Oh it's so rad! Okay so you define the sequences how you like them, and then somewhere in there you put in a / (or right-click in the bottom region of the sequence editor). Everything following the / gets played only when the note is "released" in the main pattern editor, which is done with a programmable key found in the company of the note cut and such in the General tab of the Settings. This can be used to provide an automatic fade-out on release, or it can be used in a more improvisational manner.
_______________________
All men are mortal.
Socrates is a man.
Therefore, all men are Socrates.
In my attempts to make a good example to show you, I have found that there are at least a couple bugs in this feature right now. First off, it requires the user to put the / at least one frame earlier than where the release should actually begin. Secondly, if a note release is signaled in the pattern editor so that the release would occur in the middle of an instrument sequence loop, the release sequence doesn't actually get played until the instrument is done with its current loop cycle.
Nevertheless, an example of the use of the release feature is forthcoming.
_______________________
All men are mortal.
Socrates is a man.
Therefore, all men are Socrates.
Sxx resets the volume of the next note to maximum if the channel volume is not redefined.
Also, I thought that it'd be better if Sxx toggles the length of the notes until another Sxx command is used, instead of having 1 for 1 note, 2 for two notes and X for X notes. In case that the tracker wants to cancel this effect, just use S00 - the current S00 will mute the note, making it a bit wasting.
EDIT: As long as a bunch of notes are detached using the Sxx command, EVERY note effect (including arpeggio, vibrato, pitch slide etc. excluding back to frame, halt etc.) will be cancelled.
EDIT2: I uploaded a Mega Man 1 boss battle demonstrative cover to test the ability of the new Sxx effect. Sxx makes life easier but in return needs a channel volume for each note and an instrument-made triangle drum.
I think I found a bug.
Listen to the noise channel. The cymbals sound a little wrong the first time, but after the frame repeats, they sound like they should. When I added a note cut after the crash and before the 1st ride, it fixed the problem. (Also, when you export to .nsf, everything works fine).
Also, when I try to click+hold+drag mouse down, it's really hard to get the screen to scroll down.
This is more a question about the VRC7 chip than anything, but I just had two questions...
1. Only one custom instrument can be played at a time, right?
2. Can you not use pitch bending/note sliding with VRC7 instruments? (Like making a C note bend to a C#)
1. Yes, though I don't know why it happens. Channel 6 has the highest priority when multiple custom instrument notes are playing and channel 1 has the lowest priority.
EDIT:
Shiru wrote:
Only one custom instrument can be played at a time on VRC7 because the hardware designed so, in order to get lowest cost for the chip.
2. Yes, however it will be difficult without looking up a frequency register table. 3xx will stop retriggering of notes, which is something that only happens in VRC7 but not in any other expansion chip; Hxy and Ixy only works for 2A03 square channels so they won't work here; Qxy and Rxy for some unknown reason do not work in VRC7. The only effects left are 1xx and 2xx, which 1xx is supposed to go up but instead goes down, and 2xx goes up rather than down. Precise timing is required for perfect pitch slides.
And because it is too hard to perform portamento, I did an example of an ascending chromatic scale from C-4 to C-5 with portamento in effect. The frequency register table will be soon in FamiTracker wiki.
Oh ok, so #2 is only because FamiTracker's VRC7 chip support is still in beta, not because the the channel is unable to do it? That's good to know, because I like using bends :P.
) 