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36 op mode program


Napalmtree
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  • 1 month later...
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Yes, I have. In my build, every parameter of the OPL3--except CSW and NoteSel--is modulatable. You can even modulate whether a voice is 2-operator or 4-operator, and whether the OPL3 is in percussion mode or not, in addition to obvious things like operator volume and pitch. I've written the drivers for it (LPC17 core) but not built the OPL3 module yet, because I've been busy with other parts of the synth. So I really don't know what it's going to sound like yet. Why do you ask?

 

By the way, it's not possible to make the OPL3 have one 36-operator voice, at least not with all the operators modulating each other. Only 4-op, 2-op, and 1-op (some of the percussion) are supported.

Edited by Sauraen
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I was curious after looking up the data sheet on opl3 and think 18-channels would be amazing for using with dosbox or adlib tracker II. Since MIDI is only 16 channels though I wonder if you could do 2 4ops and 12 2ops for 14 channels or 1 4op 14 2op and drums for all 16. After playing with yamaha 2op keyboards from the 80's I realized even 2ops can do a lot and using the General Midi compatibility in dosbox gives game soundtracks a crazy new spin as i've played around with on the sammichFM. Will have to try the LPC17 build someday.

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Yeah, I can't wait to hear my MIDI collection played on an OPL3 either!

 

One minor problem with this: the drums take up 3 two-op channels, and you get five separate sounds: bass drum is two-op, while snare, tom, hi-hat, and cymbal are one. So there's only 15 two-op channels left; each MIDI channel would get one. The thing is that MIDIs often have polyphony within one channel, and the OPL3 doesn't natively support this; its driver would have to distribute the voices appropriately. Someday I'd like to build a synth with 2 or 3 OPL3s (or maybe 5--you can get them cheap in bulk on eBay) that just uses the 4-op channels and gives lots of polyphony.

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  • 6 months later...
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Yeah, I can't wait to hear my MIDI collection played on an OPL3 either!

 

One minor problem with this: the drums take up 3 two-op channels, and you get five separate sounds: bass drum is two-op, while snare, tom, hi-hat, and cymbal are one. So there's only 15 two-op channels left; each MIDI channel would get one. The thing is that MIDIs often have polyphony within one channel, and the OPL3 doesn't natively support this; its driver would have to distribute the voices appropriately. Someday I'd like to build a synth with 2 or 3 OPL3s (or maybe 5--you can get them cheap in bulk on eBay) that just uses the 4-op channels and gives lots of polyphony.

Interesting, the midibox FM did a fine job at making it 6 voices then. Playing with adlib tracker 2 I noticed this MIDI issue with the MPU-401 cable. If i played the notes with a normal computer keyboard It had no problem keeping up, in 18 channel 2 op mode I'm pretty sure i heard every channel. Midi mode was channel to channel. I wonder what they did to make the computer keyboard perfect at polyphony in preview modes.

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If i played the notes with a normal computer keyboard It had no problem keeping up, in 18 channel 2 op mode I'm pretty sure i heard every channel. Midi mode was channel to channel.

I don't quite know what you're talking about, playing notes into an OPL3 with a computer keyboard. And there's 16 channels in MIDI versus 18 in an OPL3.

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