Scene Zine Monthly for September 16th, 2003 [Issue 6]
Six Months and Still Steaming

Published By Scene Rep

Contents

The Monthly Ramble by Patrick Groove
Brief comments about the ramble

Reader Feedback Compiled by Network19
We have been online for six months. What did you say in our shout box?

Xhiptraxkr Development by Acid Dose
Acid Dose summarizes the development of Xhiptraxkr.

Interview with Ray of Unreal a follow up by DJMirage
A deeper look into the think tank that is Unreal and a better look at what might really be the st roy behind Impulse Tracker 3.

Infrasound by Libris
"While human ears aren't capable of detecting infrasound, our bodies can feel it, in fact exposure to strong infrasonic forces result in some quite negative effects on us."

After Effects For Demos by Patrick Groove
"Entire WiLD demos can potentially be produced in this environment with video codec display in mind."

Demos Exposed by Polaris
Demo! Demos! And more demos! While this is the first time Polaris has written for Scene Zine you can find his mutterings and mentoring in the popular Hugi diskmag.

The Monthly Ramble
By
Patrick Groove

Oh no! I have to edit another issue! I have six school projects due within weeks (or this week) and I just spilt green tea all over my keyboard! Thanks again Christofori for taking some time to make my life easier. He did what I should have done months ago, which is to write a template for this publication.

We have quite a bit of new content for you this month. In addition to this we're testing out a new demo reviewer and one of my fellow demo developers, Polaris. Be sure to give him lots of comments on his writing. Drq and Christofori are off for this month (honestly, we do need a break now and then).

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Reader FeedBack [Best of the shout box]
Compiled by
Network19

'this is not mozilla compatible'

Network19: Possibly the start of the great browser debate...

'Shout into da box till it breax0r!'
'it already is broked in mozilla'

Network19: Or maybe it was this time... Anyway heres the rest of it...

'this site looks bad in mozilla'
'That's because Mozilla isn't quick enough to incorperate new technology such as CSS 2.'
'Yah. Mozilla blows. :( I love IE.'
'IE blows. I love Mozilla. (fix the layout ffs! :P)'
'I too Love the Mozilla OS ;-)'
'Opera really rulezz'
'mozilla sux0rs..... '
'over half the web stuff cant be viewed properly because of mozilla'
'I think I better give you guys a forum soon to duke it out. -Pat'
'/me agrees that mozilla sux0rs !'
'Mozilla doesn't suck. It just isn't up to date. Tjose who don't have IE can seek alternatives but...'
'...won't view Sr as it should be.'
'Mozilla users who complian are ignorant of new technology. SZ still reads fine.'
'Sheesh you make Mozilla users sound like the scum of the earth! :('
'Mozilla is fine, just get the latest version, all problems I found on the site are fixed already -DJ'
'hmm i see there are some errors indeed. no scrollbar for news, shoutbox has no scrollbar, weird text'
'new technology? you mean M$-only standards? the overflow-y css attributes are NOT standard (IE only)'
'and if webmasters would follow real standards, ALL the web would be fully viewable on every browser'
'If I hear any more whining I'm gonna take this box away. -Pat'

Network19: And that put an end to that. Some of the Scene Reps seem to have admirers...

'libris is sexy - i want him to have my baby'

Network19: And Patrick seems to be a favourite...

'Patrick Groove is sexy'
'PatGroove is sexy'
'heh. PatGroove is sexy. :)'

Network19: Then we discovered the source...

'DJMirage: Could you please stop calling me sexy? It's a little bit weird...'

Network19: But he has his reasons...

'Mirage is an attention whore. :?'
'Hey look at me I am DJMirage'
'DJMirage his website has a shoutbox too, bigger as this one :)'
'Maybe he's compensating for something :?'

Network19: What's this myth about a demoscene cow ?

'moo :)'
'is there an official demoscene cow? and where does it live?'
'the cow lives at espernet, and produces large amounts of cheese'
'the official demoscene cow lives in norway and is named NUKLEUS!'

Network19: At least some users enjoy it... Which makes it all worth while...

'WOW! The Scene zine is really gewd!!!'
'Excellent job :)'
'I can't beleive how massive this site is upon launch...'
'agree... r00lz [Jos]'
'sweeeeeet e-zine.'
'Damn! Very good Idea - fantastic Site and cool E-Magazin - love it :)'
'Nice layout, also the informational content is on the tip of the scene for sures.'
'Nice Job.'
'We want more Scene Zine! Hurry hurry!'
'Nice Zine!!!'

