Xsoundtrack 0.0.6 - documentation

Compiling :
The compile step should work fine. First, tar -xvzf the archive in the wanted directory (take care that the archive will directly untar all the files, without creating a new directory, as done in other programs).
Then, simply do "make" and wait a few, should be alright.
If a problem occurs, it is surely because of the X-window include files, that might be elsewhere as "/usr/X11/include" on your system. Check "interface/Makefile" for it to point where X-window directories on your system are.
If there is still a problem, contact me, it will be a great pleasure to help you.

Using :
Well, now, here is a description of the interface, window after window, and how to deal with it.

First thing to know is that for this release (0.0.6), the mouse is not supported yet. So everything is done with the keyboard. You have two modes : moving and editing (like under vi, the wonderful).

The main menu :
In the main menu, you find three buttons. One to open a new, void, module. One to load an already existing module, and one to quit the program. Take care that when quitting, the program does not ask you to save unsaved work, so you could lose data.

The xm window :
This window is full of things ! There you find the pattern editor, there you can play "live".

Now, when the window appear, you are in "play"-mode, ie you can play with the keyboard. The program will play the current instrument. For now, it's done for azerty keyboards, but in a next release, other keyboard settings will be supported.
You can change the octave with F1..F6 keys.
Still in "play"-mode, you can change the current instrument with "Page Up" and "Page Down", very useful feature for me, so i put it in this program, because in fact i made it for me.

Now, you can move your location with the "Left", "Right", "Up", "Down" keys. You then won't be in "play"-mode anymore (i do it like that because in "play"-mode, i want the note to long the time the key is pressed, and stop when you stop pressing it, so under X, you need to change properties of the keyboard control, which is a global setting, so i want it long as short as possible, that's why i restrict the "play"-mode).

In every location, when in moving mode, you can press the "space" bar. It will start the mixing of the song.
For this release, the mixer is not finished at all, a lot of effects (all in fact) are missing, and i don't do interpolation of sample, so quality is bad.

When you press enter on a subwindow, you "enter" in it. Then a new cursor appears and you can move it or edit things if you're in a textable area, or by pressing "Enter" of "space" on button, you activate them.
I think this is obvious enough to use, so i won't describe it more.

Now, the big part of this window is the pattern editor. Big, because when i am making music, i want things to go fast, so i need shortcuts.
First, the simpliest of it all. You put a note like when you play. So, the program puts it at the current position of the cursor. Then, you move the cursor with "Right" key and you arrive in the instrument column, you let it as it is (or put the instrument you want), then go to the volume column. There, you put a value between 00 and 40 (hexadecimal) to put the corresponding volume, or you can put effects too. I will describe it in a future release of this documentation. Anyway, the mixer does not deal with it for now, so... If you don't give a volume, the one used will be the default of the instrument. Then, you go to the right a little more and you arrive in the effect column. Once again, not implemented, so i don't describe it.
You can use "Tab" and "Ctrl+Tab" to move to the next channel.

Now, you can copy/paste, you simply do like when you move, but with the "Shift" key. Then you have your selection, so you do "Ctrl+Insert" to copy it in the cut buffer, and then, you go to the location you want it to be paste and you do "Shift+Insert".

You can delete what is under your cursor with "Del", "Ctrl+Del" for the whole note, and others that i forgot for now. "Backspace" will delete the previous note, putting the channel one line up, "insert" will insert a note at the current position, moving all down one line. "Alt+Insert" will insert a full line, "Alt+Delete" will delete a full line.
You have shrink and expand, "Shift+Alt+Insert" and "Shift+Alt+Delete".

Now, you can want to go to next/previous pattern, so you do "Ctrl+Page Up" or "Ctrl+Page Down".
You can want to increment the song length, so you do "Ctrl+/", "Ctrl+\" to decrease it.
If you want to put the next pattern in the current pattern position (clear ?), you do "Ctrl+ +", so "Ctrl+ -" to go to the previous one.
You can then increment the number of lines of the pattern, with "Ctrl+>", decrement it with "Ctrl+<".
To change the instrument, you press "Esc", so you are in moving-mode (and in "play"-mode too, on this subwindow) and you use "Page Up" and "Page Down" as said before.

Seems to be everything in this window.

The sample editor :
When you press the button "current sample editor", you have a sample editor window.
You have once again some subwindows, should be easy to understand.
When you enter in the "sample view", you can zoom in with "+", out with "-", you can make selections, cut copy paste, just try it (ctrl+insert, shift+insert, ctrl+del, del). You can put the loop start with "l", the loop end with "e", and you have left, right, tab, ctrl+tab, home, end to move.

The other subwindows are easy to understand. One thing to say is that when on a button, you can press shift+enter, control+enter, control+shift+enter, alt+enter, alt+shift+enter, alt+control+enter, alt+shift+control+enter to inc/dec of 10, 100, 1000, 10000, 100000, 1000000, 10000000 (in decimal or hexadecimal, it depends) if ir goes up there. So, it's not too painful.

An important shortcut is that when you're in moving mode, doing "Page Up/Down" will change the sample viewed, in the current instrument, and "Ctrl+Page Up/Down" will change it too, but with the previous/next instrument.

Should be alright for you to use.

The instrument editor :
Here too, it's easy to understand, except in the envelopes editor. The keys are "Ins", "Del", to insert/delete a point, left, right, up, dozn to move a point, shift+left/right/up/down to move it faster.
You put the sustain point with "s", loop start with "l", loop end with "e".

Page Up/Down in moving mode to go to next/previous instrument.

The down keyboard means what sample to play when this note is played. You simply give the sample you want, and it is put (0..9, a..f).

Should be alright for this window.