#84

Thanks for your reply, appreciated.

Yeah I’m unsure of why it is slewing the pitch, I can combat it with a 5ms gate delay but I’d prefer not to (I already have to do that with ALM’s Akemies Taiko).

I’ll investigate some more or let the module go.

THX

#85

So I was reminded of Deflemask on here, today, in this post by @abalone:

And started looking around at more recent developments around the software and its use and found this interesting little tidbit:

Also of note:

#86

My primary manner of sequencing chip-oriented hardware of late has been through MIDI commands generated by way of software, and among my two primary choices of software is VCV Rack. Now, because I’ve had a hard time finding software or plugins which adequately cover the specific features which I would require of an emulated stand-in for their hardware counterparts, I’ve been doing a bit of research into whether such emulation might be possible within a VCV Rack module.

Luckily, I’ve had some success in confirming this having stumbled upon this module which includes (I believe) MAME’s particular sourcecode for emulating the SN76477 soundchip (the one used in Space Invaders):

This is a fairly simple chip compared to some of its more popular successors, but I can’t imagine that it’s any way uniquely suited to the platform compared to slightly more advanced feats of emulation. In any case I think there’s a lot of potential to streamline this sort of development over the alternatives of standalone or VST approaches.

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#87

Just remembered these old micromusic-ish softwares from the Man or Astroman?-affiliated ‘Bludgeonsoft’. I think they mostly require olde OSs, some are windows only and some mac Classic https://wizardmaster.com/bludgeonsoft/

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#88

Ah yes. I had a lot of fun with these!

#89

In interest of depth year I’ve decided to dust off the old red DMG-01 my friend gave me to perform some mods on. I’m going to install a rechargeable battery, backlight, and the pro sound mod.

Does anyone else have experience in moddding Gameboys? I feel a strong pull towards chip hardware and I’d like to develop my own instruments eventually. In the meantime I’m going to perform some mods and and use a Gameboy in my own music. Does anyone have any resources in going deeper with DMG hardware? The LMNC GB 3osc is really inspiring to me and I’d like to start designing my own instruments like that.

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#90

I’ve yet to pull the trigger on any of my own DMGs, but I’ve been keen on the idea for long enough to pick up a few tidbits.

Here’s a good rundown on backlighting (to include installation of a glass screen protector):

A rechargeable battery would be useful, for sure, but there are also USB power cables available for the gameboy, as well (pretty handy if you have a USB power module in your rack).

From what I can tell, the simplest and most elegant prosound strategy would be top-mounted RCAs soldered in prepot (you really don’t want to rely on the built-in pot). The process is almost identical to this:

http://blog.xero.nu/gameboy_prosound_mod

But I was also considering this, at one point:

Then there’s the bass boost mod:

Yeah, a rackmounted gameboy with clockspeed attenuation/modulation and all the ways one might break-out and ammend its link-port is something that I’ve been mulling over for a while now.

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#91

Bass boost mod is simple and rules. Also I highly recommend doing a bivert when doing a backlight, it doesn’t cost much more and makes it look so much better!

I did a simple mod where I added 1/8in. jacks for nanoloop/lsdj analog sync that saves you from having to chop up a sync cable.

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#92

Yeah I was mainly thinking PS/2 and standard microcontroller-based/MIDI-based breaking-out of the link-port’s functionality, rather than physically breaking it out (poor choice of words on my part). I wonder, though, whether an analog sync could function in parallel with arduinoboy and PS/2 keyboard implementation; in which case, a hypothetical module could use arduinoboy as an expansion instead of integrated behind the same panel (as in, having PS/2, analog sync, and and a mounted link port all available in parallel, so that an arduinoboy or something comparable could still be used if desired).

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#93

This IPS DMG display replacement is a more expensive alternative to a backlight mod, but it really seems like the way to go:

I was kind of weighing whether it would be worthwhile in consideration of the Analogue Pocket coming out soonish and came to the conclusion that though I’m definitely going to pick up the Pocket, I’m almost certainly not going to get a second one anytime soon, and most of my old LSDJ material uses two DMGs. Plus, I own three and could put IPS screens in all of them for about the cost of the Pocket (and likely enough would over time).

