[comp.sys.amiga.misc] fat agnus + pal + noistrackers

wdao@girtab.usc.edu (Walter Dao) (04/22/91)

I have a NTSC machine, with 1.3 roms and have invested into a fat agnus. 
When I switch to PAL mode (with bootmenu or fastpal), and play a demo, 
the screen is as the programmers wanted it to be (especially in demos like 
Rebels total triple trouble). However, the music is also slower too. 
is it normal ? A lot of the soundtracks seem "more" right on NTSC machine.
but slower on Pseudo Pal. 
So how do people do if they want to write a piece of music that will be the
same on NTSC and PAL ? is it just a Pseudo Pal quirk ? 

				Walter

wright@etsuv2.etsu.edu (BRIAN WRIGHT) (04/22/91)

In article <16752@chaph.usc.edu>, wdao@girtab.usc.edu (Walter Dao) writes...
> 
>I have a NTSC machine, with 1.3 roms and have invested into a fat agnus. 
>When I switch to PAL mode (with bootmenu or fastpal), and play a demo, 
>the screen is as the programmers wanted it to be (especially in demos like 
>Rebels total triple trouble). However, the music is also slower too. 
>is it normal ? A lot of the soundtracks seem "more" right on NTSC machine.
>but slower on Pseudo Pal. 

It's called Vblank.  Because a 50hz refresh rate is slower than a 60hz
refresh rate, songs are slower in PAL.  They are timing the song off of 
the vblank timer rather than a CIA timer.  A CIA timer will play the song
the same on all machines.  Vblank timing changes to the speed of the screen 
refresh rate.  Hence, slower songs in PAL and faster in NTSC unless they use 
the CIA timer.  ProTracker 1.1b is the first tracker that I have seen that
gives you a choice between playing the song with the Vblank or the CIA timer.
Most demos, unfortunately, use the Vblank which slows the songs.  

>So how do people do if they want to write a piece of music that will be the
>same on NTSC and PAL ? is it just a Pseudo Pal quirk ? 
> 
>				Walter

Brian Wright
wright%etsuvax2@ricevm1.rice.edu

jon@brahms.udel.edu (Jon Deutsch) (04/22/91)

In article <1991Apr21.224513.46281@vaxb.acs.unt.edu> wright%etsuvax2@ricevm1.rice.edu writes:
>In article <16752@chaph.usc.edu>, wdao@girtab.usc.edu (Walter Dao) writes...
>> 
>>Rebels total triple trouble). However, the music is also slower too. 
>>is it normal ? A lot of the soundtracks seem "more" right on NTSC machine.
>>but slower on Pseudo Pal. 
>
>It's called Vblank.  Because a 50hz refresh rate is slower than a 60hz
>refresh rate, songs are slower in PAL.  They are timing the song off of 
>the vblank timer rather than a CIA timer.  A CIA timer will play the song
>the same on all machines.  Vblank timing changes to the speed of the screen 
>refresh rate.  Hence, slower songs in PAL and faster in NTSC unless they use 
>the CIA timer.  ProTracker 1.1b is the first tracker that I have seen that
>gives you a choice between playing the song with the Vblank or the CIA timer.
>Most demos, unfortunately, use the Vblank which slows the songs.  
>

OK.  I can see that. But are the people in PAL-land writing these songs
to be this slow?  In other words, when in PAL mode on an NTSC machine,
will I be hearing the music at the same speed as it was intended?

Also, is installing a Super-Fat Agnus easy?  Do you need some kind of kit,
or is it just a one-step operation?


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chem194@csc.canterbury.ac.nz (John Davis) (04/23/91)

In article <20665@brahms.udel.edu>, jon@brahms.udel.edu (Jon Deutsch) writes:

>>>Rebels total triple trouble). However, the music is also slower too. 
>>>is it normal ? A lot of the soundtracks seem "more" right on NTSC machine.
>>>but slower on Pseudo Pal. 
>
> OK.  I can see that. But are the people in PAL-land writing these songs
> to be this slow?  In other words, when in PAL mode on an NTSC machine,
> will I be hearing the music at the same speed as it was intended?

Well, if it's using a PAL screen, chances are it was designed in a PAL
country, in which case the music would also have been written expecting
a 50hz vblank. Hence, though it might sound slow to you (after being used
to it playing 20% faster) , it's probably how the artist intended.
 
I get the reverse effect here, when I run american software in NTSC
mode - the music sounds wrong as it's going faster than it normally
does (NZ is a PAL country), but that's how the author's must have inteneded
it to sound....

now what we really need is a 'speed bias' control for the amiga like
you find on turntables :-)
 
-----------------------------------------------------------
| o  John Davis - CHEM194@canterbury.ac.nz               o |
| o  (Depart)mental Programmer,Chemistry Department      o |
| o  University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand o |