p0TP››››››            p0TP       ››››››               I wrote two programs, AMS2MMS and AMS2MMSV,  to  convert››          ADVANCED MUSICSYSTEM II (AMS II) files to Midi  Music  System››          (MMS) format. All of my personal music files are  in  AMS  II››          format, so I wrote the programs to only  support  that  input››          format. However, most files are in AMS (the original  product››          from APX) format. My programs would not properly handle those››          files. Therefore, I wrote AMS1AMS2, which converts files from››          AMS to AMS II format.››››››               It is written in Action!, and is heavily  based  on  the››          original programs. It looks  and  acts  the  same.  The  only››          meaningful differences are that the message prompts will have››          changed slightly and  the  output  files  will  have  a  file››          extender of AM2, to identify them as AMS II files.››››››               To run the program, simply load it from the DOS menu (or››          from a menu program). Select 1 to convert  a  file  or  2  to››          quit. From this point, just follow the prompts.  The  program››          will default to drive 1 if you do not specify a drive. You do››          not need to specify a  file  extender  for  the  output  file››          because it will always be set to AM2 by the program.››››››››››››››››››               The files produced by this program can then be processed››          by AMS2MMS or AMS2MMSV, allowing you to  listen  to  some  of››          those great old AMS files on your synthesizer using MMS.››››››               The main difference between the file formats in the  two››          versions of AMS relates to how tied notes are handled. In AMS››          II, the note is flagged as being tied by having 128 added  to››          the note number. In AMS, a non-tied note  is  stored  with  a››          duration value 3 less than normal, and a short rest (also  of››          duration 3) is inserted after the note. My  program  searches››          out the existence of these  short  rests  and  deletes  them,››          adding 3 to the duration of the previous note. If the rest is››          missing and the two adjacent notes are the  same  tone,  then››          the first note is assumed to be tied to the second, and so  I››          add 128 to the note number and extend its duration by 3.››››››               One other difference causes problems with  some  of  the››          converted files. There are 10 numbers on the front of an  AMS››          file; the first 8 hold the number of measures and offsets  to››          the last notes in each of the four voices, the  ninth  number››          is the tempo and the tenth is usually 30. If this last number››          is higher, then the music plays faster than the  tempo  value››          would imply (e.g. a 60 causes it to play twice as fast).  AMS››          II files also have  10  numbers,  but  the  last  one  has  a››››››››››››››          different meaning. When reading the AMS file, I check to  see››          if the tenth number is 30, and issue  a  warning  message  if››          not. It turns out that most of the demo files on the original››          AMS disk do not convert properly because of this  problem.  I››          have not found any other files as yet which do not have a  30››          as the tenth number.››››››               I have used this program to convert dozens of  excellent››          AMS files. I hope you will find it as useful as I do.››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››