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Arduino/USB Boy + Apple Logic Support

The USB-Boy simply does not work with Apple Logic. Thursday Customs is working on a solution but there is none in the immediate future.
Your best bet is to use any kind of Arduino Boy with a MIDI/USB adapter cable/interface.

If you are an Apple Logic Studio user and wish to utilize the Nintendo Gameboy as a synthesizer through the use of an Arduino Boy then follow these step by step instructions for successfully syncing your Arduino Boy/ Gameboy combo to Apple Logic.  In this example I used the following equipment:

- Apple Logic Studio 8

- 2009 Mac Mini

- Apogee Duet Recording Interface

- M-Audio Keystation 61 (connected to Mac via USB cable)

- M-Audio Uno MIDI to USB cable

- NES style Arduino Boy by Thursday Customs (http://thursdaycustoms.bigcartel.com/pr … rduino-boy)

- DMG-01 Gameboy modded with prosound output jack

- USB 64m Smart Card with the MGB software installed (http://store.kitsch-bent.com/product/usb-64m-smart-card)

1. If you are using a USB connectible MIDI controller (like the M-Audio Keystation), connect it to your Mac via USB.  If your MIDI controller is not USB compatible, connect the MIDI out end of the UNO cable to the MIDI out of your MIDI controller 4.

2. Connect the MIDI in of the UNO cable to the MIDI in of the Arduino Boy

3. Plug in the M-AUDIO UNO USB cable into your Mac (no drivers or necessary for Mac OSX computers)

4. Connect a DMG-01 Gameboy to the link cable coming out of the NES controller Arduino Boy

5. Put your 64m Smart Card in the Gameboy and power on the Gameboy.  Wait for the software to load and the LED lights on the Arduino Boy to stop flashing

6. Push A+B on the Arduino Boy together so that the first LED light is lit up only (according to Thursday Customs this should be “LSDJ slave sync” mode, but for whatever reason in Logic this works as MGB (Midi Gameboy) mode

7. Open Logic and create a MIDI track (not a virtual instrument track).  On the far right column of your work screen by library you should see your available MIDI devices (in my case there was the Keystation and the UNO as well as a default MIDI selection).  Select the UNO and then select any channel 1-5 (Channels 1-2 are Pulse Channels, 3 is a Wav Channel, 4 is the Noise Channel and 5 is the Polyphony Channel which allows for more complex chords to be played)

8. Set the MIDI track you created to Record and press a key on your MIDI keyboard you should be getting some sounds on your gameboy (make sure the Gameboy volume is turned up)

9. Create an audio track and plug an audio cable from your Gameboy prosound or headphone jack into a recording interface connected to Logic (I used the instrument 2 input on the Apogee Duet)

10. Set the audio track to record (by clicking the R button) and then click on the Midi track

11. Push record.  You will see MIDI notes recording on the screen that you can edit and even quantize.  Remember anytime you edit notes in the MIDI portion you need to hit record again so that the audio can match the changes you have made.

Some Useful Hints / Suggestions:

• Buy a A/C Adapter for your Gameboy, or even better Thursday Customs makes a usb cable for powering the Gameboy right from your computer.

• If you unplug anything from the connection chain of cables after having booted up Logic you will probably need to save your project and close out of Logic entirely to reestablish a connection.  If for any reason you lose the LED light for the MIDI in on the UNO, unplug and replug in the UNO and reboot Logic.

• If you want to hook up an additional Gameboy to the extra link port you can but just remember you need to have a Gameboy always plugged into the main link cable connected to the Arduino boy as it supplies power to the unit

Useful Links:

For information regarding the 5 channels of MGB and more see trash80's Arduino Boy website: https://code.google.com/p/arduinoboy/

I purchased the high quality Arduino Boy built into a NES controller casing at Thursday Customs:  http://thursdaycustoms.bigcartel.com/pr … rduino-boy