ooooo a a o48888P"""78 8b. ,p q8 88a 48K 8 ,poo888ooP' ,oo88o o' q. d8b d888b 78888oooo. dP' `888' d8"' `88 `8888888q 48b 48P' `88 `""""8888 Y88 ,8' 88 d88 7 d88P d8P / 8oo oo88 V88. `88o. ,o888 88 Y88b Y88. ,8D / / `5488888"' `78b. `"88888'`8o q888 `88m `Y88888P / / 8888 / / \------------------------- 88 8D --------------------------------/ / \ \---------------- o ,d888888 ----------------------------------/ \ \ `888 888 888 \ \ 888 `"' d8888oo, \ \ 888 `888' Y88P,d888b. dP' `88 \ \ 888 q8b 88P 8888'`888 88b,,,,, 88 \ \ 888888 7b 88' 888' `88 88'`"""78P ---------------\ \ 88 88888b dP ,88. 88; 88, 78b, .,p --------------------\ 7888P 88888P ,8888b. a888. a888 `888888P' --=--=-- --=--=------=--=------=--=---- Table Of Contents ----=--=------=--=------=--=-- I. Message From the Editor II. 120 FPS -- To 3D Or Not To 3D? III A Lesson On How NOT to Act (Logged from #trax) IV. In Tune -- Zaigamore's "The Swamp" V. Software In Review -- Cubic Player 2 (opencp) VI. Trackers Block: The Symptoms and the Cure VII. Closing --=--=-- --=--=------=--=------=--=---- Message From the Editor ----=--=------=--=------=--=-- Well, after all the hype, after all the marketing, and after all the busy nights...WE'RE HERE! We're even on schedule too. Well, I hope it has been well worth the wait. We've already had a lot of fun getting this project off the ground. For those of you who were lucky enough to get signed up early, we've got a good first issue for you. For those of you interested in the effects of 3D acceleration and its effects on the demoscene, check out Darkhearts new column: "120 FPS." For the trackers out there, I'm back with "In Tune," montly song reviews with my new co-author SiN. This month we review the music of Zaigamore. Is the new Cubic Player worth it? Find out in Louis' first installment of "Software In Review." Finally, we got two humorous articles by Setec -- one dealing with political correctness and MC6, the other dealing with the dreaded "Tracker's Block." So, that's it? Not yet. The thing is, we're still a young magazine, and we're looking for help. As you may have noticed, we're sorta heavy on the tracking side for now. That's fine, but our goal is to be a scene wide publication. I'm still looking for volunteers to do a montly column on demo reviews (I'd prefer someone with some coding experience). I'd also like to see the occasional article from people outside the staff. If you would like to volunteer your time, services, articles, whatever... please contact myself or my Assistant Editors: Subliminal and Ranger Rick. Our e-mail addresses are all listed in the closeing statement. As always, comments are welcome. Thanks again for your support. See you next month! --Coplan --=--=-- --=--=------=--=------=--=---- 120 FPS To 3D Or Not To 3D? By: Darkheart ----=--=------=--=------=--=-- Over the years the PC demoscene has done a lot of evolving. We've gone from plotting pixels and moving them around in a starfield pattern to more amazing feats such as double sided environment mapped transparent texture mapped (deep breath) polygonal shapes and as a collective whole have been exploring different Operating Systems to expand our technological works of art and leave the (PC game) industry wondering what the hell that new effect was and how the hell it was pulled off. Enter 3D acceleration! The industry couldn't hope to keep up with our phat software rendering engines and as we all know, they couldn't write one worth a damn. So they turned to DSP's and Polygon pumping 3D cards that could dish out textures faster and with a huge quality improvement over our software engines?! Problem? I don't think so. It's time we take the industry to a better place, once again. Some groups have already risen to the challenge. Even some commercial companies (Although they consist of a bunch of sceners) Remedy have written some really damn good demos sporting some phat effects that only the world of 3D accelerators could bring you. Among the actual scene doing 3D Acceleration based demos are The Kosmic Free Music Foundation, Complex, and Vertigo to name a few. I'm almost certain that more of the scene will follow and this will become competition material and, if some of us get lucky, a career in the industry. Not to mention all the end users get to see what that 3D card of thiers can *REALLY* do. So, the choice is yours, scene. Will you 3D, or not? Darkheart / Digitalus --=--=-- --=--=------=--=------=--=---- In Tune Zaigamore's "The Swamp" By: Coplan and SiN ----=--=------=--=------=--=-- Some of you may remember Trax Weekly, a weekly publication very much like this one. It was very enjoyable while this column was based there, but unfortunately the magazine's status is yet unknown. When Static Line was formed, and since I havn't heard of Trax Weekly for several months, I took no haste to moving the column over. There is one major change from the old articles based in Trax Weekly, however -- I have a partner. Let me introduce SiN (Ian Haskin), formerly known as Pyro. Some of you may remember the review of his song, "Sad," wich appeared in In Tune several months ago. As you will see, he offers quite a bit to the quality of this column. I must admit this is the first time that either of us has written a co-authored column before, so if our format seems experimental, you'll know why. Please offer feedback so that we can improve the column over the next