 | This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines.(November 2024) |
Music Macro Language (MML) is a music description language used in sequencing music on computer and video game systems.
| This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines.(November 2024) |
Music Macro Language (MML) is a music description language used in sequencing music on computer and video game systems.
Early automatic music generation functions were used in arcade video games, which used many computer sounds. An example of an early popular arcade game with music is The Circus from Exidy Corporation in 1977.
The boom in Japanese video games was heralded in 1978 by the appearance in Japanese game centers (Amusement arcades) of Space Invaders by Taito. [1]
The music was all proprietary (closed source). The 1978 release of the Programmable interval timer by Intel was significant. The Intel 8253 Mode 3 Square Wave generator was used for music, in the Kit computer MZ-40K (Microcomputer Doctor (マイコン博士/まいこんはかせ, Maikon Hakase)) by SHARP Corporation, made in Japan at May 1978. Another Micro computer BASIC MASTER MB-6880(ja) BASIC Master (ベーシックマスター, BASIC Master) used a 5Bit D/A converter music automated reference signal. Also important was the development of a method to generate using BASIC software. [2] The machine was assembled by Hitachi and made in Japan in September 1978. The MZ-40K used an open architecture and program sources, was therefore a kind of open source software.
The first commands for classical MML appeared in the internal architecture of the SP-1002 MONITOR IOCS [3] and SP-5001 BASIC Operating Systems on the MZ-80K 8-bit [4] computer. Made by SHARP Corporation at 1978 in Japan. [5] It incorporated Intel 8253 hardware and memory mapped I/O. The sound-related BASIC Statements were MUSIC, TEMPO, and BEEP. [6]
Classical MML as used in BASIC is described here. "MML Commands" are supplied to the MUSIC statement. Notes are specified in a three-octave range. A song is a sequence of mono single tones.
"+" (or in some old code, "￣") indicates upper octave, "- " (or in some old code, "_") indicates the lower octave. The characters "CDEFGAB" correspond to a scale ("Doremi Faso Lassi"). A semitone is indicated by following the note with a '#' character. The note names are followed by a tone length, indicated by a number from 0–9. Similarly, R indicates a rest, and is also followed by a number from 0-9 indicating length. Sound length Internal value × TEMPO values.Tone length Demisemiquaver is 0 (SP-1002 Internal value is 1)- Whole note is 9 (SP-1002 Internal value is 32). Music played on Call to $0030 SP-1002 IOCS program routine. [7]
| Value | Length |
|---|---|
| 0 | 1/32 |
| 1 | 1/16 |
| 2 | dotted 1/16 |
| 3 | 1/8 |
| 4 | dotted 1/8 |
| 5 | 1/4 |
| 6 | dotted 1/4 |
| 7 | 1/2 |
| 8 | dotted 1/2 |
| 9 | 1 |
Statements TEMPO n is 1–9, the slowest 1.TEMPO 4 is similar T=120.
Below is the popular Japanese song "tōryanse" written using MML in MZ-731 SHARP S-BASIC 1Z-007B (SP-5001 Upper compatible). [8]
10TEMPO420A$="E5R1E3R0D3R0E3R0E1R0D1R0-B4R1"30B$="F3R0F1R0F1R0A3R0F1R0E1R0F1R0E1R0D1R0D1R0E4R1"40C$="C3R0C1R0C1R0E3R0C1R0-B1R0C1R0-B1R0-A1R0-A1R0-B4R1"50D$="E1R0E1R0E1R0E1R0E1R0E1R0D1R0E1R0E1R0E1R0D1R0-A1R0-A1R0-B4R1"60E$="-A1R0-B1R0C1R0D1R0E1R0F1R0E1R0F3R1A3R1B1R0A1R0F3R0E3R0E1R0D1R0E4R1"100MUSICA$+B$+B$110MUSICC$+C$+B$120MUSICC$+D$+E$Modern MML originally appeared in Microsoft BASIC and was common in the early 1970s and 1980s on 8-bit and 16-bit era Japanese personal computers. The NEC PC-6001 included Microsoft BASIC and the Programmable Sound Generator in 1981. The MML was especially popular on NEC's personal computers, such as the NEC PC-8801. [9] With the 2001 release of the mck (Music Creation Kit) software for compiling MML to play music on the Nintendo Entertainment System, [10] awareness and use of MML increased. [11] MML is presently popular among Japanese electronic musicians [9] and musicians who create chiptunes [12] as a way to write music for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Modern MML originated as a sub-language of BASIC, then generally included in ROM on micro-computers. A PLAY statement uses an argument to define a string of tones that the sound-chip played. MML code has a simple text format whereby letters and numbers are used to describe the musical notes to be played. [9] In addition, various implementations of MML add system extensions allowing parameters of audio synthesis to be altered with specialized commands or to simplify the entry of common musical figures such as arpeggios.
