XMP FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Last update: Tue Mar 18 13:15:46 EST 1997


Table of contents

1. General

1.1. What is xmp?
1.2. Where the name xmp came from?
1.3. Where can I get the latest version?
1.4. Which module formats are supported?
1.5. How can I get support for Foobar Tracker modules?
1.6. Where is the X11 panel?

2. Portability

2.1. In which platforms does xmp currently run?
2.2. Can I use xmp with my non-AWE SB?
2.3. Does it run in FreeBSD or SCO?
2.4. Is there a Debian package available?
2.5. Is there an RPM package available?
2.6. Will you write a port for RS6000/Sun/HP9000/SGI machines?
2.7. Will you write a port for DOS/Windows/Windows95?

3. Installation

3.1. My gcc does not understand __attribute__((packed)).
3.2. xmp complains about "linux/awe_voice.h: no such file or directory".

4. Bugs & Misbehaviors

4.1. I think I found a nasty bug, how can I contact the authors?
4.2. When trying to run xmp with my AWE-32 it locks up my machine.
4.3. xmp complains about insuficient memory in the sound device (GUS or AWE).
4.4. Chipsamples sound horribly detuned in my AWE-32.
4.5. xmp plays foobar.mod incorrectly and dumps core.




1. General

1.1. What is xmp?
xmp is a module player for Linux (check Jester's MOD FAQ for more information about modules) and supports Gravis Ultrasound and AWE-32 hardware mixing using the Open Sound System (OSS/Linux or OSS/Free). xmp is currently being ported to big-endian machines.

1.2. Where the name xmp came from?
The first version of xmp played only Fast Tracker II extended modules (XM) and was called Extended Module Player. In the release 0.99 the internal format was changed to a proprietary format but the player name remains the same.

1.3. Where can I get the latest version?
The latest version (currently 0.99) is available at http://allchemy.iq.usp.br/~claudio/xmp and ftp://ftp.brasil.enemy.org/users/claudio/xmp.

1.4. Which module formats are supported?
In the current version (0.99) the following formats are recognized: 1 to 32 channel Protracker MOD modules and variants (including Mod's Grave WOW modules), Scream Tracker 3 S3M modules, Scream Tracker 2 STM modules, Composer 669 and UNIS669 669 modules, Renaissance Multitracker MTM modules, Oktalyzer modules, Lone Ranger's Poly Tracker PTM modules, Fast Tracker II XM modules and Farandole Composer FAR modules. Not all formats are fully supported, check the file README.formats in the distribution package for more information about the supported formats.

1.5. How can I get support for Foobar Tracker modules?
Email me the format specs and tell me where I can get a copy of the tracker. If you have written a loader for the format, contact me to include it in the official release.

1.6. Where is the X11 panel?
It will be back to the package soon. It was removed because it was unstable and only supported 24-bit direct color displays.


2. Portability

2.1. In which platforms does xmp currently run?
Linux with GUS, AWE-32 or SoftOSS. See also Question 2.6.

2.2. Can I use xmp with my non-AWE SB?
Only if you use SoftOSS. A general software mixer with /dev/audio support is planned for a future release.

2.3. Does it run in FreeBSD or SCO?
That's a good question. If someone knows the answer, please tell me.

2.4. Is there a Debian package available?
Yes. Tom Lees <tom@lpsg.demon.co.uk> debianized the xmp package. The Debian package is available at ftp://ftp.debian.org/debian/unstable/binary-i386/sound.

2.5. Is there an RPM package available?
AFAIK there's no RPM version of the xmp package.

2.6. Will you write a port for RS6000/Sun/HP9000/SGI machines?
Yes, but I must write the software mixer first or wait for SoftOSS to be ported in these platforms. See Question 2.2.

2.7. Will you write a port for DOS/Windows/Windows95?
xmp was designed to be a Unix player and will remain as a Unix player, unless someone ports the Open Sound System to the target foreign platform (not likely).


3. Installation

3.1. My gcc does not understand __attribute__((packed)).
Try to use a newer version of gcc (xmp was tested using gcc 2.7.2).

3.2. xmp complains about "linux/awe_voice.h: no such file or directory".
If you have an AWE card, make sure you have awedrv installed. The latest version of awedrv is available at http://bahamut.mm.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~iwai/awedrv). If you don't have an AWE, undefine AWE_DEVICE in config.h before compiling.


4. Bugs & Misbehaviors

4.1. I think I found a nasty bug, how can I contact the authors?
Send an email to claudio@cpgei.cefetpr.br describing the problem and any information you consider relevant. If the problem happens in a specific module, tell me where I can find this module. If you have written a patch to fix the problem, contact me to include the patch in the official release.

4.2. When trying to run xmp with my AWE-32 it locks up my machine.
If you use an AWE driver version older than 0.3.3d, this may be a bug in the AWE driver. In this case, upgrade to the latest version (see Question 3.2). This may also happen, as reported by Michael Janson <michael.janson@stud.uni-karlsruhe.de>, if you have a card with no RAM installed.

4.3. xmp complains about insuficient memory in the sound device (GUS or AWE).
Check the amount of RAM you have installed. 256Kb or 512Kb may be sufficient to play some MODs, but XMs usually require 1Mb or more. If the module has 16-bit samples, you may try to use the -8 command line option to convert the samples to 8-bit to save memory.

4.4. Chipsamples sound horribly detuned in my AWE-32.
This happens due to an incompatibility between GUS and AWE sample loops. Modules like Purple Motion's "Inside Out" and "Satellite One" are affected by this bug. A new version of either xmp or awedrv should be released to fix this problem.

4.5. xmp plays foobar.mod incorrectly and dumps core.
See Question 4.1.


FAQ source revision: $Id: FAQ.faq,v 1.3 1997/03/18 16:11:59 claudio Exp $