Making Background Music


Here the principal functions used in making Background Music will be explained while referencing the Background Music (Song Number 14) used in this demonstration. 

INDEX    Making Background Music
    1.   Using Rhythm Set
         [How to Use it]
    2.   Using Key Split
         [Overview of Key Split Function]
         [How to Use it]

1. Using Rhythm Set

When making a rhythm track, it is troublesome to have to set the types of percussion instruments for each program change. So with this sound driver, a Rhythm Set Mode has been developed. With the Rhythm Set Mode, it is possible to play back drum patterns with the MIDI data scale control by dividing the types of instruments  to be used over the scale. 

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[How to Use it]
    (1) By writing "p127 = R , 1 , c1" in the Tone Color Setup category in the mks4agb.ini
    file, p127 will act as a Tone Color Number that can switch the Rhythm Mode and the
    Tone Color Groups specified by the vgroup 1 will become specified. The value of the
    last element (c1) causes the Tone Color specified at the head of vgroup 1 to be
    allocated from the MIDI Data Scale c1. 
    (Scales are assigned in the following order: (p000=c1, p001=c#1, p002=d1,
     p003=d#1, p004=e1, etc.)

    (Refer to the Following Diagram)

    (2) For example, by writing 127 to the MIDI Data Program Change
    with the above settings, a rhythm mode would take effect on the tracks following that
    data and the allocated percussion instruments would be played. 

    * p127 = R, 1, C1 ==> Values other than R can be changed. 
 

----- Example of mks4agb.ini Syntax --------------------------
;Tone Color Setup
vgroup = 0
p127 = R, 1, c1

vgroup = 1
p000 = F, housebd,    99,  99,  99,  99,  60    ;C1
p001 = F, housesd,    99,  99,  99,  99,  60    ;C#1
p002 = F, housechh,   99,  99,  99,  99,  60    ;D1
p003 = F, houseohh,   99,  99,  99,  99,  60    ;D#1
p004 = F, tamba,      99,  99,  99,  99,  60    ;E1
p005 = F, vibra,      99,  99,  99,  99,  60    ;F1
p006 = F, timbale,    99,  99,  99,  99,  60    ;F#1
p007 = F, se8,        99,  99,  99,  99,  60    ;G1
--------------------------------------------------------------

Also note that these Tone Color Numbers do not have to be consecutive. 
Also, Tone Color Numbers set as switches in the vgroups used in the rhythm settings will be ignored. 

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2. Using Key Split 

When using Direct Sound, the sound quality of the playback degrades as the played scale moves farther away from the original pitch of the sampled sound. Also, moving up higher into the range causes a burden on processing speed. In order to improve such symptoms, it is necessary to have several separate sets of sampled waveform data (for which the sound quality can be guaranteed) from the sound range where the quality begins to degrade up to as high as is necessary to play. For example, if you had a set of harp waveform data that had been sampled at an original pitch of C3, such as in the default data number 13, and you wanted to use that from C3 to C6, a different wave would have to be read in around C5. If, for example, the necessary sound range was broader, say C1 ~ C6, and you also had MIDI data that went back and forth between the lowest and highest sounds, the number of program changes written into the MIDI data would become extremely high creating a lot of work. In order to eliminate this sort of problem, this sound driver comes equipped with a Key Split Mode. 

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[Overview of the Key Split Function]
In order to efficiently assign a single number in the MIDI data for the above original pitches, which have several different waveform numbers, this Sound Driver has been set up so that a Tone Color Number corresponding to the sound range used can be managed by a single table. 
 

----- Example of mks4agb.ini Syntax -----------------------------
;Tone Color Setup
;
vgroup = 0
p024 = S, 0, 2, c1
p025 = S, 1, 2, c1

vgroup = 2
p000 = A, harpc3,     99,  99,  99,  40
p001 = A, harpc5,     99,  99,  99,  40


;Key Split Table Setup
;
;t??? = xxx, xxx, xxx, xxx, ...
;
;       t??? : t000 ~ t031             Key Split Table Numbers
;        xxx : 0 ~ 127 (p000~p127)    Tone Color Numbers
;

;         C1, C#1,D1. D#1,E1, F1, F#1,G1, G#1,A1,A#1, B1,
  t000 =  00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00,  ;C1-B1

;         C2, C#2,D2. D#2,E2, F2, F#2,G2, G#2,A2,A#2, B2,
          00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00,  ;C2-B2

;         C3, C#3,D3. D#3,E3, F3, F#3,G3, G#3,A3,A#3, B3,
          00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00,  ;C3-B3

;         C4, C#4,D4. D#4,E4, F4, F#4,G4, G#4,A4,A#4, B4,
          01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01,  ;C4-B4

;         C5, C#5,D5. D#5,E5, F5, F#5,G5, G#5,A5,A#5, B5,
          01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01,  ;C5-B5

;         C6, C#6,D6. D#6,E6, F6, F#6,G6, G#6,A6,A#6, B6,
          01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01   ;C6-B6

  t001 =  00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00,  ;C1-B1
          00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00,  ;C2-B2
          00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00, 00,  ;C3-B3
          01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01,  ;C4-B4
          01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01,  ;C5-B5
          01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01   ;C6-B6
------------------------------------------------------------------
t??? = is a Key Split Table number in which waveforms having different original pitches are assembled into a single one. 
The content is a Tone Color Number array allocated to the sound range to be used. 

t000 indicates the source sound (lowest sound) of the first data address and there are half-step scales between contiguous addresses. For this reason, the scales of the sound ranges used are C#1, D1, D#1, E1, F1, F#1, G1...The 00 and 01 that are used in the data content indicate the Tone Color Number to use. For C1 ~ B3, Tone Color Number 00 would be used, and for C4 ~ B6, 01 would be used. 

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[How to Set it Up]
    (1) This registers several sets of waveform data in the sound range to be used with the
    split mode in the mks4agb.ini Tone Color Setup  vgroups. (See: Tone Color Setup
    in the Table above.)

    (2) This sets the Tone Color Number that will act as the switch for changing to the split
    mode in the Tone color Setup in mks4agb.ini
    For example, if you write "p024=S,0,2,c1"
    p024 = Tone Color Number
    S = Produce Sound in Split Mode 
    0 = Key Split Table Number containing waveforms having different original pitches.    
    (000 can be abbreviated to 0. )
    2 = The waveform belonging to the vgroup number registered in (1). 
    C1 = Starting Point (lowest sound) Scale  of the Key Number designated in the Table. 

    (3) The Tone Color Numbers that you wish to register in the table designated in (2)
    are assigned in order. 

    Reference Example: Song Number 13

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This concludes "Making Background Music."
Proceed to the next section. 

Next: .s File Content

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