                     ____
  ___________________\   |____   _____________________________________________
 _\__    ________    |   |   /___\   ____     ___\___/    ___/____   /       /
 |   |   |   |       |_  /  _|   |   |   \   /   |   |____   |   /   |   |   |
 |:  |   |   |:  |   |:  \   |:  |   |:  |   |   |:  |:  /   |: /____|:  |___\
 /___|___|___/_______/___|   |____   |___|___|___/___/_______\_______/___|gwEm
 ========================|___\ltk/___|========================================

                              maxYMiser Live v1.33a
                             (c) Gareth Morris 2013


                                  User Manual

       maxYMiser works on any Atari 16/32 platform or competent emulation
        STe, Mega STe, TT or Falcon required for STe DMA sound features
                        Monochrome screens NOT supported
________________________________________________________________________________

(0) Contents
============
0.......Contents
1.......E-Mail
2.......Credits
3.......Licence
4.......Introduction
4.1         520, 1mb, and 2mb versions
5.......Basic Principals
5.1         Patterns and songs
5.2         Sequences and instruments
5.3         Ways to make sound
5.4         The 'N' key
5.5         Operation without screen
6.......Tracker Display
6.1         Note
6.2         Instrument
6.3         Volume
6.4         Effects 1 & 2
6.5         Sample number
7.......Instrument Editor
7.1         Instrument Selector
7.2         Instrument Parameters
7.3         Sequence Editor
7.4         DigiDrums
8.......Sub-Menus
8.1         Escape
8.2         About
8.3         Help
8.4         Normal
8.5         Configuration
8.6         Zap/Pack
8.7         Transpose
8.8         Advanced edit
8.9         Play song
8.10        Play pattern
8.11        Stop
8.12        Record song
8.13        Record pattern
8.14        Disk operations
8.15        Sequence and sample editor extension
9.......Tracker Effects
10......MIDI Controllers
10.1        Tracker controllers
10.2        Instrument controllers
11......Jam Mode
11.1        Looping pattern
12......MIDI Clock / Sync24 Output
13......MIDI Note Output
14......MMC
15......Replaying maxYMiser Music
15.1        Technical
15.2        Tips for low CPU consumption
16......Finally
________________________________________________________________________________

(1) E-Mail
==========
For all information, help, or questions:
gwem@preromanbritain.com

To  register  your  interest in maxYMiser please joint the mailing list, details
at:
http://www.preromanbritain.com/maxymiser
________________________________________________________________________________

(2) Credits
===========
Code, design and manual.......................................Gareth Morris:gwEm
Design........................................Mathieu Stempell:Dma-Sc/Sector One
Graphics.............................................Sebastien Larnac:STSurvivor

Falcon DSP clock detection.......................Denis Huget:ST Ghost/Sector One
ICE pack algorithm.....ripped by Phil Graham:Grazey/PHF, original by Axe/Delight
ASCII logo...........................................Stefan Benz:Lotekstyle/tSCc

Its true that most of the grind work on maxYMiser was done by me (Gareth Morris)
but  we  should  not  forget the work of these other guys who all made maxYMiser
what it is today, so thanks again this crew.
________________________________________________________________________________

(3) Licence
===========
I'm  bored  of  releasing freeware software that gets a huge number of downloads
but  receives  little  or  no  feedback,  except  from people who I usually know
personally. So:

maxYMiser  is FREE, but if you make music or sounds with this software which are
released  either  in  any  kind  of commercial or non-commercial way, you should
mention  somehow that you used maxYMiser in its production. In case you wonder -
this is serious. I think its a small price for quality free software.

maxYMiser  maybe  distributed freely, but only with this text document and other
associated files. None of the files may be modified in any way.

maxYMiser  comes  with  no  warranty  of  any  kind: It may very well trash your
machine/files/music etc etc
________________________________________________________________________________

(4) Introduction
================
The Atari ST has many good music editors for the built-in YM2149 sound chip. The
problem  is  though  that,  in  someway,  every  one of them sucks. When I first
discussed  the  project  with Dma-Sc, he said I should make 'the music editor of
our dreams'. Later I decided to change this goal and just tried to make the best
sound  chip editor on any platform. With such high aims this was a long project,
however  I am happy with the end result - even if in many ways I regret starting
it.

You'll  notice  the interface and keyboard layout borrows (steals ;) ) much from
the PC sample tracker 'FastTracker 2'.... of course, because this is my absolute
favourite  tracker.  I  made changes to the things I disliked about this editor,
and  also  made  changes to make the interface fit to YM2149 sound chip editing.
The  many  fans  of  FastTracker 2 should have no problems to adapt to maxYMiser
though I think.

maxYMiser  is  not a program for a beginner - it needs a decent knowledge of the
YM2149  sound  chip.  You can read the YM2149 datasheet to give yourself a crash
course,  or  use  a different editor. I heartily recommend MusicMon2.5, which is
easy to learn and has an advanced sound system.

Recently Dma-Sc and 505 have produced a newbie guide, and some free instruments,
to stay up to date with cool developments like this, visit the maxYMiser webpage
often :)

maxYMiser  has  no  guards  over  CPU  utilisation, with certain combinations of
effect you can easily use more than 100% CPU, which has easy to imagine results.
The  composer  has no restriction over combinations of effect types and channels
and  there  are  also  no lame 'are you sure about this' type screens - so watch
out.  If  you  need  some  guidance about what effects use how much CPU, look in
Section 10.2

(4.1) 520, 1mb, and 2mb versions
--------------------------------
There are three versions of maxYMiser included:

For  machines with only  half a megabyte of RAM - 520ST, 520STF, 520STFM, 520STe
etc  use MYM_520.PRG.  A few features had  to be removed for this version. These
features  are the  STSurvior intro  screen, all  features relating  to digi  and
sample  playback,  STe microwire and  ICE pack/depack. The powerful maxYMiser YM
engine is still intact.

