////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//// MCK/MML BEGINNERS GUIDE ///////////////////////////
//// by nullsleep ////////// product of 8bitpeoples ////
//// version 1.0 /////////// Research & Development ////
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

*******************************************************************************
** OBJECTIVE ******************************************************************
*******************************************************************************

This document is aimed at providing the reader with everything that is needed 
in order to begin programming NES tunes with MCK/MML. It outlines all the steps
required in the process, the initial organization of the MCK/MML workspace, the
conventions in programming each of the sound channels of the NES including 
some of the most common and useful MML commands and effects, and finally 
generating an NSF file and troubleshooting any problems that might come up 
during this process.

Thanks: Izumi, Manbow-J, Norix, Virt, Memblers, and everyone at MCK 2ch.

*******************************************************************************
** MCK/MML WORKSPACE SETUP ****************************************************
*******************************************************************************

Download Necessary Files
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
mck_0228.zip
mckc025.zip
dmcconv005.zip
mckc-e.txt
- currently available from:
http://www.geocities.co.jp/Playtown-Denei/9628/

mkit251_dos.zip
- currently available from:
http://www.magicengine.com/mkit/download.html


Organize MCK/MML Workspace
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Create a folder called 'workspace' and unzip all the files contained in 
mck_0228.zip into this folder. Next, extract all files from mckc025.zip into 
this same folder. Now extract ONLY nesasm.exe from the mkit251_dos.zip into 
the 'workspace' folder. None of the other magickit files will be needed. The 
'source' folder that was extracted from the mckc zip into the 'workspace' may 
also be deleted. Finally, create a new folder inside 'workspace' called 
'DMCconv' and extract the files from dmcconv005.zip into this folder.


Create and Modify Files
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Create a new text file, call it songdata.mml and place it in your 'workspace' 
folder. This is the text file where you will use MML (music macro language) to 
program your tune. But first, there are some other things that must be setup. 
Open make_nsf.txt and scroll to the end of the file where there will be a 
number of .include statements. After the last one, add this line to the file:

	.include	"songdata.h"

also look for these lines in make_nsf.txt:

  .org	$800E
	db	"Song Name"
	db	$00
  .org	$802E
	db	"Artist"
	db	$00
  .org	$804E
	db	"Maker"
	db	$00

This is the part of the NSF header that identifies the tune. It should be 
obvious from the hex values of the org statements that there is only a limited 
amount of space for each of the fields, the max length being 31 characters. You
should modify these header fields appropriately as seen below, keeping in mind 
the 31 character limit:

  .org	$800E
	db	"My First NES Chip"
	db	$00
  .org	$802E
	db	"Nullsleep"
	db	$00
  .org	$804E
	db	"2003 Jeremiah Johnson"
	db	$00


*******************************************************************************
** GENERATING THE NSF FILE ****************************************************
*******************************************************************************

Create another new text file, open it up and type the following:

mckc_e songdata.mml
del nesmusic.nsf
nesasm -raw make_nsf.txt
ren make_nsf.nes nesmusic.nsf

Save the file, close it, and rename it build.bat, this is a simple batch file 
that will run all of the commands to generate an NSF file from the MML data. 
First it uses mckc to convert songdata.mml into a chunk of data in songdata.h 
that nesasm will then compile along with the MCK sound driver code into an NSF 
file. By this point everything should be setup properly, so now you can get 
started on programming MML.


*******************************************************************************
** BASIC SONG SETUP ***********************************************************
*******************************************************************************

Header Credits
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After opening up songdata.mml in your preferred text editor, the first thing 
you should do is add the header lines to the top of the file to identify 
yourself as the composer and note the title of the song. For example:

#TITLE My First NES Chip
#COMPOSER Nullsleep
#PROGRAMER 2003 Jeremiah Johnson

This is an optional step, however it is highly recommended, especially if the 
MML files will be released publicly. On a side note, the incorrect spelling of 
#PROGRAMER is a typo within MCK itself, and therefore must be used.

Channel Layout
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The NES has 5 channels to work with, and they are defined in MML as follows:

A this is the first pulse channel
B this is the second pulse channel
C this is the triangle channel
D this is the noise channel
E this is the dpcm channel

This guide will cover the programming conventions for each of these channels, 
with A+B being covered together since their operation is identical.


