Topic: playing digital samples in BASIC

[RobertB]

...the result was two files written to my disk--"Z/SYNTH" and "C/SYNTH".  Is one of these files supposed to be the compiled executable or is the original file (SYNTH) now compiled so that it should run faster?

     The original is not modified at all.  C/SYNTH is supposed to be the compiled file.

I ask because both Z/SYNTH and C/SYNTH cause the Commodore to hang...

     Ah, something is wrong.    Either in the original code or in the compiled code that Blitz created.

I found Digimaster on NoGames64 (http://www.haddewig.de/nogames64/)--I can't get it to work though...

     That is not the Digimaster from Autumn Technologies.

              Truly,
              Robert Bernardo
              Fresno Commodore User Group
              http://videocam.net.au/fcug
              The Other Group of Amigoids
              http://www.calweb.com/~rabel1/
              Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network
              http://www.sccaners.org

[commodorejohn]

What puzzles me though is that I never actually told the SID to play any tune. I just continuously change the volume of the SID and that in itself creates this sound. Is this a bug in the SID? If so, lucky for us, otherwise playing samples using this technique wouldn't be possible

Yes, it's a bug in the chip that causes a small pop any time the filter or volume parameters are changed. As I understand it, the pop is limited by the volume register, so you can use this quirk to create output of a given volume. And, of course, rapid changing of the volume level is how sound playback works in the first place. So yeah, it's pretty much the textbook example of a misbug. Lucky for us!

[Hydrophilic]

That is not the Digimaster from Autumn Technologies.

Thanks for the warning so I don't waste my time!
 

I got a real kick out of your game!--It is very similar to a game I started making when I was in High School...

Thanks.  I did that one in High School too.
 

You could also insult them by pressing F1-F4 ... which would result in them cursing you even more!

Ha, ha, great!  I noticed a lot of the other games I've salvaged from back then are full of bad language too.  Potty mouth kids, I tell you...
 
I'll admit that was my voice, but only because there is no foul language this time
 

I'm going to try "Blitzing" it tonight to see what kind of speed difference there is...

I don't think that would help the game play unless Blitz changes the way PLAY (BASIC command, not the ML digi code) works.  You see PLAY can only buffer one note (per voice) at time.  So the animation is quite glitchy as BASIC waits for the current note finish.
 
Also the game uses ML digi player in BANK0 with cross-bank fetches to 10kiB of RAM in BANK1.  I don't know how Blitz organizes memory, so the compilied game might be destroying itself by loading the digi-player or 10kiB audio file.
 
I haven't had much luck with compilers.  When I try something like:
10 FORX=1TO100:?X:NEXT
the compiled version crashes.  Pretty bad, huh?  (don't remember if that was Blitz or Abucus BASIC 128)
 
commodorejohn is right, the VOL register is amplifying a small DC bias so we are lucky to get this cool feature

[RobertB]

I don't know of any links to Digimaster.  I don't even know if Chris has released it as shareware or to the public domain, since it was a commercial product back in the 90's.  However, I think I have a phone number and address for him (it was so long ago that I visited him).  I can try to contact him.

     Contact made with Chris Brenner of Autumn Technologies!  I just got off the phone with him, and he has agreed to release Digimaster as donationware (while retaining copyright of the program).  He's entrusting our club to carry out all the details -- creating a .pdf of the manual, finding a likely site to host the program and manual, and following through with the collection of donations whether via check/money order or even Paypal.
     All of this will be discussed at our next FCUG meeting on December 20.

          We even talked about his fabled SX-1200
          (Amiga 1200 in a SX-64 case with A600 keyboard),
          Robert Bernardo
          Fresno Commodore User Group
          http://videocam.net.au/fcug
          The Other Group of Amigoids
          http://www.calweb.com/~rabel1/
          Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network
          http://www.sccaners.org

[RobertB]

All this talk about playing digital samples made me get out Autumn Technologies' Digimaster for the Commodore 64.


(snip)


The package advertises -

Using an optional audio digitizer, live sound can be grabbed into the computer, edited, and then saved to disk.


(snip)

Well, the optional audio digitizer was never produced by Chris, but he did include a schematic so you could build your own.  In fact, a company in Texas did build those digitizers for $30 each (o.k., where did I put mine?).

Found!  Named the "Audio Sampler" for Digimaster, SRE Services out of Harlingen, Texas produced these homemade-looking devices.  Plug the Audio Sampler into the user port of the C64/128, connect an audio line into the RCA female plug on the AS, turn on the C64/128, and run Digimaster.  You now can grab audio samples with your C64/128 at Digimasters' medium or high sample rates (Audio Sampler had problems with low sample rates).


According to the one sheet of instructions which came with Audio Sampler, the device was built from a schematic from Commodore Magazine, volume 1, issue 3.  I have not compared the Audio Sampler board layout with the Autumn Technologies schematic for constructing a sampler.

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
The Other Group of Amigoids
http://www.calweb.com/~rabel1/
Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network
http://www.sccaners.org

[Hydrophilic]

...I just got off the phone with him, and he has agreed to release Digimaster as donationware (while retaining copyright of the program).

Please post links when/if available!

[RobertB]

Please post links when/if available!

Of course. 
 
Must .pdf the Digimaster manual somehow,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
The Other Group of Amigoids
http://www.calweb.com/~rabel1/
Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network
http://www.sccaners.org

[RobertB]

Named the "Audio Sampler" for Digimaster, SRE Services out of Harlingen, Texas produced these homemade-looking devices.

A few days ago I sent an e-mail to Jerry Sears of SRE Services in Harlingen.  No response.    I can only suppose that he no longer has the Audio Sampler hardware.

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
The Other Group of Amigoids
http://www.calweb.com/~rabel1/
Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network
http://www.sccaners.org

[RobertB]

...I sent an e-mail to Jerry Sears of SRE Services in Harlingen.  No response.

Jerry Sears replied today!  Here is part of what he had to say,

"I made several but never sold but 1. the others are somewhere in my piles of C64 hardware. I 'll look but not guarantees.  (snip)  The supply would be what is in the pile 2 or 3 only."

Heh, I'm the one who was his only sale, apparently.

At today's FCUG meeting, Dick Estel volunteered to .pdf the manual and addendum.  Now all I have to do is find an appropriate FTP site for the program.

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
The Other Group of Amigoids
http://www.calweb.com/~rabel1/
Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network
http://www.sccaners.org

[RobertB]

...Dick Estel volunteered to .pdf the manual and addendum.

Manual and addendum all .pdf'ed.   I was thinking that the front and back package covers must be .pdf'ed, too, because they have a summary of the program itself.

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
The Other Group of Amigoids
http://www.calweb.com/~rabel1/
Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network
http://www.sccaners.org