I think this is cool tracker. Ideas about why author don't want to use winapi:
- It's really hard to make window with it (OMG! I have to build window in code! OMG! Why this f... button isn't showing? I've declared it in WINMAIN and it should be there OMG!)
- Even if you'd able to draw window, you'll fail at making it work (Message queue WTF is that? I just want to get if button was clicked WTF? OMg, I'm outta there)
- Author is planning future Linux/ otherOS port so he don't want to stick to inportable library.
Cool tracker so far. Didn't had the time to discover every features, but I like the GUI. One thing: please make the ctrl+z shortcut execute the undo function.
It looks like it's functional, and I can't wait to try to make some music with it. It just needs some user interface work:
I agree with that.
MrFTBN wrote:
It's a Windows tracker, so why not use the native Windows API for your user interface?
Because:
The Windows API is a shit.
It is not a Windows tracker, is a tracker made in plain C with a multi-plataform API for 2D and 3D programming: OpenGL. So, for now it is Windows only, but in the future (if the tracker is well accepted), it will be just a matter of few hours make it compatible to Linux or another operating system. Like SunVox did, MilkyTracker did, etc (and no, no one use Windows API at all)
I can make my own 2D GUI Engine, it's in basic state right now, but I guarantee that grows every day. :D
MrFTBN wrote:
The buttons and sliders are buggy, or unresponsive at times. The controls on the instrument editor are particularly troublesome - if I move my mouse just a few pixels up or down, I've accidentally changed the adjacent slider without having clicked on it.
I will check that, it seems to be a wrong scale value in the coordinates of the buttons and sliders. Thanks.
MrFTBN wrote:
You can't choose the directory where you're loading/saving files(?).
Right now i'm searching a "multi-plataform" solution for directory listing, so, no, for now it is only possible to save on specific directories.
MrFTBN wrote:
The splash screen is obnoxious and unnecessary, unless there is some real serious loading going on in the background.
It's unnecessary, i know, but is a "tradermark" sign that i will remove or make it selecteable when a public/full version comes out.
MrFTBN wrote:
In general, the UI is too opaque. For example: I noticed that to increment a pattern in the pattern editor I left click, and right click to decrement. That's actually pretty nice. But, a user won't know that without reading the documentation, or stumbling upon that by accident (like me.) Buttons and tool tips are our friends.
Yeah, that's true. I forgot to explain the Pattern Matrix properties.
MrFTBN wrote:
(I think I have a couple books (in PDF or CHM format) on UI design, and Windows API in particular. If I find them, would you like me to email them to you?)
If you could, do it, but remember that the Windows API is something that does not interest me.
MrFTBN wrote:
Also, if you're not a native English speaker, I certainly couldn't tell. You don't have bad English at all .
Wow thanks!. Btw, my native language is Spanish.
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fluidvolt wrote:
This looks awesome, I love the sounds FM synthesis can make. I'll give this a thorough look soon and get back to you.
Thanks friend.
fluidvolt wrote:
Will you eventually be adding an effects column/ effects or is that not possible with the hardware?
Of course!, and is absolutely possible with the hardware!. Check out the "mmf" example songs, they use pitch bend, vibrato, etc, etc, etc.
fluidvolt wrote:
And yeah, even though the splash screen doesn't look bad, it will get annoying after a few times opening it.
I know, I know. I will remove it soon.
fluidvolt wrote:
Good work on this, I look forward to its continued development.
So did you develop the MMF format as well? I haven't heard of it before. Would be cool if plugins were to support it in winamp and fb2k.
No, I don't develop the MMF format, it is the native format of the soundchip. You did not hear of the format before because is unknown and underrated. About a Winamp and FB2K plugin, that will be easy to do, I will make an online player on JAVA (like the NES that I have on my website) to play MMF too.
Dave wrote:
I might give this a go. The only thing that stops me really is the same thing that stops me using TFM: lack of PCM though this tracker might be a little easier to use than TFM. i guess i should try both
PCM will be supported soon, but for that I will need use more reverse engineering, and that takes time; but the soundchip has one PCM channel, like the YM2612.
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darkhog wrote:
I think this is cool tracker.
Thanks!. :D
darkhog wrote:
Ideas about why author don't want to use winapi:
- It's really hard to make window with it (OMG! I have to build window in code! OMG! Why this f... button isn't showing? I've declared it in WINMAIN and it should be there OMG!)
