BBC B Sound Effects Rom

[KAF2000]

I have just seen a BBC B advertised for sale on Facebook Marketplace with a sound effects rom fitted. I can find the odd reference to this on Google, but no demos on Youtube etc. Does anybody know anything more about this rom, and are there any recording of it in action anywhere please?

K.

[Pernod]

My guess would be that it's the Envelopes ROM from Watford Electronics, and can be found at http://bbc.nvg.org/rom/Watford/lang/

[KAF2000]

Thanks.

So what exactly does it do? Just some pre-stored sound envelopes that you access via a *command or something? I have no way of running it to try it out.

Was it a success, because it seems a bit pointless. Did anybody use it? Do any games implement it? Does anybody have any specific information about their experience of using it?

K.

[Pernod]

So what exactly does it do? Just some pre-stored sound envelopes that you access via a *command or something? I have no way of running it to try it out.

Just lots of * commands for sound effects, such as *SQUEAK, *ZAP, *BONUS, *LASER, etc., over 60 of them! Try it in an emulator.

It would've been more for home made games where you don't understand how to use ENVELOPE, useless for commercial games. A fun thing to play with, until you learn how to use ENVELOPE (which I never did).

[Ukwebb]

viewtopic.php?t=28757

[KAF2000]

Thanks for the replies. I will give it a try.

K.

[alecb]

"My guess would be that it's the Envelopes ROM from Watford Electronics, and can be found at http://bbc.nvg.org/rom/Watford/lang/"

There are a few envelopes in The Watford Envelopes ROM that I'd like use, or tweak, for sounds in my game. Is there a way to get the envelope parameters for the sounds in the ROM?

[SteveF]

Could you read them out of OS memory after using the ROM to define them? Something like this should dump envelope 1:

Code: Select all

PRINT "ENVELOPE 1";:FOR I%=0 TO &C:PRINT ;",";?(&8C0+I%);:NEXT:PRINT

You can get the address for other envelopes from AllMem if you need it.

Edit: A bit fiddlier but more reliable would be to run the ROM in an emulator and set a breakpoint on OSWORD at &FFF1. You could then watch for it being called with A=8 (define ENVELOPE) after you execute the relevant Envelope ROM command and get the parameters directly from the parameter block at YX.

[alecb]

Re: "Could you read them out of OS memory after using the ROM to define them? Something like this should dump envelope 1:
PRINT "ENVELOPE 1";:FOR I%=0 TO &C:PRINT ;",";?(&8C0+I%);:NEXT:PRINT
You can get the address for other envelopes from AllMem if you need it."

Thank you SteveF, this was really helpful

[maniacminer]

There's lots of fresh air in that ROM, it's 8kB but most of the contents appears to be several repeats of a giant text string;

"Thanks Mum for the coffee. And hello to Stuart, Scott, Jim, Frank, Alec, Derek, Kenny, my cousin Simon who doesn't know me, and anyone else who knows me!And the BBC can beat it!So goodbye for now.This ROM is copyright Brian Wyld 1984. Please do not attempt to copy it as if you do I shall send the boys round and you don't really want that do you?Actually I'm a very peacable guy really and if you send me a written application on the back of a tenner, you can copy it all you like! And now for some credits....Thanks to Gordon Cameron for help with the manual etc. Ta very much David Adams for making the tea and being generally rude about the ROM. Thank you Brenda Cameron for testing it and saying how good it is."

[vexorg]

Better send a tenner then

[dv8]

Here are the envelopes extracted from the Watford Electronics Envelopes ROM.

I've added some corrections and alternative envelopes where the original had errors.

*FIRE1
ENVELOPE 1,1,1,255,1,1,1,1,126,0,0,251,100,0
SOUND 1,1,20,6
bug. this should have used channel 0:
SOUND 0,1,20,6

*EXPLODE1
ENVELOPE 1,10,0,0,0,10,10,10,126,251,251,251,110,0
SOUND 1,1,4,50
bug. this should have used channel 0:
SOUND 0,1,4,50

