Posted By
MMS
on 2023-03-29
01:30:51
 |  Re: Magyarok és a Commodore Plus/4 blog
Niiiiice! Thank you!
The FRQ converted C64 musics played on Plus/4 had major impact on my younger years to feel my life OK(ish). 
I may add (three) four points, as future possibilities next to SID card:
-The recently appeared AY external sound card (also added to YAPE as a feature) - there were not so much updates recently, but there are a huge music database and fanbase for AY sound (>Zx Spectrum 128K, Amstrad CPC, ATARI ST just to name few)
Certainly the sound it not up to C64 SID, but could be rather decent. The best version of Robocop game music theme is made for ZX Spectrum on AY chip. (AFAIS the SID version is a little "overdone")
-Hopefully the Covox will reach our platform on the User Port (+4 only, unfortunately, but C16 Userport cartridge is also in progress). This could make the same magic as Pigmy's three channel player, just with a cleaner sound, faster way (no conversion table). Still, due to the huge CPU load on mixing, theoretically only possible with switched off screen
-Soundmax hardware from C64 theoretically fully useable on Plus/4 User Port, though some of the control pins are not at the sample place.
It could provide almost Amiga quality sound hardware, 4 independent 8bit digi channels, you can address independently. There is no mixing or conversion CPU load, just to send out the 8 bit digi data. If it is a very small MOD, it could even fit into the 64K memory together with the player. (some chiptune MODs have only 20-30KB size). Theoretically it is possible with screen On.
-the highest 16 bit quality: just few weeks ago a MIDI Out hardware emerged. After some conversion most of the MIDI files are possible to be played on an external MIDi device with MIDI in connector.
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