DigiBooster Pro - why use FastTracker or Rebirth?

For those who don't know, at long last the Amiga thumbs its nose again at other trackers with DigiBoosterPro. Admittedly, I don't have the know-how to write a technically accurate article on this program. I can only describe the impression this tracker left me. I recommend you read the program's accompanying Guide in order acquaint yourself with the various finer points.

In the mean time, every decent and also naturally interested Amiga User should have a use for DigiBoosterPro. The recommended minimum configuration is an 020, KS2.0+, AHI, as well as the asl.library, iffparse.library and reqtools.library. Those who are familiar with trackers should quickly find their way around, and those who find 4 to 8 tracks to date too little should find the maximum 128 plenty. I write this with a little apprehension, as the user is encouraged to waste resources, unless he imposes at least a little measure of restraint. In other words, the FastTracker disease - every sample has its own track. What at first seems to be a blessing can quickly become a hindrance. What I'm trying to say is once you had to be content with 4 tracks and still were able to produce magic through the speakers. The freedom of movement that DBPro offers can lead to similar results, like for example when a typist who has up 'til now used a text editor and is suddenly confronted with Corel Draw - see various leaflets eg. Pizzeria AmoreConFunghi.

On the other hand, nice things can be done in the right hands. An example are the DBM modules (proprietary DBPro module format) by a gentleman named AcidFrog, although they're not exactly my cup of tea. The good man employs amongst others one of the most important features: the DSP emulator, which I previously found quite appealing in Symphony.

Furthermore, he makes advantage of a 303 tracker, although it's not clear to me whether it should be implemented in DBPro itself or as a stand alone version (a 303 tracker is a software variant of the TB303 Bassline Generator from Roland - see also Rebirth).

What other goodies are there? The samples have some freedom of movement - sample length is unlimited, and you can load up to 256. And not only 8 bit, but also the following formats: IFF8 and 16SVX - both mono; RiffWav - mono/stereo/PC/8 and 16 bit; AIFF - mono/stereo/Amiga/Mac/PC/8 and 16 bit. (naturally you can also load 24 bit - but pictures never sound as good as they look... :)

You can also load various module formats, although you can't save in every one. As well as these, you can load MPEG Audio layers 1, 2 and 3 (I know! These are not module formats) - these are loaded as samples as it were. For those where AHI as output isn't enough, don't worry, there is also sound card support. These are: Concierto, Delfina, Maestro, Melody, Paula, Prelude and Toccata.

Another nice feature are envelopes for volume, amplifier, filter and balance - although it mostly makes more sense eg. to control the volume with commands. For this you always have the possibility to set 2 commands in one track and 1 line (volume and vibrato for example). And there's one other feature that especially appealed to me: it's called RealTime BPM - with turntables called pitch. A DJ generally uses it when mixing 2 records in order to synchronize the BPM (Beat Per Minute) with each other. If you're blithe and make your own music or have good modules, you can use you Amiga like a turntable and mix these together with you favourite songs on vinyl. If you want to burn one or more modules on CD or create an MP3, you can make advantage of the mixer. This renders an audio file from a module, which can be saved as either AIFF or AIFC.
[db mixer]

Now the outcry: if you want to call this nice morsel your own, here's the URL: www.kki.net.pl/digi. DigiBoosterPro must be registered in order to do more than play modules, and it's worth it in any case to be sure there'll be following versions. Responsible ar 2 lads from Poland - Tomasz and Waldemar Piasta.

Thomas Kutschera
Steve Bowman

The digibooster-URL.