"Can't Get There From Here" MP3

[Richard F. Nagel]

Hi Folks,

Get it while it's hot, another Transport Tycoon MP3. This one is "Can't
Get There From Here", some EXCEPTIONALLY cool Jazz -:) Almost fully
loaded up my AWE32s RAM to record this one, that Sax is 25 megs by
itself <G>.

ftp://207.30.201.112/Weeds/ttmusic.htm


Rich Nagel

[jfs]

Just as I expected, Richard F. Nagel came up with this:

Get it while it's hot, another Transport Tycoon MP3. This one is "Can't
Get There From Here", some EXCEPTIONALLY cool Jazz -:) Almost fully
loaded up my AWE32s RAM to record this one, that Sax is 25 megs by
itself <G>.

I just came to wonder - which instruments do you use to record those
files? Those in the AWE64 (value) doesn't sound very well, do you use
your own recordings or some bought on a CD or how? And do you make the
sound card interpolate the different tones (as it usually does) or do
you have a recording of every single tone?

Niels (aka. niLLer)
--
e-mail: nmartin at iname dot com ICQ UIN: 50187323
http://www.niller.f2s.com/ - niLLer's pages (My programs, in English)
http://whitehat.dk/g4s/ - The G4S Page (Personlig side, på dansk)
-- No longer Windozed!

[jfs]

Just as I expected, Niels (niLLer) came up with this:

I just came to wonder - which instruments do you use to record those
files?

Sorry, didn't read the text-files. It's in there. .-)

Niels (aka. niLLer)
--
e-mail: nmartin at iname dot com ICQ UIN: 50187323
http://www.niller.f2s.com/ - niLLer's pages (My programs, in English)
http://whitehat.dk/g4s/ - The G4S Page (Personlig side, på dansk)
-- No longer Windozed!

[Richard F. Nagel]

"Niels (niLLer)" wrote:

Sorry, didn't read the text-files. It's in there. .-)

Hehe, as well as in the HTM for the links to them <G>. My AWE32s each
have 32 megs of RAM on each of them that can be used to load in SF2
soundbanks. The AWE32 uses standard 30-pin SIMMS. Unfortunately, the
AWE64 requires proprietery Creative Labs "Memory Modules" which are
*considerable* more in cost than the SIMMS. It was simply a scheme for
Creative Labs to milk more money from it's customers, as the SIMMS in the
AWE32 work just as well as the memory modules in the AWE64 -:( Without
SIMMS on the 32 or memory modules on the 64 you are limited to the
built-in 1 meg of ROM samples that are on the card. Without memory, these
cards also have 512kb of memory to load in user SF2s, but unfortunately a
half a meg isn't much space <G>. The average size of any one given sound
bank that I used for the MP3s is 14MB per instrument (the piano is a 24
meg Sonido Media bank, and the sax in several of the songs is a 16 meg
EMU bank).

The SF2 soundbanks that I'm using are from several commercial EMU
Technologies and Sonido Media sound bank CDs.

These include:

The Orchestra: Gold Edition (Sonido Media)
The Developer's Choice: Volume 1 (EMU)
Soundfont Toolbox (Sonido Media)
General MIDI Collection (EMU)
Pianos and Organs: Gold Edition (EMU)
Multimedia Collection: Volume 3 (EMU)
Liveware 500+ SF2 Bundle (EMU)
a bunch of other custom sound banks downloaded from Creative Labs
Liveware site (EMU)

and several that I have modified and created.


Rich Nagel

[Richard F. Nagel]

"Niels (niLLer)" wrote:

As I also have a Creative PCI128 (usign Ensoniq chips) I think that
might be the clue to get bette sounding MIDI, as it AFAIK uses your
computer main RAM for storing samples, and I got 128 MB of that!
The only problem now is that I don't know how to get/create new
soundbanks for my PCI128. The files are called *.ecw . Would you happen
to have a clue?

Hi Niels,

The .ECW files are "Ensoniq Waveset" format and unfortunately cannot be
editied, and there was no editor created for them.

According to Ensoniq, there should be 2, 4, and 8 meg versions of the waveset
(soundbank) on your installation CD. If you aren't already using the 8 meg
one, it will definately sound better than the 2 or 4 meg versions.

