xref: /frameworks/base/docs/html/guide/topics/media/jet/jetcreator_manual.jd

page.title=SONiVOX JETCreator User Manual
@jd:body



<p>Content Authoring Application for the JET Interactive Music Engine</p>


<h1>1 Introduction</h1>

<h2>1.1 Overview</h2>

<p>This document contains the user guidelines
for the SONiVOX JET Creator, an authoring application for creating and
auditioning JET files. JET is an interactive music player for small embedded
devices, including the those running the Android platform. It allows applications to
include interactive music soundtracks, in MIDI
format, that respond in real-time to game play events and user interaction.</p>


<p>JET works in conjunction with SONiVOX's
Embedded Audio Synthesizer (EAS) which is the MIDI
playback device for Android. Both the
JET and EAS engines are integrated into the Android embedded platform through the 
{@link android.media.JetPlayer} class, as well
as inherent in the JET Creator application. As such, the JET content author can
be sure that the playback will sound exactly the same in both the JET Creator
and the final Android application playing back on Android mobile devices.</p>


<p>In addition to the graphical user
interface, there are two main functionalities taking place in JET Creator. The
first involves gathering all the source data (MIDI
files and DLS file), adding JET's real-time attributes and building a JET
(.jet) file that the Android application will use. The second functionality
involves auditioning the interactive playback elements as they will take place
in the Android application.</p>


<p>The JET Creator application is written in
the Python programming language, therefore you need to have the current version
of Python and WXWidgets installed. There is both a Mac and Windows version.</p>


<h2>1.2 Abbreviations and Common Terms</h2>

<p>It is important to use a common set of
terms to minimize confusion. Since JET uses MIDI
in a unique way, normal industry terms may not always suffice. Here is the
definition of terms as they are used in this document and in the JET Creator
application:</p>


<p><i>Channel</i>: MIDI data associated with a specific MIDI
channel. Standard MIDI allows for 16 channels of MIDI
data each of which are typically associated with a specific instrument. </p>



<p><i>Controller</i>: A MIDI event consisting of a
channel number, controller number, and a controller value. The MIDI
 spec associates many controller numbers with
specific functions, such as volume, expression, sustain pedal, etc. JET also
uses controller events as a means of embedding special control information in a
MIDI sequence to provide for audio synchronization.</p>



<p><i>DAW</i>: Digital Audio Workstation. A common term for MIDI
and audio sequencing applications such as Logic, SONAR, Cubase and others. </p>



<p><i>EAS:</i> Embedded MIDI Synthesizer. The
name of the SONiVOX MIDI synthesizer engine.</p>



<p><i>JET</i>: Jet Interactive Engine. The name of the SONiVOX JET interactive
music engine.</p>



<p><i>M/B/T</i>: Measures, Beats and Ticks</p>



<p><i>Segment</i>: A musical section such as a chorus or verse that is a component of
the overall composition. In JET, a segment can be an entire MIDI file or a
derived from a portion of a MIDI file.</p>



<p><i>SMF-0</i>: Standard MIDI File Type 0, a MIDI file that contains a single
track, but may be made up of multiple channels of MIDI
data.</p>



<p><i>SMF-1</i>: Standard MIDI File Type 1, a MIDI file that contains a one more
tracks, and each track may in turn be made up of one or more channels of MIDI
 data. By convention, each channel is stored on a
separate track in an SMF-1 file. However, it is possible to have multiple MIDI
channels on a single track, or multiple tracks that contain data for the same MIDI
channel.</p>



<p><i>Track</i>: A single track in a DAW containing a timed sequence of  events. Be careful not to confuse Tracks with
Channels. A MIDI file may contain many tracks with several tracks utilizing the
same MIDI channel. </p>





<h1>2 The JET Interactive Music Concept</h1>

<p>Interactive music can be defined as music
that changes in real-time according to non-predictable events such as user
interaction or game play events. In this way, interactive music is much more
engaging as it has the ability to match the energy and mood of a game much
closer than a pre-composed composition that never changes. In some applications
and games, interactive music is central to the game play. Guitar Hero is one
such popular game. When the end user successfully captures the musical notes
coming down the fret board, the music adapts itself and simultaneously keeps
score of successes and failures. JET allows for these types of music driven
games as well.</p>