Tempo Settings
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tempo can be set individually for each channel, however its likely that you 
will usually want all channels to be playing at the same speed to keep 
everything in sync. The tempo for all channels can be set simultaneously like 
this:

ABCDE t150

In MML notation this is saying, for channels A, B, C, D, and E set the tempo 
to 150 beats per minute. The valid range of values for tempo is 1 to 255.


Volume Settings
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The pulse wave channels (A+B) and the noise channel (D) of the NES have volume 
control, while the triangle wave channel (C) and the DPCM channel (E) can only 
be turned ON or OFF. For the pulse and noise channels, there are two options 
for setting volume. The first is to just set a constant volume level, by doing 
something like this:

A v15

Which would set the volume level for channel A to 15, which is the highest 
volume level available. However, in most cases using a volume envelope is 
probably a much better choice than setting a constant volume.

Setting up a basic volume envelopes is simple. If neither a constant volume nor
a volume envelope is defined for the pulse channels (A+B) or the noise channel 
(D), you will not hear any sound output on these channels. Here is a simple 
volume envelope example:

@v0 = { 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 }

The volume envelope takes values between 0 and 15. The highest volume being 15,
and 0 being silence. This volume envelope starts off at a high volume and 
quickly decays down to a low volume, this last value will be held until another
note is played. You can easily modify the volume envelope or setup more, 
further examples will be given, including setting loop points within the 
envelope.


*******************************************************************************
** PULSE WAVE CHANNELS (A+B) **************************************************
*******************************************************************************

Initialization
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next step is setting up each channel individually with the properties it 
requires, such as note length, octave, duty cycle (for the pulse channels), and
volume envelope. Here is a possible setup for one of the pulse wave channels:

A l8 o4 @01 @v0

Which translates to, for channel A set the default note length to eighth notes,
set the octave to the 4th octave, set the duty cycle setting to 01 (25% duty 
cycle), and use volume envelope 0 (which was defined above). A quick 
explanation of the duty cycle setting follows.


Duty Cycle Explanation
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can think of a pulse wave as a square wave with a variable width. In a 
square wave the width is fixed at 50% (half up and half down), but pulse waves 
have more flexibility. This flexibility is referred to as the duty cycle (or 
sometimes the timbre) of the pulse wave. Below are the 4 possible duty cycle 
settings for the pulse wave channels on the NES.

       _
00    | |             |  12.5% thin raspy sound
      | |_____________|
       ___
01    |   |           |  25% thick fat sound
      |   |___________|
       _______
02    |       |       |  50% smooth clear sound
      |       |_______|
       ___________
03    |           |   |  75% same as 25% but phase-inverted
      |           |___|


Programming the Pulse Channel
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now that the pulse channel (A) should be completely setup, here is a little 
note sequence that can be programmed on it.

A c d e f g4 a16 b16 >c c d e f g4 a16 b16 >c<<

If you know standard music notation most of what you see should look atleast 
somewhat familiar. Additionally, the use of sharps and flats is accomplished by
adding either a + or - (respectively) after the note value. Making the notes in
an octave:

       c+ d+    f+ g+ a+
    |  #  #  |  #  #  #  |  additionally:
    |  #  #  |  #  #  #  |  r = rest
    |  #  #  |  #  #  #  |  w = wait (rest without silencing the previous note)
    |__|__|__|__|__|__|__|
     c  d  e  f  g  a  b 

Since the default note length for channel A was set to eighth notes, the above 
melody is playing c d e f notes for an eighth length each, then the g4 which 
plays g for a quarter length, followed by a16 b16 which play an a note and b 
note for a sixteenth length each. Next is the > symbol, this switches an octave
UP (so now we are in the 5th octave) and then a 5th octave c eighth note is 
played. Now the scale is repeated again, before finally switching back down 2 
octaves (to the original 4th octave we set for the channel). Additionally, in 
reference to note duration it is possible to use dotted notes, which should 
again be familiar to those with knowledge of standard music notation. Dotting 
a note increases the duration of that note by half of its value. These examples
should help illustrate this:

c8. = c note played for an eighth plus a sixteenth
d4. = d note played for a quarter plus an eighth
e4.. = e note played for a quarter plus an eighth plus a sixteenth
f2.. = f note played for a half plus a quarter plus an eighth

Now, getting back to the above example programmed on the first pulse wave
channel (A), notice that this sequence will only play once. The full sequence 
or small portions of it can be looped using brackets followed by a loop count 
as shown below:

