cheater

I think there are several things that make the NES sound chip interesting: 1. simple = little resources needed to control the synthesis options 2. digitally controlled = cool stuff possible like wavetables and whatnot = easier connection to the MB = doesn't break in a live situation 3. the "sound" = let's not get too carried away with that, but considering most of those chips have had full-time use for 10 years at the least (and some might be 20 years old), i think they CAN have gained a nice, burned-through, sound. I think this small imprint time left on a chip is something that could be interesting to some people. 4. very cheap = build 20 of these and you got yourself a 100-oscillator rig = perhaps you could come up with a chained design where you could use as many NES "modules" as you'd want 5. with a NES you get not only the chip, but also other parts = the famicom had microphones in the controllers = you get a "vintage analog output stage" you can use later when the audio chip is gone from the NES 6. sampling = DCO waveforms = wavetable waveforms = if the chip reads the samples from SRAM, you could edit the sample continuously, easily make wavetables, etc

It all depends on what you do with your TX. Do you just use presets, or do you make your own sounds? If you use the former, you might find some people here share some interesting presets. On the other hand, if you're into self-designed stuff, you will find that there are many interesting features in the MBFM. For example, the wavetable modulator/sequencer: If you're into lo-fi sounds, you'll find the percussion voices just fine :) You can also connect external analog filters. That makes the MBFM both an additive and subtractive synthesizer.

tried http://web.archive.org/?

Just a thought but... what if we put something in the feedback loop? some ideas: 1. noise gate - well, obvious one... 2. microdelay - i think this could sound interesting. think of comb filters. (easy circuit?) 3. overdrive/compresoor - well... hehe... 4. amplitude modulation by the external filter input - this could be another easy circuit. and very powerful i think.

I think the biggest success of the Midibox is that it can be assembled by newbies! Who ate 2007? ;)

Just listened to the demos. Mmmm... sounds specific. I'm afraid the 1 Bit Groovebox doesn't scale pitch well. It could be a nice source of samples.. but... y'know. Some thoughts on the possibilities of this technology: Very easy ringmod: just an AND inside the chip? I bet an external analogue ringmod would sound nicer though ;) For some less-digital-ness: Random jitter max +/- 10 clock cycles while outputting the waveform Huge sweepable wavetables, even ones you could control with 4 or 5 params (the wave cycles are small after all.. remembering the 1-bit depth and all...) multiple internal oscillators in networks of AND, OR, XOR gates and random jitter: 8 separately tunable oscillators in an 8x8 network and the output goes out the lead of the PIC. Note that, if you don't add jitter, and the oscillators are all integer multiples of one freq, each set-up network should be deterministic - so you could create a waveform, store it, and use it in a new network. Perhaps you could specify some parameters that would be checked by the app and they would be stored as wavetable dimensions. That sounds like a nice workflow :) Some setups that could sound nice: - 1 osc controlling the resonance and another the cutoff of a filter a third osc is going through. the (analog) filter is controlled at audio rate. should be able to get weird formant-like sounds, but the filter would have to have components that can take the frequencies (so: very good caps etc), otherwise you'd just get a meltdown ;) - make multiple oscs (up to 8 or so) output the same thing at once but each has a different random jitter. unison! should sound nice once mixed together. This isn't a wishlist. Just a list of ideas to feed imagination ;)

I was pondering such synthesis some time ago too :) You could use the PIC's very high frequency (very high compared to audio rate :) ) to do two things: 1. Time stretching is easy: one waveform "bit" = about 100-1000 cycles of the pic (really I don't know, just a guess) 2. Since you can output at supersonic frequencies, you can do the same trick DDS is using (the encoding technology of Super Audio CD): if you output a 1-bit waveform at a very high frequency and then you just low-pass-filter it you can get any sound in the world. Actually no need for LPF since our ears already do that :)

With some sockets this might work: 1. dry out the broken pin's soldering spot with a solder sucker (can get one for $5) 2. pull the pin out of the socket 3. replace with a similar pin from a second socket 4. solder and it's done! with some sockets, you'll notice you can push the pins out. machined pins don't let you do that, but if you heat up the socket carefully the plastic will let go and will let you put in a new pin (though that's nasty...) your best bet is to bend back the pin with an exacto knife.

