- No volume column support
- Only Volume, Arpeggio, and Pitch sequences (no Pitch for noise channel) supported
I understand the 1st row, but don't understand the 2nd row.

Can I change the volume of a channel? (and if yes, how?)
Moderator: Moderators
Technically you can control the volume only through volume envelopes, yes, but compared to having a separate volume column it's:FrankenGraphics wrote:A word of reassurance is that there's nothing the volume column does that the instruments' volume envelope can't
It's not as straightforward as simply using the volume column, i'll admit - but at the same time i wouldn't describe it as tedious. I find it rather easy, so it leads me to think this may be a different experience from person to person. I think what i do is that once i have the instruments set up, i just kind of automatically memorize what instrument number correlates to what volume setting.1. Tedious to use for that.
AFAIK, it's the only substitute short of a pently-style compromise, and the limitation it imposes isand fussing with a bunch of extra envelopes is not a very good substitute.
Just sometimes, you might actually get better control if you write those curves, because it is likely going to get squashed when you lower the fader, so to speak. It might sound just the way you want it to (that squashing is what you'd do anyway by hand, many times), but there may be cases where you want to fine-tune the curve at some other volume setting.1. Very good for instrument reuse across a whole soundtrack, and even different sections of . You might make a nice bell curve envelope, but it's going to require a different balance when you move it to a different context. The alternative is to have several curves at different volumes
Even if you'd go this route in a project where you had no choice (because a driver was developed or chosen for other reasons than composing/musical preference), there's still little tricks to be had. anything between exponential and linear swelling curves will sound more quiet when played rapidly because they won't have the time to build up, and dropping bell slopes and linear slopes will sound more dense and droning because they don't have time to land, while highly de/accelerating curves won't have as much of an effect. Since a selection of different curves like this is likely to be in any projects' list of envelopes, they might as well be used to that effect consciously.So... sometimes I think a substitute like that is good, and sometimes I don't. With volumes, no I think it's rather terrible. The better coping method for this is to do without, and just orchestrate as if everything is a harpsichord (vs a piano), rather than use envelopes as a substitute.
Over the last 10 years of using Famitracker, no, not really. The "squashing" is not a significant problem, and the versatility of the volume column is immense. I can't put these on comparable footing at all. I'm completely aware with how the volume affects envelope precision, and it's exactly what I want it to do.FrankenGraphics wrote:Just sometimes, you might actually get better control if you write those curves, because it is likely going to get squashed when you lower the fader, so to speak. It might sound just the way you want it to (that squashing is what you'd do anyway by hand, many times), but there may be cases where you want to fine-tune the curve at some other volume setting.1. Very good for instrument reuse across a whole soundtrack, and even different sections of . You might make a nice bell curve envelope, but it's going to require a different balance when you move it to a different context. The alternative is to have several curves at different volumes
This is basically exactly what I dislike about composing for C64. You don't have volume, not even at the envelope level, so all you can do is work around it.FrankenGraphics wrote:Even if you'd go this route in a project where you had no choice (because a driver was developed or chosen for other reasons than composing/musical preference), there's still little tricks to be had. anything between exponential and linear swelling curves will sound more quiet when played rapidly because they won't have the time to build up, and dropping bell slopes and linear slopes will sound more dense and droning because they don't have time to land, while highly de/accelerating curves won't have as much of an effect. Since a selection of different curves like this is likely to be in any projects' list of envelopes, they might as well be used to that effect consciously.
Size is a problem, especially if you're trying to make an NROM project or fit the replayer in the fixed bank so that it can access music data in multiple banks. FamiTracker uses more ROM and RAM than game-oriented replayers. In another post, I ran the numbers: 5.5K vs. 2K.dougeff wrote:At some point, though, the question becomes "why not use the full famitracker driver"? Shiru's version.
The main reason is 'cause it's 5k of code and doesn't have a sound effect system. (There's a lot that can be removed or optimized, but basically it was never written to be minimal/compact for games, and Famitone was.)dougeff wrote:"why not use the full famitracker driver"?
An instrument change is at least a byte too, though, this is a wash.dougeff wrote:Size is another problem. Adding a volume column adds a byte per volume change.
I should perhaps have said that i didn't really mean it as an either or case here. If the driver doesn't have a volume column, you have to make do. But if you have it at your disposal, you can, however it is in your preference or not, overlap both techniques as you see fit. Given the versatility of the volume column, i totally get that these pockets are slim and that it's a light decision simply not to use it. Anyway, with the volume column in place, i think extra envelopes can still add these to the composition, if one feels the need:rainwarrior wrote:Over the last 10 years of using Famitracker, no, not really. The "squashing" is not a significant problem, and the versatility of the volume column is immense. I can't put these on comparable footing at all.
Just curious... Is that desert island choice assuming a vibrato/pitch effect is in place or not?I'd probably rank a volume column higher than pretty much every control? More than vibrato/pitch envelopes for sure.
And of course, ~5k would be monstrous if you did it like metroid and had several copies of the music driver in different banks.tepples wrote:Size is a problem, especially if you're trying to make an NROM project or fit the replayer in the fixed bank so that it can access music data in multiple banks.