<p>There are several methods for making and
controlling interactive music and JET is one such method. This section
describes the features of JET and how they might be used in a game or software
application. It also describes how JET can be used to save memory in small
footprint devices such as Android enabled mobile handsets.</p>

<h3>2.1.1 Data Compression</h3>

<p>JET supports a flexible music format that
can be used to create extended musical sequences with a minimal amount of data.
A musical composition is broken up into segments that can be sequenced to
create a longer piece. The sequencing can be fixed at the time the music file
is authored, or it can be created dynamically under program control.</p>

<h3>2.1.2 Linear Music Example</h3>

<p>
<img border=0 width=575 height=393 src="{@docRoot}images/jet/linear_music.png">
<br>Figure 1: Linear Music Piece</p>

<p>This diagram shows how musical segments are
stored. Each segment is authored as a separate MIDI
file. A post-processing tool combines the files into a single container file.
Each segment can contain alternate music tracks that can be muted or un-muted
to create additional interest. An example might be a brass accent in the chorus
that is played only the last time through. Also, segments can be transposed up
or down.</p>


<p>The bottom part of the diagram shows how
the musical segments can be recombined to create a linear music piece. In this
example, the bridge might end with a half-step key modulation and the remaining
segments could be transposed up a half-step to match.</p>

<h3>2.1.3 Non-linear Music Example</h3>

<p>
<img border=0 width=576 height=389
src="{@docRoot}images/jet/nonlinear_music.png">
<br>Figure 2: Non-linear music piece</p>


<p>In this diagram, we see a non-linear music
piece. The scenario is a first-person-shooter (FPS) and JET is providing the
background music. The intro plays as the level is loading and then transitions
under program control to the Searching segment. This segment is repeated indefinitely,
perhaps with small variations (using the mute/un-mute feature) until activity
in the game dictates a change.</p>



<p>As the player nears a monster lair, the
program starts a synchronized transition to the Danger segment, increasing the
tension level in the audio. As the player draws closer to the lair, additional
tracks are un-muted to increase the tension.</p>



<p>As the player enters into combat with the
monster, the program starts a synchronized transition to the Combat segment.
The segment repeats indefinitely as the combat continues. A Bonus Hit
temporarily un-mutes a decorative track that notifies the player of a
successful attack, and similarly, another track is temporarily un-muted to
signify when the player receives Special Damage.</p>



<p>At the end of combat, the music transitions
to a victory or defeat segment based on the outcome of battle.</p>

<h3>2.1.4 Mute/Un-mute Synchronization</h3>

<p>JET can also synchronize the muting and
un-muting of tracks to events in the music. For example, in the FPS game, it would
probably be desirable to place the musical events relating to bonuses and
damage as close to the actual game event as possible. However, simply un-muting
a track at the moment the game event occurs might result in a music clip
starting in the middle. Alternatively, a clip could be started from the
beginning, but then it wouldn't be synchronized with the other music tracks.</p>


<p>However, with the JET sync engine, a clip
can be started at the next opportune moment and maintain synchronization. This
can be accomplished by placing a number of short music clips on a decorative
track. A MIDI event in the stream signifies
the start of a clip and a second event signifies the end of a clip. When the
application calls the JET clip function, the next clip in the track is allowed
to play fully synchronized to the music. Optionally, the track can be
automatically muted by a second MIDI event.</p>


<p>
<img border=0 width=576 height=155
src="{@docRoot}images/jet/sync_muteunmute.png">
<br>Figure 3: Synchronized Mute/Unmute</p>


<h2>2.2 Audio Synchronization</h2>

<p>JET provides an audio synchronization API
that allows game play to be synchronized to events in the audio. The mechanism
relies on data embedded in the MIDI file at
the time the content is authored. When the JET engine senses an event during
playback it generates a callback into the application program. The timing of
the callback can be adjusted to compensate for any latency in the audio
playback system so that audio and video can be synchronized. The diagram below
shows an example of a simple music game that involves pressing the left and
right arrows in time with the music.</p>

