Mix mode enhancements and limitations
[Here are some of the benefits over 4-channel mode that Mix mode provides, as well as some of its limitations.
Enhancements
- Can play up to 64 notes at once.
- Effects: Echo, Cross Echo, Stereo Separation.
- Track Panning: Can alter the stereo location of each track.
- Many additional player commands.
- Sample length limited only by available memory (previous limit was 131072 bytes).
- Full support for three 16-bit sound boards.
- Direct-to-disk recording.
- Three new octaves: 2 low, 1 high. So the note range is now C-1 to sB-6. The old 4-channel notes C-1 to B-3 are now notes C-3 to B-5.
- More precise sample loop setting. Previously, only even values of Loop
- Start and Length (Instrument Properties) were possible. Now, all values are allowed, with both Chip and Fast memory samples.
Limitations
- A probable loss of sound quality. The faster your processor, the better the quality. In fact, very fast processors may increase sound quality.
- Hisoft's 16-bit sound board Aura can not be supported.
- Multi-octave samples cannot be used. (They are seldom used as it is.)
- The oscilloscope equalizer doesn't function.
So although Mix mode is based on 5 to 8 channel mode, it has hardly any of its limitations. In particular, “paired” or “split” channels don't exist! The Amiga's volume is fixed, and the volume of each note is scaled by the mixing process. So each track has an independent volume.
Next: Using Mix mode.