Freq Monster 801
FM synthesizer frontend for OPL3 compatible sound cards
Freq Monster 801 change log.
Table of contents
Version 4
4.69
  • Logo fixed, very naughty.
4.68
  • Logo changed.
4.30
  • OPL3LPT support added but untested. Send me a device.
4.29
  • On a real sound card (not the emulator) a longer delay between register writes is required when turning a voice off and back on again. On the configuration panel a new delay option under pre and post named key can be found. This delay is added to the post delay when retriggering a voice. This impacts the mono-synth mode of operation mostly.
4.28
  • The emulator plugin DSP has more filter types and two amplification options. The filter can now be automated and the settings are preserved on program close and restored on open.
4.27
  • For the emulator plugin a DSP option has been added. The only feature is a simple low pass filter. The filter can be adjusted in the DSP window but its setting is not preserved nor can it be automated. This is an experimental feature under test and more features will be added later.
4.26
  • Add higher sample rates for emulator plugin. This is to improve sound quality at higher frequencies and is under test. What works for me is 96000 samples/second with 24 buffers of 128 bytes using an FCA202 on Linux running FMONSTER.EXE with WINE.
4.25
  • Performance preset export and import implemented. This feature will store all the components of a performance preset in one file for backup or import into another installation.
4.24
  • Fix mode selection when loading a 2op or 4op preset.
  • Default portamento mode on 2nd key up is to return to the frequency of the 1st key held down but two affected key modes have been added for legato portamento. The options are selectable in the param dialog.
  • Now limit the top most note to midi 114. This was calibrated against a YMF724F where anything over will cause invalid sound to be produced. How other devices operate has not been tested. Actual chip max appears to be BLK=7 and FNUM=511.
  • LFO tuning (modulation range) is now configurable in the param dialog box.
  • LFO triggers have been fixed for new key priority modes.
  • Portamento has been added for mono mode. Pressed key will trigger when reached.
  • Fixed modulation and pitch bend during release phase of operators when using portamento.
4.23
  • Fixed modulation and pitch bend during release phase of operators.
4.22
  • Implement monosynth legato mode with portamento.
  • Add explicit legato/mono selections in the poly drop down list. Rename poly list to Mode. Warning: Previous poly presets will be off by one.
  • Fix bug in pitch bend wheel which would forget position for next key down.
  • Pitch bend wheel now only affects notes on the midi channel the message was sent on.
  • A parameter entry dialog has been added which will allow altering the pitch bend sensitivity and portamento time for legato mode.
  • The default pitch bend sensitivity has been raised to +/- one octave and the limit set at +/- two octaves.
  • Portamento time is adjustable via the portamento time CC LSB (37) and not the MSB (5). This is because of an error in the LFO which defaulted to using 5 for Tuning 1-4.
  • Portamento time LSB/MSB are now reserved controllers. The default for Tuning 1-4 is now CC 14. LFO needs changing if you modulated pitch with Tuning 1-4.
4.21
  • The frequency multiplier list editor now allows minimal ordering of the frequencies. The orders are ascending (as before), descending and random.
4.20
  • Note priority selection has been added to emulate monosynths. This also works in polysynth mode.
  • A bug introduced in 4.15 (lots of internal changes) has been removed from the frequency multiplier paste operation.
  • In the CC window when setting controllers to undefined (with the popup menu) the MIDI numbers are now set to a range of undefined values rather than just a single number for all controllers. This ensures the LFO will work as expected.
4.19
  • Various changes have been made to the method used for voice playback. None of these changes should be noticeable. This is in preparation for the addition of monosynth emulation.
  • Changing the voice polyphony limit will now silence all voices. This solves a bug where a voice would become orphaned when changing to a lower limit.
4.18
  • The FM drum kit now has an assignable midi channel. This is to allow support for certain devices which send drum messages on channel 16 rather than 10 (PSS-680). Warning: any previously created drum presets will default to midi channel 1 which will probably need changing.
  • Fix bug in chip set up for a preset with polyphony limit below maximum which is then later raised.
4.17
  • A polyphony limit dropdown list has been added for operators 1-4 and 5/6. When set to 1 a monophonic mode of operation may be achieved. The limit is saved in the preset and is under test.
  • A bug introduced in 4.15 (lots of internal changes) has been removed from the frequency multiplier copy & save operations.
  • If a .INI file was specified on the comand line save to that .INI file on exit rather than the default one.
4.16
  • A command line argument has been added to allow the selection of an initialisation (.INI) file in the application directory. If the initialisation file exists then the application configuration dialog is skipped.
