7. Software Review
For ZX-Spectrum created a lot of
programs that allow you to create different
sounds, but, unfortunately, many of them
make a positive impression.
The first group of programs that I describe, you can
christen the sound editors effects. They are very scarce.
Program SPECSOUND firm OZ Software
features a very awkward customer
interface and the ability to edit
only one effect.
Program SOUND FX Company Dk'tronics pretty good product. It
allows you to create the effects of pure tone, and sound
effects, but it has one major drawback: the effects of picks
she randomly, edit them in the truest sense of the word
impossible.
There is also a package DZWIEKI, which I unfortunately could
not get it. Some argue that this is the first version of the
program SPECSOUND.
Program SUPER SOUND, written by the author of this book (its
detailed description of you can be found in the following
chapter) allows edited ten different effects.
Among them are both tone and noise
effects. In addition, it allows you to enter sound bites from
the tape Input Spectrum and play in different modes.
All of the above effects allow editors to write the edited
effects on magnetic media in the form of routines in the code
that you can use in their programs.
Programs that allow you to create sound effects for music
coprocessor I never managed to find. But this
will be fixed with the release of the next version of SUPER
SOUND, what is expected rather soon.
The next group of programs allows you to record and play
sound bites through tape input ZX-Spectrum. A typical
representative is SPEAK EASY, but a leader - VOICE MANIPULATOR,
written by Julian Spencer (Julian
Spencer) in 1991.
In such programs, there are two
drawbacks: the quality of the reproduced
mediocre sound, and its length is limited to a few tens of
seconds (see chapter 3.5).
Pretty interesting programs that allow you to speak human
language Spectrum. True, the pronunciation of their severely
affected and they say with an accent. Perhaps, the most lisping
of them is BASZED. Understand what she says, can be
just read the spoken words on the screen. In
people even dubbed her "bazetom. Somewhat more understandable
interpretation program FONGEN (generator phonemes). In
addition, it You can get to speak in Russian.
The list does not end there. There are other such programs:
LMOWA, TOKER etc.
There is also, in my opinion, a unique digital frequency -
DIGITAL FREQUENCER (DFR). Although the idea is not bad, framed
it ugly.
Several programs allow you to look at the chart the spectrum
of sound signal applied to the tape input ZX-Spectrum. For
example, TAPER and TAPE DIAGNOSTICS can expand the sound to the
frequency to 4 kHz. Program LIGHT SHOW, written Zhigoy
Turk (Ziga Turk) in 1984, allows
analyzing the sound with a frequency of 16 kHz.
In addition, it contains tsvetomuzykalny
mode, which creates on-screen color effects to the music
supplied to the tape input.
The next group of programs - music
editors. They are there pretty much.
The simplest of these, for example, Menzer Synthetizer or
Organ, made from ZX-Spectrum something like a child Tweeters in
the role of the keyboard keys which are the Spectrum. More
sophisticated programs such as Spectrum Musicmaker or Music
Typewriter, allow to keep the melody on a tape with
then upload and playback.
Program AEDrums firm Einstein
Software is specialized in percussion instruments. It laid down
ten different drummers and as many ready-made rhythms.
One of the most powerful music editor is WHAM THE MUSIC BOX,
created by Mark Soft in 1985. He allows you to write tunes with
dvuhgolosnye percussion instruments. Its detailed description
can be found in one of the following: chapters.
There is a suspicion that there are two
magnificent musical editor, superior to the capabilities of
WHAM THE MUSIC BOX, but inaccessible to the ordinary user. The
result of one of them you can hear in such programs as
STARWARS, GOLDEN AXE, GRAND PRIX, OPERATION WOLF. Music from
the other I managed to find only in the programs of the company
Code Masters (TWIN TURBO V8, RALLY CROSS), which
leads to some thoughts.
There are a lot of music editors and co-processor. Two of
the most famous - it's WHAM THE MUSIC BOX 128K and ASC Sound
Master (ASM). The first one is written same firm Mark Soft, and
the second - Andrew Sendetskim from Dnepropetrovsk (firm Andrew
Strikes Code). Although WHAM 128K one best music editor for a
coprocessor to ASM him far. Description ASM can be found in the
electronic journal SPECTROFON No 2.
Perhaps, the last group of sound
programs are the music demos for a coprocessor. Their
can be divided into two subgroups. First -
music collections, and the second - the dynamic show.
Typical of the first subgroup are, for example, MANHATTAN, or
TOP 128. These programs are not very interesting,
but they are large libraries of tunes.
From the second group can be divided into two
the most beautiful of the program. This SHOCK and
THE LYRA II Polish firm ETHANOL SOFT
INC. Each of them contains several parts (8 and 9,
respectively) with beautiful graphics and music.
This review is not exhaustive,
but I tried to reach the maximum number of types of programs.
