[What is XM Music]







What are XM files ?

Almost everyone thinks of MIDI, when people are talking about creating music on a computer. But on most computers these files don't sound well, becouse the owners don't have the expensive equipment (synthesizer, wave-table soundard etc.) to play these files at the best. They hear only FM-Synthesized sounds, which sound like a old Commodore 64. There is a solution to it, the XM files. It all started with Mod files on the Commodore Amiga a couple of years ago. You must see it as Midi-files witht the sounds (samples) built in. So you can hear the real sounds at the right pitch. Mods had a few disadventages. You could only use 4 (and later 8) sounds at the same time, and samples were only 8 bits, so they did'nt sound good That's why a new standard came. The XM-Files. XM files can have up to 32 samples at the same time, in CD-Quality (44khz,16bit). There are also a few other good formats, like Impulse Tracker, but XM has become the standard.





How do I play them ?

The best program around is Cubic Player. Current version is 1.7. supported soundboards: Gravis Ultrasound, Ultrasound MAX, Ultrasound Daughterboard, Soundblaster 1.x, 2.x, Pro, 16, 16 ASP, AWE 32 & compatibles, WSS compatibles cards, Pro Audio Spectrum Series & quiet mode :) module formats: AMS, MOD, NST, WOW, XM, S3M, DMF, MTM, ULT, 669, OKT, PTM, MIDI, WAV(!) & CD Audio Playing Features Dolby Surround, plays midifile using the GUS Patches (also on other soundboards than Gravis Ultrasound! So wavetable quality with your Non-Wavetable card), Intelligent Memory Multiplying (IMM), Double GUS Feature, different echo modes Additional features Ultra-Cool Fileselector ][, Realtime-Scopes, FFI (Fast "Fake" Interpolation), 48-bit Adaptive-Oversampling-Interpolation (AOI), 64-bit Full Oversampling Interpolation (FOI), Würfel Mode, Text-Display Modes up to 132x60, BIG graphic spectrum analyzer (1024*768), playing out of ZIP and ARJ files, Copro-support, MDZ Suppport, CD Writer device support



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How can I Create them ?

You need a program to create XM/Mod files. These Programs are called Trackers. Creating these files might look hard, if you look at all the features the trackers offer. But for the beginners these features aren't all necessary. It's easier than you think. The best way to learn it is by looking at music other people created. Just find out how they did it, and try to imitate them. There are several programs for creating Mod Files. The program that is written for XM-Files is Fasttracker. The current version is 2.06 Brief list of features: 32 channels. Full MIDI support Multisamples, up to 16 samples/instrument. 128 instruments. 8 octaves. Built in sampler/sample editor. Song editor. FT2 supports the following file formats: Modules: Standard modules (2,4,6,8..32-channel formats. (MOD),ScreamTracker modules. (STM,S3M), MID-files. Samples: Gravis Ultrasound Patches, PAT.SMP/SAM/RAW/SND data files, signed and unsigned.SoundBlaster VOC-files. (Creative Voice-file Format), Windows WAV-files, Amiga IFF-files. (Interchange File Format)



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Where do I get the music files ?

Several groups, creating music have arised. One of my favorites is Total Eclipse. They create all kind of music : Rave, Mellow, Demo, Hardcore, Happy Hardcore, Dance, Jungle, Drum'n'base etc.

My Own Music

Total Eclipse

Planet Hardcore

The Mod Archive

HyperActive Productions

DJ Higa's Homepage

DownTown Terror

Modules By Nightbeat

Almost T.R.I.P. HoMEPaGE

Mysterium's Delerium

Sammy's Hardcore Page

See Also My Good Links Page







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