
About the packer... (v5.3)


The packer will crunch all music done in player v10 and up to the newest
player using some complicated routines which does a LOT more than just push
together the tables. When you load a tune you are first confronted with an
input telling the maximum number of sequences, here you ALWAYS press RETURN.
Thereafter you are asked if you want to get rid of repeated INSTRUMENT
commands. This means that all repeated apperances of a "Ixx" command that
isn't needed in a sequence will be removed to decrease memory... However, in
player v18 it is possible that such "Ixx" are put on purpose, because it can
"reset" a "Sxx" supercommand that decreased the SUSTAIN! Therefore, you have
the option to reject this function. After this decision the packer will then
zoom into the complex routines, showing all kinds of screen blinks and bytes
flying all over the screen.

The first task the new packer performs is a check to see if all sequences has
been used in a music piece. It does this by checking through the entire track
table to see if any numbers up to the maximum seq number, is missing. If one
is missing, it will blink red in the border once, and shorten both the
tracktable, the lo/hi-bytes table and remove the entire sequence, meaning
that there will be absolutely no trace of this "unused" sequence. So, when
this routine in the packer has finished it will seem like you didn't skip any
seq's, simply because it "moves down" the other sequences over the unused one.

But remember: Every RED BLINK in this stage ("Removing unnessecary data") means
that ONE SEQUENCE was found unused and thus deleted. You may want to re-enter
the editor and check out whatever made you skip a sequence.

The sequence-remover routine in packer v5.3 will be immediately followed by a
quick grey flashing in the border if any unnessecary "Ixx" was found dummy
repeating themselves. But, only if you typed "Y" at the prompt in the start
of the packer! Remember it can damage the music if player v18, v20 or other
players using the SUSTAIN command, was used.


Jens-Christian Huus.

