Theta_Frost
Offline
Milwaukee, WI
cTrix wrote:
Theta_Frost wrote:

This is all very exciting!  I'll have to sit down and give Chipper another try.  This is a very good reference to the Lynx's audio capabilities, I remember being very surprised at the inclusion of a low-pass filter!


It's a little deceptive... so don't get too excited there.  It is not a programmable low pass filter you can do anything with.  It is turned on all the time and designed to take some of the high frequency aliasing artifacts off the sound.  I'd be tempted to add a bypass switch to be honest - a bit like the Amiga has - so you can get the extra frequency extension.

ps. We are going to have to figure out how to do a prosound on this unit!  Apparently you can drop ND filter (?) in front of the LCD to get a better image.

Aww, I was really hoping it was a controlled filter.  Alas.  Does anyone know of sources to buy Lynx's relatively cheap?  There is an ebay seller with many many Lynx II's for $15, but they all apparently have some minor issue wrong with them.  Nice tune!

sagelynx
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cTrix wrote:

For instance, at the start of this track you hear a note - but it's meant to be a chord: http://lynx.syntaxparty.org/tests/cTrix … x-Test.ogg 
PS: TEST #2 using 8 patterns - and making a tune specifically for the Lynx sound set: http://lynx.syntaxparty.org/tests/cTrix … Test-1.mp3  (this has been EQ'ed and compressed a bit; but nothing that couldn't be done live)

Amazing! And that in only a few hours!

cTrix wrote:

Ok... I've written a crappy test tune at the moment and I'm stuck on how to do an arpeggiated chord?   Having the ability to make an instrument which plays three notes cycling at a fast rate would be amazing for this.

Ah... its there... but...
Problem with the Frequency modulation is that it is using add and sub on the reload of the timer... which makes it not really useful because it may sound completly different for different notes... esp if they use a different prescale for the timer. And you do not have any influence there (yet)?.

BUT: You already saw the WaveEnv modulation? Guess what is happening if you combine a waveform with length 12 and 16? right, theere will be a second note at 4/3 of the frequency!

Actually I was thinking about kicking the freq modulation out as i think its eating up only space in the player code.

cTrix wrote:

Also my playback is stopping after the first 8 or so sequences in the list when I press play in the Lynx Tracker.  I had to make two tunes and combine them for the above tune.  When I compile to asm it only outputs the first five sequences:  For example (showing Channel 0 only)

Is this just a limitation of the current build or something I'm doing wrong?

Sound like bugs :-)
But withou the song or at least a screentshot this is hard to say.
=> Send me the songs ;-)

cTrix wrote:

But it's getting close!! 
What's the process to compiling the asm data file into playcode?
Do I combine it with the source in miniply3.asm somehow? 
I'm currently using DASM for the Atari 2600... so I would assume it's similar?

no. the player code there is for instrument/sound effect tests on the lynx. It is only playing a register dump (-> play on lynx, see export asm).This gets
quiet big already for a single track. i you cat the compiled asm file (without file/exe header) behind the minipl3.o and "modify" the length information in the exe header, you get a file which plays the register dump on the lynx. Thats what "play on lynx" is doing.
As I said, useful mainly for sound effect an testing.

Compiling a song works the following way: Use export BLL, this result in a assembler source code file full of macros and labels.
this can then be assembled with the sound driver to crate an executeable.
I use the lyxass for that and mainly Bastian Schikcs BLL kit ... but with modifications!!
until now the modifications are not public, as I still doing changes in there... means adding things to chipper <-> changing code in the driver. So this is really beta. ... my main time-eater at the moment.

cTrix wrote:

Thanks - sorry about so many questions!!

Thank for finding the bugs and the nice tunes!