Network19: I still wonder what happened to the hit counter !

'What happened to the hit counter on the entry page? :('
'Got rid of it due to some good advice'
'adv: ...That we replace it with a beer tub girl...'
'so far no beer tub girl...'

Network19: Some other humerous and odd comments...

'It's like there's a party in my mouth and everyone is invited.'
'Foolish humans! mu hahahha!'
'eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee'
'dude take it easy on the e'
'That's right. A bitch.'
'Arggggg! She be a fine wench!'

Send us your feedback!!!

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Xhiptraxkr Development
By
Acid Dose

Well firstly, some information about the tracker itself. The synthesizer is based upon generic analog subtractive synthesis, with a few digital twists. It has sixteen channels, which are each like an individual monophonic synthesizer. It is based upon a static design, not modular. To ensure there are no dependencies on any configuration or support libraries which may not exist on another copy of the tracker.

It has a moderate interface, which I've been told looks like crap, completely generated by code,
with all it's own controls and such, i hope to be using no windows controls with version 1.0.
Right now its based on windows, direct x (direct sound, direct draw), it has full screen and windowed display modes. I would like to note the interface isn't finished yet and is, "next on the to do list" although the tracker is almost fully usable as it is.

The tracker is designed to be as small as possible, in terms of the actual tracker executable,
as well as playback code, module size.... everything. I originally just intended it for chip tunes,
but it now is fully capable of making everything from chip music, to 80s synth pop, to modern electronica. The main goal of the project is fully modular format and code, meaning fully portable,
and 100% self contained. Targeted to intros, small games, and any application for the synth music it is capable of producing, it will be based upon a license similar to gnu, although no license is as
of yet in place. It is also very good for just making synth music, i often just track in it, and i hardly use any other tracker anymore. I Can't think of much more for now.

The "web page" (horrible looking, like the tracker's graphics), can be found here.

Anyone interested in the tracker, for whatever purpose, can contact me here.

Other things to note:
-IRC irc.esper.net #xhiptraxkr
-I obviously have accounts on all messenger services, being an internet whore.
-Ask for details in the channel if interested.

So far, the "team", is as follows:
-Coders: myself
-Design: none.
-Graphics: none.
-Beta testing: skyscape. (?) [he has a modem. poor bastard.]
-Suggestions: from many people.

I would be very glad to have anyone interested in testing, helping design, code, and anything really.

1) Why did you start programming this software?

I wanted to make synth music, and was very displeased with all the other software available
out there. first of all, if it had power, the interface sucked, it took too much cpu,
it was completely commercialized, e.g. cubase vst. secondly, if it was easy to use, it just generally didn't have the ability to do the type of synth music i want to do. sure, we have things like buzz tracker, mpt, and the ft2 clones, but i really hate all of them, they just don't make sense to me. i really don't like sample based music, at all.

2) What did you want from this software?

i wanted a analog type subtractive synthesizer, controlled by a _real_ tracker interface,
with _real_ tracker effects. nothing like this existed, not even the basic concept, until i started work on the tracker. i wanted to use the modules for small games and intros, as well as just something to play with.

3) What did you expect other people would want from this software?

well, at first i didn't expect much, i still don't. at first i suppose i expected some demosceners to be interested, some game coders, even some trackers. well i have gotten a partial interest, but the main problem i think is that. partial, the tracker is partial, because of the lack of interest and helpful suggestions, and the interest in it is also partial, due to me not being encouraged to advertise something which isn't complete, and not being encouraged to complete something which lacks any real interest from anyone. so the project to this point has been mostly driven by my personal desires, not not by anyone else.

4) What makes your software unique or is to par with other software?

As far as i know, my tracker is completely unlike any other software available out there today. every other softsynth tracker you'll see is based upon vst, or some other modular, plug in based system. the design goal of my tracker is to be the opposite, self contained, portable, a single module in itself, with a lot of character, something that can be recognized.

5) What is the current focus?

the main focus of my work on the tracker at this time is getting the interface to a respectable condition, but, as i think any other coder would know, this of course is constantly sidetracked by following my new ideas, and also by running into problems related with the primary goal. e.g., to complete the interface, i need text boxes that you can type text into, for that, i need a modular control system. to get multiple screens of controls and to switch through them, i need a simple windowing system, etc.

6) What features are current?

synthesizer.
tracker.

