Hello guys (and girls)!
After my last post got eaten by a session timeout and I don't feel like rewriting it entirely, here's the short form:
I want to make chiptune music and bought a special YAMAHA keyboard from eBay UK, the only place I could find it for an acceptable price (and find at all, as it's quite rare already).
The device I bought is a YAMAHA PortaSound PSS-470:
(http://www.the8bitguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Yamaha-PSS470-top-1024x445.jpg)
This keyboard features the wavetable synthesizer that was used in the SoundBlaster ISA audio cards back in the late 80's to early 90's that many DOS games used for sound. It was called the YAMAHA YM3812.
The wavetable synthesizer chip has 9 voices (or 6 voices and 5 drum sounds) and sounds really amazing (I assume even better than the one of my C64).
Another speciality of the keyboard is, that it allows manually adjusting the registers of the synthesizer chip using slide switches and therefore allows creation of these retro sounds and not just the standard piano sounds.
I don't have any experience playing the piano yet, but I am willing to learn it myself as far as possible. Any suggestions for me?
Good luck!
Just keep practicing. Learn how to read notes if you can't do that already. I wouldn't really recommend things like Synthesia, but maybe they can help too. Playing from sheet is much less hassle once you learned it, at least that's my opinion.
Try to be able to play some songs which are already 8-bittish.
Then you can try out your own stuff. Keep in mind that you can use all the technical tricks if you are doing 8bit music, so you dont have to play all music at the same time like a regular pianist.
Have fun, and never gonna give you up!
Quote from: p4nix on June 12, 2016, 07:00:42 PM
Good luck!
Just keep practicing. Learn how to read notes if you can't do that already. I wouldn't really recommend things like Synthesia, but maybe they can help too. Playing from sheet is much less hassle once you learned it, at least that's my opinion.
Try to be able to play some songs which are already 8-bittish.
Then you can try out your own stuff. Keep in mind that you can use all the technical tricks if you are doing 8bit music, so you dont have to play all music at the same time like a regular pianist.
Have fun, and never gonna give you up!
Thanks for the tips!
Initially I was thinking about going for Synthesia, but reading notes is probably better, and yes, I played quite a few classical instruments already (and gave up most of them within one year - one after another, not any of them simultaneously) namely Drums, Guitar, Recorder, Saxophone, so I know how to read notes by now.
I hope that I can use technical tricks as far as possible, but the keyboard is a little limited there, as it can (probably) only do the drums by its own, but I will see.
I can also always mod the keyboard if I need more functions.
Oooh, a FM synth!
Be able to read sheet music is always a plus. Personally, I took piano courses for a few years, but, well, that was a few years ago. I always have my M-Audio keyboard plugged to my computer, I open GarageBand up and I play with it. Speaking of GarageBand, you can always use DAWs like this, open up some MIDI files you found on the internet and start reading the notes. With some practice, you'll become a pro. Then, if you plug the stereo output to the mic port of your computer, you can record it for all to listen, maybe even add some effects with GarageBand, FL Studio or similar software.
Darkest, that's pretty darn awesome. Remember: You don't have to use a keyboard for making chiptune; the real beauty is using a tracker :) But I can't wait to see what you come up with! :D
The OPL2 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaha_YM3812) chip is pretty cool. I wish I could get such a synth once, but I don't think it's the best tool for making chiptunes: first, I don't think it has midi plug, which mean you'll only be able to play it live (it can be great as well), you can't program music with it. Second, I'm not sure it can do all you'd be able to do with an adlib soundcard.
Anyway, this PSS470 is quite famous, and it seems some people managed to add midi to it: http://forum.highlyliquid.com/showthread.php?t=1152
It's also possible to create / get midibox dedicated to the production of opl2 or opl3 sounds:
http://www.ucapps.de/midibox_fm.html
If you're really in chiptunes and FM music, you can have a look at this tracker:
http://www.adlibtracker.net/
That's a nice keyboard
@DarkestEx . I have a keyboard myself but it's very basic. I'm glad you found one that can be handy for chiptunes music.
As for computer-generated chiptune music there is also Famitracker if you want to make NES music.
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on June 13, 2016, 01:14:49 PM
That's a nice keyboard @DarkestEx . I have a keyboard myself but it's very basic. I'm glad you found one that can be handy for chiptunes music.
As for computer-generated chiptune music there is also Famitracker if you want to make NES music.
Thanks :)
Quote from: Juju on June 12, 2016, 09:15:27 PM
Oooh, a FM synth!