*BEEP
ENVELOPE 1,7,246,20,246,1,1,1,0,0,0,129,100,0
SOUND 1,1,100,7

*SIREN1
ENVELOPE 1,1,249,7,0,10,10,0,126,0,0,130,126,126
SOUND 1,1,136,8

*SWANNEE
ENVELOPE 1,1,1,0,0,200,0,0,126,0,0,130,126,126
SOUND 1,1,0,40

*ALIEN1
ENVELOPE 1,1,36,220,0,20,20,0,126,0,0,130,126,126
SOUND 1,1,160,10

*ALIEN2
ENVELOPE 1,1,70,6,0,31,10,0,126,0,0,130,126,126
SOUND 1,1,100,10

*MHIT
ENVELOPE 1,4,90,241,241,10,20,20,126,0,0,130,126,126
SOUND 1,1,100,20

*BOUNCER
ENVELOPE 1,4,255,1,0,20,20,0,126,0,0,130,126,126
SOUND 1,1,200,100

*TONE
ENVELOPE 1,128,0,0,0,0,0,0,12,254,255,254,126,106
SOUND 1,1,100,10

*TWANG
ENVELOPE 1,128,0,0,0,0,0,0,12,254,255,254,126,106
SOUND 1,1,3,10

*WOO-DOWN
ENVELOPE 1,128,11,255,254,5,50,5,60,0,255,254,60,60
SOUND 1,1,100,7

*WOO-UP
ENVELOPE 1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,2,0,246,251,120,0
SOUND 1,1,100,8
doesn't sound like a woo-up. this would be better:
ENVELOPE 1,128,11,1,2,5,50,5,60,0,255,254,60,60
SOUND 1,1,60,7

*DEAD1
ENVELOPE 1,128,255,0,0,200,0,0,127,0,0,246,126,0
SOUND 1,1,100,16

*WOW
ENVELOPE 1,1,3,254,3,10,10,10,127,255,0,246,126,0
SOUND 1,1,100,20

*GUNFIRE
ENVELOPE 1,1,255,0,0,2,0,0,126,0,0,246,126,126
SOUND 1,1,5,50
bug. this should have used channel 0:
SOUND 0,1,5,50

*FIRE2
ENVELOPE 1,1,10,20,226,10,5,15,127,254,0,255,127,100
SOUND 1,1,100,100

*BELL
ENVELOPE 1,2,0,0,0,0,0,0,127,246,251,254,120,120
SOUND 1,1,100,10

*WARBLE
ENVELOPE 1,5,16,12,8,2,1,1,10,246,0,246,200,100
SOUND 1,1,100,10

*EXPLODE3
ENVELOPE 1,5,0,0,0,6,3,3,127,251,251,251,120,60
SOUND 1,1,5,10
bug. this should have used channel 0:
SOUND 0,1,5,10

*GHOULS
ENVELOPE 1,3,1,1,1,1,1,1,70,255,255,255,69,0
SOUND 1,1,100,25

*WHIT
ENVELOPE 1,2,0,50,226,2,1,2,127,252,254,255,126,0
SOUND 1,1,100,10

*POW
ENVELOPE 1,1,40,251,246,1,2,5,127,246,251,253,126,0
SOUND 1,1,100,3

*HIT1
ENVELOPE 1,1,4,253,5,40,20,30,127,255,0,246,126,0
SOUND 1,1,125,20

*DEAD2
ENVELOPE 1,128,255,0,0,200,0,0,127,0,0,251,100,0
SOUND 1,1,100,10

*LASER
ENVELOPE 1,1,20,236,20,100,100,100,127,255,0,246,126,0
SOUND 1,1,100,10

*EXTRA_LIFE
ENVELOPE 1,1,241,241,241,240,240,240,20,0,0,236,126,126
SOUND 1,1,100,50

*PFIRE
ENVELOPE 1,4,252,255,255,20,20,20,1,0,0,0,1,1
SOUND 1,1,200,17
SOUND 0,-15,7,15

*FORMING
ENVELOPE 1,1,2,2,2,20,20,20,1,0,0,0,1,1
SOUND 1,1,100,10
SOUND 0,-15,7,15

*SPORE
ENVELOPE 1,1,3,2,254,6,6,6,100,0,0,251,100,0
SOUND 1,1,210,50

*SNAPPER
ENVELOPE 1,4,6,253,253,4,2,2,0,0,255,246,63,58
SOUND 1,1,100,100

*CHOMP
ENVELOPE 1,3,252,255,2,6,6,28,81,252,251,255,126,63
SOUND 1,1,90,17

*JUMP1
ENVELOPE 1,133,8,4,8,3,1,1,126,0,0,246,126,0
SOUND 1,1,20,4

*FINISH1
ENVELOPE 1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,126,255,0,251,126,0
SOUND 1,1,100,15

