The MMAS & QSA Message Board

Spikey wrote: ↑Wed Mar 17, 2021 10:42 am OK, with Note Off, you guys mean the velocity for "Note Off", not a controller command, right? I see that KQ4 uses nonstandard values. In every Sierra game, barring maybe an odd track here or there, the default 64 is used for "Off" velocity, and KQ4 uses sometimes 64 and sometimes varying values. I'm guessing this is what you're referring to?

Yes, it's note off velocity that causes problems with CM-{32L,64,500}'s unofficial Overflow Assign. Any note off with a velocity over zero gets forwarded to the output module(s). So, obviously it wouldn't be a problem under normal circumstances, but is for my general use. When I was looking into it, the values seemed to be quite varied (perhaps even random).

Even that aside, I can't think of many games where a note would have a velocity of 127 and the instrument itself would be set to CC #7 Volume of 127. Are you saying it's not that that's the issue, Jaffa, but some SysEx volume part change, or are you saying the SysEx and the high controller values in tandem are causing the "volume overflow"?

Yes, volume was set with agreeing SysEx and CC #7 messages. Either one would have sufficed, but both were used. And yes, here (for the Trumpet and French horn) they cause the "clipping issue" (digital volume overflow) on the CM-{32L,64,500}. Note velocity doesn't have to reach 127 to digitally overflow, however. It can just be a combination of the volume of all instruments that play together, with a sufficiently high master volume.

Sorry for the late answer, but now that I see it was directed at me, I would have been irritated if I left it unsaid.

Thanks, that's a useful reply actually. I don't think anyone had ever explained the reason for the KQ4 clipping (assuming it's the same reason it occurs on a MT-32 as well). Unless I'm confused.

Spikey wrote: ↑Sun May 07, 2023 3:21 am Thanks, that's a useful reply actually. I don't think anyone had ever explained the reason for the KQ4 clipping (assuming it's the same reason it occurs on a MT-32 as well). Unless I'm confused.

You're not confused!
I'm glad it helped!

Yes, it is the same for the MT-32 as well, with one major difference.

Since the MT-32's volume knob lowers the digital volume before it reaches the DAC, lowering the Master Volume to around 33, or so, avoids all (or most) of the clipping.

The CM-* units' volume knob operates on the volume after the DAC and it often overflows (clipping), presumably from being set too high by composers who only tested on the MT-32 while using a lower Master Volume (or MUNT nowadays). The only way for the CM-* family to avoid it, is by SysEx edits which overwrite the intended Master Volume and/or the separate Part Volumes. As in this case of KQ4_5.mid, it may also be necessary to lower each MIDI channel's CC #7 value.

The Master Volume set to 33 is what I tested, since the example SysEx Edit on my patched qmidiroute lowers the Master Volume at 70 to 33. (0x00-0x64 or 0-100, is linearly lowered to 0x00-0x30 or 0-48, with 70 (0x46) becoming 33 (0x21)). I allow it to max out at 0x30 (48), since that is where I leave my MT-32's Master Volume, most of the time, to avoid most clipping on it.

Since I hadn't noticed before, I'm including an initial SysEx file for it which overwrites the Master Volume's 70 value with 33, in addition to the other files Ari & I previously posted: I hope that's helpful too,

Lucas