So, we have 2 products: MSX-AUDIO BASIC created by Panasonic and the Toshiba firmware modified for the Panasonic cartridge.
* To use MSX-AUDIO BASIC, you need to initialize it with CALL AUDIO
* CALL SYNTHE does not work if you have already used CALL AUDIO
For these reasons, CALL SYNTHE can't be viewed as a MSX-AUDIO BASIC instruction. The Datapack makes a confusion on this matter, probably to hide the fact that the firmware was not developed by Panasonic, but by Toshiba.
For the differences between both versions of the firmware, see the FS-CA1 page.
So after reading your comments my conclusion would be CALL SYNTHE is part of the MSX-Audio standard (as in the specification of the standard by ASCII) but it is an optional part of the standard. It is not part of MSX-Audio BASIC, the command will be provided by the optional firmware ROM.
For these reasons, CALL SYNTHE can't be viewed as a MSX-AUDIO BASIC instruction. The Datapack makes a confusion on this matter, probably to hide the fact that the firmware was not developed by Panasonic, but by Toshiba.
The Datapack doesn't make a confusion on this matter. Read the MSX-AUDIO specs and the instuction description. There is a 128kB ROM containing the MBIOS + BASIC Extensions + an application and CALL SYNTHE is used to run this application. The HX-MU900 is not a MSX-AUDIO. It's a derivative only. It is precisely because Toshiba developed this application that it was able to use it for its extension.
Also, ASCII was not very strict about the MSX specifications of products sold outside of Japan but I don't think it made a difference in this case.
sdsnatcher73 wrote:
it is an optional part of the standard.
I thought that before but Grauw pointed out details to me that show otherwise.
I also know that Yamaha sank the MSX-Audio because it was much too greedy for that. The MSX-Audio has been symbolically removed from the MSX Turbo R standard.
When you are inside the firmware, you can't use what I consider the real MSX-AUDIO BASIC instructions!
It's similar to CALL FMPAC: inside the FMPAC firmware, you can't use the MSX-MUSIC BASIC instructions!
What seems me correct is to say that CALL SYNTHE is part of the MSX-AUDIO standard.
Anyway, you are free to add what I will consider an useless page about this instruction, that is never used when you create a MSX-AUDIO song or sample. Just to be a 'copy' of the datapack that confuses the standard and the BASIC!!!