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#94

So I may or may not have borked a ribbon cable on my DMG-01 screen while attempting to fix lines :frowning:

I considered the IPS, but for a little bit more I could just gut it and rebuild using a Raspberry Pi Zero, so I’m going that route instead! I have all the parts and will begin my build later this week. Even though it’s a ground-up rebuild, it actually seems to be a lot physically easier than hardware DMG mods, and I’ll be able to play SNES games on it if I succeed :slight_smile:

There have been hardware advancements, so this video is a little dated, but if you have an interest in a GBZ build you should check it out!

I haven’t heard of the Analogue Pocket before, it looks awesome! Unfortunately I have a DIY sweet tooth so I should be able to build a similar product for half the price!

#95

Emulation!? Heresy! :nerd_face:

I might be mistaken, but I’m not aware of any emulators which have yet been adapted for MIDI (or some hardware or virtual linkport alternative which might be adapted in this way) outside of dedicated chipmusic software and plugins (which are not designed to run ROMs), and I would have to imagine this to be the case with the GBZ, based upon a cursory search. It might not matter for your intended use, but it’s something to consider if you’re hoping to make a more robust instrument out of the project.

Well, the Pocket wouldn’t be at all worth the price but for the FPGA, of which it has one dedicated to the Gameboy and other handheld systems but also a more powerful FPGA for developers to tinker around with (this is perhaps the biggest draw for me).

For my part, I get a bit precious about the original hardware, apart from their FPGA alternatives which make me salivate profusely. If you get the itch, there’s plenty of DIY enthusiasm in the realm of FPGA-based classic hardware reproduction (though unlikely to be made to fit in a DMG shell or comparable device, I think, without some commercial-level electronic/industrial design chops):

Edit:
The GBZ’s prospective uses remind me of the way I’ve occasioned to use my PSP with custom firmware for LSDJ sketches, in that I would either just use it on the PSP for more off-the-cuff music-making or else for starting work on a song that I would finish on the DMG. I also used to use that for LGPT and believe that something like the GBZ would actually work way better for LGPT, since you could make use of MIDI with that software/hardware combo.

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#96

CircuitPython seems to be an interesting alternative to, I guess, other ways of producing ROMs for the Gameboy (or just about any system, conceivably):

I’m left wondering what could be done with those mini-jacks:

https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/python-GB-cart.png
https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/python-GB-cart.png1344×1636

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#97

A post I made in regard to Bitwig contained some reference to the subject of this thread, so I figured I’d extract the relevant bits and provide some additional context, given also that this followed a recent installation of the aforementioned IPS screen replacement/upgrade, which went well and has made working with the DMG substantially less cumbersome. More importantly, it’s sparked quite a bit more experimentation, of late:

But none more radical, to my mind, than this recent undertaking of developing a new workflow and improved signal-chain for my work with the Gameboy:

Tangentially, I’ve been exploring various niches of technical estorica around game consoles and emulation while surveying some potential inroads for undertaking my own development projects in the area and have turned up some interesting gems:

https://bitbucket.org/mpyne/game-music-emu/wiki/Home

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#98

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158519498545355900652940645244033024×4032 2.88 MB

Thought i’d share a couple of 8bit unicorns.

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#99

Midines!? Jealous. x|k was one of my favorites.

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#100

I havent used it in a few years since my NES died. Despite the drama around MIDINES somehow i managed to get 2 of them straight from wayfar. Sold one awhile back and kept his one which is the latest version.

Wish this clone had the same sound quality as the original console.

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#101

Yeah, too bad the Analogue NT Mini was so damned expensive (and now discontinued, I believe). The Polymega, I think, would be the next best thing, assuming it ever comes out, and while it’s certainly not cheap, it is significantly cheaper than the NT and more multipurpose.

#102

The Polymega looks great. I think its being released soon.

I consider this the ultimate NES clone for MIDINES. I’ve always regretted not buying one and they never come up second hand. I wonder if the maker could be persueded to do another run?

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#103

I recently took delivery of an FPGASID chip from Kryoflux for my SID Guts Deluxe. It’s amazing and allows audio in to the filter section. Sweeeeeeet!!

It also seems to respond faster than the SwinSID chip that the SID Guts came with. With that chip I would get slew as notes changed - with this FPGASID chip it’s clean and quick.

Recommended.

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