few issues. Now that the formalities are through... -=- Coplan -=- This month we will reviewing a song by Zaigamor titled "The Swamp." The song is fairly old, as it was released in January of 1998. However, the Hornet Archive never deletes anything, so the song won't be hard to find. The overall character of the song is an orchestral epic piece. It is often times hard to find song like this with the electronic styles being so popular in the demoscene these days. But if there ever was a good example of such, this is it. First let's start with the opening. If you were to simply take that piano sample for its sample data, I wouldn't consider it a wonderful sample. However, lets keep in mind that the sample needs to be chosen for its part. In this case, the opening is very mysterious, and the piano sample helps achieve this affect with it's quick fadeout and plucking quality. You will soon notice how important the strings are in the opening as well. Zaigamor chooses a minor key to create the mood, and a low-string sample to balance the audio spectrum. Once again, the low octaves are often forgotten, especially by those who use tiny headphones -- they just can't duplicate the low end of the spectrum. In the transition from Order-2 to Order-3, pay close attention to the strings and the Timpany. Most noticable is the fact that the strings simply shift to a more active role. Crisp notes, shorter times between notes and repetition is a good way to create a dramatic mood. Also notice how the Timpany enforces the activity of the strings. Finally, Zaigamor add a choir sample in the background just barely audible over the strings. The choir now carries the harmony, and helps to continue the mysterious mood as it resides in the dramatic struggle of the movement. Also, before we move on, pay close attention to the brass instruments here (brasshit and brass samples). Their purpose is clear and justified, but this part could benefit from improved brass samples. As you will see later, this isn't always the case. The next part I want to point out starts at Order-10. Some may believe this to be a bad transition, but I would like to argue just the opposite. Though I am normally not partial to a complete cut of every instrument for a transition, here I think it works quite well. Picture an epic story of some hero as he's running away from some creature in the swamp. Now picture him pausing to collect himself as he realizes he must re-enter the swamp and fight that creature. The mood has changed completely: No more mystery, no more confusion. Now, the hero knows his mission, and has made a plan. Charge! The music is very effective in portraying this sort of mood change. Once again, the strings are very well done, and effectively support the new mood. There is a Xylaphone and some Tubular Bells in there too, and they make this part completely unique. The removal of either of these two instruments could easily break this part of the song. Now, let me get back to the brass samples again. Notice now that the brass samples don't seem out of place, and actually compliment the song. This is mostly because of how they are used, and the instruments in which they are used with. An ordinary sample now become a necessity to the song. In the case of this song, however, I would suggest possibly loading additional brass samples for the other parts as needed. Coplan / Immortal Coil -=- SiN -=- This review is not as detailed as I'd like it to be due to some RW (real-world) issues, so please bear with me if it seems disjointed... Overall I liked the song... I am a fan of good orchestral pieces and "zai-swmp.it" falls into that catagory, however, every song has some things that can be improved so I am going to try to list the ones that struck me personally... I liked the intro, musically it did a good job of setting the mood for the rest of the song... There were a couple of things that I'd like to address though: First, I would have liked the intial build of the strings to last longer...it felt like I was rushed into the song. Anticipation had no chance to build. Secondly, in using the Volume Slide command to create the swell of the strings, the changes in volume sounded choppy on the headphones I was useing. Since Instruments Mode was enabled, the use of the S78 (Turn on Volume Envelope) command to temporarily enable a volume envelope could have improved the smoothness of the upward volume slide. The song is devided into two parts, both of which were well-composed. The song is very "big!" It has an epic feel to it which is nice. The transition between the first and second parts is good, but I felt it was a little harsh (order 16). The percussion is very well tracked, but the addition of a simple sustaining string would have made the flow between the two sections less jagged... As for the song as a whole, there are a few things that I would like to address: -> Good use of panning. Even on the headphones nothing caused me to experience wide panning discomfort. Panning was balanced and had interesting variations. -> There was a real lack of crispness in the overall presentation, the snare patterns were very well tracked, but tended to get lost in the song due to lack of definition (especially in the second half). This brings me to a point... SAMPLE QUALITY can make or break a song, depeneding on the sound you want, hi-frequency samples should be sampled, at a minimum of 22 