For  machines with  more memory - MYM_1MB.PRG is guaranteed to work correctly on
machines  with  1mb of  RAM. MYM_2MB.PRB might  also work in  most cases, but no
promises. In the version for 1mb machines, sample memory has been limited to 8kb
per sample, in the 2mb version you get the full 32kb.

The  rest  of the manual related to the 2mb version, so please be aware of these
differences if using a different version.
________________________________________________________________________________

(5) Basic Principals
====================
Here  I  discuss  some of the basic ideas, terms and concepts used in maxYMiser.
Some  basic  tracker  knowledge  could help here - I suggest newbies consult the
famous 'Trackers Handbook'.

(5.1) Patterns and songs
------------------------
On  first  appearances  maxYMiser  looks  like  it  takes  the  song and pattern
structure  from FastTracker 2 or ProTracker. This was my intention, but actually
its  not  the  case.  In FastTracker, 2 dimensional patterns are linked together
into  a  one dimensional song list. In maxYMiser songs are 2 dimensional and the
patterns  are  1  dimensional.  This makes for a saving in file size, and offers
some ease of use to the composer. Some preset patterns exist for ease of use, eg
'empty pattern' and 'note off'.

(5.2) Sequences and instruments
-------------------------------
When  I  was  designing  maxYMiser  I  wanted  to  give the composer the maximum
possibilities  of  the  YM sound chip. This meant a low-level instrument editor,
and  so  I  devised sequences. A sequence is a list of binary words that you can
use  to  vary  some  parameter  of the sound over time. To give, for instance, a
classic  arpeggiated  chord, or a wobbly vibrato effect. A sequence is also used
to  produce  a  volume  envelope, or to define a SID waveform. For more details,
read the instrument editor part of this manual.

(5.3) Ways to make sound
------------------------
I  already  suggested  to  read the YM2149 data sheet, so please do. Anyhow, the
YM2149  can  produce sounds formed from combining square wave, buzzer and noise.
On  Atari  ST  we  have  a  fourth  possibility  -  the MFP or timer. Timers can
interrupt  the  CPU  at regular intervals for manipulating the YM into producing
various  effects.  This distributed version of maxYMiser has 3 specific types of
timer effects. Each channel uses its own separate timer, if its enabled that is.
The effects include:

    * 'DigiDrums'  which  play  a 4bit sample, typically a drum sound or special
        effect
    * 'SID'  produces a software generated waveform. In the past this has always
        been  a  fixed  waveform  (usually  square),  maxYMiser  allows  you the
        possibility  to  program  this  yourself,  eg  for  sine  or fake-buzzer
        waveforms.
    * 'SyncBuzzer'  retriggers  the buzzer waveform at audio frequency intervals
        to  create  synchronisation  effects  in  the  same  way  as  the 'sync'
        function works on an analogue synthesiser.

On  STe  machines  and higher we have even a fifth possibility to make sound - a
simple  DMA  sound  chip. maxYMiser offers quite optimised mixing and resampling
routines  and a simple interface to allow this DMA chip to be used together with
our old friend the YM for hybrid composing.

(5.4) The 'N' key
-----------------
In  many  of the editors and screens pressing 'N', 'shift+N' or 'control+N' will
select  the next unused pattern or sequence. Remembering this will save you time
and effort - thanks 505 ;)

(5.5) Operation without screen
------------------------------
maxYMiser  includes  some  file  auto-loading  functions to allow the use of the
program without needing a big and heavy screen - for example as a part of a live
performance, or when using maxYMiser as a MIDI sound module.

To do this, you might setup a floppy disk as follows:

A:\AUTO        - here put your maxYMiser program file

A:\            - here include your default voice sets and configurations:
  \MYM.CNF     - first the usual maxYMiser configuration file is loaded
  \DEFAULT.SND - a default SNDH file is attempted next, if not...
  \DEFAULT.MYS -    then tries to load a default song...
  \DEFAULT.MYV -    and voice set
  \DEFAULT.MYI -        if this also fails, tries to load a default instrument
                            otherwise, no default files are loaded

So  by  including  maxYMiser  in  an auto folder, and a default file in the root
directory  is  possible to boot from a floppy and have some pre-made voices or a
tune loaded automatically when you power on the machine.
________________________________________________________________________________

(6) Tracker Display
===================
As  you  can see the tracker display consists of three large vertical columns of
codes.  Each  vertical  column  corresponds  to  one  of  the three YM2149 sound
channels.

The  number at the top of each channel shows the current pattern being displayed
there.  Pressing 'Play Pattern' plays the current patterns without reloading the
current  patterns  from  the  song list. This allows you to demo combinations of
patterns  without  changes  to  the  song.  These  patterns  can be changed with
keyboard  shortcuts,  or  by modifying these fields with a new pattern number or
preset.

Like  many  trackers the patterns are 64 steps long, which nicely corresponds to
4  musical  bars, with each step equal to one 1/16th note. Pattern break tracker
commands allow you to shorten this length.

For  each step in each column of YM tracker data there are seven pieces of info.
Lets illustrate them below:

|             |            |        |             .       |            .       |
| Note-Octave | Instrument | Volume | FX 1 : Type . Value | FX 2: Type . Value |
|             |            |        |             .       |            .       |

The  same  patterns are also used for the STe DMA track. Here the meaning of the
data is a bit different:

|               .          .          |               .          .          |
| Note-Octave 1 . Sample 1 . Volume 1 | Note-Octave 2 . Sample 2 . Volume 2 |
|               .          .          |               .          .          |

There  are  no effects (except volume) on the STe DMA track - but you do get two
independent channels for sample playback!