4.15
  • Lots of internal changes which should have no impact on program usage.
  • Fix pan pot position on preset save and load introduced at an unknown time.
4.14
  • Fix bug in application close where the default audio device was muted rather than the selected playback device when using the YMF262 plugin. This may have also caused an occasional GPF in wine.
4.13
  • The wave file output for the YMF262 plugin is now created with a maximum size rather than an empty size on creation. This allows reading the file whilst it's being written by tools which truncate the size to the current file size. The real file size is written on program exit as before.
4.12
  • Renamed ESFM setup option to ESS.
  • Correct device reset to silence operators with infinite release time.
  • Adjusted horizontal spacing of vertical trackbars for WINE compatibility.
  • Correct circuit bend register address caching. This will have an impact if register address bending was in use previously.
4.11
  • Added an ESFM setup option for the ES1868 ISA card. This option allows usage of the an ESS mixer. This option doesn't work with cards which also contain an embedded wavetable and these cards are incompatible with this application.
  • The ESS mixer is also used with the SOLO1 replacing the SBPRO2 mixer.
  • The fmonster.ini file may need to be deleted and recreated with this version.
4.10
  • Fixed 3 bugs introduced in 4.09 regarding the frequency tuning drop down list.
  • Added an option to set all control change values to an undefined controller (CC:3).
4.09
  • Fixed a bug in 4.08 in the newly added drum kit velocity offset.
  • Removed frequency tuning edit button and replaced it with an `edit list' item in the drop down list. This was to save space on the form.
  • Added velocity targets for operators 1-6. This uses the same technique added for the recent OPL3 drum kit addition.
  • When changing velocity targets the volume & ADSR are now reset in the drum kit. This is also the case with the newly added targets on main form as well.
  • Reversed ADSR velocity control. Eg. higher velocity now equates to a higher release rate slider position rather than a lower slider position.
  • Added a velocity target named `Off' to disable this feature completely.
  • Removed the `any' midi channel option as this becomes annoying with the drum kit enabled.
  • Fixed preset name auto-complete which was enabled in error on some forms (eg. drum kit). This could cause a preset to be destroyed when entering a new name instead of saving it.
4.08
  • OPL3 drum kit added. When using the drum kit the polyphony of operator section 5/6 is reduced from 6 to 3 voices.
  • Added note stealing when maximum polyphony reached. As you can guess, the oldest note is dropped and replaced by the new note.
4.07
  • Allow damper pedal to adjust operators individually rather than altogether.
  • Added velocity offset per operator and removed global velocity control.
4.06
  • As per 4.06 alpha (below) except instead of a split selector we have octave range selectors for either side 1-4 (4op) and 5/6 (2op).
  • Added storage of the octave range selectors and operator midi channels when saving a 6op preset.
  • Re-sized main form and LFO form to fit within an 800x600 boundary for old setups that don't have hi-res displays (this was an oversight).
4.06 alpha
  • Added separate midi channel controls for operators 1-4 (4op) and 5/6 (2op). This allows a bi-timbral mode of operation when the midi channels are different and a layered mode of operation (as before) when the midi channels are the same.
  • Also added a keyboard split selector for operators 1-4 (4op) and 5/6 (2op). When activated the midi channel for operators 5/6 is disabled yet the keyboard is now split around the A3 key point. The split order is conifigurable as either 1-4 5/6 (4op, 2op) or 5/6 1-4 (2op, 4op).
4.05
  • Properly reset chip when selecting operator `cut' on popup menu or when clicking `Default'.
    This is under test.
4.04
  • Fixed a very old typo. I can remember seeing this before but obviously it was never fixed. Thank you to the person who brought it up.
  • Added a midi device list refresh feature. Select the `refresh list' item appended to the list to refresh it.
  • Altered the midi learn feature to track the selected item in the list box for learning, also turn learning off when closing the CC window.
4.03
  • Added a wave file writer option in the configuration panel when using the YMF262 plugin DLL.
4.02
  • Rename waveforms to be more consistent with their appearance. This is harder than it seems as the waveforms themselves are constructed from values read out of a digital ROM inside the device in different ways and are not created using an analogue oscillator.
4.01
  • Fix WINE trackbar incompatibility in Circuit bend.
4.00
  • Performance editor.
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Version 3
3.00
  • YMF262 plugin DLL software emulator support.
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Version 2
2.00
  • Generic OPL3, SBPRO2 & SB16 support.
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Version 1
1.00
  • ForteMedia FM801 support.
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