kHz, 16-bit. 44.1/16 bit is perferred for high-end. In this age of faster modems, making your song a bit larger (but better) isn't a crime ;] The samples used in "zai-swmp.it" were all chosen well for the instruments they represented, but the overall sound of the piece due to lower quality samples (8-bit) and low sampling rates, came accross as being rough -- from the strings in the intro, to the hits at the end. I DO, however, acknowledge that without the ablilty to create your own samples, it is sometimes difficult to find the proper samples that are of high enough quality. So, I liked the song, overall. If it seems like I have not included enough positives in this evaluation, please don't take it as I am trying to bash the song, I am simply trying to show how to make a good song even better. The scene is about learning and growing. Learing from others and growing together. SiN Listening Info: Coplan: IT 2.14 useing default Interwave drivers; Koss Standard Headphones SiN: IT 2.15 useing MMX PNP drivers; volume ramping (@48kHz); Senheiser Studio-Reference Headphones. Song Information: Title: "The Swamp" Author: Zaigamor Filename (zipped/unzipped): zai-swmp.zip / zai-swmp.it File Size (Unzipped): 396k Source: http://www.neutralzone.org/break *** Note: There is a copy of this song on the hornet archive, but apparently it is corrupt. If per chance you get this song from the Hornet Archive, play at your own risk. The Hornet Archive is not responsible for this corruption. "In Tune" is a regular column dedicated to the review of original and singular works by fellow trackers. It is to be used as a tool to expand your listening and writing horizons, but should not be used as a general rating system. SiN and Coplan's opinions are not the opinions of the Static Line Staff. If you have heard a song you would like to recommend (either your own, or another person's), we can be contacted through e-mail useing the addresses found in the closing notes. Please do not send files attached to e-mail without first contacting us. Thank you! source note: http://www.neutralzone.org/break --=--=-- --=--=------=--=------=--=---- Software In Review Cubic Player 2 (opencp) By: Louis Gorenfeld ----=--=------=--=------=--=-- After a long wait, this DOS player is finally working. It's the same old Cubic Player, only with some new things since the last release such as not crashing. It now also plays ITs with NNA's (no filters so far) along with fast MP3 playback (stereo on my 486dx4 132) and SIDs (c64 music). CP now plays in the background of Windows 95, but on a slow machine it seems to skip much more than other players. In some modes it still doesn't multitask and will stutter and flash colors when you return to it. The mixing is nice sounding though and seems to ramp the sound to avoid clicks. While this player plays nearly every format, it doesn't always play them correctly, though the support is better than many other players. This is also definetly not a program for beginners: the interface isn't easy and the only documentation for CP is in the help menu. Rating: 3/4 Platform: DOS Homepage: www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Vista/4107/e_index.html Louis Gorenfeld --=--=-- --=--=------=--=------=--=---- A Lesson On How NOT to Act (and a reminder of the rules of MC6) Logged from #trax on irc.scene.org Prepared By: Setec ----=--=------=--=------=--=-- - LOG - my tune will kick ass in mc6..... wakner wanker anth: rookie, intermed or vet? anthrax: too bad it'll never get entered. anthrax: that's a bold statement....if you do bad everyone will be sure to let you know now... i know, but i have no fear oooh, you keep on making it worse..... anthrax; will you enter rookie, intermed or veteran? fear? you have no -something-, but fear isnt what id call it. white courtesy cluephone .. i haven't heard a single decent song that was hyped by its author to be "kick ass" so ignore me. nobody ever listen to me anyway. divion: I think the lack of reaction from his side means he's entering rookie...=) Divion: Intermediate oh. there goes my theory... was at ipswich.com and started downloading ws-ftp pro set; don't worry, he *might* by lying... :) divion: hehe..we'll just have to wait and see, i guess....now he's made sure that we will pay attention to his place. =) hehehe i'm gonna keep track of him :) well, i'll let you know..., look fo my entry later: m6i-eagl.zip whoops! uhoh... haha.. dq doh anthrax - that was an unfortunate thing to say whoops! why? hahaha "I will fucking rock mcx. Yo, my tune KiX aSs soo bAd!!!" - the words of Charles ODom....=) i have not released it, and it is not the correct filename....mistyped it... mmhmm. the famous last words... it's a bit late for that. why? can't get dicqualifyed or anything for that ahahaha i won't get dickqualified either aheheheaheah got to go (reboot) *Anthrax [anthrax@ti16a02-0012.dialup.online.no] has quit IRC (Leaving) if further similar incidents occur, please feel free to email me gd: hehaehea. =) got to go (reboot) <- famous last words... --=--=-- --=--=------=--=------=--=---- Trackers Block - The Symptoms and the Cure By: Setec ----=--=------=--=------=--=-- "Trackers Block" - the inability for musicians to make music, not due to lack of talent, but because of some undocumented block of the inventive and creative mind. - The Cyclopedia of Tracking $216b. Many trackers have experienced this