(6.1) Note
----------
This  column  holds  the note data for that step. If this is blank the currently
playing  note  is unaffected. CapsLock can be used to enter a universal note off
here.  Notes  can  be entered either in real or step time, and using an external
MIDI keyboard, or the Atari keyboard (here we show mapping on a UK system):

(Upper octave)
 2 3   5 6 7   9 0   =      =>     C# D#    F# G# A#    C# D#    F#
Q W E R T Y U I O P [ ]     =>    C  D  E  F  G  A  B  C  D  E  F  G

(Lower octave)
   S D   G H J   L :        =>        C# D#    F# G# A#    C# D#
  Z X C V B N M , . /       =>       C  D  E  F  G  A  B  C  D  E

Octaves  can  be changed with the function keys. maxYMiser supports all notes in
the YM frequency range, even if the very high notes are not useful musically.

The  octave  reached  by  press  'F9'  maps  each key to middle C on a different
instrument, useful for entering rhythms.

(6.2) Instrument
----------------
If  an  instrument  number  is present here then the sound is triggered from the
start  so, to avoid retriggering, simply omit this column. The instrument number
to  be  entered  in  this  column  can  be selected with the numeric keypad, the
instrument editor, or via a 'MIDI patch change'.

(6.3) Volume
------------
The volume number in this column is an attenuation level. A dash means no change
to  the  current  attenuation  level.  A $0 gives the loudest volume, and $F the
quietest. Usually a dash is entered in this column, but you can change this with
the 'vol' field in the 'normal' menu.

(6.4) Effects 1 & 2
-------------------
Effects  type  is  an  alphanumeric  value, in other words 0-9 and A-Z. The full
details  of  these  effects  are  provided  later  on  in  this  manual, and are
summarised in the online help system.

The  effects  value which corresponds to this type is shown by the adjoining two
nibbles,  which  form  a  hexadecimal value in the range $00-$FF. The meaning of
this value depends on the effects type.

The  single  effect  columns  previously  available on existing YM trackers were
thought  not  to  be  sufficient for the complex compositions with adjustment in
instrument  parameters  that  maxYMiser  was  designed for. Therefore two effect
columns are provided, which offer exactly the same features.

(6.5) Sample number
-------------------
On  the  STe  DMA  track we have sample number instead of instrument number. The
tracker plays back samples loaded into the digidrum banks, and the sample number
here  corresponds  to  the  digidrum sample number. Samples are played back with
middle C corresponding to 8287Hz.
________________________________________________________________________________

(7) Instrument Editor
=====================
The  right  half  of  the screen allows selection and editing of the instruments
used in your composition. Almost every instrument parameter can be adjusted with
tracker commands. For an in-depth tutorial of the maxYMiser instrument editor by
Dma-Sc check the maxYMiser website.

(7.1) Instrument Selector
-------------------------
maxYMiser  has  four banks of eight instruments, giving 32 instruments in total.
Instrument banks maybe selected with the buttons to the top right of the screen,
or with keyboard shortcuts on the numeric keypad.

Within  each bank you can select instruments with a left mouse click. Highlights
appear over the instrument name and the instrument number. These can be selected
independently for copy and remapping operations. Right clicking on an instrument
name allows editing.

(7.2) Instrument Parameters
---------------------------
From the top down:

The   'de-tune  matrix'  allows  you  to  enable  different  instrument  effects
(portamento,  vibrato  etc)  on  different parts of your sound (the square wave,
buzzer  or  timer  generated  effect). Fixing the frequency of the sound using a
fixed  frequency  sequence  (fix  freq)  disallows  all other effects except for
vibrato,  it  is  also  no  longer  possible to play notes with this part of the
sound.  Selecting  'fixed  frequency'  and 'fixed de-tune' bypasses the need for
specifying  fixed  frequencies  with  a  sequence,  instead  the fine and coarse
instrument  parameters  allow  you  to  fix the frequency, this allows the fixed
frequency to be adjust via tracker commands if required. The transpose effect is
controlled  by the transpose tracker command. As you can recognise, the 'de-tune
matrix'  gives  many  possibilities  for de-tuning sounds, for ravey stabs, fake
resonant effects etc.

Below  the  matrix  you  can  select  sequences  to  change the sound over time.
Sequences can be shared between sounds.

'Vol'  sequence  changes  the note volume over time $F=maximum level $0=minimum.
Volume sequences do  not  affect  buzzer  sounds for technical reasons.  On digi
sounds only the first step is considered.

'Arp'  sequence  allows complex arpeggios to be performed. The sequence provides
the  number of semi-tones the note is to be adjusted by over time. The number is
interpreted  as  signed 2's compliment, so $FFFF is a -1 semitone adjustment for
example.

'Vib',  or vibrato, works similarly to the arpeggio except the adjustment is not
tuned  by  semitones,  rather  YM  frequency  register  value.  This allows fine
adjustments - however they are not in tune over a wide frequency range.

'Mix'  allows  for  changing the state of the YM mixer over time. The details of
the  YM  mixer  appear in the online help. The first nibble enables and disables
the  noise  generator,  the  second  nibble enables and disables the square wave
generator.  The  third nibble enables the buzzer. The final nibble allows you to
select which timer-based effect (for example SID or digidrums) will be used.

'Noi',  short  for  noise,  allows  you  to adjust the frequency of the YM noise
generator  over  time. As the YM sound chip just has one noise generator, higher
number YM channels have the priority over setting this frequency. Adjust between
$00 to $1F.

'Fix',  for  fixed  frequency,  is  a rarely used but powerful sequence. You can
specify  actual YM frequency register values changing over time. The online help
provides  all  the  formulae you need to calculate these values. If a particular
frequency  step  is  set to $FFFF then fixed frequency is ignored and the normal
note is played - useful for combining instruments.