A [c d e f g4 a16 b16 >c c d e f g4 a16 b16 >c<<]2

This will loop the entire sequence twice. This can be handy for keeping your 
MML code clean and saving you some unnecessary typing. To give this sequence a 
little more of a dynamic feel another volume envelope can be setup and the two 
can be switched back and forth. Ending up with something like this:

#TITLE My First NES Chip
#COMPOSER Nullsleep
#PROGRAMER 2003 Jeremiah Johnson

@v0 = { 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 }
@v1 = { 15 15 14 14 13 13 12 12 11 11 10 10 9 9 8 8 7 7 6 6 }

ABCDE t150

A l8 o4 @01 @v0
A [c d e f @v1 g4 @v0 a16 b16 >c c d e f @v1 g4 @v0 a16 b16 >c<<]2

This volume envelope switching will put a slight emphasis on the quarter notes 
because of the higher initial volume setting of the new volume envelope and its
slower decay rate. All of this can be applied identically to the second pulse 
channel (B) as well.


*******************************************************************************
** TRIANGLE WAVE CHANNEL (C) **************************************************
*******************************************************************************

Initialization
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The operation of the triangle wave channel (C) is similar to the pulse wave 
channels with the exception of volume envelope and duty cycle parameters. The 
triangle channel has no volume control, it is either ON or OFF and therefore 
volume envelopes can not be used. Likewise, duty cycle settings only apply to 
the pulse channels and can be disregarded when using the triangle channel. 
Taking these things into consideration, the initial setup of the triangle 
channel is fairly straightforward:

C l4 o3 q6

Which translates to, for channel C set the default note length to quarter 
notes, set the octave to the 3rd octave, and finally set q6. This setting might
be confusing, but what it does is cuts the notes played back on this channel 
slightly. The q stands for quantize and it can take values from 1 to 8. Notes 
are divided into 8 equal parts and what this value determines is how many 
eighths of the note to play before cutting it. For example, the q6 setting we 
used will cut the note after 6/8ths of it has played. This will help give 
basslines a bit of a snappier rhythm than if the notes were just allowed to 
sound continuously.


Programming the Triangle Channel
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is a little example of a bassline sequence on the triangle channel:

C c e g8 g8 a16 b16 >c8 c e g8 g8 a16 b16 >c8<<

Add this into the MML covered so far, and loop it 4 times. This way its first 
heard along with whats playing on the pulse wave channel (A) and then it can be
heard alone.

#TITLE My First NES Chip
#COMPOSER Nullsleep
#PROGRAMER 2003 Jeremiah Johnson

@v0 = { 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 }
@v1 = { 15 15 14 14 13 13 12 12 11 11 10 10 9 9 8 8 7 7 6 6 }

ABCDE t150

A l8 o4 @01 @v0
A [c d e f @v1 g4 @v0 a16 b16 >c c d e f @v1 g4 @v0 a16 b16 >c<<]2

C l4 o3 q6
C [c e g8 g8 a16 b16 >c8 c e g8 g8 a16 b16 >c8<<]4


*******************************************************************************
** NOISE CHANNEL (D) **********************************************************
*******************************************************************************

Noise Channel Explanation
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The noise channel (D) can be a fairly versatile instrument with a bit of work. 
Waves crashing on a beach, rocket engines roaring, dark fiery dungeon sounds, 
and supplemental percussion to enhance your drum samples are a few possible 
applications. Like the pulse wave channels, volume envelopes are used by the 
noise channel and are an important part of getting good sounds out of it. 
Additionally it has 2 modes of operation: normal and looped noise. The looped 
noise setting can be used to generate interesting, somewhat metallic sounds. 
The pitch range of the noise channel is very limited and loops every octave, 
making octave changing unnecessary. The c note seems to be the high pitch, with
the pitch moving slightly downwards over e, f, g, a, and finally to the b note 
which seems to be the lowest pitched. 


Initialization
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are a couple of simple volume envelopes that can be used for some basic 
percussion on the noise channel:

@v2 = { 15 12 10 8 6 3 2 1 0 }
@v3 = { 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 }

After setting up the volume envelopes the channel should be initialized:

D l4 o1 @0 @v2

Which translates to, for channel D set the default note length to quarter 
notes, set the octave to the 1st octave, set the noise mode to normal (@1 would
be used to turn on looped noise), and use volume envelope 2.


