Since I've also recently been playing Epic MegaGame's old "Epic Pinball" and "Silverball" ( Epic Pinball scoreboard ), I stumbled upon this ( http://www.hugi.scene.org/online/hugise03/hug … with%20gore.htm ) refering to Future Crew:

Nevertheless they produced some games for fun, among them a pinball game and a side-scrolling shoot'em'up. When the vice president of marketing from Epic visited Finland, he saw the games and was so fascinated that he asked Future Crew to sell him their games. Once again, the sceners were reluctant, but they allowed Epic to use the concept of their pinball game. Thus, Epic Pinball was created. It was pretty much the same as Future Crew's original game, but it had different code.

Epic also managed to hire Pixel. Pixel went to the USA, where worked on the graphics for Epic Pinball. The "very nice payment" finally encouraged the remaining FC members to work for money.

So... does anyone know of a site to download the above-said "Future Crew Pinball"?

That sure looks a lot! I think I need time to sift through them all to find what I like... 😀

Malik wrote:

That sure looks a lot! I think I need time to sift through them all to find what I like... 😀

I had previously downloaded the previously mentioned "SOUNDMOD" CDs (linked on page 1 of this message thread), and today download the above 4 CDs. Later tonight (after I finish my project detailed below) I'm going to burn them ALL to a single DVD.

Heh... at 51+ years old, I probably don't have enough lifetime left to listen to them all 🤣!

Anyhow, a message thread that you all might be interested in (check the latest posts there, Malik) -> http://queststudios.com/smf/index.php/topic,3480.0.html . From that thread (re: TC and stereo):

Cloudschatze wrote:

The box, manual, and program itself are all hopelessly vague in this regard. The box states that the program "Supports Sound Blaster Pro for stereo sound and 23KHz sample recording," and while the manual mentions the SBPro in a number of places, there's nothing about stereo sampling/playback or channel assignment. The output of the included demonstration tunes is monophonic, unless, strangely enough, I manually set the SBPro's digital playback to "Stereo," using v1.0 of Creative's SBP-MIX utility. This results in a sort-of pseudo-stereo effect. I'm not sure if it's intentional or not...

Now, here's what I did with my existing (non-stereo?) copy of TC (my "project" mentioned above <grin>):

I dug up on old version of that "SBP-MIX.EXE" utility that Cloudschatze was refering to. Had a helluva time too... I dug up my TWENTY-ONE YEAR OLD SBPro floppies 🤣! Yes, they were still readable. Note that these were some really old floppies... their labels were using that old "orangey-yellow/navy-blue color" scheme that Creative Labs used for all of their media labels and manuals back in the day 😀

Unfortunately, they included a NEWER version of the "SBP-MIX.EXE" utility that did NOT include the "Stereo On/Off" feature (version 2.0).

So, after a bit of Googling, I found version 1.0 of the utility that did indeed have that "Stereo On/Off" feature 😀

Anyways, I've done a few tests with some rather interesting results (per Cloudschatze info above).

Once I get it all together, I'll upload some screenshots and MP3 files of what I (and Cloudschatze) is hearing... some definite stereo going on there 😀

Also, the stereo effect I ONLY hear in TC, and NOT in any other DOS proggie... so, somehow that "SBP-MIX.EXE" utility is enabling it in TC I'm thinking (maybe?).

OK... here's what I was testing:

The two attached images are screenshots of both versions of the "SBP-MIX.EXE" utility. Version 1.00 has the stereo/mono feature, while version 2.00 does not.

The attached MP3s:

There are two music clips for each test... #1 is a longer four-track version, while #2 is a shorter version with only a single percussion track playing.

Each clip has been recorded 2 times... the first with "Mono" enabled, and the second with "Stereo" enabled. I've ALSO downmixed each of the recordings to mono for comparison... it makes it a bit easier to distinguish the subtle effect of the stereo.

Anyways...

Compare "Tetra_Compositor_Song_Clip_1_SBP-MIX_Mono_Mode_Original.mp3" to "Tetra_Compositor_Song_Clip_1_SBP-MIX_Mono_Mode_Downmixed_to_Mono.mp3". They sound identical.