'Tim'  provides never before seen possibilities in a YM tracker, and is arguably
the most powerful feature of maxYMiser. In short it allows you fine control over
many  of  the  timer  effects.  In the case of SID, this sequence configures the
software  waveform  that  is generated by the SID timer interrupt. For example a
sequence  $F,$0  gives  a  square  wave.  $F,$F,$F,$0  gives  a  pulse waveform.
$F,$A,$5,$0  a  rough  saw  waveform  and  so on (sine wave is also possible for
example). Up to 16 steps maybe used in a SID waveform, and fewer steps mean less
CPU  utilisation.  In  the  case  of  syncbuzzer each step in the 'Tim' sequence
represents  a buzzer waveform, allowing you to form complex alternating waveform
syncbuzzer  effects. Up to 8 steps maybe used in a syncbuzzer effect, and number
of steps does not effect CPU utilisation.

Below the sequence selection fields are instrument parameters that do not change
over time:

'Seq  Speed'  allows  the user to set the speed with which all the sequences are
processed. A higher number means slower sequence effects.

'Buzz Wave' sets the buzzer waveform associated with this sound. The online help
section  has  a list of the different possibilities. As with the noise generator
YM2149  just  has one buzzer to share with all voices. Higher number YM channels
take priority over the buzzer effect.

'Start  Syn'  allows effects only previously possible with the MusicMon2 editor.
Other  YM editors passed this little gem by, but here again it appears. Enabling
this field forces the instrument to synchronise all its tuned components (square
wave,  buzzer  and timer) when the note is triggered, for repeatable phasing. It
is  not  possible  to  guarantee  synchronisation of the YM2149 square wave with
precision  of greater than 180degrees - this leads to 2 possible phasing effects
in this case.

'Fix  Det'.  If  fixed  de-tune  is enabled by the de-tune matrix then these two
fields  affect  the  sound.  The  coarse  de-tune  allows  de-tuning in semitone
intervals. The fine de-tune allows de-tuning in YM frequency register intervals.

'Digi  Sample'  allows  you  to pick a digidrum sample from the 8 that maxYMiser
supports. For more information see the DigiDrum section. A value of zero in this
field means no digidrum sample is selected.

'Rate'  allows  you  to  set  the  replay  frequency of the digi sample. You are
altering  timer  register values, however these are also converted to Hz to make
things  easier.  So called 'tempered' digi sounds are not easily possible (so it
is  not  convenient  to  play  tuned  notes  with them). However this is not the
purpose  of  digidrums  (a  hint  there  in  the  name ;) ) - and in the case of
percussive  samples I believe that fine control over replay frequency is better.
maxYMiser gives you the finest control possible with the hardware.

'Instrument  volume'  specifies  the  amount  of  attenuation  applied  to  this
instrument.  This  means a value of zero gives the loudest sound, and a value of
$F, the smallest. Make sure you have a defined volume sequence or a buzzer based
sound.... otherwise you hear nothing ;)

(7.3) Sequence Editor
---------------------
This  word  editor allows you to define the sequences used by the instruments. I
believe usage of this editor to be self-explaining, however:

'Cpy' copies the current sequence to the 'Dest' sequence.

'Clr' clears the current sequence.

'Length' holds the length of the current sequence, and 'Repeat' holds its repeat
point (if appropriate).

Keyboard shortcuts:
F3:      cut
F4:      copy
F5:      paste
Help:    return to start
ClrHome: return to start
Undo:    skip to end
Enter:   quit sequence editor

(7.4) DigiDrums
---------------
This  small  menu  allows  you  to  load  new  digi  samples into your music for
digidrums  or  STe  DMA.  8 samples are allowed, each of which can be applied to
many  YM  instruments,  or  played  back  through the DMA sound chip. Select the
sample  number you want to load into and then choose the 'Lod' button. Select an
8bit  signed  headerless  sample  (eg  RAW  PCM  type  formats).  If  loading is
successful  the sample length will be displayed. When playing back as a digidrum
each  sample  is  automatically  converted for 4bit YM sample resolution using a
highly accurate lookup table. Each digidrum can be up to 32kb in length.

If you want to load a new sample simply pick the 'Lod' button.

To save your sample, along with any editing use 'Sav'.

Finally, to clear an unused sample simply pick the 'Clr' button.

Its  also  possible to change the length of your sample by clicking on the 'Len'
field.
________________________________________________________________________________

(8) Sub-Menus
=============
Here I describe the individual functions of each program sub-menu:

(8.1) Escape
------------
You  reach  this  menu  by  clicking  on  the  top left corner of the screen, or
pressing  the  escape  key.  'Quit'  exits  the program back to the GEM desktop.
'Background'  partially restores your Atari to enable it to run desk accessories
(eg  calculators, sound setup accessories etc) or, in a multi-tasking OS such as
Mint, other programs. Select 'Foreground' to return to maxYMiser.

(8.2) About
-----------
Displays  the  main  program credits. Right clicking on the 'Title' and 'Artist'
fields allows the composer to edit the data for these SNDH format tags.

(8.3) Help
----------
This help section provides the user with a quick reference to all tracker effect
commands,  keyboard  shortcuts,  some  YM2149  and  DMA  low  level details, and
information  about maxYMiser's MIDI implementation. Clicking the  buttons on the
left  selects  which help you want to view. Then click on the help pane, and use
the mouse to navigate through each screen.

(8.4) Normal
------------
The  mini-tracker  display to the top right is the song editor. Here you can set
how  your  patterns  will be sequenced to form a finished song. This mini-editor
supports  many  cut and paste features of the main editor, so experiment. Preset
patterns can be accessed as follows:

Empty pattern    : Backspace
Note off pattern : Caps Lock
Looping pattern  : Spacebar

For  more details of the Looping pattern see the Jam mode description, in normal
playback, looping patterns are simply skipped over.

The  arrows allow you to move up and down the song editor - right clicking moves
to the song start and end.