Programming the Noise Channel
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is a little sequence of simple noise drums:

D @v2 b @v3 e @v2 b @v3 e @v2 b @v3 e @v2 b @v3 e8 @v2 b8

Add this into the MML covered so far, and loop it 4 times.

#TITLE My First NES Chip
#COMPOSER Nullsleep
#PROGRAMER 2003 Jeremiah Johnson

@v0 = { 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 }
@v1 = { 15 15 14 14 13 13 12 12 11 11 10 10 9 9 8 8 7 7 6 6 }
@v2 = { 15 12 10 8 6 3 2 1 0 }
@v3 = { 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 }

ABCDE t150

A l8 o4 @01 @v0
A [c d e f @v1 g4 @v0 a16 b16 >c c d e f @v1 g4 @v0 a16 b16 >c<<]2

C l4 o3 q6
C [c e g8 g8 a16 b16 >c8 c e g8 g8 a16 b16 >c8<<]4

D l4 o1 @0 @v2
D [@v2 b @v3 e @v2 b @v3 e @v2 b @v3 e @v2 b @v3 e8 @v2 b8]4


*******************************************************************************
** DPCM CHANNEL (E) ***********************************************************
*******************************************************************************

DPCM Channel Explanation
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The DPCM channel, or delta modulation channel (DMC) as it is also sometimes 
referred to, is used for sample playback on the NES. This can be useful for 
programming drums, sampled basslines, or even vocal samples. Its operation is 
simple and fairly straightforward, with very few parameters that must be set. 
Like the triangle wave channel there is no volume control, the DPCM channel is 
either ON or OFF. Additionally, the NES uses its own 1-bit sample format, which
 you will have to convert your samples to before doing anything else. This 
process is described in the next section.


Creating DPCM Samples
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DMCconv is the program that will be used to convert your samples from .wav to 
.bin for use with MCK.  The documentation for DMCconv is not in english, 
however its operation is simple enough so that this should not be a problem. 
Below is the description of its usage:

Usage: DMCconv wavefile outfile 
 Options
 -r?  DMC Sampling rate(0-F) (Default:F 33.14KHz)
      0: 4.18KHz  1: 4.71KHz  2: 5.26KHz  3: 5.59KHz
      4: 6.26KHz  5: 7.05KHz  6: 7.92KHz  7: 8.36KHz
      8: 9.42KHz  9:11.18KHz  A:12.60KHz  B:13.98KHz
      C:16.88KHz  D:21.30KHz  E:24.86KHz  F:33.14KHz
 -v?  Volume(Default:100)
 -n   Volume not adjust(Default:Adjust)
 -b   Bank size padding(Default:No padding)

For example: DMCconv kick.wav kick.dmc
would convert a kick.wav file into a kickdrum sample useable by the NES with 
all of the default settings. 


Initialization and Programming the DPCM Channel
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once all desired samples are converted, create a directory called 'samples' 
within the 'workspace' folder and include the samples and initialize the 
channel in the mml as follows:

@DPCM0 = { "samples\kick.dmc",15 }
@DPCM2 = { "samples\snare.dmc",15 }

E o0 l4

The first sample, kick.dmc, will be mapped to @DPCM0 which corresponds to the 
c note on octave 0. You will then notice that the second sample, snare.dmc, is 
mapped @DPCM2 which corresponds to the d note ... @DPCM1 is skipped over to 
avoid mapping samples to sharps/flats in order to keep the MML more readable. 
For example, which of the following is easier to recognize as alternating kick 
and snare drumbeats?

E c d c d c d c d8 c8

or 

E c c+ c c+ c c+ c c+8 c8 

It should be apparent that the first one is more recognizeable, and this 
increased readability will be further appreciated when programming more complex
or lengthy drum sequences. Looping this and adding it to the MML programmed so 
far gives us something like:

#TITLE My First NES Chip
#COMPOSER Nullsleep
#PROGRAMER 2003 Jeremiah Johnson

@v0 = { 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 }
@v1 = { 15 15 14 14 13 13 12 12 11 11 10 10 9 9 8 8 7 7 6 6 }
@v2 = { 15 12 10 8 6 3 2 1 0 }
@v3 = { 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 }

@DPCM0 = { "samples\kick.dmc",15 }
@DPCM2 = { "samples\snare.dmc",15 }

ABCDE t150

A l8 o4 @01 @v0
A [c d e f @v1 g4 @v0 a16 b16 >c c d e f @v1 g4 @v0 a16 b16 >c<<]2

