May 182010
 

Arkos released a new Beta version of their cross-plattform tracker “Arkos Tracker”. With the Arkos Tracker you can compose your chiptune music for the Amstrad CPC (and a variety of other computers), compile them and use the player for the specific system. The sound playback is done via emulation of the AY-3-891x soundchip on your PC or directly on an Amstrad CPC via the CPC Booster+.

You can download the new Beta version from the tools section of the Arkos homepage.

Changes:

  • Complete coding of the sound generating and outputing by myself. The emulation is more accurate, and will allow the implementation of samples and Sids in the future.
  • Plug in your best MIDI Keyboard or any MIDI-In device, play and record your music with it!
  • 150hz and 300hz replay modes are now available. They are very slightly slower than on a real CPC. Nothing you should notice…
  • CPCBooster output is now very accurate.
  • Ability to save Interleaved/non-Interleaved YM6 format.
  • AKStoBin: a command line software to converts any AKS song into a binary to use on hardware (warning, you still need .Net to use it).
  • STKtoAKS: a command line software to converts any STarKos songs into an AKS song (warning, you still need .Net to use it).

    Apr 132010
     

    Arkos just released the first beta version of their already announced windows-based chiptune tracker – the “Arkos Tracker”. With this tracker you can compose songs for the CPC and can listen to them via soundchip emulation or with a CPC which is connected to your PC with the [[CPC Booster]]. The player routine isn’t only available for the Amstrad CPC, but also for the MSX, Spectrum and Pentagon 128k.

    You can download the Beta version from the tools section of the Arkos homepage.

    arkostracker1

    Feb 192010
     

    Good news from Arkos: The Arkos Tracker, a Windows based music tracker program, will be released within a few weeks. You can compose songs on the PC which will be later played on the CPC or any other computer which uses the same music chip (AY-3-891x and YM2149). It will be released with a pack of Z80 players and tons of music and sounds.

    For now, you can have a look at the video:

     

    UPDATE: Targhan, the developer of the Arkos Tracker, provided more information about it in the CPC Wiki forums. Here are the features of the Arkos Tracker:

    Features:

    • 256 patterns available.
    • Each pattern is composed of 3 independent tracks.
    • 512 tracks available, each being reusable in any pattern, or even several times in the same pattern.
    • Each track can be transposed independently in a pattern.
    • A track has a height from 1 to 128 lines, independently of the pattern that uses it.
    • 255 instruments available.
    • The instrument editor allows you to modify each registers of the PSG.
    • Replay frequency of 13, 25, 50, 100, 150 or 300hz.
    • Possibility to put "events" in your song. They can either be used to synchronize your music with your production, or trigger digidrums for exemple.
    • Big news: instruments are divised into two channels : a Software, and Hardware one. These channels can be independant or dependent from each other. Allows using two waves at the same time!
    • Allows you to play sound effects in a very flexible and powerful way. You can also play the SFXs without any music.
    • You can import any STarKos song.
    • NO SID/DMA for CPC+ for now. I may plan that…

    About the Player:

    • Only 25 scanlines maximum used!
    • On top of being faster than the STarKos player, it’s lighter: one and a half kb.
    • The player works on Amstrad CPC, MSX, Spectrum or Pentagon (using conditional assembling : only the necessary code is used).
    • The generated songs are very light (about as much as the STarKos song. Sometimes a bit lighter, sometimes not).
    • Can be used in Basic (call the player by yourself, or use it under interruptions), and Assembler.
    • The source of the player is given, and documented.
    • The format of the music is given. So you’ll be able to create your own custom tools (conversion, new players…).
    • Fade in/out available.

    About the sound effects:

    • Every instrument of your song becomes a sound effect.
    • You can play/stop a sound effect on any, or all, of the 3 channels.
    • You can choose the note, volume, speed of any triggered SFX.
    • You can add Pitch to them (useful to add randomness to the sounds, for example).
    • Sound effects are in a seperate file : you can use the same sound bank even if you change the music.

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