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Re: [GUIDE] How do I get my .wav files onto my MZ?
Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2022 9:38 am
by hlide
Yep, there is a dongle for those sold without internal tape-deck. External tape system is not really advised because you cannot save with one external and be safe to read it back with the internal, or be read by another MZ-700. You should really consider that external system as a fallback and not as a feature. Obviously, it is convenient nowadays because we can read/save in WAV files this way.
Re: [GUIDE] How do I get my .wav files onto my MZ?
Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2022 6:17 am
by slaanesh
Also as for using MZF2WAV I would highly recommend just using these options (using "s-basic.mzf" as an example):
Code: Select all
mzf2wav.exe -b 44100 s-basic.mzf s-basic.wav
Don't bother with "-c", it writes the data twice (sharp tape standard). As a result the WAV is almost twice as long.
You don't need it twice when you have a "perfect" wav file as it should load first time, everytime (unlike a tape drive).
The header is also longer so you have to wait longer until the "meat"of the data starts to load.
Re: [GUIDE] How do I get my .wav files onto my MZ?
Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2022 9:09 am
by hlide
You can also use
mz0. It will compress your original MZF binary under half its size. Then you use MZF2WAV to turn it into WAV file. The loading time ratio will be the same as the compression ratio.
Re: [GUIDE] How do I get my .wav files onto my MZ?
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2022 5:10 am
by slaanesh
Oh! mz0
I'll check it out!
I see I have to compile it myself but I think it's worth it if it achieves a good compression rate.
EDIT: Yep so I compiled a version for Windows and yep, it does what it says.
ie. S-BASIC.wav went down from 7.7MB to 5.5MB... seems worth the while!
Code: Select all
mz0.exe s-basic.mzf s-basic.mz7
mzf2wav.exe -b 44100 s-basic.mz7 s-basic.wav
Just did another example VAIROS.wav went from 11.1MB to 2.5MB which is really a huge savings in transfer time. Well done, nice piece of work mz0!
Re: [GUIDE] How do I get my .wav files onto my MZ?
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2022 9:22 am
by hlide
Lol, you must mean something like KB, not MB
.
Re: [GUIDE] How do I get my .wav files onto my MZ?
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2022 10:13 am
by slaanesh
I'm referring to the size of the .WAV files afterwards so it's in MB.
There was one that didn't work: "scramble/a" but everything else I've tried has been fine.
Re: [GUIDE] How do I get my .wav files onto my MZ?
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2022 10:26 am
by hlide
Be aware, some MZT or WAV file may be a disguised multi-data-block file (1 HEADER BLOCK + N DATA BLOCKS). mz0c won't work on multi-data-block.
Re: [GUIDE] How do I get my .wav files onto my MZ?
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2022 10:32 am
by hlide
Ah also, it could also depend upon the load address: if the binary ends to $CFFF, you need -b option to compress the file in the reverse way so delta won't shift the loading end address above $CFFF.
Re: [GUIDE] How do I get my .wav files onto my MZ?
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2022 11:16 pm
by slaanesh
How can you tell if the binary ends "to $CFFF"?
ie. as an example only here is the output from converting "sideroll-f-" (great game!)
Code: Select all
>mz0c.exe sideroll-f-.m12 sideroll-f.mz7
[Old file] size: 44544 (ae00), load: 1200, exec: 1200
[New file] size: 18410 (47ea), load: 7886, exec: 7886
Data converted from 44544 to 18298 bytes! (delta 3)
The resulting mz7 was converted to wav file and loaded and started just fine.
Is it just a simple matter of:
if load+length > $CFFF then... use the reverse option?
Re: [GUIDE] How do I get my .wav files onto my MZ?
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2022 11:44 pm
by hlide
It should be sideroll-f.mz0
. MZ7C (*.mz7) was the predecessor of MZ0C (*.mz0). MZ0C compresses much better that its predecessor MZ7C. I believe I forgot to replace .mz7 with .mz0 in the usage lines.
In fact it is "load + length + delta < $D000", otherwise use -b. In the case of sideroll-f-.m12, the last three bytes are loaded in $C000-$C002 but they are compressed bytes, the final decompressed bytes will be under $C000.