CPC Speak&SID - Speech / SID / MIDI Synth, and Universal IO CPC Expansion Card

[LambdaMikel]

I'll also port my MIDI CPC demo, and then probably do the Real Time Clock for I2C and maybe SD Card demo for SPI.

Here is a first cut at a MIDI IN SID+AY CPC Synthesizer:


It is weird that the SID and AY are slightly detuned from each other!SID is currrently only 1 channel... will add polyphony soon, and then I need controls for filter resonance and stuff as well of course.

[LambdaMikel]

5 more shipping out on Monday - if you had ordered one in the last 2 weeks, yours will be in this batch!

I am running out of SpeakJet chips... I can make only 2 more before Christmas.

If you want yours before Christmas, please order it no later than coming Tuesday.

[RockRiver]

Great Work!!!


Do you think I would play SID with AMSDAP+Playsoniq(MSX SID) with my CPC and your SID player or Owen/DaDMaN?


Playsoniq SID (and CMB-MOS SID) use &H00 to &H1C address
With AMSDAP when MSX see #xx ,  CPC see #FFxx


It is a mad idea??? I will fry anything??? 


(I asked too in AMSDAP thread sorry the Off Topic)(Please respond there if you consider)

[XeNoMoRPH]

Would it be possible to achieve something like this in the CPC... ?

[GUNHED]

ASAIK with LambdaSpeak III - yes. 

[TotO]

ASAIK with LambdaSpeak III - yes. 

No extra hardware is required to "play" MIDI from a 8-bit computer, but a proper cable.

"I am playing a track that I have not yet finished and demonstrating the MIDI capabilities of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum 128k Plus 2, in 128k basic mode.
I use an old lightgun lead for a MIDI lead and instead of a lightgun on the end it has a 5 PIN MIDI Din plug on it. Which gives me 8 MIDI channels in basic."

[VintageAdvantage]

No extra hardware is required to "play" MIDI from a 8-bit computer, but a proper cable.

That is a bit missleading... the 128 K Speccy has RS232 support (and MIDI) built-in. So making a cable and accessing it from BASIC is easy, since already supported by the OS / Firmware / BASIC.


http://oldmachinery.blogspot.com/2012/11/spectrum-128-and-midi.html


True, it is a software serial interface. "Bit banging" is used. And that can be used to implement RS232 on most old computers - PROVIDED they are fast enough to bit bang MIDI baud rate of 31250. That would be a stretch, say, for a ZX81. And CPU load is very high with that method.


Virtual Net 96 for the CPC also uses "bit banging", resulting in high CPU load:


http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Virtual_Net_96


In addition, MIDI OUT is easy to implement, even from BASIC once you have fast serial interface API in ASM (be it software serial interface via Bit Banging or real UART hardware).


MIDI IN is much more difficult. I don't think we will see MIDI IN being implemented on the Speccy in that way.


For that, real RS232 / MIDI hardware and ASM to process the real time MIDI messages is required.


So, saying that "only a proper cable is required" to play (= MIDI OUT) on "8-bit home computer" is a bit of an oversimplification. Certainly, as always - it depends. Is the the CPU fast enough to do bit banging at 31250 bauds? Do I have a fast ASM implementation of a serial interface (certainly, you cannot bit bang from BASIC!), etc.

[TotO]

That is a bit missleading... the 128 K Speccy has RS232 support (and MIDI) built-in. So making a cable and accessing it from BASIC is easy, since already supported by the OS / Firmware / BASIC. [...] So, saying that "only a proper cable is required" to play (= MIDI OUT) on "8-bit home computer" is a bit of an oversimplification. Certainly, as always - it depends. Is the the CPU fast enough to do bit banging at 31250 bauds? Do I have a fast ASM implementation of a serial interface (certainly, you cannot bit bang from BASIC!), etc.

Think about that using the Tape port on CPC 6128.

[VintageAdvantage]

Think about that using the Tape port on CPC 6128.

Give it a try - would be curious to learn what you find! I probably think that a digital output is better suited for bit banging out serial data, but who knows!


For a real MIDI interface with both IN and OUT, I would always spend the extra buck to get a real hardware UART (on a microcontroller) to do the job, with proper buffering and such, so CPU can focus on MIDI message processing only.

[TotO]

For a real MIDI interface with both IN and OUT, I would always spend the extra buck to get a real hardware UART (on a microcontroller) to do the job, with proper buffering and such, so CPU can focus on MIDI message processing only.

Sure.

[VintageAdvantage]

Tried to order Speak&SID from LambaMikel on Ebay. Bad news: he run out of SpeakJet chips. He had sold more than 30 Speak&SID by now, and depleted the SpeakJet stock in the US!     Guess I have to buy USIFAC for now for serial interface and midi.


The chip is back-ordered though, so he thinks he can make some more end of the year. SID ROCKS!! 

[GUNHED]

Holy lord! People buy that SID expanson like crazy, but LambdaSpeak III is sooooooooooooo much better.  Get the LS3 - it can do everything! 

[VintageAdvantage]

IMHO LambdaPeak is too damn expensive, and it ain't got no SID man! 

[GUNHED]

IMHO LambdaPeak is too damn expensive, and it ain't got no SID man! 

That's the great thing about it: no SID. 


Seriously, it's not too expensive. Only postage from USA is expansive. But if someone would do a batch inside the EU it would be cheap enough.