One thing to note might be the availability of over sampled integrators as a filter type. very useful for phat brass sounds, also can produce some very strange sub harmonic effects with the way i have feedback implemented in them. I'm sure there are more wacky features I've invented, but I'm used to them already. the integrators are new.

the synthesizer is as follows:

[white noise]->-[two selectable waveform lfos, one vibrato, one modulator]
[two adsr envelopes, one for filter cutoff, one for amplitude]
[portamento]+[vibrato by lfo]->-[over sampled oscillators or pcm]->-[filter]->-[distortion]->-[static filter]->-[amplitude enveloping]->-[panning and mixing to output]
[global delay effect] + [global reverb effect]->-[dc removal]->-[clipping]-->> out.

7) What features will be built into future builds?

I'm hoping to do full pcm support, 8 banks, 256 waves, 8x256 = 2048 should be enough samples i hope. more parameters in the instruments, some stuff I'm not even finished thinking about in my own mind, yet.

A decent interface!

Midi support is already there, but i'm planning full midi data entry support, meaning you will be able to record notes and effects live from a midi controller keyboard, or whatever else.

A full help system internal to the tracker, meaning you can get a table of all the effects, key configuration, explainations of the synthesizer, everything, just by pressing a key.
(As long as i can keep it below 64k, hehheh...)

A newer better format, smaller, and more chunk-based than the current format, so it will allow future expansion in any direction.

8) What is in the future of the tracker?

Well, do _not_ expect to see some vsti host application, with a tracker interface, because this goes completely against the entire modular goal of this tracker.

Smaller sizes, faster execution, more power, from everything. better quality, better graphics, better synthesizer, less cpu usage, the main goal is optimization and improvement, together as one. under my control, i will never allow adding new features to compromise performance in terms of cpu usage or size.

A group, team, being formed around the tracker, working on games, intros, and the tracker itself, if possible, I would really like to see this happen.

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Interview With Ray of Unreal
By
DJMirage

DJMirage: In issue #4 we had an article about IT3, FLAW & DSPaudio, in return we got an email back from Anthony Bisset (Tony Allen). Would you like to give your comments about that ?

Ray: Concerning the Anthony's email, I don't think the email is worth giving any comments. I am through the DSP story and its past, even though it was not easy for me. I am trying not to look back. Anyway, I wish good luck to DSPaudio and success with his tracker and our ideas.

Just to clear one thing. My goal was and always is to make good audio software. Not a compiler, system or anything similar. Personally, I don't like reinventing the wheel. However, what can you do, if there is no way how to fulfil your vision and how to get content with your work? Most platforms/engines are too limited. Therefore there is *no* other way to make an audio software, such as the one we are doing, but making many things 'on our own'. It is a sad reality, unfortunately very true. I am open to discuss that.

DJMirage: In what way is the programming group Unreal involved with IT3 ?

Ray: Unreal was founded by me and several other people a long time ago, originally on Commodore 64 scene (don't forget to visit www.c64.org :) Right now, I am a leading developer of 'IT3' project. There are also some other team co-workers, who were and still are members of Unreal. The core Unreal members have been working on IT3 now.

DJMirage: Could you explain what Enigma and Pulse MP are to our readers?

Ray: Enigma and Pulse MP are two products, completing one development line. Enigma is the original 'platform', which was supposed to be used for IT3. But you know, we were forced to make it portable etc... It is an visual & audio engine, used for creating games and multimedia applications. According to the early launch of this product this fall, the platform is renamed to Prodigma. Pulse MP is freeware player, which supports playing various audio formats. In future it will also support video and streaming. The project of Prodigma platform and the player is helping us to complete the development of IT3, so the long-awaited tracker will become the reality soon.

DJMirage: And what do they have to do with IT3?

Ray: There is no similarity with IT3 itself. The Enigma and Imagine don't have anything in common. Imagine is a name for the platform, which is currently used as a base for IT3. Just for no further confusion, the platform is not any new 'operation system.

DJMirage: On your web site you say that IT3 has evolved from small scene project into a huge project. You also say that there will be a free version (no cripple ware) and professional software, what will be the main structured difference between the pro $$ version and the free version?

Ray: There will be a freeware version of IT3. It will have all 'common' functions used by musicians. The $$ version will include more advanced features, such as number of effects, hardware (keys), video stream and synchronization support and many other interesting features. We are not going to make cripple ware versions of IT3. At the moment I am not able to tell you more but you'll be the first, to be informed as soon as we finish the project.

DJMirage: The Scene Rep staff would like to thank you for your time.