still to be documented illness. As the name implies, it seriously damages your ability to track over a limited period of time. Any permanent damage has still not been reported, although the side effects might be the loss of some or all group affiliations. Needless to say, this disease is a constant danger luring for any tracker. In this article I will attempt to outline some of the symptoms of the disease and hopefully grant you with a few possible cures. THE SYMPTOMS : - One of the most reported symptoms is the phenomena knows as "the void pattern". Basically, affected trackers will load up their tracker of choice and countinue to stare at the opening pattern only to do some minor changes and then deleting them, thus maintaining a completely empty pattern (in some cases the pattern will not be completely empty, but will contain a basic rhythm, in most cases the well-known and feared basedrum at each fourth row). - Another symptom is the sudden desire to continuously load and reload samples, going all the way through the sample library. Presumably, this is believed to be a cure for the illness, but it has never been known to work. - Cheese is another symptom. If you feel unable to track anything but the cheesiest music, then you are probably infected with the disease. If this is not the case, you have a far more serious problem; "The cheeze diseaze", which has been known to lead many new trackers into immediate decade. - If you basically feel unable to track anything that is even remotely close to your normal standards then you are most likely affected by this block. Try loading one of your earlier tracks and zap all of the patterns, only keeping the samples intact. Then try making a new tune with the excact same samples. If you are still unable to make anything then the diagnose is obvious : "Trackers Block". THE POSSIBLE CURES : 1. The cold turkey approach Don't track! Simply stop tracking for a while until you really feel like doing it again. Start aiming your attention towards some of your other hobbies or at your work/school. Try to explore the life outside the tracker, hang around with your friends, go to some wild parties. But do NOT attempt to track during this period. If you fall for the temptation before the cure has come to an end, the disease will affect you even worse. 2. Reviewing yours and others work Try to listen to a lot of tunes, both your own and others. Do not try to track right away. Instead, really get into these tunes, explore them and try to see what makes them great. Perhaps attempt to create a tune inside your head while you go through your modules. Hopefully you will suddently be struck by inspiration and you will find that you have been cured. 3. Sample Take out some of your favourite cds and go through them, sampling anything you think you might be able to use. Then play around with the samples in your editor of choice (CoolEdit, SoundForge,...). Listen to the samples you have made and figure out what kind of tune they might be used in. Try to imagine how the track could be. This can often be a great inspiration and a cure that will actually help you expand your sample library at the same time. 4. The stubborn tracker Try and try again. Keep tracking until you make something decent. This will rarely work, unfortunately, but it has been known to cure some victims. Be careful, though, as this approach might actually worsen the symptoms. I have contacted the international health commity, but they refuse to have ever heard of the "Trackers Block". Furthermore they deny doing any research on the area whatsoever. So, fellow trackers, we are on our own. Is this some sort of virus, genetically enginnered by the gouvernment? Is it some kind of new biological weapon aimed at artists of foreign countries and tested on us trackers? The truth is out there... Setec / Immortal Coil & Nothing --=--=-- ----=--=------=--=------=--=------=--=------=--=------=--=------=--=------ Editor: Coplan / D. Travis North / coplan@thunder.temple.edu Assistant Editors: Ranger Rick / Ben Reed / ranger@ironweb.com Subliminal / Matt Friedly / sub@plazma.net Columnists: Darkheart / Zach Heitling / darkhart@san.rr.com Louis Gorenfeld / gorenfeld@vrone.net SiN / Ian Haskin / ian.h@sympatico.ca Staff Writers: Acell / Jamie LeSouef / jlesouef@melbpc.org.au Dilvish / Eric Hamilton / dilvie@kosmic.org Setec / Jesper Pederson / setecjp@hotmail.com Technical Support: Draggy / Nicholas St. Pierre / draggy@kosmic.org To subscribe to the Static Line mailing list, send an e-mail message to "majordomo@kosmic.org" with "subscribe static_line" in the message text. You will then be asked to confirm your addition to the mailing list. To unsubscribe from the mailing list, send an e-mail message to "majordomo@kosmic.org" with "unsubscribe static_line" in the message text. Your subscription will then be removed. You can also get Static Line from the Hornet Archive's info section (http://www.hornet.org), or from the Static Line web page (http://nimbus.temple.edu/~coplan). If you would like to contribute an article to Static Line, please format your article so that it has two spaces at the beginning of each line, and one at the end of each line. Please void foul language and high ascii characters. Contributions should be mailed to Coplan (coplan@thunder.temple.edu). See you next month! -eof---=------=--=------=--=------=--=------=--=------=--=------=--=------