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Belgium

Hi,

I am new on this forum. I am a vogons (retro gamers) forum regular.. and several people told me I
should register on chipmusic as well. So now I did...

This is why : I designed a waveblaster compatible pcb, dreamblaster X2, a successor to my dreamblaster X1.
For dreamblaster X1, I had produced a small amount of PCB's last year,
and Phil from philscomputerlab made a nice youtube review : https://youtu.be/CEiooPiW2LQ

Today, I have ran out of X1 stock, and have designed a successor with more potential :
The X2 will have USB uploadable soundbanks (in proprietary dream 5000 series binary format).
This may be interesting outside the retro gaming domain. The specs are certainly more than capable :
X2 will have 81 voices polyphony, 64 mbyte of flash, 24bit Stereo DAC,...   all in a small form factor.
I ordered a first production run for these PCB's (should be ready begin december), and am working on software features and soundbanks.

To demonstrate the possibilities of X2, I want to make similar (but better sounding) soundbanks, as I created for X1, at launch.

- General MIDI bank (this is OK to start with, I have this excellent general midi bank from dream : http://dream.fr/pdf/Serie5000/Soundbank … X128.pdf).

- High end Piano Bank : I am working together on this with a friend, to create a high end piano bank (work in progress)

- Chip music bank : I converted the very simple NES bank for X2 as a test and this sound good, but it not too challenging for the synth engine.

I like to hear your idea, especially concerning the Chip music bank.
And maybe someone who'd like to create a demo with X2 ?

Anyway, hello from Belgium to you all,

Serge

Offline
Solar System

I can make Atari Pokey samples from real 8bit computer. But I cant convert them to dream 5000 format. And I want to buy 4x dreamblaster. I have AWE64gold and AWE32... And also I have lot of cards with waveblaster port. Maybe when I will buy RF1 midi tracker I will do some music too!!!

Offline
Belgium

that's really great,

As far as I know, the only way to compile dream bank yourself, is to buy and use the SAM 5000 sound development kit (always comes with the hardware as well see http://dream.fr/pdf/Serie5000/Short_For … hort.pdf.) It is fairly expensive, unfortunately.


I have this kit, so I can try to convert the pokey soundbank if you provide the samples or better still an sf2 (or similar) bank : I am working together with chicken systems to debug a driver for converting soundfonts (sf2 and other formats) to dreamblaster uncompiled format. It working a bit, but not perfectly yet, for example drum banks cannot be generated yet and 'normal' sounds need quite some manual tweaking. Yet this may be a good path to allow you to define your idea. If you can create a soundfont, I can try to convert it to a dream bank for you. (conversion flow requires both the chicken systems translator hi tech edition, and the dream 5000 SDK).

I have a small webshop (http://www.serdashop.com), but the X2 is not available yet, and X1 and S1 are out of stock, so currently no waveblaster boards for sale at all. I think I will have the X2 in stock by begin of december, and all software should be ready by then as well.

Offline
Solar System

I google and there is Polyphone WAV to SF...
http://polyphone-soundfonts.com/en/

So I will send you email with my FTP and you will be able to download WAV (48khz - stereo) and SF2 too. It will be sampled from original Atari 130XE+Raster Stereo Pokey Board upgrade so no samples from emulator. I have also Mega Drive so I can do FM YM2612 samples too. So I can do those 2. Also I need exact GM listening of instruments in TXT!!! I mean GM instruments you use in Dreamblaster now. There are more than one standard.

So can you take aside 4x Dreamblaster X2 for me??? (And send me PM or email when they will be in shop or there will be pre-order available).

Offline
Belgium

Okay, will get in touch.

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Jelly Stone park, MD USA

Very good to hear about the X2; have been drooling for an X1 but will have to wait for this new board. Have a couple of the old SAM2195 boards which sound very nice, but would love to upgrade.
Really like the addition of the 'chip' sound bank and Pokey instruments would be very cool. As well as a SID bank and maybe a AY 3-8910 set?
Will be watching 8)
Yogi

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Belgium


Hi Yogi,  X2 will be a worthy successor for X1.
Here's a picture of the DreamBlaster X2 prototype:
The PCB size is 65mm x 38mm.
The prototypes are green PCB's but the production batch will be black.

Last edited by dreamblaster (Nov 19, 2016 11:41 pm)

Offline
Jelly Stone park, MD USA

Oh that's tasty smile Can't wait for some sound samples and specs, really loved the X1 and S1 reviews from Phil.

The news of the X2 really comes at an interesting time for me; I've been working on a Midibox synth project (the Goom synth port) and planning on including a GM voice into it. ATM, the SAM carrier prototype uses a Fluxamasynth shield ( Have an S1 also but wanted to use the shield for something). The carrier board also has a MB IIC-Midi circuit for the interface to a Core32.

  These Dream synth chips are very cool as they accept TTL midi directly so it's very easy to build a standalone tone module. But my aim will be to add some CS  controls and midi filtering/routing to allow direct changes to some synth prams on the fly.

Once I get a code framework better defined, will be changing the carrier board for the waveblaster header. I assume the X2 will adhere to the the same pinning?
Yogi

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Belgium

yes X2 has same pinout as X1, S1,... all waveblaster boards.

Offline
Belgium

Hi all,
launched a pre-order campaign  http://www.serdashop.com/DreamBlasterX2
Will post more specs and demo's on vogons soon : http://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=51011

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Jelly Stone park, MD USA

Good news smile Got my order in, can't wait
Yogi

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Jelly Stone park, MD USA

Oh My, came in the mail the other day. Playing with the X2 via the USB midi in, sounds GOOOD! I liked the S1 but this monster is in another league. Thanks Serge sounds great
Yogi

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Hello Serge,
I want to create a demo with X2.
I can use my Oberheim MC 2000 to do that.
krgds,
Chris

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Belgium

Hey Chris,
yes ! X2 will work in MC2000
See this video how salvo installed it into his MC2000 :  https://youtu.be/zt384lumVQk

Also we are working on a new soundbank : GUD.
Listen to this :-) :
https://soundcloud.com/user-919839499/d … m-x2-gud05

or here, this classic Doom E1M1 played on X2 with the GUD 0.6 beta bank on youtube : https://youtu.be/kpSdhXJLNjI

Last edited by dreamblaster (Apr 29, 2017 4:08 pm)

Offline
Michigan

Whoa whoa whoa. Did I hear that this works with scummvm?

Offline
NUMBSKULL
Jazzmarazz wrote:

Whoa whoa whoa. Did I hear that this works with scummvm?

It's shows up as a usb midi device so I don't see why it wouldn't? Super tempted as well!