Instrument editor

This editor allows you to define your instruments, with all its characteristics: timbre, vibrato and own arpeggio… to which pattern options will be added (arpeggio, portamento, vibrato…). Pattern options can also modify instrument parameters (speed, volume, etc.).

You can create up to 127 instruments with a maximum of 64 steps each. The instruments are represented as lines and each line is played for the time indicated by the value “speed”. The fastest speed is speed 0.

An instrument can play its last steps in a loop. If it does not loop, silence will follow the last step played, there is no need to have a step at the end of the sound for this.

It is advisable to name your instruments in order to find them easily in the list and also to be able to save them on the disc if you wish.

Warning: steps beyond the length of the instrument are not saved in memory. They are lost as soon as the editing of the instrument is exited.

Instrument lines

The title row at the top of the edit window indicates the function of each parameter column. The display is separated into four areas described below. The instruments can combine as desired for each line: soft sound (SW), hard sound (HW), SID sound and noise. Depending on the mode indicated, the deactivated fields are replaced by dashes and the inactive “arpeggio” fields are darkened.

Global

Loop: indicates where the looping step is. If the line is in light color, looping is enabled.
Line step number
SW sound mode: Auto, Fix (fixed period) or None to disable it.
Mode: the direction of the arrow indicates which one controls the sound (SW → HW or SW ← HW).
“ratio” coefficient: coefficient between SW and HW periods.
HW sound mode: Auto, Fix (fixed period) or None (disabled).
SW sound volume: from 0 (no sound) to &F
Noise level (or frequency): from 00 (no noise) to &1F
Arpeggio: from -&7F to +&7F

SID

Arpeggio mode: or
SID type: Full or Half
SID ratio: -2, -1, 0 or +1

Software sound

Arpeggio mode: or
SW period (fixed or pitch depending on the mode). If the sound is in “auto” mode, the field indicates the pitch to be added to the automatically calculated period.

Hardware sound

Arpeggio mode: or
Hard envelope curve
HW period (fixed or pitch depending on the mode): If the sound is in “auto” mode, the field indicates the pitch to be added to the automatically calculated period.
Hardware retrig: forces the hard envelope to start over from the beginning.

Arpeggio mode

If the arpeggio mode is the two-note icon this means that the arpeggio of the instrument line and the pitch of the sound that drives the line apply to the waveform. This is the standard mode.

If the arpeggio mode is the one-note icon this means that the period of the waveform is not influenced by the arpeggio value of the instrument line, and neither by the pitch of the sound that drives the line, nor by a portamento in the pattern.

The arpeggio is always in active mode for the sound that drives the instrument line.

If the icon is in dark color, it means the parameter has no effect in this case.

Keyboard functions

Key	Function
Esc	Leave instrument editor
Control + right	Switch editor (arpeggio sequence editor)
Control + left	Switch editor (sample editor)
Enter	Change instrument name
f4	speed+1
f7	speed-1
left	Move cursor
right	Move cursor
up	Move cursor
down	Move cursor
f1	Go to first step
f3	Go to last step (length)
Return	Set instrument length
Space	Set looping step
Control + Space	Toggle loop
Shift + up	Increase value
Shift + down	Decrease value
Control + up	Increase value (fast, for arp and periods)
Control + down	Decrease value (fast, for arp and periods)
Del	Clear/reset field
Shift + del	Clear/reset complete line
f0	Insert an empty line
f.	Remove a line
Shift + f0	Insert a duplicate line
Shift + f.	Remove a line
Piano keys	Play instrument
Any other key	Stop sound

During name input:

Key	Function
Esc	Abandon name input
Return	Confirm name
Del	Delete last character