What's new in this version
This help file prepared with the release of Ay_Emul version 2.9, which was preceded by many beta versions for many years. Therefore, even a short list of changes that have occurred since the previous version 2.8 is quite voluminous. See yourself:
- Moved project from Delphi 7 to cross platform Lazarus: Ay_Emul is a unicode application now for both Windows and Linux and for both 32- and 64-bit. But Linux version comes without some features (like MIDI, CDA, WMA, etc.).
- Command line keys must be started with '-' prefix instead of '/' in Linux version (in Windows version can be used both variants).
- The settings are saved to the configuration file now.
- Turbo Sound (TS) music support: two modules of the most trackers can be played simultaneously via special file format (saved with standard file name extension for ZX modules or special ".TS").
- PT3-player was improved: some bugs fixed and PT 3.7 features are implemented (including PT 3.7 TS-format).
- FTC-player was improved. Native ZX Spectrum FTC-player does not write R13 (envelope type) if same value was here already, so Ay_Emul's FTC-player fixed to be identical to native one. Fast Tracker 1.07 and 1.08 new features has been supported: new tone tables and full evelope+tone retrigger.
- Playlist new features: calling ZX-modules editor from popup menu; the most operations work with all selection now; new version of AYL playlist files (UTF-8 encoding; TS-modules support); TS-modules are shown as "PT3TS", "PT3x2", "PT3+SQT", etc.; can parse tags of both modules in TS-pair; 'Deduplicate' option; dragging files from shell to the end of playlist only.
- Added M3U8 (M3U in UTF-8 encoding) and XMPlay's PLS playlists support.
- Storing on exit not the numbers, but the names of both MIDI and Digital Sound devices now.
- New hot keys: 'Esc' for minimizing Ay_Emul; Numpad 5 to Play/Pause.
- Z80 emulation changes: OUT (C),0 command added; OUTI, OUTD, OTIR, OTDR was fixed; Amstrad CPC emulation was improved.
- BASS support improved: upgraded to v2.4; more plugins for various formats; CUE-sheets (standalone and in tags); internet radio.
- System tray icon can be used to minimize application.
- Various fixes for multi-monitor systems.
- Closer integration into the system shell: inform system about Ay_Emul abilities via application registration (for current user or for all); added shell handler to recreate tray icon if Windows Explorer reloaded after crashing).
- Works as DDE-server to accept files directly from Windows shell.
- Options and default playlist both are saved in Ay_Emul.cfg and Ay_Emul.ayl files located usually at "~/.config" in Linux and user appdata local folder in Windows, but you can move them to Ay_Emul folder.
- Default code page selector added to Tools window (used for text and strings if its encoding are unknown), also added codepage setting and removed FIDO-specific chars replacement (#205 and #240) for "Track descriptor".
- New options in "Open files from folder" dialog for playlist files: include, exclude and only playlists.
- Easier set skins: load via usual open/add files dialog or from command line without prefixed key '/p' or '-p'.
- Added SNDH (Atari ST and Atari STe universal native music format) support. SNDH contains original player code for MC68000 processor and music data. You can point tune number in command line for SNDH-files too (same as XMI, MIDI, AY and AYM): "Ay_Emul file.sndh:0" to play 1st tune, "Ay_Emul file.sndh:1" for second one, and so on. Supported SNDH music duration database by Benjamin Gerard (place occasionally his timedb.inc.h into Ay_Emul folder to update).
- Accepted .AS0 files extension for ASM v0.xx modules, tag from player accepted too if inserted.
- Ay_Emul accepted ASC, AS0 and STP with some deviations now (initialized, incorrectly injected tag, truncated, mostly found in Goblin's Cractro Archive), because of these deviations not affected to sound in the most cases, just need some additional work at load point.
- Added support for ST1 (uncompiled Sound Tracker 1.xx) and AY-files of ST11-subtype (just container for ST1) via shadow compilation to STC. You can save it as STC from playlist, or both ST1 and STC via 'Search for tunes in files' tool.
- Added support for ST3 (special compilation of Sound Tracker) via shadow conversion to STC. You can save it as STC from playlist, or both ST3 (with and without tags) and STC (with and without tags) via 'Search for tunes in files' tool; so you can use it to convert ST3 back to STC to play with native STC-player. Note: patterns and samples numeration start from 0 in ST3 (not from 1 as in original Sound Tracker 1.xx), so generated corresponding STC is unusual for various decompilers (except Vortex Tracker II, of course), but are played correctly by any STC-players.
- STC (like ASC and STP) can be with player tag injected now. Supported both ST 3.xx players standard ("SOUND TRACKER COMPILATION OF " and "KSA SOFTWARE COMPILATION OF "). Some tricks are implemented to merge song titles in STC if needed (if different tag in traditional place exists).
- File analyzer (finder) can be aborted for all files in opening queue (not only current file) while adding them to playlist.
- File analyzer can extract player tags of AS0, ASC, STC, ST3, STF and STP now (for playlist), and can save it in both variants if used in "Tools" window: without tag (as usually) and with tag (added "-tag" to file name to mark it).
- File analyzer's STC-ripper is slightly modified to detect Super Sonic modules (ripped manually before).
- Added ZX Spectrum Sound Tracker Pro uncompiled format support (file extension STF). Can be found in various music collection on TR-DOS disk images (with extension .F and start address 25000). Just copy from image and change extension to STF. Used same method as with Sound Tracker uncompiled: shadow compilation to STP. And same saving: from playlist as STP, from module finder tool as both STF and STP.
- Down sampling settings were changed: optimization for performance was removed, only Averager and FIR-filter options now.
- Many other changes in Mixer window: warning labels if mixing can overflow; Amplifier Helper to set all emulated sound devices output levels to maximum without overflow; new options for SNDH, BASS, etc.
- Interface can be translated to any language now (just copy Ay_Emul.pot to Ay_Emul.*.po in languages subfolder (* is your language id like pl, zh_CN, etc.) and translate it. Also you can translate help file in same manner.
For full and detailed list of changes see readme.beta.txt.