<p><img border=0 width=576 height=134
src="{@docRoot}images/jet/music_game.png">
<br>Figure 4: Music Game</p>



<p>The arrows represent events in the music sequence
where game events need to be synchronized. In this case, the blue arrow
represents a time where the player is supposed to press the left button, and
the red arrow is for the right button. The yellow arrow tells the game engine
that the sequence is complete. The player is allowed a certain time window
before and after the event to press the appropriate key.</p>



<p>If an event is received and the player has
not pressed a button, a timer is set to half the length of the window. If the
player presses the button before the timer expires, the game registers a
success, and if not, the game registers a failure. </p>



<p>If the player presses the button before the
event is received, a timer is set to half the length of the window. If an event
is received before the timer expires, the game registers a success, and if not,
the game registers a failure. Game play might also include bonuses for getting
close to the timing of the actual event. </p>



<h1>3 JET Content Authoring Overview</h1>

<p>To author JET files and hear them playback
interactively, the content author will work in two applications which are
designed to work together smoothly. The first is application is any
off-the-shelf MIDI sequencing application that
supports VST (for PC) or AU (for Mac) plugins. Here the author will compose
their MIDI music files using the plugin as the
synthesizer device. The second application is the JET Creator application. Here
the author will import their MIDI music files
(and optionally a DLS2 soundset) and setup the conditions for interactive
playback within the JET enabled game. Optionally the content author may create
a custom set of DLS instruments using an instrument editor that supports the
DLS Level 2 format. One such application is Awave from MJSoft. </p>

<p>Please see the JET Content Authoring Guidelines</i> documentation for additional
details on content authoring.</p>



<h1>4 Installing and Launching JET Creator</h1>

<p>JET Creator is a python language
application, therefore, you must have Python and wxPython installed on your
machine. </p>


<p>JetCreator was created and tested with:</p>

<p>Python Version 2.5.4</p>

<p>wxPython Version 2.8.7.1</p>


<p>These can be downloaded here:</p>



<p>PC:</p>
<ul>
<li>http://www.python.org/download/releases/2.5.4/</li>

<li>http://www.wxpython.org/download.php</li>
</ul>


<p>MAC:</p>
<ul>
<li>http://wiki.python.org/moin/MacPython/Leopard</li>

<li>http://www.wxpython.org/download.php</li>
</ul>


<p>After installing Python and wxPython,
simply unzip or copy all the files in the JET Creator application directory to
a folder on your hard drive.</p>


<p>To launch JET Creator go to a command
prompt and set the directory to where you've installed Python. Next run python
with the command:</p>

<p><pre>python jetcreator.py</pre></p>





<h1>5 Using JET Creator</h1>



<h2>5.1 File Types</h2>

<p>There are a few different file types
associated with JET Creator.</p>



<p>.jtc JET
Creator project file. This file contains all the information associated with a
JET Creator project. When you Save or Save-as out of JET Creator, this file
type is saved.</p>



<p>.jet  JET
File. This output file is automatically generated from JET Creator whenever you
save your JET Creator project. This is the file that bundles all JET assets
together into a single file that the Android application will use. Give this
file to the Android application developer.</p>



<p>.mid    File. This is the standard MIDI
type 1 file that JET Creator will use to make segments.</p>



<p>.seg   Segment
File. This is a JET Segment file. It has the same name as the MIDI
file which it references but contains additional Segment information.</p>



<p>.zip   Zip
Archive file. When you Export a JET Archive, a zip file is created that
contains all the assets (files) necessary for JET Creator. Use this to transfer
JET Creator projects to other people.</p>



<h2>5.2 Open Dialog</h2>

<p>When
you first launch JET Creator you are presented with an open dialog like the
following.</p>

 

<p><img border=0 width=450 height=285
src="{@docRoot}images/jet/jc_open_dlg.png"
</p>

 

 

<p>  <b>Open</b> will open an existing .jtc (JET Creator file) file. Use the browser
button to browse to the directory where you have saved your .jtc file.</p>

 

<p>  <b>New</b> will create a new .jtc file.</p>

 

<p>  <b>Import</b> will import a JET Archive (.zip) file.</p>

 

