MidiboxSID + builtin FX-Engine ?????

[SysEx]

I plan to build a MidiboxSid with 2 SID-Chips (Stereo) and a builtin FX-Engine.

Anybody realized such a project? What FX-Chip exist for Reverb, Delay, Chorus ...?

Where do i get those FX-Chips and how much are they?

Thanks for you help everybody !!!

!!! It's my first post - please be patient !!!

[Lall]

Hi SysEx,

The Wavefront AL3201 is such a chip. This is a pretty nice one as it contains 16 presets (several reverbs, chorus, flanger, ...) but can also be programmed. So you can start easy by simply using the presets and then expand the system later on with user-defined effects.

You can find information on that chip from the products section of Wavefront's website: http://www.wavefrontsemi.com/.

You can use the AL1101 and AL1201 for A/D & D/A conversion.

We're using this chip in our project along with the AL3101 which is better at filteing & compression tasks but has too few memory to be able to perform chorus and reverb. You can find some demo tracks (including a mono SID + AL3201 & mono SID + AL3101 + AL3201) from there: http://www.axoris.be/MissParkerPlus.php.

I thought already a few times of doing an extension board to be connected to a Core containing such an AL3201 and/or AL3101 but never even started on that due to a lack of time.

Best regards,

Lall

[SysEx]

Thanx a lot for your very fast reply.

[SysEx]

Hi SysEx,

The Wavefront AL3201 is such a chip. This is a pretty nice one as it contains 16 presets (several reverbs, chorus, flanger, ...) but can also be programmed. So you can start easy by simply using the presets and then expand the system later on with user-defined effects.

You can find information on that chip from the products section of Wavefront's website: http://www.wavefrontsemi.com/.

You can use the AL1101 and AL1201 for A/D & D/A conversion.

We're using this chip in our project along with the AL3101 which is better at filteing & compression tasks but has too few memory to be able to perform chorus and reverb. You can find some demo tracks (including a mono SID + AL3201 & mono SID + AL3101 + AL3201) from there: http://www.axoris.be/MissParkerPlus.php.

I thought already a few times of doing an extension board to be connected to a Core containing such an AL3201 and/or AL3101 but never even started on that due to a lack of time.

Best regards,

Lall

I need only 1 chip of that one. Is it possible to buy only one single chip ???? Do you bought more than 1 ?????

[stryd_one]

Hi SysEx,

Welcome aboard :) The MBSID application has reached the limitations of the PIC chip, so there is not enough memory for a dedicated FX machine to be buillt in. You could use the CV outputs to control analog fx, but if you want to have a dedicated fx processor, you would need to build it on a second core module - of course you can still put both devices in the one box, so it would still be "built-in" :)

I recommend you read this page on the wiki. Be sure to follow the links to the forum. There is a lot to read, but it's pretty interesting :)

If you have some programming skills you might be able to get a core module to control a Miss Parker, or possibly several of them... That'd be very very cool, but no walk in the park...

[Lall]

Hi all,

I need only 1 chip of that one. Is it possible to buy only one single chip ? Do you bought more than 1 ??

Actually, you need that AL3201 + a AL1101 and a AL1201 for digital/analog conversion + a few extra chips around for the analog input/output stage, reset circuit and power supply of course.

You can find what you need in the following document: http://www.wavefrontsemi.com/UserFiles/File/AL_Info/AL32/WavefrontEV3201A.pdf. You can ommit the micro-controller from that document if you want to use only the presets.

That's actually the very good point about that chip if you're ready to live only with presets. You don't need any modification in the SID application, you simply need a 16 position rotary switch to control the presets and that's all. OK, then the effect is not linked with the SID preset, ... but that's already a first interesting step I believe and it definitely adds some space to the sound.

Best regards,

Lall

[stryd_one]

Hey Lall I just realised you're behind the Miss Parker...Gotta say, that thing is totally kickass mate :)

The project always really interested me but I wish I could make one with an LCD and use all four IO's... Would that sort of thing be possible?

[Lall]

Hi Stryd_one,

Thanks.

Using all four IO's is no issue. These IOs are available through the expansion slots we're using for the Miss Parker+ daughterboard; we're actually using a stereo input and output pair for that AL3201 extension. What needs to be done is duplicating the actual IO part three times on the free IOs.