C l4 o3 q6
C [c e g8 g8 a16 b16 >c8 c e g8 g8 a16 b16 >c8<<]4

D l4 o1 @0 @v2
D [@v2 b @v3 e @v2 b @v3 e @v2 b @v3 e @v2 b @v3 e8 @v2 b8]4

E o0 l4
E [c d c d c d c d8 c8]4


*******************************************************************************
** ADDITIONAL MACROS **********************************************************
*******************************************************************************

This section will cover a few useful macros that can be used to add more depth 
and complexity to your tunes. The syntax for the macros will first be given, 
followed by the valid range of values that can be used, concluding with 
examples and explanations. For a comprehensive listing of MML commands, please 
see the mckc-e.txt file by Virt that is mentioned at the beginning of this 
document.


Volume Macro @v[num] = { }
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Valid range of values for num: 0 to 127
Valid range of values for parameters: 0 to 15

@v0 = { 10 8 6 5 4 3 2 | 3 4 5 6 5 4 }
A @v0 c d e f g a b >c<
B @v0 c d e f g a b >c<
D @v0 c d e f g a b >c<

The volume envelope macro has been covered extensively already, useable by both
the pulse wave channels (A+B) and the noise channel (D). However this example 
illustrates a loop point within the macro. Notice the | following the 2, this 
is the loop point. All values after this point will loop indefinitely. So for 
this example, the channel begins playing at volume 10 down to 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 
and 2 and then increases again to 3, 4, 5, peaking at 6, then back down to 
5, 4, and looping back to 3 stepping through the values again. Loop points in 
volume macros can be very useful for things such as simulating delay/echo 
effects.


Timbre Macro @[num] = { }
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Valid range of values for num: 0 to 127
Valid range of values for parameters: 0 to 3

@0 = { | 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 }
A @@0 c d e f g a b >c<
B @@0 c d e f g a b >c<

The timbre macro is useable only on the pulse wave channels (A+B) in order to 
rapidly switch the duty cycles of the pulse waves. The above example sets a 
loop point immediately following the opening bracket, meaning all values will 
be looped. A 50% duty cycle is played for 4 frames, followed by a 25% duty 
cycle for 4 frames, followed by a 12.5% duty cycle for 4 frames, followed 
again by a 25% duty cycle for another 4 frames, and finally looping back to 
the beginning with the 50% duty cycle. Timbre macros can be used to make the 
pulse wave channels sound much more interesting. Use a looping timbre macro 
like the one above to thicken your tune up a bit. Or use a non-looping macro to
simply give instruments a sense of being plucked.


Arpeggio/Note Macro @EN[num] = { }
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Valid range of values for num: 0 to 127
Valid range of values for parameters: -127 to 126

@EN0 = { 0 0 | 4 0 3 0 -7 0 }
A EN0 c f g >c< ENOF
B EN0 c f g >c< ENOF 
D EN0 c f g >c< ENOF 

The arpeggio (or note) macro is used to step through a series of notes very 
rapidly, useable on the pulse wave channels (A+B) and the noise channel (D). 
The most common use of this technique is probably for simulating chords on a 
single channel. The parameters for the macro are not absolute, but instead 
relative to the current note. So, going through the above example, first the 
base note is played for 2 frames indicated by the two 0s, next the loop point 
is set, following the loop point the note is increased by 4 semitones (so if 
the base note is c this will now play e), then followed by a 0 to hold this 
new note for a second frame, then this new note is increased by 3 semitones 
(bringing it from e to g if we assume c as the base note), followed by a 0 to 
hold this new note for a second frame, then finally decreased by 7 semitones 
back to the base note and held for a second frame by the following 0 before 
jumping back to the loop point. This example is simulating a major chord. The 
macro is turned on by issuing the EN[num] command on the channel, and turned 
off using ENOF.