<p>  <b>Cancel</b> will cancel the dialog and exit the application.</p>

 

 

<h1>5 Main Window </h1>

<p>The main window of the JET Creator
application looks like the picture below. There are three main sections from
top to bottom: segment view, event view, and timeline. </p>



<p>The segment view section displays a list of
the current segments, which MIDI file and
(optionally) DLS2 file each segment is derived from. It also shows each
segments start and stop time and each segments quantize, transpose, repeat and
mute flag settings.</p>



<p>Just below the Segment view is the event
view. The event view section displays all events associated with a given
segment. Events only display when the segment they are assigned to is
highlighted. Each event displays its type, start and end points, track and midi
channel assignment, and its event ID.</p>



<p>Just below the Event view is the timeline
display. The timeline shows how many measures a given segment is as well as any
events associated with that segment. The timeline changes to display the
currently selected or playing segment. You can trigger an event in this window
while the segment is play by simply clicking on the event in the timeline
display.</p>


<p><img border=0 width=554 height=378
src="{@docRoot}images/jet/jc_main_wnd.png">
<br><i>JET
Creator Main Window<o:p></o:p></i></p>


<p>The buttons along the left side of main
window do the following:</p>

<p>Add: 
Displays the segment or event window for adding a new segment or event</p>

<p>Revise: 
Displays the segment or event window for updating an existing segment or event</p>

<p>Delete: 
Deletes the selected segment or event (will ask for confirmation)</p>

<p>Move: 
Displays the move window which allows you to move selected segments or events
in time</p>

<p>Queue All:  Queue's
(selects) all segments for playback</p>

<p>Dequeue All:   Dequeues
(deselects) all segments</p>

<p>Play: 
Starts playback of all queued segments. This button changes to Stop if any
segments are playing</p>

<p>Audition: 
Displays the Audition window (see below)</p>



<h2>5.1 Segment Window</h2>

<p>The segment window is where a given
segment's attributes are assigned and auditioned, as shown in the picture
below. The left side of the window displays the segments attributes that are
stored in the JET file. The right side of the window allows the author to set
mute flags, repeat and transpose settings and audition the segment as it will
play in the JET game.</p>



<p><b>Note</b>: the audition attributes (mute flags, repeat and transpose) are <i
>not</i> stored in the JET content file
(.jet) but rather are defined by the game or application itself. In programming
language, these settings correspond directly with the API calls to the JET
engine. By including them here, the JET content author can simulate how the
segment will respond to the applications API commands during game play.</p>



<p><img border=0 width=553 height=295
src="{@docRoot}images/jet/jc_seg_wnd.png" >
</p>

<p>The segment parameters do the following:</p>

<ul>
<li>Segment Name  - Sets
the name of the segment</li>

<li>MIDI File -
The name and location of the MIDI file from which
the segment is derived. The button to the immediate right will bring up a
browser for locating a midi file on the hard drive.</li>

<li>DLS File  -
The name and location of the DLS2 file, if any, that the MIDI
file uses for that segment.</li>

<li>Starting M/B/T  -
Starting measure, beat and tick of the segment</li>

<li>Ending M/B/T  -
Ending measure, beat and tick of the segment</li>

<li>Quantize  -
Quantize value for quantizing the current segment during playback</li>

</ul>

<p>The audition fields are as follows:</p>

<ul>
<li>Track Mutes  -
Shows the MIDI <b>tracks</b> (not channels)
in the MIDI file. Clicking on a track's
checkbox will mute that track. </li>

<li>Channel  -
Displays the MIDI channel assigned to each
track</li>

<li>Name  -
Displays the track name meta event (if present) for each track</li>

<li>Repeat  -
Indicates the number of times a segment should repeat during playback</li>

<li>Transpose  -
Indicates the transposition in semi-tones or half-steps a segment should
transpose during playback</li>

<li>To the right of the Audition window are a few additional buttons.
These do as follows:</li>

<li>OK  -
Selecting OK confirms all segment settings and closes the segment window</li>

<li>Cancel  -
Selecting Cancel cancels any changes and closes the segment window</li>

<li>Replicate  -
Displays the Replicate Segment window for entering multiple segments at once.
See below.</li>

