AdLib Visual Composer

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https://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php/AdLib_Visual_Composer_(DOS)

For the example songs, see AdLib Visual Composer (DOS).


AdLib Visual Composer
Version 0.4
Author: [[]]
[[]]
AdLib Visual Composer
Latest Version:  —
Release Date:  2004
Company: Template:AdLibCo
Development Status:  {{{DevStatus}}}
Publication Status:  Published
Developer(s): Unknown
Interface: GUI
Language: C
Open Source: Open
Source Availability:  Yes (included in Download)
License: Freeware
Type:
Relevant Engine: {{{Engine}}}
Platform: DOS
Localization: English
Website:



Template:Infobox Software

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Visual Composer is a music composer program created by Ad Lib, Inc. specifically for their Ad Lib Music Synthesizer Card from 1987.

Just like the on-board OPL2 chip, Visual Composer has two modes to choose from: Six voice channels and a bass drum, snare, tom, hi-hat, and cymbal channel, or a "Without Percussion" mode with nine channels, and on each channel, only one note can play. To insert or change a note, you "paint" it over the piano roll using your mouse or computer keyboard. The whole program has only two colors to allow a wider screen resolution. It also has a MIDI recording function, but it does not work with Sound Blaster cards, and Dan Froelich and Matthias Steinwachs confirmed on their respective website using a mouse.

At any time in-song, you can change the tempo, the instruments in a channel, the volume, and the pitch accuracy. But even at that, Visual Composer can't easily do some things that other music composition programs can do, like arpeggios, pitch bends, and note slides. Arpeggios and tuplets can be created by altering the tempo in the middle of the song.

Instruments were always stored in separate files from the composition. In early versions, one instrument was stored in one INS file, which was always 54 bytes. However, due to how floppy and hard disks work, every file costs 1 KB of real disk space, so in version 1.5, the BNK format was introduced to save that space. A bank contains the names and timbres of all instruments, and you have to choose one bank for your composition. The original bank (STANDARD.BNK) has numerous instruments to choose from, from accordions to xylophones. Visual Composer does not create or modify instruments and banks itself; for that, it came with the Instrument Maker and Bank Manager programs, and also AdLib Juke Box to play ROL files in a playlist.

Music is saved in the ROL format. Games that use Visual Composer for their music either came with the artist's original ROL and BNK files and AdLib Sound Driver, or conversions in MUS (AdLib), MDI, CMF, or custom formats and drivers. Coming as ROL and BNK allowed other people to modify the songs and use the instruments from the game in their own compositions.


AdLib Visual Composer, was an easy to use music composer program that could be purchased to enhance an AdLib sound card. This page houses the recorded music that came with the program. For an explanation of how the program works, view the AdLib Visual Composer software page.

Screenshots

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Music

In order to get potential users headed in the right direction, AdLib Visual Composer was released with several brief example tunes, each named after the genre of music they represented.

Though not in the recording, "Hard Blues" was used in the arcade game Multi Champ (ARC), albeit pitched up and a few instruments changed. Also, Classic is used in the game Puzzle (NES).

Recording

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(Source)

Credits

(No Source. Program lacks credits.)

Game Rip

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The example tunes are simply installed in the root folder of the program. They use AdLib's custom ROL format. They were recorded using AdPlug 1.8.2 in Winamp.

Audio Devices

Template:Table | style="background-color:#FFF0FF;" | Sound | Template:Audio Device |- | style="background-color:#FFF0FF;" | Music | Template:Audio Device |}

(No source - Program auto-detects an AdLib board.)



Composers

The following composers used Visual Composer:



Releases

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Download

Version Download Platform Notes
1.51 Template:Software DOS Includes Instrument Maker and Juke Box


Links

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