xombiexplox
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Hello chipmusic! I'm extremely new to playing music on a Gameboy, but I've been dabbling in analog synthesis for a little bit now.

I just had a (hopefully) easy question:
How do I play notes with a MIDI keyboard connected to my Arduinoboy, connected to my Gameboy playing LSDJ? Every time I press a key, it just steps along the phrase and it isn't playing notes.

My LSDJ is set to "MIDI" sync, and it's connected to my Arduinoboy, which is connected to a Moog Little Phatty MIDI OUT. Any help is greatly appreciated!

:3

Last edited by xombiexplox (Apr 8, 2012 11:46 pm)

herr_prof
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You need to set the aboy to lsdj keyboard mode and lsdj to KEYBD mode to play notes in lsdj. You can read more about the lsdj side stuff here:

http://the.fontvir.us/b10g/?id=126

xombiexplox
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Thank you so much! I'll be sure to give this a try tomorrow and let everyone know how it goes smile)))

xombiexplox
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Ahhhh, I keep trying using these instructions but when I press any key it just gives me the same high-pitched note! The lights are flickering showing that it's receiving the MIDI notes, but I can't change the note sad Does the MIDI out on my keyboard need to be on a certain channel? I tried them all and only channels 1-5 showed any flickering. This is more frustrating than I thought it would be! sad

chipocrite
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Philadelphia, PA

I used to have this same problem before I pretty much figured this all out. The online documentation is good but it doesn't really answer every question. First, the keyboard has to be on channel 16, I believe, so make sure that's happening. Next, I think you're probably using the wrong mode on your arduino boy, so cycle through all of them until you get the right one. A good idea is to make sure your first instrument (and maybe a few of the other lower numbered instruments, in case you're accidentally cycling through them) have really short volume envelopes. Finally, the big problem I was having was I was using a MicroKORG, which only offers like 2.5 octaves at a time and sometimes defaults to lower octaves than what LSDJ can handle.. So I was hitting notes and getting no response, OR LSDJ was inadvertently cycling through instruments/tables because hitting lower notes controls that. So try messing with some octave settings on your keyboard or playing middle/higher notes if it's a big keyboard.

xombiexplox
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chipocrite wrote:

I used to have this same problem before I pretty much figured this all out. The online documentation is good but it doesn't really answer every question. First, the keyboard has to be on channel 16, I believe, so make sure that's happening. Next, I think you're probably using the wrong mode on your arduino boy, so cycle through all of them until you get the right one. A good idea is to make sure your first instrument (and maybe a few of the other lower numbered instruments, in case you're accidentally cycling through them) have really short volume envelopes. Finally, the big problem I was having was I was using a MicroKORG, which only offers like 2.5 octaves at a time and sometimes defaults to lower octaves than what LSDJ can handle.. So I was hitting notes and getting no response, OR LSDJ was inadvertently cycling through instruments/tables because hitting lower notes controls that. So try messing with some octave settings on your keyboard or playing middle/higher notes if it's a big keyboard.

Ah!!! Awesome!! I got it working for a little while but it's still being a little fussy sometimes and it will just not work anymore and pressing the switch does nothing. I have to re-upload the code a bunch of times and unplug it and plug it in and reset it and sometimes it works.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that when I turn on the Arduinoboy and plug it into my powered down DMG, my backlight turns on??? Very weird
sad

herr_prof
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Try it on an unmodded gameboy. I have one from a modder that freaks out whenever i use an aboy with it.

2PLAYER
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Rhode Island

I was having a similar thing happen. Stopped when I switched to external power with the DMG. My batteries were very low on it and it was doing funky stuff

xombiexplox
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You guys are the fucking best! Thanks herr_prof, chipocrite and 2PLAYER! I'm pretty sure my Arduino is trashed though, it doesn't upload code anymore and I don't have a programmer to fix it sad Looks like Radio Shack is about to make $30!

nitro2k01
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Sweeeeeeden
xombiexplox wrote:

I'm pretty sure my Arduino is trashed though, it doesn't upload code anymore and I don't have a programmer to fix it sad

If you don't have a programmer, how can you know if it's uploading code?

Do you mean that the LEDs don't blink when you turn it on? (etc)

xombiexplox
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I mean I have the Arduino IDE program, I just don't have the hardware to allow me to upload a fresh bootloader. When I try to upload code it gives me errors, some googling led me to believe its a bad bootloader, but I could also just be a fucking moron.

2PLAYER
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Rhode Island

What errors are you getting? Are you sure it's being recognized by your computer and that it's even receiving code to begin with?

xombiexplox
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I'm at work now, and I don't remember what the exact error was. Something like 'avrdude arduino not in sync' something something.

I know it's receiving code because I tried giving it a blank program and then putting arduinoboy back on it. When I put the blank program on, nothing happens after it's powered on; then when Arduinoboy is loaded the LEDs flash during powerup but it only switches between modes sometimes after I mess with it and get really frustrated.

This is the blank sketch I threw on it:

void setup(void){}
void loop(void){}

It doesn't always give me the errors though! I think I've got everything wired correctly, as I had it working for a short while.