<li>Play/Stop Segment   - Starts
or Stops playback of the segment using the segment attributes assigned. </li>

<li>Play/Stop MIDI File   -
Starts or Stops playback of the MIDI file
which the segment is assigned to. </li>

<li>Pause/Resume  -
Pauses or Resumes playback.</li>

</ul>



<h2>5.2 Event Window</a></h2>

<p>The event window is where a given segment's
event attributes are assigned and auditioned, as shown in the picture below. To
add an event to a segment, the author must first select the segment which will
contain the event, then select the Add button. This will bring up the Event
window.</p>



<p>
<img border=0 width=554 height=294
src="{@docRoot}images/jet/jc_event_wnd.png"></p>





<p>There are two main sections to the event
window. The segment section on the left side of the event window is for display
only. It shows what the segment attributes are for the given segment. The Event
section, on the right side, is where events can be assigned. The following
parameters are available:</p>



<p>Event Name  -
Assigns a name to an event</p>

<p>Event Type  -
Selects which type of event to assign.</p>

<p>Starting M/B/T  -
Sets the starting measure, beat, and tick for the event</p>

<p>Ending M/B/T  -
Sets the ending measure, beat, and tick for the event, if applicable</p>

<p>Track  -
Sets which track in the given segment the event will apply to</p>

<p>Channel  -
Sets which MIDI channel the event will apply
to. The MIDI channel should match the MIDI
channel of the track</p>

<p>Event ID  -
Sets the event ID for the event. Multiple events can be assigned to the same
segment and therefore the Event ID is used to identify them</p>



<p>To the right of the Audition window are a few additional buttons.
These do as follows:</p>

<p>

<p>OK  -
Selecting OK confirms all event settings and closes the event window</p>

<p>Cancel  -
Selecting Cancel cancels any changes and closes the event window</p>

<p>Replicate  -
Displays the Replicate Event window for entering multiple events at once. See
below.</p>

<p>Play/Stop  -
Starts or Stops playback of the segment using the segment attributes assigned.
While the segment is playing, events can be triggered and auditioned.</p>

<p>Trigger  -
Triggers the event assigned. This replicates the API command that the JET game
will use to trigger the event, therefore giving the content author a method for
auditioning the behaviour of the event.</p>

<p>Mute/UnMute  -
Mute/UnMute will mute or unmute the track that the event is assigned to</p>

<p>Pause/Resume  -
Pauses or Resumes playback.</p>



<p>To audition the behaviour of an event, you
can select the Play button. This will initiate playback. The trigger button
will send the trigger event when pressed. This is equivalent to selecting the
green trigger event in the timeline. </p>



<p>Note: Trigger events are meant to unmute a
single track of a segment when triggered, then mute that track at the end of
the trigger segment. Therefore you should make sure the mute flag is set to
mute the track that a trigger event will be unmuting when receiving a trigger event.
</p>



<p>Please read Section <i>6 Under The Hood</i>
below for details on how trigger events work and behave. </p>



<h2>5.3 Replicate Windows</h2>

<p>Often in creating JET files, you'll need to
create tens or even hundreds of events. You may also need to move events. The
Replicate and Move windows allow for this. There are two Replicate windows for
creating multiple segments or events. They look like the following:</p>



<p><img border=0 width=395 height=419
src="{@docRoot}images/jet/jc_rep_wnd.png" ></p>

<p>Replicate Segment Window</p>


<p><img border=0 width=398 height=425
src="{@docRoot}images/jet/jc_repseg_wnd.png"></p>



<p>Replicate Event Window</p>



<p>Both Replicate windows function the same.
After creating an initial segment or event, you can select the Replicate
button. The parameters are as follows:</p>



<p>Name Prefix  -
Sets the prefix for the name of each segment or event created</p>

<p>Starting M/B/T  -
Sets the starting time for the first segment or event</p>

<p>Increment M/B/T  -
Sets the time between segments or events created. </p>

<p>Number  -
Sets the number of segments or events you wish to create. If the number
overflows the length of the MIDI file (for
segments) or segment (for events), those objects will not be created.</p>

<p>Preview  -
Preview allows you to examine the objects created before saying OK to insert
them.</p>