*WALK
ENVELOPE 1,1,30,0,226,6,1,6,13,0,0,130,126,0
SOUND 1,1,0,10

*JUMP2
ENVELOPE 1,129,0,8,0,2,6,6,60,0,0,1,126,126
SOUND 1,1,100,3

*MFIRE
ENVELOPE 1,2,254,254,255,10,10,50,126,252,252,252,126,0
SOUND 1,1,100,5

*ROCKS
ENVELOPE 1,2,4,0,252,10,10,10,1,0,0,0,1,1
SOUND 1,1,100,7
SOUND 0,-15,7,15

*SPACESHIP
ENVELOPE 1,1,8,4,244,4,4,4,100,0,0,156,100,100
SOUND 1,1,100,100

*MONSTER1
ENVELOPE 1,10,255,255,0,2,2,1,120,0,0,136,120,120
SOUND 1,1,65,50

*DEAD3
ENVELOPE 1,2,255,255,255,255,255,255,120,0,0,136,120,120
SOUND 1,1,100,12

*MONSTER2
ENVELOPE 1,1,3,0,253,5,10,9,126,253,0,246,0,0
SOUND 1,1,100,10
SOUND 0,-15,7,15

*SQUEAK
ENVELOPE 1,0,2,1,253,4,4,4,126,255,255,254,127,10
SOUND 1,1,200,50

*FINISH2
ENVELOPE 1,130,1,0,2,5,2,6,126,253,255,253,120,80
SOUND 1,1,100,7

*WRONG!
ENVELOPE 1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,126,0,0,254,126,0
SOUND 1,1,0,10

*SIREN2
ENVELOPE 1,0,251,251,251,255,255,255,126,0,0,130,126,0
SOUND 1,1,100,100

*WHO?
ENVELOPE 1,50,0,50,206,2,1,1,126,0,0,246,100,0
SOUND 0,1,4,10

*MONSTER3
ENVELOPE 1,1,1,0,255,100,1,100,126,0,0,130,126,0
SOUND 1,1,100,100

*BLEEP
ENVELOPE 1,2,240,5,28,20,20,10,20,7,232,129,120,126
SOUND 1,1,0,4

*HIT2
ENVELOPE 1,0,0,12,0,4,100,4,121,254,255,255,120,0
SOUND 1,1,100,15

*LOWZAP
ENVELOPE 1,1,12,36,4,5,10,15,162,12,244,252,60,120
SOUND 1,1,100,2

*ZAP
ENVELOPE 1,1,255,255,254,255,255,255,0,0,0,0,0,0
SOUND 1,1,255,40
SOUND 0,-15,7,15

*BLIP
ENVELOPE 1,1,2,2,4,200,200,200,127,206,0,251,75,0
SOUND 1,1,100,1

*EXPLODE2
ENVELOPE 1,1,255,255,254,255,255,255,0,0,0,0,0,0
SOUND 1,1,0,50
SOUND 0,-15,7,15

*FIRE3
ENVELOPE 1,1,246,10,254,20,20,200,127,251,0,251,127,0
SOUND 1,1,100,40

*SPACESHIP
ENVELOPE 1,1,246,10,10,20,20,20,127,255,0,255,126,100
SOUND 1,1,100,100
bug. duplicated name so cannot be called from rom

*JUMP3
ENVELOPE 1,129,6,2,2,0,1,10,55,254,252,252,126,126
SOUND 1,1,100,5

*MADEIT
ENVELOPE 1,1,5,251,251,50,25,25,126,0,0,251,126,0
SOUND 1,1,100,10

*ALARM
ENVELOPE 1,1,3,2,254,6,6,6,127,0,0,254,127,0
SOUND 1,1,100,100

*AAH
ENVELOPE 1,10,4,255,254,1,10,100,100,255,255,246,126,0
SOUND 1,1,100,100

*SIREN3
ENVELOPE 1,0,4,255,254,10,20,20,126,0,0,251,106,0
SOUND 1,1,100,100

*SIREN4
ENVELOPE 1,2,4,252,0,6,8,0,126,0,0,254,126,0
SOUND 1,1,100,100

*LIFT_OFF
ENVELOPE 1,4,1,0,0,125,0,0,1,0,0,255,1,0
SOUND 1,1,100,100
SOUND 0,-15,7,15
this gives a better effect:
*LIFT_OFF 50 100
ENVELOPE 1,4,1,0,0,125,0,0,1,0,0,255,1,0
SOUND 1,1,50,100
SOUND 0,-15,7,100

*BONUS
ENVELOPE 1,1,5,251,251,50,25,25,126,0,0,251,126,0
SOUND 1,1,100,10

*FIRE4
ENVELOPE 1,2,252,255,255,20,20,20,1,0,0,0,1,1
SOUND 1,1,0,20
SOUND 0,-15,7,15

*TRIMPHONE
ENVELOPE 1,1,18,0,0,2,0,0,0,216,0,70,21,95
SOUND 1,1,100,10

*ZIT
ENVELOPE 1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,127,255,226,127,126,127
SOUND 1,1,4,10