'Len' holds the length of the song, and 'Rep' the repeat point for the song.

'Speed' holds the song speed in number of replay routine calls per 1/16th note.

'BPM'  cannot be edited and is a rough calculation based on the replay speed and
interrupt frequency.

'TC' allows you to set the frequency that the maxYMiser replay routine is called
by.  This  frequency  is synthesised from the 200Hz system tick. In this way you
can select tempos with fine resolution.

Beside  the  'TC'  setting  you have the possibility to toggle between using the
Atari internal system clock, 'MIDI' clock input including Song Position Pointer,
and  'SY24'  Sync24  input  using  a  special  joystick  port interface (see the
maxYMiser  webpage  for  details  of how to make that. Sync24 input works better
with faster Ataris. In MIDI and Sync24 modes the song speed may not be adjusted.

The box below the interrupt setting gives the current playback mode, which makes
it  easier  to use the 'jam' features included for realtime resequencing of your
music.  For  more about jam mode, please read that section. Clicking on this box
allows  toggling  between  normal  playback  and  jam mode, as well and song and
pattern  play. Using this box to change the playback mode does not interrupt the
playback of your music. You can use F10 / Shift+F10 to toggle this setting also.

'Time' is self explaining ;)

'Zync' shows the current demo zynchronisation code for easy editing.

'Vol' holds the current note volume put in to the editor.

'Add' holds the number of 1/16 steps skipped each time you enter a new note.

Left  clicking  on the 'Chan' buttons mutes and unmutes that YM channel. A right
click solos and unsolos that channel.

(8.5) Configuration
-------------------
Here you select different options for the appearance and operation of maxYMiser.

'Scroll'  activates  and  deactivates  pattern  scrolling  - useful for realtime
editing!

The controls just below 'scroll' allow you to setup different colour schemes for
the editor.

'Mouse' selects between 8 classic mouse pointer shapes ;)

The 'Timers' check boxes activate and deactivate MFP timer based effects on each
YM channel. This can also be changed dynamically whilst the song is playing with
tracker  commands. This allows easy swapping of timer utilisation between the YM
chip  music and any other demo effect you might be running. The timer activation
and  deactivation  is  system friendly and fully restores the original settings.
A bright block indicates when a timer is used.

The  status  of  the STe DMA sound chip functions can be set. Either all STe DMA
features  can  be  deactivated,  enabled  on standard resampling mode for 1 or 2
channels,  or  enabled  for  a  single STe native frequency channel only. Single
channel  STe  DMA  modes  boost the volume of the DMA sounds, and the native STe
frequency mode has no CPU overhead for resampling.  Finally the STe channels can
set to output MIDI note data. STe hardware is not required for this setting.

The  DMA  volume control allows the user to set the minimum volume level the STe
channel will respond to. If you choose to allow less volume levels the memory is
saved  in  STe native mode. On the single channel DMA mode then both CPU and RAM
are saved by setting this control to zero.

'Speaker'  enables  and  disables  TT/Falcon030  internal  speaker (assuming you
didn't rip it out already ;) )

'VB  Freq' - you can set this to high or low screen refresh setting on ST(e) and
Falcon  platforms.  This  may  improve  your  display  quality  and  is  totally
independent of the sound replay frequency.

'Show  CPU'  enables  display  of the amount of CPU used by the maxYMiser replay
routine. Interpret this with caution and knowledge! Timer effects will slow down
the  CPU  at all times, not just when the replay routine is active. Better use a
different system for more accurate CPU usage monitoring, for example SNDH_CPU.

On  Falcon  030,  maxYMiser  supports external DSP clocks, and extra outputs. If
your  sound system is not locked when maxYMiser is run, then external DSP clocks
will be detected. You can see the frequency of this clock here. If you have dual
DSP  clocks  (represented by an asterisk) then you can toggle which one is used.
If  you  have  an  external  DSP  clock  then an external output, such a SP-DIF,
Analog-8  etc  is automatically enabled. 44.1kHz is by default chosen if this is
available.  Next  to  this  field  you can select what sound is put out over the
external output. You can choose either YM or STe DMA sounds to be transmitted.

The  'Year'  field  allows  you to enter the year of composition for your music.
This information is used in work saved as an SNDH file.

'Save  CNF' writes a file 'MYM.CNF' to the maxYMiser directory. This stores your
configuration settings and will be reloaded each time maxYMiser is run.

If 'Re-load' is enabled then your configuration will be reloaded after loading a
SNDH  or song file. In this way settings stored in these files can be ignored if
you wish.

The  MIDI  settings on the screen allow access to maxYMiser's MIDI functions. YM
tracks  1,2 and 3, and the 2 STe DMA channels can be assigned to a specific MIDI
channel ($0-$F corresponding to channels 1-16), each with a different instrument
or sample number. This instrument can also be changed with a 'MIDI patch change'
separate of this sub-menu. If YM and DMA tracks are set to the same MIDI channel
then  MIDI note input on this channel will be multi-plexed in a semi-intelligent
way to give polyphonic abilities :)

There  are  also  two  special  MIDI instrument numbers. When '--' is shown this
track  is totally disabled. The 'DD' instrument allows support of MIDI drum kits
to  play  maxYMiser  sounds.  The  'DD'  is a tribute to the Yamaha DD series of
electronic  drum  sets - yo! In this mode each key plays middle C on a different
sound. You can enable this mode for the editor by pressing 'F9'.

You  can  enable  maxYMiser's ability to respond to MIDI controllers here too by
toggling the 'cntrllers' setting.

(8.6) Zap/Pack
--------------
The 'devastate' options allow you to trash your song, instruments, or both ;)

The  'squish'  options  give  you  some  memory management functions. Duplicated
patterns  and  sequences are removed and the remainder are stored in a way so as
to reduce file size. Preset pattern are subsituted where applicable.