<h2>5.4 Move Windows</h2>

<p>The Move function acts similarly to the
Replicate function in that it allows you to edit multiple segments or events at
one time, in this case move them in time. Like Replicate, there are two Move
windows, one for Segments and one for Events. The windows look like the
following:</p>



<p><img border=0 width=400 height=424
src="{@docRoot}images/jet/jc_moveseg_wnd.png"></p>



<p>Move Event Window</p>



<p>To use Move, first select the segments or
events you wish to move in time, then click the Move button. The parameters are
as follows:</p>



<p>Starting M/B/T  -
Sets the starting time for the first segment or event</p>

<p>Increment M/B/T  -
Sets the time in M/B/T you wish to move the objects by. </p>

<p>Preview  -
Preview allows you to examine the objects created before saying OK to move
them.</p>





<h2>5.5 Audition Window</a></h2>

<p>Clicking the Audition button in the main
window of the JET Creator application will open the Audition window. This is
where the content author or application programmer can simulate the interactive
playback as it may occur in the mobile application or game itself.</p>



<p><img border=0 width=554 height=370
src="{@docRoot}images/jet/jc_audition_wnd.png"></p>



<p>JET Audition Window</p>





<p>There are four main sections to the
audition window. The left most section displays the available segments and
their length in seconds. The middle section displays a running list of what
segments are queued for playback and what their playback status is. The far
right section displays the mute flags for the currently playing segment. The
timeline section at the bottom is the same as in the main window. It displays
the currently playing segment as well as a visual display of any event triggers
associated with that segment. </p>



<p>The Audition window allows you to queue up
any segment in any order for playback. To do this simply select the segment you
wish to cue and hit Queue. That segment will appear in the queue window and
start playing (if it is the first segment). Subsequently you can select any
other segment or segments and cue them up for playback. As the segments
complete playback, the next segment in the queue will begin playing. As is the
other windows of JET Creator, you can mute, unmute, trigger event clips, etc.
in realtime as each segment is playing back.</p>



<p>Specifically the buttons behave as follows:</p>



<p>Queue  -
loads the selected segment into the queue and starts playback</p>

<p>Cancel and Queue  -
cancels the currently playing segment before queueing the selected segment for
playback</p>

<p>Cancel Current  -
cancels the currently playing segment in the queue and begins playback of the
next segment</p>

<p>Stop  -
stops playback of all queued segments</p>

<p>Mute All  -
mutes all tracks in the current segment</p>

<p>Mute None  -
unmutes all tracks in the current segment</p>

<p>Original Mutes  -
sets the original mute flags for the current segment</p>



<p>The combination of these playback options
allows an author or application programmer to audition any behaviour an
interactive music application may encounter. </p>





<h2>5.6 JET Creator Menus </h2>

<p>The JET Creator menus provide access to
many of the parameters in the main window plus a few additional parameters.</p>

<h3>5.6.1 File Menu</h3>

<p>The File Menu contains the following
elements:</p>



<p>New -
Creates a new JET Creator file (.jtc)</p>

<p>Open  -
Opens an existing JET Creator file</p>

<p>Save  -
Saves the currently opened JET Creator file</p>

<p>Save As  -
Saves the currently opened JET Creator file to a new file</p>

<p>Import Project  - Imports a JET Creator archive (.zip)</p>

<p>Export Project  - Exports a JET Creator archive (.zip)</p>

<p>Exit  -
Exits the application</p>



<h3>5.6.2 Edit Menu</h3>

<p>The Edit Menu contains the following
elements:</p>



<p>Undo  -
Undo will undo the last edit made</p>

<p>Redo  -
Redo will redo the last undo</p>

<p>Cut  -
Copy selected parameter into clipboard and Delete selection</p>

<p>Copy  -
Copy selected parameter into clipboard and keep selection</p>

<p>Paste  -
Paste selected parameter</p>



<h3>5.6.3 JET</h3>

<p>The Edit Menu contains the following
elements:</p>



<p>Properties  -
Brings up the JET Creator priorities window. This window allows you to set the
following conditions for a given JET file:</p>

