Expanding interface docs.

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Electric Keet 2023-06-12 19:31:24 -07:00 committed by tildearrow
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# instrument list
image
![instruments window](instruments.png)
Buttons from left to right:
- **Add:** Creates a new, default instrument.
- **Duplicate:** Duplicates the currently selected instrument.
- **Open:** Brings up a file dialog to load a file as a new instrument at the end of the list.
- **Save:** Brings up a file dialog to save the currently selected instrument.
- **Toggle folders/standard view:** Enables (and disables) folder view, explained below.
- **Move up:** Moves the currently selected instrument up in the list. Pattern data will automatically be adjusted to match.
- **Move down:** Same, but downward.
- **Delete:** Deletes the currently selected instrument. Pattern data will be adjusted to use the next available instrument in the list.
## folder view
![instruments window in folder view](instruments-folder.png)
In folder view, the "Move up" and "Move down buttons disappear and a new one appears:
- **New Folder:** Creates a new folder.
Instruments may be dragged from folder to folder and even rearranged within folders without changing their associated numbers.
Right-clicking on a folder allows one to rename or delete it. Deleting a folder does not remove the instruments in it.
# wavetable list
image
![wavetables window](wavetables.png)
Everything from the instrument list applies here also, with one major difference: Moving waves around with the buttons will change their associated numbers in the list but _not_ in pattern or instrument data. Be careful!
# sample list
image
![samples window](samples.png)
Everything from the wavetables list applies here also, with the addition of two buttons:
- **Preview:** Plays the selected sample at its default note.
- **Stop preview:** Stops the sample playback.

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# play/edit controls
image
The "Play/Edit Controls" are used to control playback and change parameters of the pattern view.
these are used to control playback and change parameters of the pattern view.
- ![](control-play.png) **Play:** Plays from cursor position.
- ![](control-stop.png) **Stop:** Stops all playback.
- ![](control-play-pattern.png) **Play from the beginning of this pattern:** Plays from the start of current pattern.
- ![](control-play-repeat.png) **Repeat from the beginning of this pattern:** Repeats current pattern from its start.
- ![](control-step.png) **Step one row:** Plays only the row at cursor position and moves down one.
- ![](control-edit.png) **Edit:** Toggles edit mode. If off, nothing can be edited in the pattern window. (Great for playing around on the keyboard!)
- ![](control-metronome.png) **Metronome:** Toggles the metronome, which only sounds during playback.
- ![](control-repeat.png) **Repeat pattern:** Toggles pattern repeat. During playback while this is on, the current pattern will play over and over instead of following the order list.
- **Poly:** Turns on polyphony for previewing notes. Toggles to **Mono** for monophony (one note at a time only).
- **Octave:** Sets current input octave.
- **Step:** Sets edit step. If this is 1, entering a note or effect will move to the next row. If this is a larger number, rows will be skipped. If this is 0, the cursor will stay in place.
- **Follow orders:** If on, the selected order in the orders window will follow the song during playback.
- **Follow pattern:** If on, the cursor will follow playback and the song will scroll by as it plays.
TODO: explain
## layouts
## other layouts
the layout can be changed in Settings > Appearance to one of these:
The layout can be changed in Settings > Appearance to one of these:
### classic
image
![classic play/edit controls](controls-classic.png)
### compact
image
![compact play/edit controls](controls-compact.png)
### compact (vertical)
image
![compact vertical play/edit controls](controls-vertical.png)
### split
![split play and edit controls](controls-split.png)

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# song info
# sub-songs
- "Name" is for the track's title.
- "Author" is used to list the contributors to a song. If the song is a cover of someone else's track, it's customary to list their name first, followed by `[cv. YourName]`.
- "Album" can be used to store the associated album name, the name of the game the song is from, or whatever.
- "System" is for the game or computer the track is designed for. This is automatically set when creating a new tune, but it can be changed to anything one wants. The "Auto" button will provide a guess based on the chips in use.
All of this metadata will be included in a VGM export. This isn't the case for a WAV export, however.
"Tuning (A-4)" allows one to set tuning based on the note A-4, which should be 440 in most cases. Opening an Amiga MOD will set it to 436 for hardware compatibility.
# subsongs
This window allows one to create **subsongs** multiple individual songs within a single file. Each song has its own order list and patterns, but all songs within a file share the same chips, samples, and so forth.
- The drop-down box selects the current subsong.
- The `+` button adds a new subsong.
- The `` button permanently deletes the current subsong (unless it's the only one).
- "Name" sets the title of the current subsong.
- The box at the bottom can store any arbitrary text, like a separate "Comments" box for the current subsong.
# speed
There are multiple ways to set the tempo of a song.
**Tick Rate** sets the frequency of ticks per second, the rate at which notes and effects are processed.
- All values are allowed for all chips, but most chips have hardware limitations that mean they should stay at either 60 (approximately NTSC) or 50 (exactly PAL).
- Clicking the Tick Rate button switches to a more traditional **Base Tempo** BPM setting.
**Speed** sets the number of ticks per row.
- Clicking the "Speed" button changes to more complex modes covered in the [grooves] page.
**Virtual Tempo** simulates any arbitrary tempo without altering the tick rate. It does this by adding or skipping ticks to approximate the tempo. The two numbers represent a ratio applied to the actual tick rate. Example:
- Set tick rate to 150 BPM (60 Hz) and speed to 6.
- Set the first virtual tempo number (numerator) to 200.
- Set the second virtual tempo number (denominator) to 150.
- The track will play at 200 BPM.
- The ratio doesn't have to match BPM numbers. Set the numerator to 4 and the denominator to 5, and the virtual BPM becomes 150 × 4/5 = 120.
**Divider** changes the effective tick rate. A tick rate of 60Hz and a divisor of 6 will result in ticks lasting a tenth of a second each!
**Highlight** sets the pattern row highlights:
- The first value represents the number of rows per beat.
- The second value represents the number of rows per measure.
- These don't have to line up with the music's actual beats and measures. Set them as preferred for tracking. _Note:_ These values are used for the metronome and calculating BPM.
**Pattern Length** is the length of each pattern in rows. This affects all patterns in the song, and every pattern must be the same length. (Individual patterns can be cut short by `0Bxx`, `0Dxx`, and `FFxx` commands.)
**Song Length** shows how many orders are in the order list. Decreasing it will hide the orders at the bottom. Increasing it will restore those orders; increasing it further will add new orders of all `00` patterns.

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