I'm not too familiar with the Ensoniq line of cards, but I don't suppose that
it has the capability to load in EMU ".SF2" soundfonts (soundbanks) like the
"SBLive"? The SBLive also uses system RAM to load in it's soundbanks.


Rich Nagel

[jfs]

Just as I expected, Richard F. Nagel came up with this:

The .ECW files are "Ensoniq Waveset" format and unfortunately cannot be
editied, and there was no editor created for them.

I guessed about the name, but I didn't know ir was impossible to edit
them. Sad.
But is it possible to get a new waveset anyway? It could be that Ensoniq
had made something you could dl (I don't went to pay for it), I don't
know.

According to Ensoniq, there should be 2, 4, and 8 meg versions of the waveset
(soundbank) on your installation CD. If you aren't already using the 8 meg
one, it will definately sound better than the 2 or 4 meg versions.

Of course I use the 8 MB version. It aws automatically installed, and
I'm pretty fast to discover such stuff.
Generally the PCI128 sounds are better than the AWE46 sounds, but IMO
the drums on the PCI128 are too loud compared to the other instruments,
although the PCI128 drums also sound much better than the AWE64 drums.

I'm not too familiar with the Ensoniq line of cards, but I don't suppose that
it has the capability to load in EMU ".SF2" soundfonts (soundbanks) like the
"SBLive"? The SBLive also uses system RAM to load in it's soundbanks.

No, it can't load .sf2 files.
If I had had enogh money when I bought the PCI128, I would have bought
one of the cheap SB Live! cards. My freind has one of those (with
surround speakers! and MIDI sounds great!

Niels (aka. niLLer)
--
e-mail: nmartin at iname dot com ICQ UIN: 50187323
http://www.niller.f2s.com/ - niLLer's pages (My programs, in English)
http://whitehat.dk/g4s/ - The G4S Page (Personlig side, på dansk)

[Richard F. Nagel]

"Niels (niLLer)" wrote:

If I had had enogh money when I bought the PCI128, I would have bought
one of the cheap SB Live! cards. My freind has one of those (with
surround speakers! and MIDI sounds great!

Yep, I must say that with an SB Live! (or an AWE32 or AWE64 with enough RAM) and
some quality SF2 sound banks, magic can be worked -:)


Rich Nagel

[Chris Hodges]

"Richard F. Nagel" wrote:

Yep, I must say that with an SB Live! (or an AWE32 or AWE64 with enough RAM) and
some quality SF2 sound banks, magic can be worked -:)

I've got the awe32, put another 2meg (I think - old simms) onto it, but I still
only get the 512K showing as available in the software. BTW can you download
SF2s from anywhere?

Chris

[Richard F. Nagel]

Chris Hodges wrote:

I've got the awe32, put another 2meg (I think - old simms) onto it, but I still
only get the 512K showing as available in the software. BTW can you download
SF2s from anywhere?

Hi Chris,


On the AWE32 there will be a jumper on the front of the card that enables any RAM that
you have installed. If the jumper is not in the correct postion, the AWE32 won't
recognize any of the RAM that you have added to it.

Also, RAM must be added in matched pairs (i.e. two 1 MB SIMMS, two 4 MB SIMMS,
etc...), up to a total of two 16 MB SIMMS. If you add two 16 meggers, you will only be
able to access 28 megs of the RAM 'tho, as the AWE32 uses the top 4 megs of ram as ROM
address space (only when there are two 16 MB SIMMS installed, any other combination
doesn't suffer from this restriction)..

As far as RAM type, the AWE32 is really not that picky. Any old 30-pin 75ns (or
faster) parity or non-parity SIMMs will work just fine. Be careful with those plastic
tabs for the RAM on the AWE32 card, 'tho.

A couple of nice SF2 sites are:

http://www.pvv.org/~thammer/HammerSound
http://thesoundsite.ismi.net

They also have links to other freeware SF2 sites. BTW, "The Sound Site" is GIGANTIC
-:)


Rich

[Chris Hodges]

Perfect. Thanks a lot.
Chris