Awol
Offline
cTrix wrote:

PS: TEST #2 using 8 patterns - and making a tune specifically for the Lynx sound set: http://lynx.syntaxparty.org/tests/cTrix … Test-1.mp3  (this has been EQ'ed and compressed a bit; but nothing that couldn't be done live)

BANGARANG

sagelynx
Offline
cTrix wrote:

Also my playback is stopping after the first 8 or so sequences in the list when I press play in the Lynx Tracker.  I had to make two tunes and combine them for the above tune.  When I compile to asm it only outputs the first five sequences:  For example (showing Channel 0 only)

Is this just a limitation of the current build or something I'm doing wrong?

actually, it was a limit for testing.

But if you save the song, it might still happen, that not the full patternlist is saved. workaround, open the *.lcp with a test editor and increase the number by hand, reload the file to the editor.

http://bjoern.spruck.net/lynx/Chipper_1.2.0.3.zip

Last edited by sagelynx (May 2, 2011 10:18 pm)

Saskrotch
Offline
Chicago IL

man i'm so lost

cTrix
Offline
Australia
sagelynx wrote:

actually, it was a limit for testing.

But if you save the song, it might still happen, that not the full patternlist is saved. workaround, open the *.lcp with a test editor and increase the number by hand, reload the file to the editor.

I get it.  :-)  I won't have much time to play with Chipper in the next few weeks as I'm heading over to the US to hang out at Blip.  But hopefully my Lynx and test cart will arrive while I am away.   Looking forward to making some noise with the program when I return!

jobromedia
Offline

Thought I should mention that I've blogged about this tool since it is what I've wanted to use since I played Lynx over 20 years ago.

http://www.m4um.net/wp/johanbrodd/583

cTrix
Offline
Australia

I now have a Lynx, experimental flash card and terminal prog set up ready to go - just need time to play (of which is lacking at the mo).  Will get back to you if anything progresses on my side. Sage: I'll play with the new Chipper version soon!!  I have a fellow coder here who is interested in building a new playcode routine for the Lynx; so it might be we can take the output from Chipper (being a tune written "by the rule book") and translate it to an efficient play routine with an optimizer in the middle to enable multiple tunes to fit on a cart, etc.  It would be nice to make a music cart for Lynx.

sagelynx
Offline
cTrix wrote:

I now have a Lynx, experimental flash card and terminal prog set up ready to go - just need time to play (of which is lacking at the mo).  Will get back to you if anything progresses on my side. Sage: I'll play with the new Chipper version soon!!  I have a fellow coder here who is interested in building a new playcode routine for the Lynx; so it might be we can take the output from Chipper (being a tune written "by the rule book") and translate it to an efficient play routine with an optimizer in the middle to enable multiple tunes to fit on a cart, etc.  It would be nice to make a music cart for Lynx.

Actually, I was hoping for some games soundtracks, or at least menu background music, as MODs are very very very limited on the lynx, esp if you want to do anything else than playing the MOD.
:-)

For the "play on lynx" option the flashcard is not enough, as this requieres a direct connection the the lynx, means a RS232<->COMLYNX connection by a MAX232 chip.

cTrix
Offline
Australia
sagelynx wrote:

Actually, I was hoping for some games soundtracks, or at least menu background music, as MODs are very very very limited on the lynx, esp if you want to do anything else than playing the MOD.
:-)

If it's a MOD with samples, I can imagine the Lynx would eat all it's 4Mhz in one shot!!  But if it's a sequenced tune with a good replayer I can't imagine it using much CPU at all.  Just a little memory.  Things like tabled kicks can run at 75hz and sound fine.  It's really just a few calls to a few bytes of ram which pokes at the sound chip at set intervals.  Maybe with one main channel (doing percussion and psudo-fm effects) running at a higher refresh rate.

sagelynx wrote:

For the "play on lynx" option the flashcard is not enough, as this requieres a direct connection the the lynx, means a RS232<->COMLYNX connection by a MAX232 chip.

Yeah - when I get time next month I'll nab a max232 and build one.  As far as a tool for defining sounds - yours is perfect.  There is no reason why I couldn't create a tune in your tool then translate the notes into a play routine with mirrored sounds. 

Step one is just getting the Lynx to make some noise.  I'll be celebrating!

sagelynx
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cTrix wrote:

Step one is just getting the Lynx to make some noise.  I'll be celebrating!

