Envelope and sweep

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FaTony
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Envelope and sweep

Post by FaTony »

So I'm making a chiptune plugin for GNU/Linux and I want to use NES APU as a reference. So far, I have implemented Pulse, Triangle and Noise and now want to implement envelope and sweep. How do they work? Does envelope change linearly? What about sweep? Does it oscillate like triangle?
tepples
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Re: Envelope and sweep

Post by tepples »

Did you find anything in APU Envelope and APU Sweep unclear?
FaTony
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Re: Envelope and sweep

Post by FaTony »

Pretty much everything. I barely understand hardware side of things.
tepples
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Re: Envelope and sweep

Post by tepples »

If you're just making a plug-in, and you don't expect compatibility with NES ROMs or NSF files, you can simplify the model by always using the constant volume mode. Let the instrument define the channel's output from 0 to 15 and change it 60 times a second.

Likewise you can mostly ignore the sweep units. Let controller messages (portamento, pitch bend) and your modulation LFO change the period every frame.
FaTony
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Re: Envelope and sweep

Post by FaTony »

tepples wrote:If you're just making a plug-in, and you don't expect compatibility with NES ROMs or NSF files, you can simplify the model by always using the constant volume mode. Let the instrument define the channel's output from 0 to 15 and change it 60 times a second.

Likewise you can mostly ignore the sweep units. Let controller messages (portamento, pitch bend) and your modulation LFO change the period every frame.
Yes, the end result will probably be like so but I want to at least at this point make it somewhat like NES on a conceptual level. So, envelope - linear downward slope? So I can set the maximum amount and just set it to max volume at Note On MIDI message and then decrease linearly?

Sweep - triangle? So I just set the amount of vibrato and frequency and change pitch accordingly?
tepples
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Re: Envelope and sweep

Post by tepples »

Sweep is not a triangle. Sweep is linear, more like portamento than like vibrato. Think of Mario's jump sound.
FaTony
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Re: Envelope and sweep

Post by FaTony »

Ah, I get it now. So what about envelope?
tepples
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Re: Envelope and sweep

Post by tepples »

It's a decay, linear (saw) in amplitude space but quantized to 16 levels, from maximum amplitude to silence. The time of the decay can be controlled between 1/15 and 16/15 seconds in 1/15 second units. Whether or not the volume resets to maximum after expiring can also be controlled.

Very few games past 1983-1984 actually used the envelope outside constant volume mode.
FaTony
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Re: Envelope and sweep

Post by FaTony »

tepples wrote:It's a decay, linear (saw) in amplitude space but quantized to 16 levels, from maximum amplitude to silence. The time of the decay can be controlled between 1/15 and 16/15 seconds in 1/15 second units. Whether or not the volume resets to maximum after expiring can also be controlled.

Very few games past 1983-1984 actually used the envelope outside constant volume mode.
Thanks. Now I get everything.
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dougeff
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Re: Envelope and sweep

Post by dougeff »

Note, triangle has no volume control. It either on or off. And my perception is that triangle is slightly quieter than the other channels (and of course, an octave lower).

Maybe you know that already. IDK.

Maybe for a chiptune tool, you can ignore all that.
nesdoug.com -- blog/tutorial on programming for the NES
FaTony
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Re: Envelope and sweep

Post by FaTony »

dougeff wrote:Note, triangle has no volume control. It either on or off. And my perception is that triangle is slightly quieter than the other channels (and of course, an octave lower).

Maybe you know that already. IDK.

Maybe for a chiptune tool, you can ignore all that.
Yes, I do all 128 velocity levels provided by MIDI standard. The code is here: https://gitlab.com/ftz/nes-synth
But I decided not to limit myself to NES and do a general chiptune plugin which means the project will be renamed after I do one and only "NES" release.
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