Pitch Macro @EP[num] = { }
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Valid range of values for num: 0 to 127
Valid range of values for parameters: -127 to 126

@EP0 = { 8 }
@EP1 = { -64 }
A EP0 c EPOF r EP1 c EPOF
B EP0 c EPOF r EP1 c EPOF 
C EP0 c EPOF r EP1 c EPOF
D EP0 c EPOF r EP1 c EPOF

The pitch macro, useable on all channels except for the DPCM channel (E), 
functions by sliding the frequency of a note with a speed and direction based 
upon the given parameters. When the number(s) within the brackets is positive, 
the frequency will slide up in pitch. Likewise, when the number(s) within the 
brackets is negative, the frequency of the note will slide downwards in pitch. 
The farther the value is from 0 (in either direction) the faster the frequency 
will sweep. In the above example, two pitch macros are setup, EP0 to give a 
slow upward pitch bend and EP1 to give a very extreme pitch bend down. In this 
second instance, the pitch is swept downward so quickly and so far that it 
wraps around, generating an interesting effect. Both examples use a single 
value within the brackets, but it is possible to use multiple values and set a 
loop point as in the above arpeggio macro example. Like the arpeggio/note 
macro, the pitch macro will remain ON when in use on a channel until it is 
issued the EPOF command for turning it off.


Vibrato Macro @MP[num] = { [delay] [speed] [depth] }
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Valid range of values for num: 0 to 63
Valid range of values for delay parameter: 0 to 255
Valid range of values for speed parameter: 1 to 255
Valid range of values for depth parameter: 0 to 255

@MP0 = { 8 2 6 }
A MP0 c1 d1 e1 f1 g1 a1 b1 >c1< MPOF
B MP0 c1 d1 e1 f1 g1 a1 b1 >c1< MPOF
C MP0 c1 d1 e1 f1 g1 a1 b1 >c1< MPOF
D MP0 c1 d1 e1 f1 g1 a1 b1 >c1< MPOF

The vibrato (or pitch modulation) macro is useable on all channels except for 
the DPCM channel (E). There are 3 parameters that must be set within the 
brackets: delay, speed, and depth. Pitch modulation works by sliding the 
frequency of a note in a sine wave pattern. The delay parameter determines how 
long to wait before activating the vibrato, a value of 0 activating it 
immediately. The speed parameter determines the period of the sine wave, the 
larger the value the slower the pitch will change. The final parameter is 
depth, which determines the amplitude of the sine wave, the larger the value 
the greater the pitch range. Like the arpeggio/note macro and the pitch macro, 
the vibrato will remain ON when in use on a channel until it is issued the 
MPOF command for turning it off.


*******************************************************************************
** TROUBLESHOOTING ************************************************************
*******************************************************************************

DPCM Sample Problems
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The DPCM samples can sometimes cause pops in your tunes, little clicks that are
audible before and/or after the samples play. This cannot always be completely 
eliminated, but there are some things that you can do to minimize the problem. 
First off, 16bit 44100KHz Mono .wav files are recommended for use with DMCconv,
and make sure to check in your sound editor that the samples have a starting 
and ending level of 0. Once this is verified, convert the samples with DMCconv 
and open the converted samples in a hex editor. If the size of the file is not 
a multiple of 16, it should be padded with $AA or $55 until it is.


Bank Overflows
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When working on long tunes or using particularly complex MML, you may encounter
the following error output from nesasm:

Bank overflow, offset > $1FFF!

Nesasm code must be organized in a way such that it uses 8K banks. If your 
songdata takes up too much space, you will encounter this bank overflow problem
at compilation time. Fortunately, there is an MML command for bankswitching 
that will effectively give you more space for your songdata. Its usage is as 
follows:

#BANK-CHANGE [num]

Where the valid range of values for num is 1 to 14, each corresponding to a 
track in your MML code (1=A, 2=B, 3=C, ... ). If the command is not successful 
in eliminating the bank overflow the first time you use it, try bankswitching 
different tracks. There is also an alternative usage of this command below:

#BANK-CHANGE [num1],[num2]

Where the valid values for num1 are 0 to 2 which denotes the bank number, and 
for num2 they are again 1 to 14 corresponding to a track number. If you are 
using the DPCM channel, num1 should be set to 0 to avoid problems since DPCM 
samples are stored in banks 1 and 2.

- EOF -------------------------------------------------------------------------

../love_always/nullsleep
../www.8bitpeoples.com
../www.nullsleep.com

If you find any errors in this document or have any suggestions or requests for
additions, please contact me: nullsleep@8bitpeoples.com

Related Links:
http://www.geocities.co.jp/Playtown-Denei/9628/	; the home of mck
http://www.2A03.org				; NES scene music archive
http://www.vorc.org				; relevant vgm & chiptune news
http://nesdev.parodius.com			; a wealth of NES docs
http://research.8bitpeoples.com 		; NES and other 8bit love