gbtplayer_instrument_list.txt

Writer's note: I really don't think this is good for the docs as-is. I heard some people complain about reading difficulty when I updated the music docs and honestly I'm better at essays than I am instruction manuals.

Please feel free to reinterpret this information in a way that makes it easier to read, or feel free to tell me that somebody already did this work.

Instruments

Channels 1 and 2 (Pulse Channels)

1 25% Pulse
2 50% Pulse (Square)
3 75% Pulse
4 12.5% Pulse

To help composers pick out sounds, each instrument is nicknamed.

Channel 3 (Wave Channel)

8 Square with near-random amplitude "buzz"
9 Square w/ triangle amplitude "ring"
10 Softsquare w/ sawtooth amplitude "low buzz"
11 Inst. 8 with added sawtooth amplitude "soft buzz"
12 Triangle with square amplitude "pinched square"
13 Sawtooth
14 Square
15 Sine

Channel 4 (Noise Channel)

The Noise Channel functions in 2 modes; 7-stage counter and 15-Stage counter. The 7-stage counter sounds like a "buzz" while the 15-stage counter sounds more like traditional noise. The following instruments are grouped together, with 7-stage noises first, pitched low to high.

16 square+pulse "stutter"
17 square+pulse "rumble"
18 square+pulse "engine"
19 square+sine "tone1" (D5)
20 square+sine "tone2" (E5+50)
21 square+sine "tone3" (B5+50)
22 square+sine "tone4" (D6+50)
23 square+sine "tone5" (D7)

24 square+thin pulse "earthquake"
25 square+thin pulse "spaceship"
26 square+thin pulse "ocean"
27 square+thin pulse "scratch"

28 quiet white noise sample "glitch"

29 changing pulse width "volcano"
30 changing pulse width "scream"
31 changing pulse width "static"

Tips on Instruments

When the same note and instrument is used across multiple channels, the note will be amplified and take over the song. Avoid this by choosing different instruments or avoiding the same note being played.