History of the development of the VangeliSTracker program.
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09-Dic-1992 Created version 1.0a
o First non-beta version.
o Now it works on the SB 16 in stereo. Up to 34500 Hz
in stereo!!. Inconvenient: It's a little bit unsteady.
If you change the sampling frecuency or the filters, it
can loose track.
o The circular buffer already works, great with QEMM,
etc. We'll see how it does with the SB and the Pro
(only tried with the SB 16, with its uninitialized
mode, and sounds perfect).
o Fixed the bug that stopped the program from starting
with the full 34500 Hz.
o Tried the circular buffer with the SB and the Pro.
There was a bug in the initialization. Fixed.
o Fixed the freq. change in the File (OS/2) driver.
o Fixed a click when starting the music.
o Created a credits window. Activated using F8.
o Fixed the usage description. Now, it doesn't ask to
press a key if you redirect the output to a file.
o This version 'escaped', and was distributed before
time, without documentation. DMA didn't work fully.
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12-Dic-1992 Created version 1.0b
o Duplicated the DMA transferences, to avoid slight
reverberations. Works really well.
o Optimized the DMA buffer calculations, so they don't
occupy more than necessary.
o Fixed an initial bad tone when using Hi-speed DMA with
the SB.
o Changed the vu-meter aspect. Better now, ¨isn't it?
o Distributed to the public.
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17-Jan-1993 Created version 1.0c
o Introduced the swap file system.
o Now, the program saves the full video state. The video
buffer is stored in the swap file.
o Better aspect for the vu-meters. Now changeable with
the B key.
o Better movility for the sample color bars. Now, they
can never get stuck in yellow.
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27-Jan-1993 Created version 1.0d
o Removed the dynamic memory control based in the DOS
Heap. Did this to allow a better use of the swapping.
o Fixed the damaged or wrong file detection. Now it
doesn't abort. Instead, the program will go on with the
next song.
o Prepaed the .WOW and 6/8 voices .MOD files found in the
Triton FasTracker.
o Introduced the BPM command (F with parameter > $1F).
Necessary to listen to .WOW, FasTracker and .669 songs.
Changed the limit to $30, to avoid errors in the
classic 4 voice MODs.
o Now 8 voices available!!!!!!! O:-)
o Created the channel scroll system. Only 4 channels can
be seen at one time.
o Changed the partiture aspect. No more command number.
o Introduced the "Fine tone portamento" commands.
o Made the .OKT loader. The better 8 voices seen up to
the date.
o Introduced the "Arpeggio 1 and 2" commands, used in
tthe .OKT files. Still missing the "Note Slide".
o Doubled the output volume. Made this because the .OKTs
were too low, and so with fewer bits. Introduced the
saturation control, to avoid "sparks" in the sound.
o Version not released to the public, because it lacks
things (the stereo doesn't sound).
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31-Jan-1993 Created version 1.0e
o Added the stereo again.
o During the former versions, some bugs seem to have been
fixed by themselves. Bugs related to certain NCR
computers...
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23-Feb-1993 Created version 1.1a
o This version is the 1.0e, only with the DOCs updated.
Didn't release the 1.0e because I wanted to make the
.669 loader, but I've got too much job going on, and
it's not finished.
o IMPORTANT NEWS: I've got a few little files with the
extension .S3M, which are the songs of the last Future
Crew demos (Scream Tracker 3.0 format). I've already
figured out the file format, so for the next version...
;-) (All this made in the most respectful of the ways
towards the FC people, who are doing the best in
graphics, music effects and aesthetic in the whole PC
world, and wanting to allow 286 and non-SB users to
enjoy and apreciate their job).
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xx-Feb-1993 Created version 1.1b
o This is not a version. It's junk. :-( The EXE file says
1.2a, but it's not so.
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07-Mar-1993 Created version 1.2a
o Implemented the heap handling UNIT. Now, if you have
free UMBs, the program uses them.
o Implemented a new internal song format, quite more
generalistic. Also, it's OOP. With this format, I'll be
able to implement every feature of every other format.
The new format includes more patterns, more
instruments, independent volumes for the notes, space
for the song comment, etc.
o Implemented the .S3M loader.
o Implemented the .STM loader.
o Implemented the .669 loader.
o Now it's no longer necessary to give the song filename
extension. The program will use all the known ones.
o Fixed the standard output redirection detection.
o Changed the video initialization, to make it more
similar to older versions of VT. (Bug fix).
o Added ShellVT params, to allow the specification of a
program to execute instead of the shell.
o Changed the command line syntax. Now, it uses switches.
It also allows to have switches and song names in an
ASCII file, just by writing it starting with an at-sign
(@). That's the .VTO files.
o Implemented the .S3M loader which extracts the file
from inside the EXE file of a Future Crew demo. Now,
you can say: "VT UNREAL.EXE" ;-)
o Implemented the .S3M loader. This format corresponds to
the intermediate versions of the Scream Tracker,
between the 2.x and the 3.0, probably beta versions.
This kind of songs is found in demos like "Mental
Surgery", by FC. Note that not all the .S2M song use
the very same format, so some might not work.
o Implemented a filter bass-enhancer. Try it pressing the
"L" key. It only works in mono sound.
o There are several versions around with this version
numbre. They are not the same, and not all work well.
And none of them says "beta" O:-( Therefore, it won't
be an official version. Also, all those versions are
unexplainably packed as 1.1b. :_(
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30-Mar-1993 Created version 1.2b
o It's the 1.2a, only with ShellVT and OS2VT enhanced
with all the changes in VT.
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