Pro MIDI Studio. Even if I only lay down 2 tracks (using 2 voices), > when I play it back the tracks jump from right to left between notes. > I've heard the same problem holds for Deluxe Music Construction Set. > This effect can really ruin an otherwise reasonable sounding piece. I > presume that these packages are simply allocating a free channel on a > note-by-note basis, rather than being intelligent about channel > allocation. > I don't know just why they do it that way, but it is annoying. Sonix is apparently not prone to this particular little nasty while playing back a track, though it does bounce the keyboard channel back and forth..... The effect in DMCS is rather like over-done 70's acid rock mixing!!!
kudla@pawl8.pawl.rpi.edu (Robert J. Kudla) (02/10/88)
In article <1445@sugar.UUCP> ssd@sugar.UUCP (Scott Denham) writes: >The effect in DMCS is rather like over-done 70's acid rock mixing!!! > Hey, that's not nice! I prefer to think it's like overdone 80's dance rock mixing! :) In any case, I intend to use my Amiga as an almost-professional sequencer and maybe as an extra digital synth, and as such, I'll be using it in mono anyway. After all, mixing is the mixer's job, not the Amy's! Just the same, I'll have to procure a copy of Sonix. Oh, and anyone know of the easiest way possible to use my Amy as a MIDI synth and a sequencer at the same time?? Thanks. ------------Robert J. Kudla - Pseudo-Freshman Extraordinaire------------- Screw the disclaimers- flame at will!! Itt@RPITSMTS.BITNET And you may ask yourself- How do I work this? FU7Z%mts@itsgw.rpi.edu (I sure as hell do...) kudla@pawl.rpi.edu -------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael_M_Butler@cup.portal.com (02/19/88)
Well, I use a self-amplified pair of speakers designed for use with "Walkman"- style gear, the Mura "High Stepper" (yeesh!) SP-100 2-way power-boosted speaker set. I use a battery-eliminator from Radio Shack. Very little hiss, the out- put level is fixed (no volume control) but adequate for my quiet room, and the stereo splitter cable (also from R-S) turns the two RCA connections into one submini phone jack, just peachy. Total cost: ca. $30 for the speaker/amps, ca. $9 for the power suppy, ca. $2 for the cable gizmo. Worth it. WARNING: If you put the speakers too close to the CRT, you *will* magnetize either the metal frame and/or the shadow mask in the CRT tube itself. This may distort the picture and result in unsightly faint blobs of color on the screen, near the edges. The new Samarium-Cobalt magnets in these little units are surprisingly powerful. If you *do* get such distortion, move the speakers farther away from the CRT. If the blobs stay, get your screen "degaussed" by a TV repair shop. Michael [my fancy trailer is at the cleaners] Butler