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Infrasound
By Libris

Sound can be an amazingly powerful force, and one only needs to sit in the back of a car full of sub-woofers to realize this. Sonic vibrations can shatter glass, cause permanent deafness, theoretically change your brainwaves and in extreme cases, cause death. Despite all we know about sound, there is still a lot to be learned, particularly in areas such as 'infrasound' which scientists have been studying in a variety of different ways, and which could potentially open up some interesting possibilities in music.

The infrasonic frequency spectrum ranges from about 1 Hz to 20 Hz, which is generally below human hearing range (at the opposite end of the spectrum is 'ultrasound', which is above 20,000 Hz). While human ears aren't capable of detecting infrasound, our bodies can feel it, in fact exposure to strong infrasonic forces result in some quite negative effects on us.

The body cavity has a natural frequency of about 3-7HZ, which is ideal of course for accommodating infrasonic vibrations. The result of exposure to strong infrasound can cause physical sensations such as nausea and pain, with the potential to do far more substantial damage.

Interestingly, infrasound has been explored by various defense forces for use as a potential non-lethal weapon (ie crowd control), but research was discontinued firstly because the strength of the infrasound would have to be incredibly strong to have any effect, and secondly, the wielders of the weapon would be just as sensitive to it as their targets.

Recently though a couple of scientists set up a controlled experiment at a music concert, whereby 750 people were exposed to infrasound so that it's effects could be studied. The results showed that a fairly high percentage of them (22%) felt strange when exposed to it. Feelings such as nausea, fear, anxiety, sorrow and revulsion were reported showing that music accompanied by infrasound can have extremely powerful effects on it's listeners, even though they can't detect the sound itself. Why then would anyone want to use infrasound for their music if it has such a negative influence? I guess it depends on the purpose of the music; for a genre such as 'illbient' it could have some very interesting effects on the listener - complementing the already unsettling music with feelings of unease or dread. The problem is though that people react differently to infrasound, some people it seems are more easily affected by it than others, and those which are affected could have symptoms ranging from mild unease to full blown sickness and vomiting depending on the potency of the infrasound.

So how does one create infrasound? The scientists who conducted the most recent infrasound experiment created it with a 7 meter long pipe - how it was used I don't know, but it's length and circumference were enough to build up a significant infrasonic force. Pipe organs are also believed to be capable of the production of infrasound, essentially anything that can generate a sound below 20 Hz with significant amplification. The phenomenon should not be thought of as 'man made' however, there are many occurrences of infrasound in the natural world. Some animals for example use it as a form of communication. Large animals such as elephants and whales are big enough to produce infrasound and can thus communicate over very long distances. Natural events such as storms, earthquakes and meteors have all been proven to produce infrasound, as well as industrial factories, tunnels, cars and pipes. There are even theories now that so-called 'supernatural phenomena' could be caused by people's exposure to infrasound - feelings of fear, sickness, chills etc. Whether or not it will ever really be useful to musicians is debatable, but there is interest in it, and I think that in small doses, in dark ambient genres, it could be quite effective.

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After Effects For Demos
By
Patrick Groove

I was recently introduced to After Effects 5 by Adobe and fell in love with it on contact. With an arsenal of just few short tutorials I was well on my way to become the next master in visual effects in video format, or so I thought until I realized how much you really can learn with this incredible program. If you have never worked with a video editor before but do have some two dimensional graphic skills this program is still for you. In addition to this it makes media presentations and video in general shine and glow with amazing splendor. The applications to Joe Shmoe demo maker are endless with its 3D transformation tools and Photoshop like tweenable effects. Yes mister artist, if you know Photoshop you’ll feel at home in this program. Entire WiLD demos can potentially be produced in this environment with video codec display in mind.

The first thing that I think is of interest to the demo scene community is the 3D ability in After Effects. Lets say that you are a 2D artist who can texture like there’s no tomorrow but can’t afford an overly expensive 3D package like 3DS Max or Lightwave (honestly who can really afford Maya?). With a little practice in After Effects, a brief understanding of three dimensional coordinates, and perhaps a nudge in the right direction from a tutorial or two you can build a 3D corridor and fly a camera through it. The results will stun you. However that’s a tad bit advanced for the timid first time user.

Other effects include such capabilities and simple tweens, fades, noise, distortions, video imports, lighting and plasma, blur and sharpen, plus full audio support form a variety of export quality settings. Again if you are a Photoshop user you’ll feel right at home. Imagine being able to tween a Photoshop effect over time such as noise. The possibilities are quite endless.