Secondly, compare "Tetra_Compositor_Song_Clip_1_SBP-MIX_Stereo_Mode_Original.mp3" to "Tetra_Compositor_Song_Clip_1_SBP-MIX_Stereo_Mode_Downmixed_to_Mono.mp3". You can hear the difference of the stereo effect if you listen closely.

Thirdly, compare "Tetra_Compositor_Song_Clip_2_SBP-MIX_Mono_Mode_Original.mp3" to "Tetra_Compositor_Song_Clip_2_SBP-MIX_Mono_Mode_Downmixed_to_Mono.mp3". Again, they sound identical.

Lastly, compare "Tetra_Compositor_Song_Clip_2_SBP-MIX_Stereo_Mode_Original.mp3" to "Tetra_Compositor_Song_Clip_2_SBP-MIX_Stereo_Mode_Downmixed_to_Mono.mp3". Again, you can hear the difference of the stereo effect if you listen closely.

Oh... of course, the reason that the mono MP3s have a higher frequency response is simply because the Sound Blaster Pro plays stereo mode at 22KHz, while mono mode plays back at 44KHz.

Note that I ALSO tested several other programs (a few games, as well as Fast Tracker II) with the "SBP-MIX.EXE" utility in stereo and mono mode. NOPE... there was NO stereo effect whatsoever! This stereo effect only seems to be heard in Tetra Compositor.

BTW, I loaded the resulting recordings into GoldWave, and it appears to me that the stereo effect is simply shifting the left channel a wee little bit to the right in time (maybe 2 milliseconds or so), resulting in the stereo effect. As Cloudschatze said, sort of a "pseudo-stereo" effect.

Conclusion:

Who the hell knows? Maybe Creative Labs intended for you to run the "SBP-MIX.EXE" utility and enable stereo, and then run Tetra Compositor... although this appears to be undocumented (?).

Nevertheless, I've always thought throughout the decades that the stereo effect was SUPPOSED to be like on an original Amiga running "ProTracker" or "Ultimate SoundTracker" (e.g. L-R-R-L panning for each of the four tracks), but apparently not (?).

P.S. Attached is "Sound_Blaster_Pro_Mixer_Control_v1.00.zip" for anyone who might want it 😀

Clip 1 MP3s...

Clip 2 MP3s...

Signing off for now... my brain hurts 🤣!

Hehehe... I need more time to read the above posts! 🤣... will come back...

rfnagel wrote:

Anyhow, a message thread that you all might be interested in (check the latest posts there, Malik) -> http://queststudios.com/smf/index.php/topic,3480.0.html . From that thread (re: TC and stereo):

Cloudschatze wrote:

The box, manual, and program itself are all hopelessly vague in this regard. The box states that the program "Supports Sound Blaster Pro for stereo sound and 23KHz sample recording," and while the manual mentions the SBPro in a number of places, there's nothing about stereo sampling/playback or channel assignment. The output of the included demonstration tunes is monophonic, unless, strangely enough, I manually set the SBPro's digital playback to "Stereo," using v1.0 of Creative's SBP-MIX utility. This results in a sort-of pseudo-stereo effect. I'm not sure if it's intentional or not...

I must be totally brain dead... as I just remember that Cloudschatze is an active member of the forums here at VOGONS 🤣! 😀

rfnagel wrote:

I had previously downloaded the previously mentioned "SOUNDMOD" CDs (linked on page 1 of this message thread), and today download the above 4 CDs. Later tonight (after I finish my project detailed below) I'm going to burn them ALL to a single DVD.

And, the project is done. Complete with an "Autorun" that starts DOSBox v0.74 (with a tweaked "DOSBox.conf" file, which also mounts the DVDROM drive), that in turn runs the old Cubic Module Player (Open Cubic Player) 😀

Man... almost 4GB of Tracker tunes, that I'll never be able to listen to all of them during the rest of my lifetime 🤣!

