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 ----------------------------------/ \ \ June `888 888 888 \ \ 1998 888 `"' d8888oo, \ \ 888 `888' Y88P,d888b. dP' `88 72 \ \ 888 q8b 88P 8888'`888 88b,,,,, 88 Subscribers \ \ 888888 7b 88' 888' `88 88'`"""78P ---------------\ \ 88 88888b dP ,88. 88; 88, 78b, .,p --------------------\ 7888P 88888P ,8888b. a888. a888 `888888P' ascii by: ZXPKNOBB --=--=-- --=--=------=--=------=--=---- Table Of Contents ----=--=------=--=------=--=-- Opening: Message From the Editor Letters From Our Readers Columns: In Tune -- Caesar's "The Affectionate" Monthly Software Review -- More Soft-synths: DrumSyn and FM Dreams The Zen of Tracking -- Hearing the Mood Screen Lit Vertigo -- Robomatix by Suspend (Final-version) Features: Back on Track -- What's New and What Could Be Closing: Credits --=--=-- --=--=------=--=------=--=---- Message From the Editor ----=--=------=--=------=--=-- Wow! Long break, eh? Well, let me tell you what's been happening. First of all, Kosmic got a new server, and has been through two service providers. Now that they've found one that is willing to work with them, we've been able to get our listserv back up. Many thanks to Draggy (Nicolas St. Pierre) and Jim Nicholson for setting this up for us once again. Fan mail can be directed towards their e-mail as listed in the closing. =) Welcome back everyone, we're back on line and cooking as usual. We got a great issue ready for you this month. First, I review a song by Caesar, then Louis is back with some more soft-synths. Dilvish has some inspirational tips with his column, Zen of Tracking. Then with our fourth column this month, we have Seven's review of Robomatix. Finally, for all of you who are curious about what exaclty happened in the last few months, I wrote a breif article filling you in. On a final note, please let me know if you experience _any_ problems with the listserv. We should have all problems ironed out, but just in case... Until next month, --Coplan --=--=-- --=--=------=--=------=--=---- Letters From Our Readers ----=--=------=--=------=--=-- -=- Letter from distance -=- Static Line on the Web: http://www.ic.i7.net/statline ftp://demo.dyn.ml.org/scene/DiskMag/StaticLine its demo.cat!!! how many times do i have to tell coplan that?!?!?!? probably enough demo.cat.hu demo.cat.hu not demo.dyn.ml.org demo.cat.hu oh yeah, apply for scene.org spcae if you don't already. --distance esaruoho@dlc.fi -=> Reply from Coplan: Thanks for the reminder distance and ps! I did update it just after the last issue, but since we've been away for two months, no one has noticed. So, please note that the change has been made. As far as the space on scene.org, we've thought about it. There are two things from stopping us from applying. One is the fact that in the future, we may have our own domain. The other is the fact that we have space in the Immortal Coil webspace. Between Immortal Coil and Static Line, I have about 750MB to play with. Considering neither will ever need that much space before I upgrade...I'd rather that the space on scene.org be reserved for less fortunate groups within the scene. Still, it will always remain as an option I suppose. --Coplan --=--=-- --=--=------=--=------=--=---- In Tune Caesar's "The Affectionate" By: Coplan and ----=--=------=--=------=--=-- Hello, and welcome back to a long awaited Static Line and In Tune. I think I have benefited from the break substantially, and I'm ready for a fresh new review. I gotta warn you though, this is the first time that I've ever reviewed a Fast Tracker formatted song for publication. I just discovered that I can't multitask with Fast Tracker too easily. All this means is that my writing style may be a little different than normal as I wrote most of it on paper first. You'd be surprised how hard it was for me to find paper for this purpose. =) This month, I am going to review a song titled "The Affectionate" by Caesar of ProFound Sound. Before I get into the technical and aesthetic points of this song, let me quick point out something about the data tecnicalities (Yes, you get more than just music here!). The complete filename of the song after it is uncompressed is "Affect 1.xm." Notice that there is a space in the filename. This if fine for Windows 9x users (which I assume is most of you). However, for the few that use Linux, Unix or similar systems on a regular basis, spaces within a filename create complex issues. One could still designate a file such as this at a prompt, but it's an annoyance that some may discount. The other technicality that I must point out is the file format. This is a Fast Tracker file. Listen to it in Fast Tracker. There's enough difference in sample and instrument handleing as well as subtle tempo issues that require you to listen to formats in their native