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-
- RD10 presents:
-
- ProTracker V3.30 Beta 3
-
-
- 12. February 1996
-
-
- Prologue
- --------
- Over the years defines the Noise/ProTracker an standart
- in composing electronic music. Many clones and enhacements
- follows, but Protracker IS the standart who use almost all
- tracker composers.
-
- Today two familys of the protracker series exists on Amiga:
- Amiga Freelancers Protracker V2.X and Cryptoburners V3.XX.
- These programs are based on the Protracker V1.1B sources
- and follows different ways:
-
- The V2.X series is much more stable, but blocked the multi-
- tasking much more. Additionaly the screen in 320x200 is out
- of date.
- The V3.X series (other programmmers, other point of views)
- is in MedRes (640x256), locks also much better and has a
- lot of features added. But as musician it is angry to see
- that Cryptoburners has kicked out 2 impressive tools: PLST
- and PED, the sample management tools.
-
- As I saw ProTracker V3.X first, i was impressed. Better design
- and better track handling. But over the months I must see that
- V3.X is unstable. Many musicians use the V2.X releases; if I
- made in hours an module and and guru follows I was too angry
- to make this experiment at an 2th. point.
-
- Now, nobody is perfect. Over 2 years was Protracker not updated.
- Cryptoburners ride another way, so i think that I have the
- right to made the completest ProTracker on amiga ever made
- (what a phrase, hope nobody can remember that I spoke this words
- already in 1987 to Soundtracker V2 :-) ).
-
- Over the christmas days I reassembled the last official Protracker
- V3.X, release V3.15 from 1993.
-
- Many hours of debugging follows, and I had seen that Cryptoburners
- stoppled in a view parts the code a bit. The key quests e.g. are
- extremly lazy, over the whole code many doubles and loops are mys-
- tified (try to use the same keys if sampler/disk window is opened
- and you are in great wondering).
-
- But this are the problems in ALL programs who so much programmers
- invested years of work.
-
-
- What will the final product be?
- -------------------------------
-
-
- 1. More stable and seriously to use
- 2. Old keymap handling (if i pressed 8 keys i will see 8 :-) )
- 3. Help included and updated to V3.X standart
- 4. PLST included
- 5. PED included
- 6. Different analyzer included
- 7. Screen mode requester (difficult, much work :-/)
-
- What will the final product NOT be?
- -----------------------------------
-
- 1. Leave the way of Protracker handling
- 2. Other shortcuts if possible
- 3. More Tracks if AT not brings an new soundchip
-
-
- What is different to other Protrackers?
- ---------------------------------------
- PLST/PED/Help select:
-
- HELP select = CTRL Help
- PLST select = LSHIFT Help
- PED select = LALT Help
-
- (followed by a simple Help press)
-
- Key repeat:
-
- By all original Protrackers i have a single event
- by pressing a key, and if i locked CAPS lock, repeat
- is on.
- ProTracker V3.30 use the standart input.device, so i
- have to adjust the repeat an his delay with the work-
- bench Prefs (Prefs/Input).
-
- History:
- -------
- 24.01.96
- Initial Release - AGA fix from Protracker Screen
- - Fix Hires Sprite/Mouse pointer problem with Protracker
- - DMA handling fixed to longwords
- - load routine from MOD`s (Try to load a MOD with sample
- names ASC`s greater than $120 in the original,hope it
- works now perfect
- - key quests (I`am in progress to write a completly new
- routine, in present i simple block all illegal quests :-( )
- - Sample memory allocation (try to load an sample in an
- virgin Protracker V3.X, open sample window, select Loop On
- and slide the end loop marker :-( ) or wonder if you hear
- in some looped samples dirty high knacks on end)
-
- 30.01.96 - Help System reincluded (Try to press the help key)
- Beta 1 - Wrong code for Memory pools rewritten
- (args, i hate reassembled code)
- - System messages included on a view points (Status line)
-
-
- 12.02.96 - PLST included
- Beta 2 - Keymap quests completly rewritten
- - Input Handler improved
- - shortcuts for german keys implemented :-)
- - GFX pac format changed (faster)
- - bugfixed a view parts (Arrow keys, DoDataLoad etc)
- - while playing MOD (not Pattern) and Sampler Screen is
- opened note-key pressing now works
- - little mytsterious: Tooltype in ProTracker was not
- correct setted an some people cry that PT no started
- (I use other icons than the originals or prefer Shell)
- To do:
- ------
- in work: - PED include
- - SMP2Mod include
- - PositionEditor include
- - updated, complete documentation
- - new, compatible sound effects
- - XPK/XFD support
- - Screamtracker convert (max 4 channels)
- - use of localised keymaps
- - Analyzer include
- - a view small thing (e.g. use RETURN in Dir Screen,
- Cursor keys in Sampler etc)
- - new preferences scheme what saved ALL cuts
-
- Rights & Copyrights
- -------------------
-
- Difficult to say. In pricip all trackers based on Karsten Obarskis
- SoundTracker (commercial, 1986). But after Sound/Noise/ProTracker
- mutation these are completly new programs.
- If you in order of right i think you must buy an old Soundtracker
- from K.Obarksi (Reline) if you use any Sound/Noise/Protracker.
-
- On the view of the programmers of ProTracker the copyrights are:
-
- Protracker V3.X are © 1992-1993 Cryptoburners, ©1996 TEC Design/RD10
- (improvements) and are FREEWARE. For additional Cryptoburner
- copyrights read his docs.
-
- Any payment and distribution what are over the costs of 5 DM per
- unit is strictly prohibited. Protracker is not an commercial tool!
-
- The distributors of the AMINET serie, Fred Fish and all bulletin
- boards who works without payement have the right to spread this
- package.
-
- Epilogue
- --------
-
- Protracker V3.15 AGA fix is intensive tested in the last weeks by
- many persons, and as result of the fixing a few bugs compensed,
- other bugs always present.
- It seems to be that Cryptoburners has no interest to support the
- Protracker project anymore, so i think it`s right to release this.
- I hope this is a little help to all of you who made MOD`s.
-
-
- If any has interest to force the protracker project back to the
- way of 1996 please contact me and if you are serious you request
- the complete source codes, documents etc.
-
- The last word goes to Cryptoburners. Your work is impressive. Too
- sad that the developement of Protracker is stopped. That has this
- great tool not complained.
-
- RD10
-
- --------- And always remember: the future is unwritten ---------
-