What is Ay_Emul
ZX Spectrum Sound Chip Emulator (Ay_Emul) is Windows or Linux program designed for playing music for AY-3-8912 sound chip (or its analogs are AY-3-8910 and YM2149F). Ay_Emul emulates these sound chips and does not require real ones. Ay_Emul can play ZX Spectrum beeper sound also. Additionally, Ay_Emul can play CD's audio tracks and MIDI-files. Optional BASS library by Ian Luck can be used for playing various formats like MP3 and MOD.
Ay_Emul can play files of next types.
- Dumps of registers recorded in many computers' emulators:
- OUT (recorded in ZX Spectrum emulator 'Z80' v3.xx by G.A. Lunter);
- PSG (recorded in ZX Spectrum emulator 'Z80 Stealth' by Mr.Kirill, and in many other emulators);
- EPSG (recorded in ZX Spectrum emulator 'Z80 Stealth');
- YM ('StSound Project' by Leonard/Oxygen files, supported YM2, YM3, YM3b, YM5 and YM6 subtypes);
- VTX ('Vortex Project' by V_Soft files);
- ZXAY (designed especially for Ay_Emul).
- Popular ZX Spectrum musical editors' modules:
- ST1 – Sound Tracker v1.xx uncompiled;
- AY of ST11 subtype – Sound Tracker v1.1 uncompiled, ST1 analog;
- STC, ZXS – Sound Tracker v1.xx, Super Sonic v1.xx;
- ST3 – Sound Tracker v3;
- PSC – Pro Sound Creator v1.xx;
- AS0, ASC – ASC Sound Master v0.xx-2.xx;
- PT1, PT2, PT3 – Pro Tracker v1.xx-3.xx, Vortex Tracker II v1.0;
- STF – Sound Tracker Pro uncompiled;
- STP – Sound Tracker Pro;
- FTC – Fast Tracker v1.xx;
- FLS – Flash Tracker;
- SQT – SQ-Tracker;
- GTR – Global Tracker v1.x;
- FXM – Fuxoft AY Language;
- AY of AMAD subtype – Amadeus modules, FXM analog;
- PSM – Pro Sound Maker.
- ZX Spectrum's, Atari ST/STe's or Amstrad CPC's memory dumps with player for processor (Z80 or MC68000):
- AY of EMUL subtype (DeliAY and AYPlay projects files);
- AYM (RDOSPLAY project files);
- SNDH (Atari ST or Atari STe music files).
- CD audio tracks (CDA). Ay_Emul can work with several CD drives, and also with disks containing not only audio tracks.
- MIDI-files:
- MID, MIDI – MIDI-files' standard format;
- RMI – MID-files in RIFF-container;
- KAR – standard MID-files with song texts for karaoke;
- XMI – Miles Design XMIDI format.
- Files played by BASS library:
- MP3, MP2, MP1 – MPEG 1 encoded sound record;
- OGG – Vorbis encoded sound record;
- WAV – sound record; for all that have codec installed in the system;
- WMA – Windows Media encoded sound record (via basswma extension);
- APE – Monkey's Audio sound record (via bass_ape extension);
- FLAC – Free Lossless Audio Codec sound record (via bassflac extension);
- WV – WavPack sound record (via basswv extension);
- AC3 – multichannel AC3 encoded sound record;
- AAC – sound record Advanced Audio Coding;
- M4A, MP4 – MPEG-4 audio (Advanced Audio Coding, Apple Lossless Audio Codec)
- DFF, DSF – Direct Stream Digital (Sony'n'Philips' audio format)
- MO3 – modules with MP3/OGG encoded samples;
- IT – Impulse Tracker;
- XM – Fast Tracker 2;
- S3M – Scream Tracker 3;
- MTM – MultiTracker;
- MOD – generic module format;
- UMX – Unreal Tournament music package;
- HTTP:// and FTP:// shout cast streams (internet radio, etc.).
Two of the most tracker module types from item 2 can be replayed simultaneously in Turbo Sound (TS, device for ZX Spectrum with two ordinary sound chips) mode. PT 3.7+ TS-format is also supported.
For SNDH playing MFP, DMA-Sound and some TOS functions are emulated. For MC68000 emulation used Starscream 680x0 emulation library by Neill Corlett (corlett@elwha.nrrc.ncsu.edu). Supported SNDH music duration database by Benjamin Gerard if timedb.inc.h or sndhtimedb exist in Ay_Emul folder. To install or update just place original timedb.inc.h to the Ay_Emul folder, and sndhtimedb will be generated/regenerated at next startup. The original base can be found in sc68 project sources.
Ay_Emul supports playlist files of Winamp (M3U, M3U8), XMPlay (PLS) and of own format (AYL), and also CUE-sheets for sound streams. AYL can contain full info about each item.
Ay_Emul can be used as powerful tool for working with AY/YM data files. Built-in Speccy music ripper can to find modules of many ZX Spectrum musical editors in any non-compressed source data. Ay_Emul can convert modules to WAV, ZXAY, VTX, YM6 or PSG formats. Ay_Emul can play digital sound is stored in OUT, ZXAY, EPSG, AY or AYM files. Beeper music in AY and AYM formats are supported too. Ay_Emul can play special effects are used by Atari ST musicians and stored in YM2, YM5 and YM6 formats.
Skin-files can change view of Ay_Emul main window.
BASS library is loaded only before playing corresponding file and unloaded immediately after stopping playing.
System requirements: as minimum Windows XP or Linux; for just work processor 386 or greater is required; for playing need sound card with support of 8 or 16 bit Stereo or Mono digital sound at any sample frequency in range from 8000 to 300000 Hz and powerful processor (Ay_Emul uses special filter by default for more quality of sound chip and beeper emulation). For playing extra file types of BASS require DirectX 3 or above (in Windows), for MOD music additionally processor with MMX is required.