RE: Re: [stella] Update: "do re bB" and webTune2600

Subject: RE: Re: [stella] Update: "do re bB" and webTune2600
From: "Bob Montgomery" <BobM@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2005 11:57:04 -0400
Hi,

>Well, it makes a lot of sense, but I hadn't seen the technique
>described before. Do you think, then, the way 8 bits completely holds
>the maximum range of distortion plus frequency is design or
>coincidence? (And if design, why couldn't they just use a single
>register for both?)

Paul Slocum's "Atari 2600 Music And Sound Programming Guide," which you link to from
do re bB and have a local mirror of, describes just such
a technique.  :P

And 8 bits doesn't hold the maximum range of distortion plus freq:
Freq requires 5 bits, Distortion requires 4.

But because some of the distortions are duplicated (4 & 5, 6 & 10, 12 & 13)
and some aren't really useful for music (0 & 11), you can represent *most* of the 
musically-useful distortions in 3 bits.

-bob
Archives (includes files) at http://www.biglist.com/lists/stella/archives/
Unsub & more at http://stella.biglist.com

Current Thread