You can also get some statistics about the last used sequence and pattern, which
indicates  how  much  memory is used for storing these things. Press 'update' to
update this display.

(8.7) Transpose
---------------
Here  you  get  an  enhanced  version of FastTracker2's menu. In addition to the
usual  32  transposition  possibilities  you  can  perform  16  different volume
adjustments with this menu.

(8.8) Advanced edit
-------------------
This menu gives powerful editing possibilities.

'Copy'  copies  an  instrument  between  positions in the instrument editor. The
small  'instrument  number'  highlight specifies the destination, and the larger
'instrument name' highlight gives the source.

'Track',  'Pattern',  'Song' and 'Block' allows you to re-map instruments within
your song.

'Xpand'  and  'Shrnk'  allows  to double and half speed the current track.   Any
part  of  the pattern 'cut off'  by  the expand operation is stored in the track
edit buffer.

You can select 'Overwrite', 'Overlay' and 'Underlay' paste modes.

The  seven  button  toggle  below the paste mode selection allow masking of each
column  of  tracker data for the cut and paste operations. Clicking on the 'all'
text toggles all of the column masks on and off.

(8.9) Play song
---------------
Selecting  with  the  left  mouse  button  plays  the song from the start of the
current  pattern  onwards. A right click plays the song all the way through from
the top.

(8.10) Play pattern
-------------------
Left  clicking  plays the current pattern from the start without re-initialising
them  from  the  song list. This allows you to try out patterns together without
changing  the  song.  Right  clicking  has  the same effect, but starts from the
current cursor position.

(8.11) Stop
-----------
Stops play and record modes.

(8.12) Record song
------------------
Only  left  click  has  an  effect.  Operates the same as play song, but enables
record mode.

(8.13) Record pattern
---------------------
Only  left  click  has an effect. Operates the same as play pattern, but enables
record mode.

(8.14) Disk operations
----------------------
maxYMiser  gives  you an array of loading and saving possibilities. You can work
with  files  in  the  popular  Atari ST music format 'SNDH' (of course only SNDH
files  created  with maxYMiser can be loaded into the editor). You can also save
and  load  voice  sets  and song data separately for use with maxYMiser's binary
replay  routine.  In  addition you can save your favourite instruments and trade
with your friends ;)

The  software  saves  and  loads  files packed with the famous ICE algorithm. To
enable  saving with this packer, select the check box. The next file to be saved
will  then  be  ice  packed  for  a significant file size reduction, however the
packing operation can take some time, especially on a standard ST... Therefore I
recommend  ICE packing only for distributing your finished music. All fully SNDH
standard compliant players support playback of ICE packed files.

Another  option  for  distributing  your finished music is the 'time' check box.
Normally saved files loop continuously at the repeat point. However, by checking
this  box  the  next  saved  SNDH  file  will have its track duration set by the
current  track  timer.  Just play your track to its end point, and press stop to
set  the  timer  appropriately.  Now  in  supporting players your music will end
correctly.

The  bottom  field on this panel gives the result of the last disk operation, so
it is also displayed after loading digi samples.

(8.15) Sequence and sample editor extension
-------------------------------------------
The  first half of this menu allows fast generation of sequence data. Sweeps and
oscillations   can   be   easily   programmed  here.  'Minimum',  'Maximum'  and
'Oscillations'  are  self  explaining.  You  can  'Gen'erate  a  new sequence or
'Mod'ify an existing one.

The  'Morph'  button  generates  sequences  that  fit in between the current and
destination  sequences.  For  this  to work these sequences should have the same
length.  Combining  this feature with tracker commands allows versatile morphing
of sounds, eg SID-morph.

The  second  half of the menu expands the abilities of the little digidrum panel
into a minimalist sample editor.

You can amplify or attenuate you sample in units of 1.5db.

There  are fine tuning functions which allow you to pitch up or down your sample
in  units  of an octave, a semi tone, and 1/8 of a semi tone fine tuning. Tuning
down an octave includes interpolation for improved quality.

The  YMise  function is not to be found on any other sample editor. Converts the
sample  to  sound  like a YM digidrum - even on the STe DMA channel. This is for
true digidrum freakz.

Incase you loaded by mistake a sample in a really old fashioned unsigned format,
have no stress and click the 'Sign/Unsign' button :)

The  sample  start  point  can  be manually trimmed with the 'Start' field. This
allows  for really old skool style sample editing found on classic samplers like
Akai  S950.  To set this point really finely you could playback your sample at a
very low pitch.

Hint:  you  can  also  load  microsoft  .WAV files saved in PCM 8bit format into
maxYMiser  without  too much effort. Firstly use 'sign/unsign' and then trim the
first 44 bytes from the start of the sample.
________________________________________________________________________________

(9) Tracker Effects
===================
I did not follow the scheme of any previous tracker for this, rather my own idea
of what's logical. You can look these up with the on-line help system.

0
1   set portamento enable flag mask
2   set arpeggio enable flag mask
3   set vibrato enable flag mask
4   set transpose enable flag mask
5   set fixed frequency enable flag mask
6   set fixed de-tune enable flag mask
7
8
9
A   Arpeggio sequence + number
B   pattern Break
C   start synChronisation + value (on/off)
D   Detune coarse + value
E   dEtune fine + value
F   Fixed frequency sequence + number
G   diGi sample + number
H   pitcH slide + rate
I   tImer sequence + number
J
K
L   voLume sequence + number
M   Mixer sequence + number
N   Noise sequence + number
O   nOise transpose + amount
P   Portamento + rate
Q   seQuence speed + value
R   digi Rate + value
S   song Speed + value
T   Transpose + number of semitones
U   Uwire + value (this sets the LMC1992 sound adjustment circuit on STe and TT)
                  (only operates when DMA sound is activated)
        U00->0C     set the bass boost/cut - U06 is the default    (not on F030)
        U10->1C     set the treble boost/cut - U16 is the default  (not on F030)
        U80->A0     set the master volume level               (emulated on F030)
        UC0->D0->E0 set the panning position                  (emulated on F030)
V   Vibrato sequence + number
W   buzzer Waveform value
X   eXtra 2/3  step  arpeggio  (High and low nibbles give the number of semitone
        variations - eg X47 gives major arpeggiated chord. If the second step is
        set  to  $F  then  a  2  step arpeggio is produced eg XFC gives a 2 step
        octave arpeggio)
Y   dYnamic timer allocation mask eg 7=all timers, 2=timer B only etc
Z   set demo Zynchronisation code
________________________________________________________________________________

