                          AweTrack v0.300 by Thor

                    The best module player for the AWE32!

   I wrote this program for enjoying the awesome sound, which CAN be produced
   with the AWE32. I hate the "war" between GUS and AWE32 users.  We'd rather
   develop music/players for both card. I just love good music,  and AWE32 is
   a really good sounding SB card! I killed two hard months with figuring out
   how to aviod the MIDI drivers and AWEDIP too :), but it worths, I think...

Features:
	+loads and plays
	 + FastTracker II's XM modules ($0104)
	 + Protracker's and FT II's MOD modules (31 instruments)
	+up to 30 channels, max 256 rows, max 256 patterns, max 128 instruments
	+all Protracker's effects implemented
	+almost all FastTracker II's effects implemented
	+8 or 16 bit samples, size limited by RAM on AWE32
	+force upload (if not enough RAM on AWE32, less samples, but playing)
	+amiga or linear frequency tables
	+XM or MOD or S3M panning (separating channels)
	+sample smoothing (for avoiding clicks ... almost)
	+speedy patch upload

Requirements:
	!386 or better
	!AWE32, SB port on 0x220, EMU on 0x620, MPU401 on 0x330
	=recommended min. 2MB DRAM on AWE32
	=min. 1MB XMS/EMS, recommended 4MB

Currently supported effects:
     general:
	+instrument volume
	+instrument finetune
	+instrument relative tone
	+instrument panning
	+instruments with multisamples
	+instrument volume envelope
	+instrument volume fadeout
	+instrument pan envelope
	+key off
	+8/16 bit samples
	+amiga or linear frequency tables
	=sample loop (bidirectional -> forward)

     in volume column:
        +volume set
	+volume slide up/down
	+fine volume slide up/down
	+panning set
	+panning slide up/down

     in effects column:
	+0xx arpeggio
	+1xx portamento up
	+2xx portamento down
	+3xx tone portamento
	+4xx vibrato
	+5xx tone portamento and volume slide
	+6xx vibrato and volume slide
	+7xx tremolo
	+8xx pan
	+9xx sample offset
	+Axx volume slide
	+Bxx position jump
	+Cxx volume set
	+Dxx pattern break
	+Fxx tempo/BPM
	+Gxx global volume set
	+Hxx global volume slide
	+Pxx panning slide
	+X1x extra fine portamento up
	+X2x extra fine portamento down

	+E0x filter on/off
	+E1x fine portamento up
	+E2x fine portamento down
	+E3x set glissando
	+E4x set vibrato control
	+E5x set fine tune
	+E6x jump loop
	+E7x set tremolo control
	+E9x retrig note
	+EAx fine volume slide up
	+EBx fine volume slide down
	+ECx note cut
	+EDx note delay
	+EEx pattern delay

Does anyone knows, what EFx (funk it! or funk repeat) is?

Lacks:	- no instrument vibrato yet (will be pitch envelope)
	- no setable reverb and chorus (reverb=128 of 256, chorus=64 of 256)
	- some module doesn't play correctly. (hope none :)
          Cause: not implemented effects.

Command line switches:
	-p is for disable XM panning, also separating channels like in ST3, and
           disables default pan position of instruments (sets to channels's pan)
           For MOD files, panning is automatically set to its values.
	-e is for disable sample smoothing. Sample smoothing almost avoids
          some specific clicks during playing, but I think (experimental)
          that bad loop values makes clicks when the sample is looping, and
          if the sample is silly. (i.e. starting and ending value makes
          big difference from 0, so a high frequency transient follows...)

Known bugs:
	- Not bug, but...the program takes a lot of memory (~38K each pattern).
	  If you run out of memory it will print, but not always terminate:)

	- If relativ note makes the final note>101 then it may
          go down in the sub-frequence (0.01-10Hz)
	- I don't convert samples to 16kHz or more, because
	  I couldn't figure out quarter_tone in AWE32.
	- Some instrument in specific channels may play distorted...
          Lower the AT-BUS speed under 8MHz!
	- May be bad sound with linear frequency table and tone portamento.
	- Clicks. Some samples make clicks. Working on it...
          Cause: Old mods, bad sampled instruments, etc..
	As far as know, there's (was) the same problem with GUS. (ultraclick?)
	Any good solution?

In the Future:

  Version 0.500 will be the ~FULL~ XM, MOD, (C)AM player.
    - *.am will be an AWE module format for AWE32's capabilities.
    - *.cam will be a compiled am module, which will be playable with AWELib.
    (hardware envelopes, LFOs, reverb, chorus, cut-off filter/slide,
     filter resonance, ROM samples, picth and cut-off envelope)

  This player will be RENAMED to AwePlay, and will stop with v0.450, cause
  the version > 0.500 started to develop (editor)!
  AwePlay will be v0.500, when .am and .cam structure is fixed, so it will
  play them too.

  ( Final :) version I. will be a TRACKER/PLAYER.

  I'll implement external MIDI keyboard handling, something like in FT2,
  and maybe .mid format.

Note:
  For those who doesn't know:) *.s3m modules can be converted with FT2 to *.xm!

So, enjoy the sound of AWE32!

Special thanks to:

	Creative Labs
		For making SoundBlaster AWE32, this brilliant soundcard!
		But not everyone is interested writing only MIDI drivers...

	Judge Dredd, Infiniti 2001
		Your AweMod gave me the inspiration to develop AWETrack.

	Mr. H, Triton
		FastTracker II is the best tracker I think.
                Without FT2 I couldn't test effect so easy.

	Tran, Darevill
		For your PMW! Best (the only) choice avoiding dos4gw.

	Composers of
		chariot.s3m (and of course Vangelis),
		beyond.mod,
		inside.s3m,
		axlfoley.s3m,
		strshine.s3m,
		...
		  for the songs I've tested AweTrack with.

Please send your comment on AweTrack to
  juhasza@ludens.elte.hu

       and to the following newsgroups:
  alt.sb.programmer
  comp.sys.ibm-pc.soundcard.*
  alt.binaries.sounds.utilities

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
! I'm waiting for comments on using AweTrack on AWE with more that 512kB DRAM !
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Comments like:
 1.)  version x played z.xm correct, but
      version y>x made the following bug: ...
 2.)  I heard z.xm and I played it once again, and the sound was distorted!
      (Hope there won't be such problems.) See bugs!
      Users with more than 512kB!!!
 3.)  AweTrack is I was waiting for!

P.S.: Exiting AweTrack: press Right-Alt! (GR-Alt) :)
      There's no more key to press ;-)
      Sorry for my broken english...

1995.II.20	Thor