Let me begin by saying I love my midiNES. I don't have a Chip Maestro so I can't comment on how it compares personally. However, I believe all sound programming on the Chip Maestro is done via note data? Took a look at the manual and this seems to be right. A couple of us were asking for CCs to have more control over parameters if we ran it from a PC but I don't think they made it in to the final build.
If that is truly the case, the midiNES simply has a ridiculous amount of control in comparison. In whatever program you use, I am sure you could create a midi out instrument and map CCs to controls to automate. That's what I do and I have no problems with it (outside of the the fine pitch mod CC8 on the pulse channel not behaving properly most times). The 2 banks of samples are great and you can definitely manipulate it in unique ways (pitch bending and offsets used to try to get "Cowabunga!" for the intro of a TMNT themed song).
49 Jan 7, 2016 2:46 pm
Re: Chip Maestro and Wayfar Midines (9 replies, posted in Nintendo Consoles)
50 Dec 31, 2015 4:20 pm
Re: C64 SID shootout - 6581 vs 8580 (15 replies, posted in Commodore Computers)
Wow, very cool comparison! Part 2 definitely shows the differences between each chip and that R3 sure is noisy as hell.
51 Dec 23, 2015 2:48 pm
Re: I've started making walkthrough videos of my NES composition methods (8 replies, posted in General Discussion)
Just checked out your first video and started your second one last night. I wanted to chime in and echo how enjoyable they are but from a different standpoint. I use a DAW with MIDI (midines/arduinoboy/etc) but I enjoyed learning about your creative process. It has been funny to see analogies to things I do during my writing process like copying patterns and ending up with bizarro hidden pseudo-songs in a file or keeping and relistening to older tracks.
However, the best part about your whole series IMO is when you pick out the subtle NES composition elements of old soundtracks. I spend a lot of time listening to and digesting old NES soundtracks for ideas and hearing someone provide a new angle on them has been intriguing. Keep up the great work.
52 Sep 17, 2015 1:22 pm
Re: 7days7engines (5 replies, posted in Other Vintage Computers & Consoles)
really cool project! cant wait to hear the next 4
53 Sep 15, 2015 1:49 pm
Re: XyNo - GameJAHBoy! (12 replies, posted in Releases)
nice work, great samples. very glad this got bumped because i missed it the first time around!
54 Jul 27, 2015 12:49 pm
Re: Problems recording lsdj from DMG gameboy (19 replies, posted in Nintendo Handhelds)
Do a quick test with one of your Korg trackers and try some hard panning. Then you can rule out an issue with the cable and mic in doing some conversion to mono when you dont want it to. You might just have an issue with your gameboy jack or some failing component inside. If you added a line out on your gameboy you could at least bypass the stock jack.
55 Jul 21, 2015 8:21 pm
Re: Problems recording lsdj from DMG gameboy (19 replies, posted in Nintendo Handhelds)
A quick way to check if cable isnt stereo or you arent recording in stereo. Do you have panning in your tracks. If so, when you pan right or left, is it playing back in just the right or left ear or is it now in the center?
The hissing is normal and part of the charm as zii.hrs said. Once you record you can use a gate and filter it out. A dedicated line out on the gameboy would improve the quality of the audio. Your headphone jack might also be dirty and or having issues.
As for the phase sweeping you are getting when recording. Are you plugging a power adapter into the gameboy when you are recording?
56 Jul 16, 2015 6:47 pm
Re: So you wanna rock out with MS-DOS/SB16? (159 replies, posted in Other Vintage Computers & Consoles)
adlibtracker 2 has midi capability but i was never able to get it to work with my setup. from what i remember you would just be passing note data though, not instrument parameters.
57 Jul 13, 2015 1:34 pm
Re: [CB039] Vince Kaichan - Power Tricks (10 replies, posted in Releases)
Yup. I quit. This album is ridiculously good. Fantastic rock vibes infused with some Silver Surfer Follin-esque energy (Ignition 8) and some chromatic bass lines reminiscent of classic TMNT tracks (Drag Strike).
58 Jul 6, 2015 5:04 pm
Re: [TRKD001] Twistboy - Kittens in Space (11 replies, posted in Releases)
fantastic album, great energy
59 Jun 11, 2015 6:31 pm
Re: MIDINES Troubleshooting (35 replies, posted in Nintendo Consoles)
yup. dont know if it helps much but one thing I did notice on your videos was that it was always taking 8 seconds from power on to failure. so its likely a faulty component crapping out after that time. sorry i cant be much more help.
60 Jun 11, 2015 5:26 pm
Re: MIDINES Troubleshooting (35 replies, posted in Nintendo Consoles)
Midines can be really sensitive to midi floods.
This is what I was thinking and why I asked if it craps out even when the midi keyboard is not plugged in. It does, so the keyboard isn't the issue (at least not the main issue).
61 Jun 11, 2015 4:43 pm
Re: MIDINES Troubleshooting (35 replies, posted in Nintendo Consoles)
One test case you should do is unplugged, midines in, power on. See if it fizzles out.
62 Jun 11, 2015 12:31 pm
Re: MIDINES Troubleshooting (35 replies, posted in Nintendo Consoles)
Only issues I have had with mine have been related to my NES. The couple things I would check would be;
Is the midines board loose? The pins might not be making good contact with the connector in the NES.
Does the midi cable look like it is still fully connected to the board?
Is the cable itself frayed or is the din damaged?
Do you get any strange response from your midi out to any other midi instrument?
63 May 4, 2015 7:22 pm
Re: [CB034] Vince Kaichan - Sunday Groove (3 replies, posted in Releases)
you always manage to hit it straight out of the park vince. this is a great release!
64 May 4, 2015 7:19 pm
Re: Need suggestions for Windows based DAW (17 replies, posted in Software & Plug-ins)
Just use what you know best. If you already know FL stick with it. I use FL and use a lot of midi devices with it and it works great.