When you begin your project in After Effects you will probably want to hit up the help system if you are a first time user. Things you will become accustomed to will be layers and compositions. Compositions make up the project’s major parts. Within a composition you can build an entire animation with effects or even just a mask then apply it to another composition. The thing that you should take from this is if you build a composition and then later wish to apply it to another you then have a working library, just as in Photoshop you may have created custom actions. In addition to this compositions are built up in layers where what you do in a top layer is actually above the one below which allows for things such as opacity (imagine fog over a photo of a lighthouse).

You should also note that After Effects will import anything that other Adobe products can. This includes but is not limited to formats such as Illustrator files and PSD’s. The other really great aspect of this program is that it is cross platform. If you traditionally use Final Cut on a Macintosh machine then you will fully appreciate After Effects, and face it, Imovie just doesn’t take the cake. It doesn’t matter what background you come from, this product can make solutions for some of your simplest or most complex problems in digital graphics and animations.

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Demos Exposed
By Polaris

Welcome to my first foray into the demo reviews. I have a slightly unique perspective to bring to these reviews. That's why you may also note that I reviewed a few that have been reviewed in past issues. I’ve followed the demo scene since the 1980’s and for the last 4 years I’ve been developing and releasing demos. So that having been mentioned; you will see that I am very much a coder. This is good and bad for a demo reviewer. Hopefully for you it will be a fresh perspective. I’ll try to keep my left brain turned on while I’m doing this, so some of the design elements of the production will be apparent.

System Specs:
OS: Windows 2000
API: Direct X 9.0a
VIDEO: Geforce 4 Ti 4200 – 128 mb DDR Ram
RAM: 512 MB

Demo Selection criteria:
For my first review set… I’ve decided to concentrate on the top downloads this month from scene.org. I used the “top downloads feature” to give me the top ten. Send me your requests for reviews, and I’ll make sure to give a “reader request” dedicated demo review section next month.

fr029 dopplerdefekt: by farb-rausch (1331 downloads this month) [Link]:

While watching it… I was quite impressed with this production, but I realize that’s because of the glasses rather than anything really unique in it. Please don’t get me wrong – using red / green glasses in a prod to create depth perception rocks! But after that… there isn’t much different in this production than something perhaps average. This isn’t a work of art. It is a novel coder demo. The music is rather tinny (sounding metallic and distorted)… this is probably mostly from the limited size of the production. I would have rather heard far better sound in a 64kb version, than the metallic music. The 3d glasses technology impacts the coder significantly. The depth perception is generated by making two images - one tinted red and the other tinted green. This allows the red and green filters on the eyeglasses to create two separate the images. This gives a different image for each eye and allows for depth perception to occur. I figured I wouldn’t see many effects based on alpha (transparency), because that would mix the colors and cause problems with the depth perception. For the most part, this was the case – most of the demo was based on objects, sharp transitions or transitions via fade to white / black. However to my surprise there were some areas with transparent objects. They look pretty reasonable – how that was implemented is a feat of pure imagination. All in all, a seriously impressive thrill ride – providing you’ve got red / green glasses. If not – don’t bother with the production.

fr-020 control: by farb-rausch (1371 downloads this month) [Link]:

I really like one feature of farb-rausch demos… when they start they typically show a progress bar across the screen; and this production is no exception. This seems simple, but when you are de-crunching graphics or generating them – it can actually be a lot harder to do than it might seem.
This production has excellent synchronization of effects and the music. So much so, I feel that the music is probably tracked, and that the effects are tied into the music patterns itself. The transitions are all “snap” .. IE – nothing really slow… with the bang of the beat the object snaps it’s position to another, or the tunnel changes shape etc. etc. The production has vocals as well.. Which were pleasant. The effects were very layered, with a fantastic point right near the end with a very pretty organic object stretching out with transparency and blur. Very pretty indeed. But then, just as “snap” jarring the effects are… the production ends. My only complaint is that the production doesn’t really build up to a climax.. it just gets really beautiful like I would expect in the middle and poof! It’s gone! It is well worth the download however, very smooth effects that will want you yearning for more! Such a tease!

