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Contents
CONTENTS
Contents in detail
Introduction
The Operating System
About this book
Programs tape
Thanks and acknowledgments
CHAPTER 1 What is Sound?
The nature of sound
Looking at sound waves
Program notes
The sound of the BBC micro
Pitch: high and low notes
Volume
Duration: the length of a note
Motility: speed and accuracy
Program notes
Timbre: the quality of sound
CHAPTER 2 What is Music?
The language of music
The pitch of a note
Scales
Minor scales
Enharmonics
Accidentals
The length of a note
Beats in the bar
Triplets, ties, slurs and staccato
Harmony and chords
CHAPTER 3 The BBC Micro and Sound and Music
Pitch
Fitting the notes to the music
Volume and duration
Improving the sound output
Adding an external speaker
Another solution
Further improvements and considerations
Talking music
The numbers method
The other methods
Note to Number Conversion Program
Program notes
The lowest A#
CHAPTER 4 The SOUND Command
Channel and its extensions
Hold
Program notes
Synchronization
Flush
Program notes
Amplitude
Pitch
Duration
Out of range values
CHAPTER 5 The ENVELOPE Command
The complete ENVELOPE command
ADSR: the amplitude envelope
The attack phase
The decay phase
The sustain phase
The release phase
The complete ADSR envelope: putting them all together
ADSR and the ENVELOPE command
How to use the program
Program notes
The volume range: hardware and software differences
A detailed look at the amplitude commands
Using the program and further suggestions
The pitch envelope
PI and PN: the pitch change and the number of steps
The Pitch Graph Generator program
Using the program
Program notes
Apparent peculiarities of the pitch envelope
The value of T and bit 7
Experimenting with the programs
Instrument characteristics
Producing other waveforms
CHAPTER 6 Musical Miscellanea
Vibrato and tremolo: pitch and amplitude modulation
Comparing envelopes
Program notes
Using the program
Producing tremolo effects
Trills: a special kind of vibrato
ECHO ECHo ECho Echo echo and reverberationnnn
Commercial echo units
Producing echoes on the BBC micro
Pseudo echo
Using the pitch envelope to play tunes
Chorus, phasing, flanging and other spatial effects
Delay effects on the BBC micro
Beat frequencies: the weaving in and out
The ring modulator: producing bells and other ringing noises
The frequencies produced by the sound chip
The out of tune chip
Bells and the BBC micro
CHAPTER 7 Zaps and Zings and Other Things
White noise
Simple sound effects
The Machine Gun
The Ricochet
The Cymbal or Anvil
The Creature
The Mad Factory
Space Ship Taking Off
Exploring the sound channel
Sound Effects Generator program
How to use the program
Program notes
Suggestions and modifications
Using channel 0 to produce otherwise unobtainable low notes
Use of the lower octave
Designing a rhythm unit
Program notes
The CAPS LOCK and SHIFT LOCK lights and the ADVAL function
Using sound effects in utility programs
Soundscapes: a total sound effects program
Program notes
Further experiments in soundscapes
CHAPTER 8 Playing the BBC Micro
Using the BBC micro as a musical keyboard
Monophonic and polyphonic instruments
The BBC as a monophonic keyboard
Program notes
Keyboard display program
Alternative methods of note production
Program notes
How the program works and making modifications
Further additions to the musical keyboard: a bass sequencer
Program notes
Altering the bass riff
Developing the sequencer
CHAPTER 9 Making Micro Music
Playing two- or three-part tunes
Selecting the notes and octave range
Program notes
The tracking method
The negative ADVAL method
Program notes
Modifications, alterations and suggestions
Debugging the data
Saving the tune
Program notes
Experimenting with the program
More tunes to play
CHAPTER 10 Computer Compositions
The human compositional process: algorithms and heuristics
Aspects of a composition
Program notes
Experimenting with the program
Program notes
Note analysis in composition
Program notes
Experimenting with the program
A total tune analysis program
CHAPTER 11 More Programs that Compose
The harmonic structure of popular songs
Producing acceptable results
Random harmonic compositions
Instant Mozart
A three-part computer composition
Program notes
Calculating the duration values
Experimenting with the program
Using chords as a compositional base
Program notes
Experimenting with the program
Adding rhythmic variations
Further extensions and modifications
Applying further control to random note selections
Improving the melody
Bass notes
Designing and developing programs
The Amazing One Line Wonder Composer program
Sing-a-long-a-matic
CHAPTER 12 Harmony and Transposition
Harmonising a tune
A melody with chord symbols: what to put in
Working from a piano copy: what to leave out
Adding harmony to a melody line
Transposition
Instant computer transposition
Why transpose?
Calculating a transposition
The computer as a transposition aid
Program notes
Using the program
Accidentals
Transposing chords
Modifying the program
CHAPTER 13 The All-singing, All-dancing BBC Micro
Background music from BASIC
Cartoons
Sound and animation synchronization
Program notes
Hercules
Program notes
Further experiments in animation
Computer art
Tomorrow's BBC micro
APPENDIX 1 The Hardware and the Software
Interrupts
APPENDIX 2 Entering, Protecting and Working with the Programs
Using a cassette recorder
Verify command
Entering programs
Merging programs
Re-setting the random number generator
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