LOOOL. xD
darkhog wrote:
- Even if you'd able to draw window, you'll fail at making it work (Message queue WTF is that? I just want to get if button was clicked WTF? OMg, I'm outta there)
LOOOLL x2.
darkhog wrote:
- Author is planning future Linux/ otherOS port so he don't want to stick to inportable library.
Would a...export to VGM be possible? A truly working tracker that can handle Genesis as well as MMF would be the most spectacular news all year. TFM lacks PSG and PCM and GenesisTracker is so buggy that it's unusable, but this could be amazing if it could support VGM export.
Even if it can't be done, this is still freaking incredible. Excellent work Delek.
Would a...export to VGM be possible? A truly working tracker that can handle Genesis as well as MMF would be the most spectacular news all year.
That's my dream too!. But I don't have the hardware requiered to test some songs running on a Genesis (Everdrive?). Of course I have mobile phones with YMU759 and YMU762 to test DefleMask output, and works perfectly. :D
danooct1 wrote:
Even if it can't be done, this is still freaking incredible. Excellent work Delek.
There is software out there for this also, but I recommend using the MA-5 software to get a better feel for the FM part of it. This should also give you the actual wave shapes of each wave used for their chip (if that indeed is what you are using; other than that I don't know of anything else regarding this chip except that I have used it to make my own patches for my own ringtones).
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You now process Dracula's Rib. Good luck processing it...
Yeah, but do you tried the Yamaha "tools" to make Ringtones?, they are very bad. YAMAHA's official software only works like a parser of MIDI to MMF. Is not user friendly at all.
OK. Sorry, I guess I misread, but I thought you said it was a Windows-only project. Cross-platform compatibility is always better :D. One of my Mac friends won't bother with FamiTracker because it's Windows. The thing I like most about it though is probably its standard Windows GUI (menu bar, tool bar, etc.) - not a custom, esoteric design like many trackers. Most often, Java is my cross-platform solution, so I don't have much experience or advice on rolling your own GUI in OpenGL, just this: your program looks and sounds sexy , but it could be more user friendly (at least IMO). Look no further than FamiTracker for some examples of good user interface design.
It has PSG support? That's awesome! And a Genesis compatible tracker would be incredible, though that might be dreaming at this point. A few questions/suggestions:
A note cut function would be great.
Change octaves with "/" "*" a la famitracker.
I can't delete volume entries for some reason.
Is it not possible to change instruments on a single channel? Or is this just not implemented yet? Because right now if you want a new instrument you must use a different channel.
It has PSG support? That's awesome! And a Genesis compatible tracker would be incredible, though that might be dreaming at this point.
I don't understand, in fact the YMU759 is a PSG (Programmable Sound Generator)
fluidvolt wrote:
A few questions/suggestions:
A note cut function would be great.
Yes, this will be implemented soon. :D
fluidvolt wrote:
Change octaves with "/" "*" a la famitracker.
It's easy to implement, so will be available on next alpha.
fluidvolt wrote:
I can't delete volume entries for some reason.
Yeah, that's a crazy thing that I forget. Btw, "delete" the volume is just to put the default value, that is 7F; so put 7F will slove the problem until the next release.
fluidvolt wrote:
Is it not possible to change instruments on a single channel? Or is this just not implemented yet? Because right now if you want a new instrument you must use a different channel.
That's a nice question. According to the tests I've done in the real chip, is not possible to change the instrument in the middle of a channel. That's why there's no "instrument list", because you can only have 16 static instruments.
One more thing: Ctrl+A only selects the note column of the first channel. It would be cool if it selected both the note and volume columns of the selected channel on the first press, and a second press would select all channels.
Oh, yes, it has a PCM Channel (check out "PCM_Channel (demo).mmf". D
fluidvolt wrote:
One more thing: Ctrl+A only selects the note column of the first channel.
That's a stupid bug. It will be corrected right now. I hate this stupid errors.
fluidvolt wrote:
It would be cool if it selected both the note and volume columns of the selected channel on the first press, and a second press would select all channels.
That's an excellent IDEA!, i'm coding right now, so take it as fact. :D
.
though this tracker might be a little easier to use than TFM. i guess i should try both
and given that TFM isn't exactly a YM2612 tracker, it will put this tracker at a distinct advantage..png){kind=avatar}
