Posted By
Spector
on 2002-12-19
|  More about TAP files and the new YAPE
One thing I have found with YAPE 0.41 is that TAP files you create with it are totally incompatible with the ptap36 program. You try and play one back and it says "This TAP file is not yet supported, sorry!".
Two questions that come from this are - do any earlier versions of YAPE use a TAP format that is compatible with Markus Brenner's software? Also, what about the new YAPE, does it work with it? Probably not, I know, but I don't understand the point of creating a new TAP format when it leads to incompatibilities like this.
|
|
Posted By
Gaia
on 2002-12-19
| YAPE vs MTAP
You have to check in the "Record wholewave TAP files" checkbox in the Create TAP dialog window to get MTAP files supported by MTAP. Note, the original format was specified by Markus, but he has not yet implemented it in his TAPSAVE routine. You can only record these so-called half-wave TAPs. YAPE by default uses this format.
Since MTAP is originally written for the C64 TAP files, you can only record tape files with it at this moment that are using waveforms compatible with the C64 (that is symmetric waveforms). This affects only a couple of turbo loaders, but NOVALOAD is safe to use as its waveform is compatible.
Note that there's still a bug in YAPE that may prevent you from recording proper wholewave tapes.
Anyway it would be easy to write a MTAP->WAV converter.... Then you could easily record the WAV file to normal tape without any cable, but it would need some testing. If there's a need for that I might try writing one.
|
|
Posted By
Spector
on 2002-12-21
| Results of my attempts..
Well Attila, I tried the wholewave recording approach, and while I seemed to have problems loading it up in YAPE, the file loaded up in Artifex no problem, so it was recorded correctly. However, when I tried to play it back with ptap, the response was "file size does not match header!". So there are some compatibility problems still to be resolved with this program. Some of the TAP files on this site don't work either with ptap: "Beach Head" and "Winter Events" to name but two. With that in mind, I would love someone to write an MTAP-WAV converter one day- it would be a huge help, because PTAP isn't quite fully successful.
|
|
Posted By
MIK
on 2002-12-21
 | "Beach Head" and "Winter Events" to name but two.
Thats because these and a number of others are 1/2 wav taps. We are lucky to even have the 1/2 wav format this far, even some of the tapes because its unique to the 264 machines. There are still issues/bugs with mtap aswell because there are a couple of games I can't make working tap of.
|
|
Posted By
Spector
on 2002-12-21
| I thought that would be the reason...
I remember you mentioning that about TAP files before. I'm not so sure what's wrong with wholewave TAP files made by YAPE. Maybe what we need is an emulator that has a facility to allow you to hear the TAP file being played back, no matter what type of wave it is. There is a machine code trick that allows you to hear a plus/4 tape playing back on your real plus 4 which is on the YAPE homepage, I think, but of course this doesn't work on emulators. Aargh!
|
|
Posted By
Gaia
on 2002-12-22
| That tape listener code on my site...
... is actually working on YAPE now!!! When I actually wrote the text, YAPE did not even exist. But now, that both digi support and tape emulation is functional, it should work! I haven't yet tried it yet, to be honest, but it SHOULD work!
|
|
Posted By
Spector
on 2002-12-22
| I've tried it with YAPE 042
I had a go with the new YAPE and when I typed the machine code in and then typed G620, I noticed clicking noises as I selected options, but when I selected "Enable TED sound" from the sound options dialog box it said "SetFormat on Primary Failed". I tried it with SID emulation checked and when I played the TAP, no sound came out. It sounds like I am close, but it's not quite there yet, it seems, unless I've made an error, which is certainly possible.
|
|
Posted By
Gaia
on 2002-12-29
| Odd...
That's odd..... Do you get proper sound in YAPE at all??
The error message you see is related to DirectX and not the
machine language code....
I however "developed" a more emulator friendly (or I'd rather say
YAPE-friendly) version of the code snipplet for listening to the tape:
. 0600 SEI
. 0601 LDA $01
. 0603 ORA #$88
. 0605 STA $FF11
. 0608 STA $FF19
. 060B JMP $0601
|
|
Posted By
Gaia
on 2002-12-29
| BTW: SID
The code won't ever work in SID emulation mode as it is using a TED sound register ($FF11).
|
|
Posted By
Spector
on 2002-12-29
| one quick dumb question...
How do I get the machine code to run? In the original code, when you typed in the last line, another register number would come up, and I just pressed ENTER and then typed G620. What do I do with this one?
|
|
Posted By
Gaia
on 2002-12-30
| Well...
The startup code now is G 600
|
|
Posted By
Spector
on 2002-12-30
| I tried it and...
This time it worked no problem. I used a laptop and that avoided the directx issue. Good stuff Attila.
|
|