(10) MIDI Controllers
=====================
For  maxYMiser  to respond to MIDI controllers, they first need to be enabled in
the  'config'  menu.  MIDI  controllers  supported  by maxYMiser are split in to
three  types  -  Tracker  controllers  and  Instrument  controllers.  Instrument
controllers  are  sensitive  to MIDI channel, and operate only on the instrument
editor  of  a  specific sound. Tracker controllers operate globally on maxYMiser
itself, or a YM/DMA channel, they respond on all MIDI channels.

(10.1) Tracker controllers
--------------------------
16,17,18,19,20  channel mutes
21              song speed
22              song position
23              jam mode
24              pattern/song play
25              pattern position
26              instrument select (disabled)
27              mouse pointer type
28              global noise transpose
29,30,31        YM channel noise transpose
32              global transpose
33,34,35,36,37  track transpose
38              global volume
39,40,41,42,43  track volume
44,45,46,47     next patterns (Jam mode)

         (final controls set the LMC1992 sound adjustment circuit on STe and TT)
         (only operates when DMA sound is activated)
48              Uwire volume  (emulated on F030)
49              Uwire pan     (emulated on F030)
50              Uwire bass    (not on F030)
51              Uwire treble  (not on F030)

(10.2) Instrument controllers
-----------------------------
60              volume sequence
61              arpeggio sequence
62              vibrato sequence
63              mixer sequence
64              noise sequence
65              fixed freq sequence
66              timer sequence
109             instrument volume
110             sequence speed
111             digi sample
112             digi rate
113             buzzer waveform
114             start sync
115             coarse tune
116             fine tune
________________________________________________________________________________

(11) Jam Mode
=============
maxYMiser  also includes some features to allow rearrangement and sequencing for
your songs in real-time. You can use these for live performance, and also to try
out sequencing ideas before permanently tracking them.

To enable jam mode press 'F10' or click in the right place in the 'Normal' menu.
Press 'shift+F10' to disable the mode.

Once  jam  mode  is  activated  song  and  pattern  play modes function slightly
differently.

When jam mode is activated during song playback the key combinations:
                                  Control + cursor left / Control + cursor right
can  be used to navigate the song. Normally changes to the current song position
using  this  combination  occur  immediately,  but  in jam mode the new position
selected  will  be jumped to after the current pattern finishes. This allows for
smooth rerrangement of your music. For safety reasons pattern selection is
disabled when in jam song mode.

When jam mode is activated in pattern playback the key combinations:
                                      Shift + cursor left / Shift + cursor right
can be used to select the next pattern that will be played in the current track.
Again,  the  new  patterns  selected  are jumped to after the current pattern is
finished.  This  allows  the  user  a finer level of control for reworking their
music. The patterns selectors above each column can be used as normal, including
selection of preset patterns which is especially useful in jam mode.

There are also some jamming aids which are activated constantly, irrespective of
the status of jam mode.

The  mute  mode  functions  differently from other trackers. Now the track mutes
just  disable  the  sequencing for that track. Notes can still be played via the
keyboard or over MIDI, allowing you to try out new solos, or to perform them for
real in a live situation.

Using the keyboard shortcuts allows the composer to select between record on/off
and  pattern/song  play during playback, without retriggering the playback. This
means  that you can switch between all these modes smoothly with no interruption
in audio:

Key           Playback stopped       Playback running
-----------------------------------------------------------
Return        Start song play        Switch to song mode
#~            Start pattern play     Switch to pattern mode
Right shift   Start pattern record   Toggle record on/off

(11.1) Looping pattern
----------------------
In  the  song  editor  the spacebar can be used to add longer automatic loops to
your  track. When jam mode is inactive, a song step containing a looping pattern
is jumped over.

In  jam  mode however when the song reaches a looping pattern playback continues
immediately  after the previous looping pattern. If there is no previous looping
pattern, than playback resumes from the beginning of the song.

Combining  these  new  looping patterns with the jam mode behaviour described so
far  gives  live  rearrangement  facilities  similar  to  the famous Alesis MMT8
hardware sequencer.
________________________________________________________________________________

(12) MIDI Clock / Sync24 Output
===============================
maxYMiser  constantly  outputs MIDI clock pulses, and Sync24 clock pulses during
playback.  In  order  to  use  the  Sync24 clock output its necessary to build a
special  interface, details of which are available on the the maxYMiser webpage.

Due  to  the  limitations  of  the Atari (in other words - fixed system clock of
200Hz)  and  certain Sync24 enabled equipment with slow CPUs (for example TB-303
and  TR-606),  there  is  a  maximum  tempo  of  just  below 250bpm which can be
reliably transmitted. Above this speed, Sync24 equipment will start to drift out
of  sync.  However,  if  the song speed drops below this rate Sync24 will try to
'catch-up'.

