Sonix – The originals VI (Amiga)

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Commodore Amiga platform

Take a trip back in time, and listen to some of the work of Thomas Canell.

Aegis Sonix article, part VI

The fruits of this summer holiday is almost at an end. So this is – for the time being – the last set of original Sonix track, created in Aegis Sonix but with samples from SoundTracker.

The Sound Tracker influence

At some point I decided to convert some of the instruments from SoundTracker so they could be used in Sonix. At this point we were still doing all of our music in Aegis Sonix but the sound coming from SoundTracker was interesting, yet we weren’t 100% “converted” or convinced.

After converting some of the SoundTracker samples from ST-01, I created this tune. The tune also uses the build-in synth module.

Canell - When time dies

The two type of programs

In Aegis Sonix, the music is created by arranging musical symbols (drag and drop) – to specify tone and length of the note to play and together with symbols for pauses you could create sheet music. This is done, one channel at a time. And remember that the Commodore Amiga had 4 channels. Besides Aegis Sonix, you also created sheet music. in the extensive music program Deluxe Music Construction Set by Electronic Arts. I think that Aegis Sonix was way easier to use, of these two.

In SoundTracker, you create the music by placing notes (pushing buttons on your computers keyboard) in the different channels arranged in patterns (pages) – containing 64 notes (4 bars of 16 notes), managing all four channels at the same time, with easy instrument arranging. Once two or more patterns (tracks) was done, you’d “sequence” them in the order you wanted them to play.

The length of the note was often “handled” in the sample/instrument/sound itself or by playing a new note in the same channel (cutting the previous sound), but some trackers had the ability to set a “RST/REL” (Rest or Release) in the score, to initiate the “release” part of the instrument (see ADSR). Trackers also introduced effects directly on the note, that would affect the sound like pitch bend, portamento and arpeggio.

My SoundTracker

During the last part of my summer vacation, I went through all my boxes of computer hardware and likewise, stored in our shed, and I was only able to find less than half of my old floppy disks stash – meaning that all my SoundTracker music was lost while moving around in my younger years.

One of those SoundTracker disks did contain the score from our only Amiga demo – Generator – and another floppy had the demo itself …

Further reading