<p>Copyright Info  - Contains copyright info to be inserted into JET file</p>

<p>Chase Controllers  - Option to chase controllers (on/off). This should usually
be ON.</p>

<p>Delete Empty Tracks  - Deletes any empty MIDI tracks</p>



<h3>5.6.4 Segments</h3>

<p>The Segments Menu contains the following
elements:</p>



<p>Add Segment  -
Brings up the Segment window</p>

<p>Update Segment  - Updates segment attributes</p>

<p>Delete Segment  - Deletes the current segment from the
Segment List</p>



<h3>5.6.5 Help</h3>

<p>The Help Menu will contain at least the
following elements:</p>



<p>JET Creator Help  - will launch PDF help document or go to on-line help</p>

<p>About  -
JET Creator version number, SONiVOX info</p>





<h1>6 Trigger Events Explained</h1>

<p>Breaking a MIDI
file into individual (non-linear) segments and queueing up those segments for
playback in a game based on events within the game is one way JET music files are
interactive. Trigger events are an additional method for interactive playback.
Both would be used together in an interactive game or application.</p>



<p>Trigger events allow for the following:</p>


<ol>
  <li><span
     lang=EN-IE>Tracks <i>within</i> a MIDI segment can be turned on or off based on game
     events. For example the composer could author two drum tracks, one fast
     and one slow. If the action in a game is fast, the fast drum track could
     play. If the action in the game is slow, the slow drum track can play.</li>
  <li><span
     lang=EN-IE>User actions can be compared to trigger events which are
     pre-inserted into a music file at musically correct places. Based on the
     results, scoring or other game actions can take place. </li>
  <li><span
     lang=EN-IE>Musical transitions between levels or action sequences can be
     synchronized to be musically seamless.</li>
</ol>



<p>Under the hood, JET uses standard MIDI CC
events to accomplish these actions and to synchronize audio. The controllers
used by JET are among those not defined for specific use by the  specification. The specific controller definitions
are as follows:</p>



<p>  Controllers
80-83  Reserved for use by
application</p>

<p>  Controller
102  JET event marker</p>

<p>  Controller
103  JET clip marker</p>

<p>  Controllers
104-119  Reserved for future use</p>



<h2>6.1 JET Clip Marker (CC103)</h2>

<p>Controller 103 is reserved for marking
clips in a MIDI track that can be triggered by
the JET_TriggerClip API call. The clip ID is encoded in the low 6 bits of the
controller value. Bit 6 is set to one to indicate the start of a clip, and set
to zero to indicate the end of a clip.</p>



<p>For example, to identify a clip with a clip
ID of 1, the author inserts a MIDI controller
event with controller=103 and value=65 at the start of the clip and another
event with controller=103 and value=1 at the end of the clip. When the
JET_TriggerClip() function is called with a clip ID of 1, the track will be
un-muted when the controller value 65 is encountered and muted again when the
controller value 1 is encountered.</p>



<p><img border=0 width=492 height=367
src="{@docRoot}images/jet/clip_marker.png"></p>

<p>Figure 5: Synchronized Clip</p>



<p>In the figure above, if the
JET_TriggerClip() function is called prior to the first controller event, Track
3 will be un-muted when the first controller event occurs, the first clip will
play, and the track will be muted when the second controller event occurs. If
the JET_TriggerClip() function is called after the first controller event has
occurred, Track 3 will be un-muted when the third controller event occurs, the
second clip will play, and the track will be muted again when the fourth
controller event occurs.</p>



<p><b>Note:</b> Normally, the track containing the clip is muted by the application
when the segment is initially queued by the call to JET_QueueSegment(). If it
is not muted, the clip will always play until Jet_TriggerClip() has been called
with the clip ID.</p>



<h2>6.2 JET Event Marker (CC102)</h2>

<p>Controller 102 is reserved for marking
events in the MIDI streams that are specific
to JET functionality. Currently, the only defined value is 0, which marks the
end of a segment for timing purposes. </p>



<p>Normally, JET starts playback of the next
segment (or repeats the current segment) when the MIDI
end-of-track meta-event is encountered. Some MIDI
authoring tools make it difficult to place the end-of-track marker accurately,
resulting in synchronization problems when segments are joined together.</p>



