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2019-09-04 16:06

MrElijahGardner
Account closed

Registered: Jul 2019
Posts: 7

Adding SID Music to Compiled Basic

I'm working on a new game. Here is an older video clip as the game has progressed quite a bit since then.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=o9wBsf8FM88

It is written in basic and then compiled. How can I go about adding Sid Music to it? Any suggestions?

Thanks in Advance

2019-09-04 16:34

TheRyk

Registered: Mar 2009
Posts: 2244

If you want to do the music in BASIC too, I suggest playing around with the examples on C64-Demo Disk. Doing music in BASIC (and sometimes listening even more) is quite painful, though ^^

But as you compile it anyway, it makes much more sense to do your music in whatever tracker you like and build a mini ML routine that initializes the .SID file and sets up an IRQ ensuring stable playing once per frame. Make sure that neither that little ML routine nor your music data collides with RAM used by main code (which depends on what compiler you use). Normally $C000 to $CFFF is the easiest/safest area for such ML code assessed by BASIC programmes. Also don't f--k up zero page registers which are used as BASIC vectors (or make sure to save and restore those ZP regs in case they are clobbered).

2019-09-04 16:47

Count Zero

Registered: Jan 2003
Posts: 1932

If you plan on composing the music yourself - Soundmonitor V1.0 (or one of the Rockmonitor versions) - sys49152 and you are ready to go :)

Just sayin' as Soundmonitor was likely done with BASIC in mind. Other composers surely outperform Soundmonitor and it's horrible raster time usage :)

2019-09-04 17:09

TheRyk

Registered: Mar 2009
Posts: 2244

sound monitor also wastes a lot of RAM, 12kB is pretty normal, even for shorter tunes, modern trackers waste normally less than one third, and Sound Mon range is normally $a000-$cfff, especially the RAM from $a000-$bfff can be used way more efficiently, e.g. for gfx data.

but it's true, those files are pretty easy to handle from BASIC, and (no matter how bulky, complicated and antiquated they are from today's perspective) there's a bunch of old tunes to pick from some of which are quite cool. (iAN will disagree hehe)

2019-09-04 17:17

MrElijahGardner
Account closed

Registered: Jul 2019
Posts: 7

I already have a Sid file

The raw SID data, which loads to 4096 ($1000)
To initialise the tune, you JSR $1000 (or SYS 4096)
To play once per frame, you JSR $1003 (SYS 4099)

My compiled program starts at 8200.

My next two questions are what is the best way to load the SID program into memory. Data Statements?

Then how to do that once per frame in compiled BASIC

2019-09-04 17:22

TheRyk

Registered: Mar 2009
Posts: 2244

We need to know which compiler you use.
With Blitz!/Austro etc. $1000 is an area you can't use easily.
You'd need to relocate your music somewhere higher than $9fff, e.g. by using Sidreloc V1.0

Basic Boss is a different story, there you can manipulate range of BASIC memory, i.e. set basic start higher, thus $1000 would be possible area for music.

2019-09-04 17:23

MrElijahGardner
Account closed

Registered: Jul 2019
Posts: 7

I'm using Basic 64 It will let me change the program start memory

2019-09-04 17:38

TheRyk

Registered: Mar 2009
Posts: 2244

Doing sth exactly once a frame in BASIC (even compiled) is tricky at least. That's why some mini ML part called only once via SYS and then setting up an IRQ would help.

An uncompiled example how to load ML code (and a .SID-file is nothing but ML code plus data) into areas outside of BASIC memory can be found here:
http://c64games.de/phpseiten/spieledetail.php?filnummer=336
Check out the very first 2 blocks file in the first disk image of the ZIP
It does nothing but loading 5 files ML, Charset ("Zeichen"), Sprites and Sounds and title screen into RAM higher than $9FFF and finally loading the MAIN code ("MF-PRG")

2019-09-04 18:11

MrElijahGardner
Account closed

Registered: Jul 2019
Posts: 7

Thanks for the example of loading the multiple files. That is easy I can handle that no problem.

My assembly skills are garbage. I know there isnt much to doing an IRQ but not really sure where to start. Is there an example you can point me to.

It would be really awesome if there was an easy way just to poke the IRQ routine into memory to then call the play once per frame part.

2019-09-04 18:32

TWW

Registered: Jul 2009
Posts: 545

Well documented IRQ routine:

https://codebase64.org/doku.php?id=base:introduction_to_raster_..

EDIT: Use 0315/0315 instead of fffe/ffff and #$37 insted of #$35 for setting $01.

2019-09-04 19:26

MrElijahGardner
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Registered: Jul 2019
Posts: 7

#$35 for setting $01? This is because we don't want to turn the rom and kernal off correct? I'm not sure why we even need to mess with this address?

Use 0315/0315 instead of fffe/ffff? What is the address of interrupt code referring too?

I wasn't kidding when I said assembly isn't one of my strong point. I'm going to keep plugging away. All the help so far has been great.

2019-09-04 19:50

4mat

Registered: May 2010
Posts: 66

Long while back I remember using Music Assembler for a few compiled basic things. Calling the save address automatically sets up an IRQ routine for you and plays the track.

Music-Assembler V1.0

But yeah better to have your own routine so you can set up different tracks and manually control them.

2019-09-04 20:07

MrElijahGardner
Account closed

Registered: Jul 2019
Posts: 7

Still trying to figure out music assembler but I think that is the easiest way to achieve the result I need. I tested it with some of the tracks on the disk and it does exactly what I need as long as it gives me some flexibility on the memory addresses.

I was getting ready to go play on the train tracks. THANK YOU

2019-09-04 21:30

TWW

Registered: Jul 2009
Posts: 545

Quote: Long while back I remember using Music Assembler for a few compiled basic things. Calling the save address automatically sets up an IRQ routine for you and plays the track.

Music-Assembler V1.0

But yeah better to have your own routine so you can set up different tracks and manually control them.

Ok, I wrote a small IRQ routine which will play music while in Basic. The source and the actual machine code is shown below. You have to poke in the data to some address ($c000`perhaps) and update the 0314/0315 pointers and also change the music init and play jsr's.

Then you call the routine by sys 49152 or whatever it was $c000 was decimal.