CHAPTER 1
What is Sound?
The nature of sound -- looking at sound waves -- Sine Wave Plotter -- the sound of the BBC micro -- pitch: high and low notes -- volume -- duration: the length of a note -- motility: speed and accuracy -- Motility Tester -- timbre: the quality of sound.
CHAPTER 2
What is Music?
The language of music -- the pitch of a note -- scales -- minor scales -- enharmonics -- accidentals -- the length of a note -- beats in the bar -- triplets, ties, slurs and staccato -- harmony and chords -- Chord Sound Demonstration.
CHAPTER 3
The BBC Micro and Sound and Music
Pitch -- fitting the notes to the music -- volume and duration -- improving the sound output -- adding an external speaker -- another solution -- further improvements and considerations -- talking music -- the numbers method -- the other methods -- Note to Number Conversion -- the lowest A#.
CHAPTER 4
The SOUND Command
Channel and its extensions -- Hold -- Hold Parameter Demonstration -- synchronization -- Flush -- Channel Flushing Demonstration -- amplitude -- pitch -- duration -- out of range values.
CHAPTER 5
The ENVELOPE Command
The complete ENVELOPE command -- ADSR: the amplitude envelope -- the attack phase -- the decay phase -- the sustain phase -- the release phase -- the complete ADSR envelope: putting them all together -- ADSR and the ENVELOPE command -- ADSR Graph Generator -- Function Key SetUp for ADSR Graph Generator -- the volume range: hardware and software differences -- a detailed look at the amplitude commands -- the pitch envelope -- PI and PN: the pitch change and the number of steps -- the Pitch Graph Generator -- apparent peculiarities of the pitch envelope -- experimenting with the programs -- instrument characteristics -- producing other waveforms.
CHAPTER 6
Musical Miscellanea
Vibrato and tremolo: pitch and amplitude modulation -- creating vibrato with the pitch envelope Envelope Comparisons -- producing tremolo effects -- Tremolo Demonstration -- trills: a special kind of vibrato -- Military Music Introduction -- echo and reverberation -- commercial echo units -- producing echoes on the BBC micro -- Echo Production -- Echo Using a Procedure -- Pseudo Echoes Using Single Envelopes -- using the pitch envelope to play tunes -- chorus, phasing, flanging and other spatial effects -- Chorus Effects -- beat frequencies: the weaving in and out -- French Accordion Music -- the ring modulator: producing bells and other ringing noises -- the frequencies produced by the sound chip -- the out of tune chip -- bells and the BBC micro -- Bells and Chimes.
CHAPTER 7
Zaps and Zings and Other Things
White noise -- simple sound effects -- Examples of Channel 0 --Machine Gun -- Ricochet -- Cymbal -- Creature -- Mad Factory --Space Ship -- exploring the sound channel -- Sound Effects Generator -- using channel 0 to produce otherwise unobtainable low notes -- use of the lower octave -- Rhythm Unit -- the CAPS LOCK and SHIFT LOCK fights and the ADVAL function -- using sound effects in utility programs -- Sea, Surf & Seagulls.
CHAPTER 8
Playing the BBC Micro
Using the BBC micro as a musical keyboard -- monophonic and polyphonic instruments -- the BBC micro as a Monophonic Keyboard -- Keyboagd Display -- alternative methods of note production -- 3--Note Polyphonic Keyboard -- Bass Sequencer with Duophonic Keyboard -- altering the bass riff -- developing the sequencer.
CHAPTER 9
Making Micro Music
Playing two-- or three--part tunes -- selecting the notes and octave range -- 1 Channel Version of Mozart's Rondo Alla Turca -- the tracking method -- the negative ADVAL method -- 3 Channel Rondo Alla Turca -- debugging the data -- *SPOOL Routine -- more tunes to play: Dance of the Sugar--plum Fairy: Liberty Bell.
CHAPTER 10
Computer Compositions
The human compositional process: algorithms and heuristics -- aspects of a composition -- Computer Composition Based on Rules -- Computer Compositions with Fixed Rhythm Pattern -- Computer Compositions Based Upon Note Analysis -- total tune analysis.
CHAPTER 11
More Programs that Compose
The harmonic structure of popular songs -- producing acceptable results -- random harmonic compositions -- instant Mozart -- Computer Composition in 3--Part Harmony -- calculating the duration values -- Computer Composition Based on Chord Sequences -- adding rhythmic variations -- applying further control to random note selections -- improving the melody -- bass notes -- designing and developing programs -- the Amazing One Line Wonder Composer -- Sing-a-long-a-matic.
CHAPTER 12
Harmony and Transposition
Harmonising a tune -- a melody with chord symbols: what to put in -- working from a piano copy: what to leave out -- adding harmony to a melody fine -- Pseudo Harmony Additions -- DATA Statements for Liberty Bell -- transposition -- why transpose? -- the computer as a transposition aid -- Transposition program -- accidentals -- transposing chords.
CHAPTER 13
The All-singing, All-dancing BBC Micro
Background music from BASIC -- cartoons -- sound and animation synchronization -- Animated Synchronized Dancer -- Hercules -- further experiments in animation -- computer art -- tomorrow's BBC micro.
To my Mother and Father
. . . with love and gratitude for their care, encouragement and understanding not only during the production of this book but throughout my entire life.