<p>To avoid this problem, the author can place
a JET end-of-segment marker (controller=102, value=0) at the point where the
segment is to be looped. When the end-of-segment marker is encountered, the
next segment will be triggered, or if the current segment is looped, playback
will resume at the start of the segment.</p>



<p>The end-of-segment marker can also be used
to allow for completion of a musical figure beyond the end of measure that
marks the start of the next segment. For example, the content author might
create a 4-bar segment with a drum fill that ends on beat 1 of the 5<sup>th</sup>
bar, a bar beyond the natural end of the segment. By placing an end-of-segment
marker at the end of the 4<sup>th</sup> bar, the next segment will be
triggered, but the drum fill will continue in parallel with the next segment
providing musical continuity.</p>



<p><img border=0 width=467 height=185
src="{@docRoot}images/jet/event_marker.png"></p>

<p>Figure 6: End-of-segment Marker</p>

<h2>6.3 Application Controllers (CC80-83)</h2>

<p>The application may use controllers in this
range for its own purposes. When a controller in this range is encountered, the
event is entered into an event queue that can be queried by the application.
Some possible uses include synchronizing video events with audio and marking a
point in a MIDI segment to queue up the next
segment. The range of controllers monitored by the application can be modified
by the application during initialization.</p>

<h1>7 JET Creator Guidelines</h1>

<p></p>

<h2>7.1 Order of Tasks</h2>

<p>As with all projects, its best to discuss and design the interactive music scheme with the game designer and programmer before beginning your composition. An outline and/or specification can go a long way in saving you from having to redo things after the game is in place.</p>

<p>In general youll want to first write your music in your DAW of choice the way youre used to composing, then break up the final MIDI file as needed for the application. Next, move to JET Creator and create all of your music segments in the order easiest to preview them when played in order. Finally, add the JET Events to control the segments via the Android game and Audition them as needed in JET Creator. Finally, save the project in JET Creator and hand off the .jet file to the programmer to integrate it in the game. After previewing there will likely be changes to the MIDI file(s) and JET Creator attributes. </p>

<h2>7.2 Conserving Memory</h2>

<p>If youre trying to conserve memory, compose as few MIDI files as possible, and create several segments from that MIDI file. For example a 12 bar MIDI file with three sections of 4 bars, A, B, C, can create a much longer song. Simply create multiple segments that reference the one MIDI file, then order them however you like. For example, A, A, B, A, C, A, B, A, A would create a 36 bar song. Use JET to add repeats, transpose segments, and interactively mute and unmute tracks to keep it even more interesting.</p>

<h2>7.3 Replicate</h2>

<p>To make adding segments or events faster, use the Replicate command. Replicate can add multiple segments or events at one time and uses an offset parameter and prefix naming convention to keep things easy to read. The MOVE command is also useful for moving multiple events by a set number of measures, beats or ticks.</p>

<h2>7.4 Interactive Options</h2>

<p>There are several interactive audio concepts possible in JET. Below are a few examples although we hope developers will come up with others we havent thought of! These are:</p>

<h3>7.4.1 Multiple Segment Triggering</h3>

<p>In this method the application is triggering specific segments based on events in the game. For example a hallway with lots of fighting might trigger segment 1 and a hallway with no fighting might trigger segment 2. Using JET TriggerClips in conjunction with this method creates even more diversity.</p>

<h3>7.4.2 Mute Arrays</h3>

<p>In this method the application is triggering mute and unmute events to specific tracks in a single MIDI sequence. For example a hallway with lots of fighting might play MIDI tracks 1-16 and a hallway with no fighting might play the same midi file but mute tracks 9-16. Using JET TriggerClips in conjunction with this method creates even more diversity.</p>

<h3>7.4.3 Music Driven Gameplay</h3>

<p>Music driven gaming is similar to what Guitar Hero and JETBOY have done in that the music content determines how graphic events are displayed. The application then queries the user response to the graphic events and interactively modifies the music in response. In this method the game is utilizing JET Application Events, MIDI controllers that are embedded in the MIDI file and read by the game in real-time. Based on the user response, multiple segment triggering and/or mute arrays can be set.</p>