Weltenkonstrukt: by Smash Designs (1427 downloads this month) [Link]

This production is technically amazing. It starts with a sense of humor – animating the robot sequence from EliteGroups Kasparov… and then the robot gets squished by a giant foot. What is really amazing about the production is the expansiveness of the outdoor scenes. The production grinds my machine down… asking for it to beg for mercy – but still runs at a reduced frame-rate. It renders trees; park benches; lights; reflective street windows – an entire city right before your eyeballs. This is where coding separates from design. If you look on Pouet – you will see plenty of flack around this production; by people that can’t appreciate how technically difficult it is to rendering something like this. It might not be eye candy in traditional new demo style; but any coder immediately appreciates the complexity of the visual scene being shown. There are so many polygons on the screen… it boggles the mind. If you’ve got a high end system – unleash yourself to a city in your pc!

Vip 2: by Popsy Team (1932 downloads this month) [Link]

VIP2 Feels different when you start the production. This is because the interface is very smooth – it looks like a skinned mp3 player. Options can be set and the production can be started. This production is a party invitation, and is now three years old. The classic production however, doesn’t feel old.. in fact – it stands up extremely well to any productions to date. The beginning of the production starts with one of the most amazing sequences I can ever point to a demo – an amazing out space scene with fantastic transparency. The effects are layered – but it isn’t so deep in it’s layering that it confuses the eye. The production is pleasant to watch throughout. Effects are designed in such away that they don’t lend them selves to being synched with the music – but! they flow in such away you won’t really notice it. The music is set to a simple vocal; which repeats without being too repetitive. The production has a rock feel to it… but mixes it up with an amazing ending. The ending sequence of statues and flower petals is worth the viewing alone; and it won’t crush your system to do it. I think this production has all the makings of a classic! We are still downloading it 3 years after!

Legomania: by doomsday (1951 downloads this month) [Link]

Lego mania is a fun demo. It hosts an impressive music track, and oozes with style. Many will probably feel that lego inspired demos are tired. This production however, pulls off what many can’t – it’s a lego production that feels like something more. The production sports fun effects, and starts out feeling like something out of “Le Petite Prince”. Lego dude decides to explore – and has a fun adventure. At points where the production feels like it’s tiring because of the effects – the coders throw in some amazing eye candy as if to say “we can do that too!” One honest downer however is how it caches in on some cheesy ideas. There is a matrix scene – dripping out of the recent movie. And star wars references – complete with r2d are abound. There is also a bizarre graveyard sequence – where many groups are mentioned (I think it’s their ideas of greets)… but I’m sure most don’t like the idea of being considered dead “just yet”. This demo isn’t going to stand the test of time to show how cool your pc is. But it is a lot of fun and gives several laughs. Enjoy it for what it is – something fun… and enjoy it for that!

fr 030 candytron final: by farb-rausch (2507 downloads this month) [Link]

I should start off by saying, that I only tried the candytron final, as opposed to the party version. I like to see productions as their creators wanted them to be – rather than as submitted at parties. In addition, I should mention that some audiences that are sensitive to nudity – should not watch this production. This production is amazing. Technically outstanding in a cool 64kb, it features a groovy music track, impressive visuals and style. The animation of a nude female is smooth – and is treated in such futuristic effects that it feels right… art as opposed to “ooh look at me I’m a nakid chick!”. This production is tantalizing to the senses. Controversial due to the nudity for sure; modeling a person in 64kb with a music is no small feat. If you can’t appreciate this classic production for the art – you can certainly appreciate it for their technical achievements.

fr-025 final: the.popular.demo by farb-rausch (5857 downloads this month) [Link]

This production reminds me in a lot of ways of VIP2. It has the same ground breaking feeling, with a fun disco beat. While VIP2 had smooth effect without much synchronization – fr-025 has the same smoothness with synchronization to the music beat. The production ran very well on my system. I tried running various resolutions to see how performance differed – but the production only worked in 1024x768 for me (which is their recommended resolution). What is especially impressive of this demo is how they let the viewer enjoy the visuals. This production doesn’t layer so many different things to confuse the eye – they let the viewer focus on the beauty of the production. For this reason there are less effects than are in many other demos. The effects are so masterful and scripted well with synchronization – that it leaves you breathless. Some people may find the vocal annoying; but I enjoyed it. I think that’s because I don’t have specific ideas about how the focal should sound. Those that have frequented disco’s may feel differently. This production is well worth the download, and is serious fun!

Each of these demos is worth the download to tantalize your senses. What I find interesting about these productions – is their versatility. I feel we have two coder productions, that are primarily based on technology Dopplerdefekt and Weltenkonstrukt. The lego production is story based – and is pure fun. Apart from that, the other top productions mix technology and art in such a way – that they are both excellent. This goes to show the top form of what is capable with our pc… if you unleash your imagination and combine it with science.

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