Posted By
MMS
on 2018-04-03
19:20:41
 |  Re: Modern sound chip for the Plus/4?
Hi MIK,
Actually I tend to agree with you.
Some comments for consideration:
-Adlib FM chip (=almost the SFX Expander) is really a kind of limited and not easy to program. But SFX Expander released by Commodore itself, it was existing for a C= 8bit, and released almost at the same time as our machine. there are existing drivers and programs on C64, and the sound card can be controlled played via simple keystrokes, no other HW is a must. 4-MAT just made 2 years ago a driver, it can be done together with TED too, as he said (really kind from him).
It could be more or less historically accurate "what if Commodore..." equipment. Because this could have been easily happened back in 1985 with Plus/4 too.
Did I mention the nice black box of it? :-)
-8bit mono or stereo Covox/Digimax on User Port just follows in a simplified form the evolutional step made by Amiga, and made it's music so attractive for so long together with MOD music. It exists on a lot of 8bit machines, ZX spectrum, SAM Coupe. Very easy to build, easy program, just send out bytes to an address.
Cheap.
Mod players exists on C64 and C128, though we are short on memory and CPU power, and we have no REU to extend our RAM, nor SuperCPU.
-MIDI: midi is nice. It is standard. You plug any midi synthetiser, and it will play, irrespective the chip it uses.
The funny thing, that IF we would have a MIDI interface like MSSIAH or DATEL, you could use Roland MT-32 music with Plus/4. (I will explain later).
BUT we do not have.
We are REALLY lucky. HERMIT released few years back ai IEC based MIDI interfae, HERMIDI
As it is IEC based, it is fully compatible with C16 and Plus/4 too (C116,sure!)
https://sourceforge.net/projects/hermidi/?source=navbar
http://csdb.dk/release/index.php?id=126812
and TEDZakker has built in support! Question, what a Roland MT-32 would do with the TedZakker MIDI output? (as it is a pre-GM device)
I have a MiniMoog VST on my PC with USB KORG keyboard, but it is not general Midi compatible, as it is fully analog. But really nice sound 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=222&v=2-zGWXZ8uU8
My Yamaha Portasound PSS-102 has no midi connection, so I am out of devices...
As on the bright side, I see how a current PC connected with a MIDI2USB can emulate MT-32/General MIDI.
SW used MUNT.
You need an external control, like a PC with sound card with MPU-401, but TEDZAKKER with HERMIDI may do something similar.
Very interesting, WORTH to check, even if you only a PC retrogamer. I will try it out in the next days.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvuncHhza5A
So maybe we just need next to HERMIDI, a PC and a MIDI to USB converter (few bucks), I suppose it should work. And we have Roland MT-32 for Plus/4
Some cost calculations:
-Yamaha chip based sound card: ~30€. Still without box or cover
-Covox card / DigiMAX: 10€, but just digi playback, we are limited on CPU power and RAM
though SID wave emulation could be done thought it, with less CPU requirement (no 4 bit conversion), better quality
-Connect CVX4 (22€) to Userport somehow. Same as Covox, better sound.
-Build HERMIDI (10€?), buy a MIDI2USB interface (10€), have a normal PC with free MUNT SW
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