NWC File Format/Modified NWC WinAmp Plugin? 2010-11-30 10:15 pm Over in my "SoundFont" thread here in the forum there was a little discussion about the NWC WinAmp plugin not working with XMPlay (it supports *some* WinAmp plugins). When attempting to run XMPlay with the NWC WinAmp plugin installed, the following error message is displayed:Quote---------------------------Unsupported Plugin---------------------------in_nwc.dll "NWC File Player (2.0)"This plugin is not supported by XMPlay because it uses it's own output.I had asked Ian Luck (the author of XMPlay) about this, and he posted the following over in his XMPlay forums:Quote from: Ian @ un4seenWinamp input plugins can work in 1 of 2 ways: send the sample data to Winamp (or XMPlay) to be played via the usual output channels, or output the data themselves. XMPlay only supports the former, and the latter results in the message above.Does this particular plugin depend on special hardware? If not, there is probably no need for it to output the data itself and doing so just limits its use, eg. no DSP can be applied.Perhaps the plugin could be updated to use Winamp's output instead?I also asked him about native support for playback of NWC format files using his own SoundFont compatable MIDI Plugin for XMPlay, and he stated (of course) that he would need the specs for the various NWC file formats (but would be happy to add NWC support for XMPlay if he had them).So my questions to the NWC authors:Are the NWC file format specs available anywhere and/or is there any chance of updating the NWC WinAmp plugin as Ian described above? Quote Selected
Re: NWC File Format/Modified NWC WinAmp Plugin? Reply #1 – 2010-12-01 05:37 am IMHO, you have no chance whatsoever of getting an NWC file format spec. You also have no chance of getting an NWCTXT file format spec, but its text format can be reverse engineered much easier than the binary format.I am not familiar with XMPlay (or Winamp for that matter). Does it just do audio playback, or does it do visual display as well? If audio only, then why aren't you just using MIDI files, either exported from NWC or generated via NWC-CONV? If visual too, then can XMPlay read another format, like MusicXML or LilyPond or ABC, which NWCTXT can be converted into? I'm guessing it must just be that youwant the convenience of not having to do any special exporting or converting?Any idea what XMPlay is written in? C++? Quote Selected
Re: NWC File Format/Modified NWC WinAmp Plugin? Reply #2 – 2010-12-01 08:32 am As far as I saw, XMPlay is a simple player, so nothing to do with MusicXML and the like.The NWC file format specifications were never released and, as far I can get, there is no plan to publish them.The relatively new NWCTXT file format is not, as far as I know, formally published but is (purposedly) very easily decoded.It is somehow dedicated to the use of external tools; I don't think someone will keep all its NWC files in that format so to have to convert the files to NWCTXT to play them in XMPlay is at least inconvenient.By the way: both formats are still evolving.I think the only hope is that a new winamp plugin (fixing some other problems too) will be released that will be XMPlay-compatible. Quote Selected
Re: NWC File Format/Modified NWC WinAmp Plugin? Reply #3 – 2010-12-01 09:16 am Thanks for the info, folks Yeah, unfortunately that is what I was thinking about the NWC file format specs, that they hadn't been publicly published/released.Anyhow, XMPlay is strictly an audio media player (it doesn't support videos of any kind). It does support most audio formats though (MP3/MP4/WMA/etc... just to name a few), including where it got it's roots from: XM "Tracker" module format music (as well as most of it's variants; MOD/S3M/IT/etc...). Many other formats are supported as well using extra audio input plugins.A few years back Ian Luck created a MIDI plugin of sorts for XMPlay. The MIDI Plugin for XMPlay uses soundfonts for it's MIDI music playback. In other words, it's a soundfont compatable software synthesizer... and an exceptionally nice sounding one at that IMHO; the closest that I personally have heard to real soundfont MIDI hardware (e.g. AWE32/AWE64/SBLive/etc...).Anyways, 'twould be real handy and nice to be able to play NWC format files from within XMPlay; using it's soundfont compatable MIDI plugin. Maybe the NWC authors could possibly update their NWC WinAmp plugin as Ian described. Note that I really don't know what that would entail, or if it's even possible in the first place.BTW, more info on XMPlay here (sort of my own "biased" plug for it <grin>) -> www*cmoo*com/snor/weeds/SoundFonts/XMPlay/XMPlay.htm .P.S. Sorry about the asterisks (* = .), like my soundfont thread here in the forum, I can't post links. Quote Selected
Re: NWC File Format/Modified NWC WinAmp Plugin? Reply #4 – 2010-12-01 12:24 pm G'day Rich,I assume you're an NWC2 user, so why not upgrade your membership? that way you should be able to post links instead of the rigamarole you currently need to use.https://forum.noteworthycomposer.com/?topic=5483.0 Quote Selected
Re: NWC File Format/Modified NWC WinAmp Plugin? Reply #5 – 2010-12-01 04:26 pm Does XMPlay support MIDI hardware in (external keyboards, etc.)? If so, why not just port NWC to it through a virtual MIDI cable? Quote Selected
Re: NWC File Format/Modified NWC WinAmp Plugin? Reply #6 – 2010-12-02 04:14 am Quote from: Lawrie Pardy – 2010-12-01 12:24 pmI assume you're an NWC2 user, so why not upgrade your membership? that way you should be able to post links instead of the rigamarole you currently need to use.Thanks for the info, but I still only have the old version 1.75c. I originally purchased version 1.x, but it was so long ago I forget exactly what ".x" version that it was.Quote from: William Ashworth – 2010-12-01 04:26 pmDoes XMPlay support MIDI hardware in (external keyboards, etc.)? If so, why not just port NWC to it through a virtual MIDI cable?Unfortunately not. XMPlay (as well as it's MIDI plugin) is strictly an output device audio player (akin to the Windows Media Player). Quote Selected
Re: NWC File Format/Modified NWC WinAmp Plugin? Reply #7 – 2010-12-02 11:53 am Quote from: Rich Nagel – 2010-12-02 04:14 amThanks for the info, but I still only have the old version 1.75c. I originally purchased version 1.x, but it was so long ago I forget exactly what ".x" version that it was.$15 US to upgrade is a bargain IMHO. NWC2.1 is a significant improvement over the 1.x versions. You won't regret it.https://www.noteworthysoftware.com/order/wizard.php?formid=nwc2u Quote Selected
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