tracker. There is a big reason why I sacrifice my smooth writing style to a good clean and fair review. Now, on to the music. The intro is just like the intro that I myself like to write. A few strings to set the progression, then a clean kick into a rock riff. The percussion in general is clean and simple. Notice how it changes with the music, however. Ahhh...not quite as simple as we had initially thought, eh? If you study the percussion throughout the song, you'll see exactly what I mean. The percussion tends to follow the music. Wait, no...it seems to lead the music. In actuality, there really is no way to tell (unless you're the author of course). Those of you trying to improve your percussion can learn a lot from this song, believe it or not. Especially study the use of the base drum and the crash cymbols. Immediately after the percussion kicks in early in the song, the trumpet is right there to take up the role of the lead instrument. It actually is part of the initial transition from the intro. Not even a quarter of a pattern after the percussion starts, the trumpet starts its little ditty. Though this isn't the best trumpet sample I have ever seen, it has a stylistic character about it. I would say this is a synthesized trumpet (as you will hear with the higher notes), but one that lends a certain quality to the song. Now, lets listen to what the trumpet has to say. It's telling us that it is neither happy, nor is it sad. The beat lends to a typical 4/4 rock song, but the trumpet carries longer notes: mostly half notes and sometimes even whole notes. Rarely will you see any short and bouncy notes in this song. But, this is in a major key, so it isn't a sad song either. Just an overall mellow song. If you read Caesar's notes in his instruments panel, you'll notice that the song is indeed about a lonely person: Neither happy nor sad. Throughout the song, you'll also notice some key orchestration. The first example of this is at order 0C (Hexidecimal orders, another reason to use Fast Tracker to listen to this song: follow along with me). The backup stringed instruments aren't directly related to the lead. Notice it doesn't follow the lead, it doesn't mimic the lead, it doesn't even harmonize the lead. Other than remaining in-key, its only purpose to the song at this point is to counter-point the lead. When writing your own music, experiment with riffs that don't resemble your other instruments. You may be surprised at what you'll come up with. Don't expect miracles, though, because it takes lots of patience. Lets take a look at some of the better transitions in this song (for those of you reading for the first time, I love pointing out transitions). Lets take a look at a somewhat simplistic approach to a transition. Starting at order 0B, the instruments start a termination riff where they will eventually fade out before the end of the pattern. Even the base cuts down a bit to leave a pause very near the end of the pattern. The only instrument that continues at full breath is the trumpet, which leads directly into order 0C where the base guitar and other instruments fade back in. This is a technique that I have pointed out many times and think everyone could learn very easily. That's why I keep pointing them out. Now, lets check out a transition starting at order 10. Again, the percussion builds up to a termination riff, a short silence of all instruments, then back in with the trumpet, strings and base guitar. Please notice that when the transition is complete and order 11 has started that the background counterpoint instruments no longer exist for the time being. This is important. If all the instruments played all the time, the song wouldn't have many different moods, and wouldn't have any of these dynamic transitions. Think dynamics! Now, lets jump ahead a bit to that really mellow part around order 21. The percussion here has changed drastically from the rest of the song. This is always an option, but watch your technique. If this were a competition, I would pick at this part a little more because the percussion here isn't nearly as tight as throughout the rest of the song. The riffs tend to fade too much into the background, and the drum rolls are a bit weak. Don't worry though, upon another shift of mood, we are carried into the most upbeat part of the song starting at order 28 and 29. This upbeat part leads into an even higher mood with an even higher key. Very cool! But watch those samples. I'm not trying to be too hard on Caesar, but if you're going to use such a vast range of any instrument, in this case the trumpet, please make sure that there won't be any sample distortion. At the very highest notes, the trumpet will sound slightly out of tune. This has to do with wave-form dynamics, which is much too complicated to explain here. Just know that the