Concerning the LCD, it may be a bit more complex. With the EZ-USB part we've chosen, we're a bit short in output lines. We're actually using the data port as extension and latching it and triggering it with the external write. You can of course use the same principle but I don't know if that will be Ok to drive the LCD. On the other hand, I guess an easy fall-back solution could be to use some I²C expansion chip. We're bringing the I²C lines to the expansion slots along with the data port of course... All in all I think it's feasible, maybe a bit tricky to some extent but feasible.

Best regards,

Lall

[TK.]

Hi Lall,

Miss Parker with I2C interface would be superb, and for me a reason to build the project and to support Fx parameter control from the MIDIbox SID :)

Best Regards, Thorsten.

[stryd_one]

Yeh, what TK said!! :D

I've had a bit of a look at the schematics and it seems quite feasible to control the EZ-USB via I2C and then a MIDIBox could handle the LCD/Buttons/Pots/Other IO. If only I had the time.... Maybe in '07 :D

[Lall]

Hi TK,

I'm just back from holidays and that's a very good news I'm reading now  :)

I need to take a look at what it would mean to get my parameters from the I²C. I will give a little thinking to all this and contact you later about it. I think I will have by then some questions regarding the overall system integration...

Best regards,

Lall

[TK.]

Great :) Feel free to contact me directly (tk _at_ midibox.org)

Best Regards, Thorsten.

[stryd_one]

I would offer my assistance but I'm sure that it would pale in comparison to TK's advice :) Still, if you need anything, ask away :)

[Rio]

TK, what do you think, does this device needs an own PowerSupply or can we combinate it with a 4xSIDBox optimized PSU? 

Is the AL1101 and a AL1201 for digital/analog necessary for IN- and Output?

And last but not least: will this ICs are sold in germany?

Interessting Project!

[Lall]

Hi Rio,

Is the AL1101 and a AL1201 for digital/analog necessary for IN- and Output?

Yes, you will need AD/DA converters as the AL3101/AL3201 are purely digital chips.

As I've seen from the Wavefront forum or docs I don't remember, you can use some other (and cheaper) chips for AD/DA conversion like some from Philips if I remember correctly.

Of course the interest of the AL1101 and AL1201 is that they are 24-bits AD/DA that integrate without any issue with the AL3101/AL3201.

And last but not least: will this ICs are sold in germany?

Wavefront Semiconductors is having a distributor in Great Britain, Profusion (http://www.profusionplc.com/). Apparently you have to buy components by 5. We've been successfully ordering some in Belgium in the past so I believe that Germany will be no issue. There used to be free shipping from certain amounts onwards but I don't find that anymore on their site.

Best regards,

Lall

[Rio]

Where can i found or buy such miss parker PCB or Set?

oh i found an evaluation board: 205.44 euro ? (so expensive!!)

is that the board you have built up?

please tell me what's the differnce between 3101 and 3201? Which of them are needed - or does i need only the 3101? Are the Chips are pre-programmed?

What i've to do to bring up the Chips working.

[Lall]

Hi Rio,

You can find all details concerning the Miss Parker project from there: http://www.axoris.be/

You can find on the website all needed files to build a Miss Parker yourself. The only nasty issue is the fact that the PCB is such that you have to have it made by some specialized companies, I mean you can't make it yourself.

From the website, you'll also see that even though we're using the same kind of components than on the Wavefront's evaluation board, we've quite a different board. We have an EZ-USB as a micro-controller which the eval board does not have and so on. If I remember correctly, the BOM of Miss Parker must come close to 150 euros.

Concerning the difference between the AL3101 and the AL3201, they are different beasts.

[table]

[tr][td][/td][td]AL3101[/td][td]AL3201[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Presets available    [/td][td]No[/td][td]Yes, 16 presets available[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]Good at    [/td][td]filtering, compression/distortion, ...    [/td][td]reverb, chorus/flange, ...    [/td][/tr]

[tr][td]data memory size    [/td][td]1024 words[/td][td]32k words[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]program memory size    [/td][td]1024 instructions    [/td][td]128 instructions    [/td][/tr]

[tr][td]arithmetic    [/td][td]fixed-point    [/td][td]floating-point    [/td][/tr]

[/table]

For Miss Parker, we've started with the AL3101 but we added an extra AL3201 when it went in the market as we were not able to do reverb with the AL3101. Both have pros & cons but I guess that having one of each in the system makes sense.

Best regards,

Lall