MIDI and Sync24 output also works with MIDI or Sync24 input.
________________________________________________________________________________

(13) MIDI Note Output
=====================
With the STe DMA mode set to 'mid', both the STe channels output MIDI note data
with channels set according to the MIDI configuration in section 8.5
 
The channels are setup to  trigger  note  on and note off messages depending on
note off commands in  the  tracks  themselves,   in order to be compatible with
legato mode on many monophonic synthesisers.
________________________________________________________________________________

(14) MMC
========
Mega-type  STs have a detachable keyboard. So that maxYMiser can be used without
this keyboard I decided to support MMC messages for start and stop. These can be
transmitted over MIDI by several external control surfaces.
________________________________________________________________________________

(15) Replaying maxYMiser Music
==============================
Files saved in the SNDH format can be played with any SNDH replayer. There are a
number  of these for a variety of platforms. SNDH is a standard format for Atari
ST  chip  music,  rather like the famous SID format on C64. For more information
visit http://sndplayer.atari.org/

Apart  from  the  SNDH  format  maxYMiser  voice  and song files can be combined
together  in various ways and replayed in your productions by using the supplied
binary  replayer.  For guidance on how do this please look at the example source
code, which is for a multi sub-tune SNDH file. This example covers most possible
replay  situations,  and  even novice level assembly programmers will be able to
make use of maxYMiser music.

(15.1) Technical
----------------
Here  are  details  for  the  header offsets of the maxYMiser replayer, run each
routine in supervisor mode:

MUSIC +$0                    = branch here for music initialise routine
MUSIC +$4                    = branch here for music de-initialise routine
MUSIC +$8                    = branch here for music interrupt routine
MUSIC +$C  (binary replayer) = read here for demo zynchronisation byte
      +$B8 (unmodified SNDH)
      +$?? (modified SNDH - byte is present directly after HDNS tag)

The  replay  routine  stored  within  the  SNDH  file, and the one in the binary
replayer   are  virtually  identical.  There  is  little  advantage  either  way
performance  wise. The replay routine is fully PC relative, and performs partial
relocation on part of its code in the initialisation routine.

You will probably notice that replaying maxYMiser music outside of the editor is
a  little  faster  than inside it, this is due to the RLE algorithm used to pack
the pattern data.

The replay routine automatically detects processors without cache, and then uses
self-modifying  code  routines for performance. This includes MegaSTe - although
this  system  has  second  level  cache,  data  and  instruction  caches are not
separated,  so there are no strange effects with using these self-modifying code
routines.

The  routine is generic, customised space-saving versions of the binary replayer
can  be  made  available  depending  on  your specific application. Email me for
details.

(15.2) Tips for low CPU consumption
-----------------------------------
As a composer for music on any platform you have to be aware of using CPU. On PC
and Mac, for example, any VST or other synth/effect you use takes some CPU time,
so  you  can't  run  too  many  of  them. The same with Atari ST chip music, any
special  effects  you  use will use some CPU, and with an old skool 8MHz machine
you  can  easily  use  it  all  up  ;)  If you're working with a coder on a demo
production,  they're sure to want some spare CPU time for running their effects.
Depending  on  the  coder, you might not be allowed to use too much CPU for your
music.  Even  if you chip just for fun, you can still easily use your machine up
with too much of certain effect types.

As  a  guide,  here is a list of different effect types, and some guidance about
CPU usage.

    * YM DigiDrums.  These are easily the most CPU eating effect. Best is not to
       use them at all. To minimise the impact, use on one channel at once only,
       and with the lowest  possible  sample  rate  for ok quality - maybe 6kHz.
       maxYMiser supports digidrums at different volume levels.   If there is no
       volume adjustment, in other words if the digi is at maximum volume,  less
       CPU will again be used.

    * SID.  Software generated SID waveforms use less CPU than YM DigiDrums, but
       they  can  still  eat  CPU.  Triple  classic SID tunes from the SID Sound
       Designer  days  were notorious for eating much CPU. With the advanced SID
       effects maxYMiser offers, a composer can easily use more. To minimise CPU
       usage  its  recommended to use as few SID voices at once as possible. Use
       the  minimum  number of steps in your SID waveform as you can for your YM
       sound effect. Avoid using SID for high frequency notes.

    * STe DMA channels.  maxYMiser  uses  quite optimised routines for resampled
       STe  DMA  channels.  Even  so  each  DMA  channel can use around 10% CPU,
       roughly  the  same as a SID voice. Try working with a single DMA channel,
       with  STe  native sample rates only or no DMA ;) Lower frequencies do use
       less CPU and STe DMA uses no timers.

    * SyncBuzzer.  In  general  the same applies for syncbuzzer as SID, but with
       some differences. SyncBuzzer does eat as much CPU as SID, in fact it uses
       about half the amount of CPU. Also its only possible to use the buzzer on
       one voice at once, so you have the enforced limitation of the hardware to
       help too.

    * Native STe DMA.  The  STe native frequency mode uses no CPU for resampling
       on  STe, Mega STe and TT, and just a little overhead to parse the tracker
       data.  The  volume  control is achieved by preshifting, and uses no extra
       CPU  in this mode. Native STe rates on Falcon work for compatibility only
       and  use the same CPU as a resampled DMA channel.

    * Noise, square, buzzer. Normal 'native' YM effects not using timer or other
       special  tricks use the least CPU possible. Roughly around 5%. Start sync
       is not a CPU heavy effect, and nor is detuning.

For  the  case  of an ST demo, a nice compromise would be one channel with timer
effects  allowed,  limiting  yourself to maximum of 4 steps in you SID waveform.
The  two  remaining  YM  channels could be used for buzzer and drums and classic
squarewave effects.

For  an  STe, where heavy blitter use might mean that no timer or interrupts can
be used, then 3 channels of plain YM with a single STe DMA channel could also be
a good tradeoff between CPU and interesting sound effects.
________________________________________________________________________________

(16) Finally
============
Have fun and stay Atari ;)                                    Gareth Morris/gwEm
                                                                        May 2013