potential problem could exist in your music as well. All in all, I think this is a fine example of tracked art. No one recommended this song to me, and no one asked me to review the tune. I stumbled across it one day browsing the web, and gave it a listen. It's a good break from the hardcore I've been listening to. This song makes me feel like I'm in a garden in the middle of fall. Cheers to Caesar. Just a note before I close up. I would still like to have a partner to write this column with. I would like someone to dedicate one evening a month to review a song that I too will review. Just like in the old days, I would like to have an alternate view of a given peice. Please send me a message if you are even remotely interested. --Coplan Listening Info: Coplan: IT 2.14 useing default Interwave drivers or Fast Tracker 2.06; Koss Mixing Headphones and his home stereo. Song Information: Title: The Affectionate Author: Caesar Filename (zipped/unzipped): affectionate.zip / Affect 1.xm File Size (zipped/unzipped): 1.2 MB / 1.7 MB Source: http://i.am/caesar Alternate: http://www.ic.l7.net/statline/current.htm "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. 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), I can be contacted through e-mail useing the address found in the closing notes. Please do not send files attached to e-mail without first contacting me. Thank you! --=--=-- --=--=------=--=------=--=---- Montly Software Review More Soft-synths: DrumSyn and FM Dreams By: Louis Gorenfeld ----=--=------=--=------=--=-- -=- DrumSyn -=- It's not that Stomper is hard to use, but it is hard to get decent sounds out of other than extremely deep bassdrums. After all, it was made for bassdrums, and that's what it excels at. If you are looking for an all- around drum machine synthesizer though, DrumSyn is it. Now, I don't want to write a whole column slamming Stomper, because I'm personally quite fond of it. It has charm and a sense of humor (even though it can be annoying at times), can do pretty decent oldschool synthesizer tones (which DrumSyn can't do worth anything really), and features nearly unlimited oscillators. So with that in mind, read on. Ok, first the features: It's very easy not only to use but to get sweet synth drum sounds out of. The interface is one-screen, and the envelopes are graphical. This makes it easy to do sounds such as claps, but harder to do complete groove loops. In the sound-generation area there are three tone generators of various waveforms, one of which can slide and two of which can be combined in different ways. As far as noise goes, there are also three of those: One can do noises of various colors, and two are settable by the exact frequency and width of noise. In addition, there is a distortion setting that can distort by not only over-amping but by bit and lowering the khz and time/pitch stretching functions (smooth, too). As if that's not enough to make some awesome drums, there is also a filter (also with a graphical envelope) that can be set to either high or low pass. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much resonance, if at all (I sure didn't notice anything). Now for the complaints: The interface is a little annoying because there is only one active or manipulatable envelope at a time. This means that you either have to select with little arrows the one you want to modify or click on the checkmark indicating that the oscillator is currently selected (which also selects the envelope). My next complaint is that the program does not show up on the taskbar and you cannot switch to it with alt-tab. Finally, the last complaint is that it comes with too many damn presets-- I like to tweak around for myself, dammit! Rating : 4/4 Page : http://www.abel.co.uk/~maxim/drumsyn.htm -=- FM Dreams -=- This should set the record straight for those of you out there who think that FM means Adlib (though this program can sound like that too). FM Dreams is already one of my favorite synths-- it can do great basses, ringy instruments such as vibes and marimbas and even very nice electric pianos. If you are a softsynth novice, this probably isn't your cup of tea: While in most virtual analog synths you can easily tell the effects of your adjustments, FM synthesis is a lot less straightforward. It takes a lot of fiddling around before you start to make connections between what you change in the settings and what you change in the sound. This synthesizer features four oscillators with a nice variety of waveforms which can be combined in various ways with each other (add, fm or am). The envelopes are graphical, though are extremely buggy (save often). However, after an hour of playing around I had made several samples that I am now very fond of. They lend a solid and smooth quality to any piece you stick them into, and are a nice