Cool screenies follow...

Does anyone have any idea of where to download the special build of DOSBox that this guy is using that enables/allows for the Cubic Player's "extended text" mode resolutions (132x60) -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1U3WO5taN8 ?

I'm drooling over seeing the old Cubic Module Player in that mode like I used to years ago! 😀

Attached is a ZIP containing my new Techno "MOD" format "Tracker" song, "Not Enough Sleep Too" 😀 Hehe, 4-channel 8-bit L-R-R-L retro Tracker goodness... overused loops, overused patterns, overused samples, and NOT ENOUGH SLEEP 🤣!

P.S. A video of the old Open Cubic Player playing the tune here -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFVeBVu2juE .

Heheh...classic mod tunes! One of these days, I must gather enough motivation to continue with my tracking too...

Malik wrote:

Heheh...classic mod tunes! One of these days, I must gather enough motivation to continue with my tracking too...

You absolutely MUST! 😀

BTW (don't know if I've asked before), is there anywhere to download any of your old Tracker tunes? 😀

I used to "compose" only in my 286, before I had any idea about internet. After I went to college, the 286 was no more, since it was traded in for another computer for use at my dad's office. Unfortunately, I didn't have any floppy backups and never made it to the net later.

Now, I thought of re-making all those tracks by my memory, either in the Fast Tracker for Dos or Mad Tracker in Windows, but yet to start. It's now or never....

An interesting thing that I just remembered... anyone remember the old "Blaster Master" digital sound editor that shipped with the old Sound Blaster Pro sound cards?

Blaster Master supported the extraction of samples contained in Tracker "MOD" files, as well as editing the raw samples themselves (the native Tetra Compositor "NTI" sample files, "SAM" format sample files, as well as standard Amiga sample files).

Anyways, for the curious, this thread:

original Sound Blaster demo...

...this message post:

Re: original Sound Blaster demo...

...and this file, "Blaster Master v6.2" (BMaster.zip):

download/file.php?id=7043

😀

You know, I'm quite surprised by the lack of Tetra Compositor videos on YouTube. A YouTube search for "Tetra Compositor" only results in a single video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a6I0FBo0O4 )... the original non-interactive demo of Tetra Compositor. Of course, though, the non-interactive demo is quite cool in it's own retro way 😀

Anyhow, presenting the FIRST YouTube video of the FULL VERSION of Tetra Compositor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpypDIkOm4g

...a fresh install of version 1.03 of the full version of the program, from four 22+ year old 5-1/4" floppy disks in one of my aging and archaic 5-1/4" floppy drives 😀

rfnagel wrote:

An interesting thing that I just remembered... anyone remember the old "Blaster Master" digital sound editor that shipped with the old Sound Blaster Pro sound cards?

Heh, nice - I used this all the time to rip samples from games (guessing the PCM encoding was fun)... and probably for a prank call or two. 🤣
Very nice software for its time... kind of like Sound Forge's granddaddy, I guess.

VileRancour wrote:

Heh, nice - I used this all the time to rip samples from games (guessing the PCM encoding was fun)... and probably for a prank call or two. 🤣

Hehe, I probably had just as much fun playing around with Blaster Master back in the day as I did playing the games of the era 🤣!

VileRancour wrote:

Very nice software for its time... kind of like Sound Forge's granddaddy, I guess.

Blaster Master was quite advanced for that day in age. About the only other alternative was the "VOCEdit" utility that was included with the Sound Blaster cards... but of course, Blaster Master dwarfed it by comparison 😀

Attached is a ZIP containing my latest "Tracker" "MOD" format song, "Death Assured Remix"... a Techno-Trance Tracker remix of one of my old compositions for Team Eternal's "Eternal DOOM" ("Death Assured Reprise") 😀

Hehe, 4-channel 8-bit L-R-R-L retro Tracker goodness at it's best... extremely overused patterns, extremely overused samples, and an extreme lack of sleep 🤣!

P.S. A video of the old Open Cubic Player playing the tune here -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zFjmoCzqAs