Though many platforms feature custom extensions and letter case requirements and other minor syntactical features vary slightly in some implementations, the fundamental syntax rules, commands and features that define MML and are present in whole or in part in all implementations are as follows: [9] [13]
cdefgab — The letters a to g correspond to the musical pitches and cause the corresponding note to be played. Sharp notes are produced by appending a + or #, and flat notes by appending a -. The length of a note is specified by appending a number representing its length as a fraction of a whole note — for example, c8 represents a C eighth note, and f+2 an F♯ half note.p — A pause or rest. Sometimes also r, although the original IBM and Microsoft BASIC used p, [14] as do all clones (e.g. the Linux and BSD speaker devices). [15] The length of the rest is specified in the same manner as the length of a note — for example, r1 produces a whole rest.o — Followed by a number, o selects the octave the instrument will play in.>, < — Used to step up or down one octave.l — Followed by a number, specifies the default length used by notes or rests which do not explicitly define one. For example, l8 g a b g l16 g a b g produces a series of four eighth notes followed by a series of four sixteenth notes.v — Followed by a number, sets the volume of the instrument. The range of values allowed is dependent upon the specific sound hardware being used. Some implementations also allow an ADSR envelope to be applied to the amplitude of each note.t — Followed by a number, sets the tempo in beats per minute. On hardware with more than one sound channel, it is often possible to set each channel to a different tempo.In addition to these, most implementations add their own keywords and symbols for system-specific enhancements or extensions.
Below is a Modern MML transcription of Dance of the Cuckoos (with white-space for clarity, though some MML interpreters will require this to be stripped before playing).
t104 l4 > c16f16 a>c8<a c16f16 a>c8<a c8 b-8>c8<b-8 g c8 a8>c8<a8 f c16f16 a>c8<a c16f16 a>c8<a c8 b-8>c8<b-8 g >c8 <f2
Below is the popular Japanese song "tōryanse" written using MML in PC-6001( NEC PC-6000_series ) N60-BASIC.It is listed for comparison with Classical MML. [16]
10A$="o4e2r32e4r32d4r32e4r32e8r32d8r32o3b2r16"20B$="o4f4r32f8r32f8r32a4r32f8r32e8r32f8r32e8r32d8r32d8r32e2r16"30C$="o4c4r32c8r32c8r32e4r32c8r32o3b8r32o4c8r32o3b8r32a8r32a8r32b2r16"40D$="o4e8r32e8r32e8r32e8r32e8r32e8r32d8r32"50E$="o4e8r32e8r32e8r32d8r32o3a8r32a8r32b2r16"60F$="o3a8r32b8r32o4c8r32d8r32e8r32f8r32e8r32"70G$="o4f4r32a4r32b8r32a8r32f4r32"80H$="e4r32e8r32d8r32e2r16"100PLAY"t120"110PLAYA$120PLAYB$130PLAYB$140PLAYC$150PLAYC$160PLAYB$170PLAYC$180PLAYD$190PLAYE$200PLAYF$210PLAYG$220PLAYH$Standard Musical eXpression (SMX) is a variant of Modern MML provided by Microsoft in QBASIC, BASICA, and GW-BASIC's PLAY statement. [9] The version used by GW-BASIC is part of the modern BSDs, FreeBSD, [17] NetBSD, OpenBSD, and MirOS; see speaker(4) for the language. [18]
PLAY statement which takes a string argument in the SMX format. [19] [20] [21] The name "Music Macro Language" may originate with GW-BASIC, which provided a facility "to play music by embedding a music macro language into the string data type". [22] The SBasic compiler from the German magazine DOS Extra, produced by DMV Widuch, offers the same PLAY command, and a few-line BASIC programme could be compiled into a small (few KiB) tool to play any MML files (often called *.PLY) given on the command line. PLAY statement, as did several other implementations of BASIC produced or sold by NEC. [9] [24] BGMPLAY functions, which can either take a preset MML track or one provided as a string.Z88DK is a Small-C-derived cross compiler for a long list of Z80 based computers. The name derives from the fact that it was originally developed to target the Cambridge Z88. Z88DK is a collection of software development tools that targets the 8080 and Z80 family of machines. It allows development of programs in C, assembly language or any mixture of the two. What makes z88dk unique is its ease of use, built-in support for many Z80 machines and its extensive set of assembly language library subroutines implementing the C standard and extensions.
Microsoft BASIC is the foundation software product of the Microsoft company and evolved into a line of BASIC interpreters and compiler(s) adapted for many different microcomputers. It first appeared in 1975 as Altair BASIC, which was the first version of BASIC published by Microsoft as well as the first high-level programming language available for the Altair 8800 microcomputer.
MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, the director at ASCII Corporation. Microsoft and Nishi conceived the project as an attempt to create unified standards among various home computing system manufacturers of the period, in the same fashion as the VHS standard for home video tape machines. The first MSX computer sold to the public was a Mitsubishi ML-8000, released on October 21, 1983, thus marking its official release date.
MSX BASIC is a dialect of the BASIC programming language. It is an extended version of Microsoft's MBASIC Version 4.5, adding support for graphic, music, and various peripherals attached to MSX microcomputers. Generally, MSX BASIC is designed to follow GW-BASIC, released the same year for IBM PCs and clones. During the creation of MSX BASIC, effort was made to make the system flexible and expandable.
The PC-8800 series, commonly shortened to PC-88, are a brand of Zilog Z80-based 8-bit home computers released by Nippon Electric Company (NEC) in 1981 and primarily sold in Japan.
The PC-9800 series, commonly shortened to PC-98 or 98, is a lineup of Japanese 16-bit and 32-bit personal computers manufactured by NEC from 1982 to 2003. While based on Intel processors, it uses an in-house architecture making it incompatible with IBM clones; some PC-98 computers used NEC's own V30 processor. The platform established NEC's dominance in the Japanese personal computer market, and, by 1999, more than 18 million units had been sold. While NEC did not market these specific machines in the West, it sold the NEC APC series, which had similar hardware to early PC-98 models.
Bomberman is a maze video game developed and published by Hudson Soft. The original home computer game Bomber Man was released in July 1983 for the NEC PC-8801, NEC PC-6001 mkII, Fujitsu FM-7, Sharp MZ-700, Sharp MZ-2000, Sharp X1 and MSX in Japan, and a graphically modified version for the MSX and ZX Spectrum in Europe as Eric and the Floaters. A sequel, 3-D Bomberman, was produced. In 1985, Bomberman was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It spawned the Bomberman series with many installments building on its basic gameplay.
The X1, sometimes called the Sharp X1 or CZ-800C, is a series of home computers released by Sharp Corporation from 1982 to 1988. It is based on a Zilog Z80 CPU.
Bokosuka Wars (ボコスカウォーズ) is a 1983 action-strategy role-playing video game developed by Kōji Sumii (住井浩司) and released by ASCII for the Sharp X1 computer, followed by ports to the MSX, FM-7, NEC PC-6001, NEC PC-8801 and NEC PC-9801 computer platforms, as well as an altered version released for the Family Computer console and later the Virtual Console service. It revolves around a leader who must lead an army in phalanx formation across a battlefield in real-time against overwhelming enemy forces while freeing and recruiting soldiers along the way, with each unit able to gain experience and level up through battle. The player must make sure that the leader stays alive, until the army reaches the enemy castle to defeat the leader of the opposing forces.
The music of the Streets of Rage series of beat 'em up games, released in the early 1990s, was primarily produced by Yuzo Koshiro.
Binary Land is a puzzle video game developed by Hudson Soft in 1983 for the MSX, FM-7, PC-6001mkII, NEC PC-8801, Sharp MZ-2200, Sharp MZ-5500, Sharp X1 and in 1985 for the Famicom. The MSX version saw release in Japan by Hudson Soft and in Europe by Kuma Computers Ltd in 1984.
Hydlide is an action role-playing game developed and published by T&E Soft. It was originally released for the NEC PC-6001 and PC-8801 computers in 1984, in Japan only; ports for the MSX, MSX2, FM-7 and NEC PC-9801 were released the following year. A Nintendo Switch port based on the PC-8801 version was released on December 21, 2023 by D4 Enterprise.
Moonsound is a sound card released for the MSX home-computer system at the Tilburg Computer Fair in 1995. It was designed by electronic engineer Henrik Gilvad and produced by Sunrise Swiss on a semi-hobby basis.
Flappy is a puzzle video game by dB-Soft in the same vein as the Eggerland series and Sokoban that is obscure outside Japan. It stars Flappy, a somewhat mole-like character who must complete each level by pushing a blue stone from its starting place to the blue tile destination.
The PC-8000 series is a line of personal computers developed for the Japanese market by NEC. The PC-8001 model was also sold in the United States and Canada as the PC-8001A.
BSAVE and BLOAD are commands in many varieties of the BASIC programming language. BSAVE copies RAM to a binary file, and BLOAD copies the contents of the file to RAM. The term "BSAVE image" could mean any of various raw image formats of video display controllers, or more generally any file containing the raw contents of a section of memory.
PC Open Architecture Developers' Group is a consortium of the major Japanese personal computer manufacturers. Sponsored by IBM during the 1990s, it successfully guided Japan's personal computer manufacturing companies at that time into standardising to an IBM PC-compatible and open architecture.
Arsys Software (アルシスソフトウェア), later known as Cyberhead (サイバーヘッド), was a Japanese video game software development company active from 1985 to 2001.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help){{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help){{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help){{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)