contrast to the usual harsh synthy sounds that dominate many tracked compositions these days and sound especially nice when both are used at the same time. Those of you who were intimidated by Orangator will probably not want to waste time with this. If you don't mind sitting down for a while and fiddling with settings (and waiting for it to render can be slow), this should be one of the more powerful tools in your electronic arsenal. Rating : 3/4 Page : http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Campus/8645/fmdreams.html --Louis Gorenfeld --=--=-- --=--=------=--=------=--=---- The Zen of Tracking Hearing the Mood By: Dilvish ----=--=------=--=------=--=-- Whether or not you choose to look at it in a spiritual, or "mystical" sense, we are all one. Every part of who you are has been heavily influenced by other people, whether they be your parents, your heroes, your friends, or just somebody who's style you've admired. It all comes together and blends to form your unique style. Nothing is truly your own. If you've ever heard a musician say that they cannot take full credit for the music they make, that's what they mean. Many composers "hear" the music they create, as if it's been echoing through the atmosphere for generations, just waiting for somebody to percieve it, and share it with others. That's how I "write", and I know for a fact that I'm not alone. So how do you "hear" the music? All it takes is an ounce of talent, a shred of inspiration, and buckets of raw practice, and experience. True artists search their souls for gems of wisdom and emotion. In order to move people, they have to relate. Moods and chords bring up memories and feelings from long ago. The music that I love is music that helps me feel. In order to create music like that, you have to know your heart. You have to understand the human spirit. Music is more than theory and chords. Music is feeling. Music is a key to understanding why we're here, and how we can become better people. The First Step: Hearing the Mood One of the simplest ways to hear a mood is to listen to music that touches you. Pay attention to the sounds that have the most effect on your emotions. Remember what it was that affected you, and try to reproduce the effect in your own music. The next step is to capture your own moods in completely original composition. Create a musical journal of your moods. When you get upset, COMPOSE THE MOOD. When you feel hurt, angry, happy, tired, in love, overwhealmed with joy, or somewhere in between... compose the mood. Record it in music. Try to do this every day. You don't have to compose a complete song if it doesn't go anywhere, but try to compose a little bit every day. Record your *feelings* for that day in music. Fairly soon, you should see a catalogue of moods beginning to form. Hold on to them, and refer back to them often. Later, you'll be able to mix and match complex sets of emotion into a single, powerfull song. One of the keys to zen mastery is the understanding that everything is one. We are one people, experiencing one immortal life. Our ideas will survive us long after our bodies have returned to the dust from which they came. This is undeniably true, not just in a spiritual sense, but in a tangible form. We leave behind us traces of ourselves... in the hearts of our loved ones, in photo albums, on our recordings, sheet music, and on our shelves. We never truly die, but the more you record of your life, the more other people will learn from you, and in turn, understand themselves. That's it for now, --Dilvish --=--=-- --=--=------=--=------=--=---- Screen Lit Vertigo Robomatix by Suspend (Final-version) By: Seven ----=--=------=--=------=--=-- Found at ftp://demo.cat.hu 1st place at Astrosyn'99. System requirements: At least a p166, better a p233. 16 MB RAM, 5 MB HD. Gus or SB, Vesa2 (Some cards may need univbe 6.53 according to the .nfo) Test Machine: PII 350 64MB SB16, Win98 in dos-mode (BOOTGUI = 0) DOS: works OK with EMM & XMS. Win98: doesn't work in a DOS-box, use "Restart to DOS". The demo: This is a "heavy 3D" demo, almost no pictures or fullscreen 2D effects. I'm not a fan of 3D-only, but here the 3D-scenes have a kind of theme (not a story), which gives a demo more value, at least for me. It's about machines, robots, blocks of ice with lights in it,... At the end of each scene, we step through a door in the next one. This is a nice way to make a link between two scenes. Greyscaled pictures are layered over the 3D-scenes, nothing really special, together with some philosophical text. Yes, Robomatix has a moral! (don't let it scare you away :)). The final 3D-scene, during the greetings, has nothing to do with the main part. Insects walking in trees, butterflies... Maybe they were inspired by Antz or A bugs life (No I didn't saw them. I prefer the