What if you decoupled the feedback and kept the ground on the input? Would that perhaps lower noise?

I think the chord wrap is a nice idea. You could sequence a chord or a few and then manipulate top and bottom wrap live to have fun... Very interesting to me, I remember playing around with this kind of concept manually in the sequencer, it sounds great and - best of all - doesn't produce inharmonic sounds. You could set up the chords and wraps so two notes end up being wrapped to the same note -> velocities add. Then "unfold" the wrap and they split into their proper places. Both notes create the same musical "power" and are at the same notes (e.g. C) but transposed (for example you start out with C3 and this splits to C2 and C4 - the sequence goes from punchy to rich). I think those settings could be used for manipulating how "rich" a sequnce is, and also for so to say "pitch shifting" the sequence, while in fact you don't pitch shift: play the same notes, just transposed. This could morph a lead to a bassline and vice versa. I think it would be interesting in the sequencer but I also think this could be realized in a separate MB! :) Perhaps a beginner project for me, we'll see :)

DX11 owner here :) If I can help in any way, make sure to tell me!

Good idea! Personally though.. broken chip = feature ;) kidding :)

Interesting. Thanks. Any idea what synthesis technology the Technosoft sound chip is using?

There's cheaper :) Check out Phattline's suggestion for not using glue. Edit: link fixed!

You can't say bad beatmatching is the only way to express yourself on stage. And certainly it isn't an important way to do so. Or a good one at all. If you say that, you shouldn't be a DJ.

TK great, magic chords... thanks! :) Regarding the CS: it's not about ease of use - sure, the keyboard is great... but... no way I'm taking my Fatar to the club! Weights too much :) It's more about visualizing the concept of the chord, great for people who are "sighters" (wrong word?) - who think in terms of images. The SEQ's supposed to be a stand-alone sequencer right? :) Thanks and cheers :)

Hey TK, perhaps these tools (VST plugins for exploring chords) might be helpful for you: http://www.chordspace.com/ http://www.chordspace.com/ChordSpaceindex.htm http://www.martineastwood.com/cacofx/chordme.html perhaps editing the "chord pattern" could be simplified by the control surface... like this... 16 step buttons: o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o only these used for chord editing: o o o o o o o o o o o o o o the special buttons could have white/black backgrounds set on them. Does this new feature in MB SEQ mean I'll be able to play chords from my midi keyboard with one key? If so, here's my idea for C: select base note with the lowest 1/2 octaves, play chord with other keys. cheers, Damian

Perhaps making a saw-off design could work: Don't need 2 of the 4 sids? Just saw them off.. Just an idea that could make producing that stuff cheaper :) Question is: scenario 1: you buy a Core and two MB SID modules. scenario 2: you buy a Core+4xSID module which has been produced in larger quantities, then saw a part off that you don't need. Which is cheaper? I don't think anyone could get scenario 2 to such a large scale that you could weight out the cost of the bigger, after all, board. Just some thoughts. Cheers

I guess you mean "compared" to computer audio. The answer is easy... Computer audio plugins are uncomplicated. They aren't made by people who have 30 years of experience with the topic. They aren't fine-tuned for 2 or 3 years to achieve the best possible quality. They aren't tested on the best professional equipment, because the plugin's makers don't have the cash. And finally, they're usually made by "coders gone dsp" rather than "audio engineers gone dsp".

Five months? Damn! I thought it was... last week or so... it was one of the first topics in thix forum ??? And it adds nothing. ;)

Let's just go back to making our kits and other silly things like this. :D

Jaicen, the Megadrive used not only OPL-type synthesis, but also digitized samples and some other synth stuff. I think leaving in only the "YM2612" option in the Gens emulator will show you what the YM was used for, though I'm not sure, maybe the other options are for CPUs controlling the YM in some way.

Goa ;D

Right on!

What does that switch do, BDU? :) And how do you use it? In what kind of situation does it come handy?