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Intellivision Music Synthesizer & IntyBASIC


freewheel

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I've crudded up the IntyBASIC thread enough already. For all 3 people on the planet interested in this, here's a dedicated thread.

 

Well, there's this one I released awhile back: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/193981-reading-the-ecs-keyboards/?p=2464183

 

It didn't have programmable patches or anything, though.

 

I also have a program I need to polish up for release, probably right behind LTO Flash! It takes the synth idea a big step further: It scans the synth keyboard and hand controllers and sends keyup/keydown events out over serial. It receives PSG and voice parameters to play via serial also.

 

This lets you do all sorts of heavy duty computation on a PC, but still use the synth keyboard for input and the PSGs for output.

 

EDIT: It appears I hadn't actually posted the synth.zip that was meant to go with the post I linked above. I just edited that post to have the source archive along with the binary.

 

 

*sigh* I guess it's true, everything's been invented before. Well, now this exact program exists in IntyBASIC :P I'm doing something different with displaying pressed keys, but... otherwise it's a pretty spot-on clone. Great minds, and all that. Although I left out the decorative stripe on the keyboard, I found it a bit distracting.

 

We should use the serial port to calibrate the 2 PSGs. I find it irritating to have to adjust them by ear; surely there's a way to let the computer do this for us. Or at least assist (I'm suspecting the granularity on the ECS volume dial is greater than the 15 levels the PSGs allow). I'm going to write a short helper module for this, but it still has to be done by ear.

 

 

 

I assume you want a pow(2.0, n/12.0), eh? :)

 

:P Thank dog for the Internet. This stuff is soooo many years behind me. Fortunately, lookup tables are quicker and easier.

 

 

What kills me is that I've clearly read that other thread. And promptly dismissed it as irrelevant, because when the hell am I ever gonna get me a synth keyboard? Either that, or my subconscious has kept those images hidden away for nearly a year...

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We should use the serial port to calibrate the 2 PSGs. I find it irritating to have to adjust them by ear; surely there's a way to let the computer do this for us. Or at least assist (I'm suspecting the granularity on the ECS volume dial is greater than the 15 levels the PSGs allow). I'm going to write a short helper module for this, but it still has to be done by ear.

 

 

I think the dial is an analog potentiometer to control voltage. Joe Z. should be able to tell us more. If that is the case, then automatic calibration may not be possible.

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I think the dial is an analog potentiometer to control voltage. Joe Z. should be able to tell us more. If that is the case, then automatic calibration may not be possible.

 

The only automatic thing I can think of would be to adjust the first PSG to match whatever you've set the ECS for. Especially since I find that the "static-free zone" on my ECS isn't always at a good volume. But I doubt that we have the granularity there to make it happen - I think you're correct in terms of the impact of a pot here.

 

We could get them "close" but not exact. Maybe.

 

I honestly don't know enough to determine how much of an issue this even is. I've got mine adjusted pretty well by ear, but I may be volume-deaf or something. Maybe a trained musician would hate it.

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Yep, it's just an analog pot there. The actual circuit inside the Intellivision is pretty simple/simplistic.

 

The best I've been able to do is to run a simple program that plays the same tone on both PSGs, alternating in, say, 1 second intervals. I'm able to get the sound level close enough at least. As for static free: I've had reasonable luck going "way past" the ideal set point, and then backing up to it. If that fails, I continue "way past", and sneak up to it from the other side. Do this a few times until it's static free. Let's face it, those knobs in the ECS are crap. The ones in the Intellivoice seem way better.

 

It might be fun to play with digital potentiometers and try to build a circuit that balances them out. But... I really don't want to take a soldering iron to my ECS. :)

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The best I've been able to do is to run a simple program that plays the same tone on both PSGs, alternating in, say, 1 second intervals. I'm able to get the sound level close enough at least.

 

You really, really freak me out dude. Stop living inside my brain.

 

Of course because I'm pretty sure you had the ideas first, maybe it's me that's doing the spying. :P

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