real-time thing :)). The music: The first & the last part are not really music, rather a soundtrack of the 3D-scene it follows. At the start, this means the sound of ice-cubes bouncing between two planes, with lots of discord shrieks. To be honest, it got on my nerves very quickly, and I was happy when the main tune started. It has the same atmosphere, but is more melodic. There is no real synchronizing, and at the end, it starts to bore me. I guess this just isn't my style of music, although it does fit with the demo. At the end, we hear bees buzzing or something like that. Quite ambient. Overall: I really like this demo a lot, except two things: the music, and the enormous amount of motionblur during the whole demo. Sometimes it's difficult to recognize objects, and I think blur should only be used when you need something special, for example an underwater scene or so. The good points include the design and the original objects, like those little one-wheeled vehicles driving on circular roads & the machine which reminds me of Machines of Madness/Dubius. Overall, I think this deserved to win Astrosyn'99, although I haven't checked all other contributions. So go ahead and take a look at it. --Seven --=--=-- --=--=------=--=------=--=---- Back on Track What's New and What Could Be By: Coplan ----=--=------=--=------=--=-- We're finally back on track after a long break. Kosmic has gotten their new server, and they have it set up properly (the hardest part was probably dealing with their internet service provider). Many thanks to Jim Nicholson for finally setting up this mailing list on the new server and thanks to Draggy for providing all the information and files we needed from the old mailing list. Changes? There aren't many. If you have any feedback, you will still need to send it me (coplan@thunder.temple.edu). If you have feedback directed towards any of our staff in particular, please send me a carbon copy as well so that I may post it in upcoming issues. The listserv still works the same, though I make a new suggestion: If you are going to be subscribing to the mailing list, please include your e-mail address as part of the subscribe / unsubscribe commands. See the closing for this information. We will now be releasing during the first weekend of every month. This will logically make much more sense for the subscribers as well as the writers. Hopefully this will help us to maintain a good quality publication for your sake. Finally, we still need subscribers and writers. If you have any friends who are involved in the scene, ask them to subscribe. I feel we have a lot of good information to offer almost anyone in the scene. Many people can benefit from our magazine, and I think everyone should have that opportunity. Also, if we have more subscribers, we may have more columns in the future, and much more information for you. If you would like to write for us, please send me an e-mail message about your new column, or about a column that I have mentioned before. We still need someone to do interviews, I would still like to have a partner for In-Tune, and I would still like to have someone keep track of demo-parties or competitions. Perhaps you have more ideas? Let's get the ball rolling. --Coplan --=--=-- --=--=------=--=------=--=---- Article Title Sub Title By: Author ----=--=------=--=------=--=-- --=--=-- ----=--=------=--=------=--=------=--=------=--=------=--=------=--=------ Editor: Coplan / D. Travis North / coplan@thunder.temple.edu Assistant Editors: Ranger Rick / Ben Reed / ranger@ironweb.com Subliminal / Matt Friedly / sub@plazma.net Web Manager: Dilvish / Eric Hamilton / dilvie@yahoo.com Columnists: Coplan / D. Travis North / coplan@thunder.temple.edu Calvin French / frenchc@cadvision.com Dilvish / Eric Hamilton / dilvie@yahoo.com Louis Gorenfeld / gorenfeld@vrone.net Seven / Stefaan / Stefaan.VanNieuwenhuyze@rug.ac.be Staff Writers: Acell / Jamie LeSouef / jlesouef@melbpc.org.au Darkheart / Zach Heitling / darkhart@san.rr.com Psychic Symphony / psychic@esoterica.pt Setec / Jesper Pederson / jesped@post.tele.dk SiN / Ian Haskin / sin_@netcom.ca Technical Support: Draggy / Nicolas St. Pierre / draggy@kosmic.org Jim / Jim Nicholson / jim@kosmic.org Static Line on the Web: http://www.ic.i7.net/statline ftp://demo.cat.hu/scene/DiskMag/StaticLine 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. Expect a new issue during the first weekend of each month. 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. If you would like to contribute an article to Static Line, be aware that we will format your article with two spaces at the beginning and one space at the end of each line. Please avoid foul language and high ascii characters. Contributions should be mailed to Coplan (coplan@thunder.temple.edu). See you next month! -eof---=------=--=------=--=--