If you need some example ROM images... I have done two MOD test cartriges some years ago, not very impressive as the mods were not mine, just as test for the player smile
Plus all the 90% finished stuff, where ... tada... SFX  is missing ... well and multiplayer/AI.

sagelynx
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Hi cTrix,

now as, you have a Lynx FlashCart, you might want to try this:

Replaced version:
http://lynxdev.atari.org/flashcart_slideshow.lnx

(warning, will only run on a flashcart, so if you do not own one, no need to download).

Last edited by sagelynx (Jul 9, 2011 11:03 pm)

cTrix
Offline
Australia

Awesome - I JUST GOT MY FLASH CART TO WORK!!! :-)  (here with Vicious doing an Atari night - he's on ST, I'm playin' with Lynx)

Update: Flashing cart now.  I'm a little unsure of if I'm terminating the flash early as it seems to just flash for ever.  I haven't flashed something and got it fully working as yet .  I've tried different baud speeds and different FTDI drivers.  It's all still a learning curve for me...  I can't wait to try and get some test music across to it.  hopefully they will only be 128k images and quick to upload.

Update 2: Still flashing...

Update 3: I don't think the flash working.  I'll try again another day... might try to source another lynx too.  "Insert Game" comes up constantly and I have to waggle the flash cart around a lot to get anything working. :-/

Last edited by cTrix (Jul 11, 2011 6:19 pm)

sagelynx
Offline
cTrix wrote:

Update 2: Still flashing...

Update 3: I don't think the flash working.  I'll try again another day... might try to source another lynx too.  "Insert Game" comes up constantly and I have to waggle the flash cart around a lot to get anything working. :-/

Dont forget to set the mode to lnx and size for 512k for flashing.
Ah yes and maybe you should change the  speed from 9600 to 115000 ;-)

cTrix wrote:

Awesome - I JUST GOT MY FLASH CART TO WORK!!! :-)  (here with Vicious doing an Atari night - he's on ST, I'm playin' with Lynx)

Update: Flashing cart now.  I'm a little unsure of if I'm terminating the flash early as it seems to just flash for ever.  I haven't flashed something and got it fully working as yet .  I've tried different baud speeds and different FTDI drivers.  It's all still a learning curve for me...  I can't wait to try and get some test music across to it.  hopefully they will only be 128k images and quick to upload.

unpacked songs are around 10k, without optimization.

Last edited by sagelynx (Jul 11, 2011 7:59 pm)

cTrix
Offline
Australia
sagelynx wrote:

Dont forget to set the mode to lnx and size for 512k for flashing.
Ah yes and maybe you should change the  speed from 9600 to 115000 ;-)

Ohhh I'm at 115000 baud - that was the first thing I tried! Although I set it back to 9600 just in case (so slow!)

I'm in lnx mode and have set the bank to 512k.  I'm actually using Windows in a virtual machine with USB interface forwarding - so I'll try on a native install later this week.

sagelynx wrote:

unpacked songs are around 10k, without optimization.

Amazing.  Just need a simple program to jump tunes and that's a set worth!   

UPDATE: Ok, I have a 256k Flash to working ok.  Only about 1 in 5 flashes work though as VCP is a little touchy.  Lynx demo is working A-OK (from Error in Line party) on a Lynx rev 2.  Can't seem to get the slideshow to work though.  When I boot the flash it loads the intro screen then goes black when I press the button - unless there is some huge precalc/decrunch I'm not waiting for?  It doesn't work at all in 512k BLL mode and just does the "insert game" thing.   But I'm happy enough that it flashes a 256k image with no problem as that is more than enough for a test tune when we get to that stage :-)

I'll get back to chipper and start trying to break it with some new material!!  I'm back at work with heavy deadlines tomorrow but will def make a few hours on the weekend.

Last edited by cTrix (Jul 12, 2011 4:21 pm)

wedanced
Offline
San Francisco

any info on the actual sound chip for the lynx?