What are the similarities and differences between these 2 seemingly discrete features?
They are similar, but entirely separate.
In ProffieOS 6.x, there are essentially two variables that specifies which sound to play:
- the effect (boot, clash, force, etc.)
- The file number
In ProffoeOS 7.x there are two more
- the alt number
- the sub-file number.
What really matters is how these variables are controlled and chosen…
- The effect is chosen by the code.
- The file number can be controlled by linking or Select calls in the code, otherwise it’s random
- the alt number is controlled by the style
- the sub-sub file is always random
Ok, so that’s a bunch of gibberish, but maybe it would be better to explain how I imagine that people will use these features:
sub-sub files are intended to be used in combination with linking or Select() calls. Both of these will basically remove any random element in file selection, and using sub-sub files lets you put the random element back in the selection again.
Alt files are more open-ended. Since the style controls it it could be used in lots of different ways. However, the one that I am most excited about is to simply link it to the variant. That way you can very easily set up light/dark transitions with different sounds for light and dark. You could also make lockup-like effects, and a bunch of other things.
One more thing: there is code that changes the hum immediately and plays a sound (if present) when the alt number changes, there is nothing like that for sub-sub sounds.
Hope this helps.
Let me see if I get this in terms of linking (paired effect).
Let’s say we have a Luke font, with sounds from all 3 OT films.
We have preon.wavs and out.wavs with dialog mixed in.
The goal is if a preon with EpIV dialogue plays, one of the out.wavs with quotes from EpIV sub group can be chosen randomly. So filtered, but still randomized.
I know we’d need
ProffieOS.SFX.preon.paired=1
in the config.ini to pair preon02 to out02,
so is it now just setting the sub dir for out.wav like
out/02/000.wav
out/02/001.wav
out/02/003.wav
Am I right?
I think you got it.