Be able to read sheet music is always a plus. Personally, I took piano courses for a few years, but, well, that was a few years ago. I always have my M-Audio keyboard plugged to my computer, I open GarageBand up and I play with it. Speaking of GarageBand, you can always use DAWs like this, open up some MIDI files you found on the internet and start reading the notes. With some practice, you'll become a pro. Then, if you plug the stereo output to the mic port of your computer, you can record it for all to listen, maybe even add some effects with GarageBand, FL Studio or similar software.
OK thanks for suggesting; I will try.
I will also be taking occasional (paied) piano lessons soon.
Quote from: aeTIos on June 12, 2016, 09:18:00 PM
Darkest, that's pretty darn awesome. Remember: You don't have to use a keyboard for making chiptune; the real beauty is using a tracker :) But I can't wait to see what you come up with! :D
:)
I know, but the keyboard is just so much nicer than a tracker in my opinion ;)
Quote from: garvalf on June 12, 2016, 09:41:59 PM
The OPL2 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaha_YM3812) chip is pretty cool. I wish I could get such a synth once, but I don't think it's the best tool for making chiptunes: first, I don't think it has midi plug, which mean you'll only be able to play it live (it can be great as well), you can't program music with it. Second, I'm not sure it can do all you'd be able to do with an adlib soundcard.
Anyway, this PSS470 is quite famous, and it seems some people managed to add midi to it: http://forum.highlyliquid.com/showthread.php?t=1152
It's also possible to create / get midibox dedicated to the production of opl2 or opl3 sounds:
http://www.ucapps.de/midibox_fm.html
If you're really in chiptunes and FM music, you can have a look at this tracker:
http://www.adlibtracker.net/
Yes, I know it doesn't come with MIDI, but that one can actually be added relatively easily, as your link suggests.
I will also have a look at the tracker until the keyboard arrives.
Does it at least have an audio-out?
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on June 17, 2016, 11:50:17 PM
Does it at least have an audio-out?
Of course it does ;)
Ok phew. We never know. It would suck if your future nice music had to be recorded with a microphone.
Reminds me, I was playing with this SID* emulator library for my Arduino and I made it to work with a MIDI library, so I can send MIDI commands from my piano or MIDI-compatible software over the serial port and it plays some nice chiptunes ^_^ I should upload something about that someday.
*For those who don't know, it's the Commodore 64's sound chip.
Quote from: Juju on June 18, 2016, 06:46:08 AM
Reminds me, I was playing with this SID* emulator library for my Arduino and I made it to work with a MIDI library, so I can send MIDI commands from my piano or MIDI-compatible software over the serial port and it plays some nice chiptunes ^_^ I should upload something about that someday.
*For those who don't know, it's the Commodore 64's sound chip.
Nice! Though the real SID chip sounds really awesome. I heard you cannot fully emulate the sound of it and I think so too, having an original C64c to compare.
Also the mailman just showed up and brought my keyboard with him :D
Quote from: Juju on June 18, 2016, 06:46:08 AM
Reminds me, I was playing with this SID* emulator library for my Arduino and I made it to work with a MIDI library, so I can send MIDI commands from my piano or MIDI-compatible software over the serial port and it plays some nice chiptunes ^_^ I should upload something about that someday.
*For those who don't know, it's the Commodore 64's sound chip.
Yes, you should do ^^
Quote from: DarkestEx on June 18, 2016, 10:14:24 AM
Quote from: Juju on June 18, 2016, 06:46:08 AM
Reminds me, I was playing with this SID* emulator library for my Arduino and I made it to work with a MIDI library, so I can send MIDI commands from my piano or MIDI-compatible software over the serial port and it plays some nice chiptunes ^_^ I should upload something about that someday.
*For those who don't know, it's the Commodore 64's sound chip.
Nice! Though the real SID chip sounds really awesome. I heard you cannot fully emulate the sound of it and I think so too, having an original C64c to compare.
Also the mailman just showed up and brought my keyboard with him :D
Yeah I was always skeptical about sound emulation for any console. Even SNES sound emulation can be hit and miss, because when you record the music some instruments either aren't as loud as others or there's a lot of clipping. And for 8-bits platforms the sound is often different and effects might not work. It's usually better to record directly from the real thing, but sometimes it's impossible if you don't have the original hardware.
/me hopes DarkestEx has fun with his keyboard.
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on June 18, 2016, 04:32:25 PM
/me hopes DarkestEx has fun with his keyboard.
Thanks, I will certainly have :)
So I will add a MIDI and an USB interface to the keyboard soon and already bought the connectors.
The plan is to use an Atmel ATmega 32U4 or an ATmega 328p, but I am not sure yet, which one I will use.
Probably I will go for the ATmega 32U4, as it has as native USB interface and could also emulate a keyboard, so that I can use it (more easily) in synthesia.
Otherwise a way cheaper Arduino Pro Mini could be used.
The SID is probably the most difficult to emulate, probably because some parts of it are analog (like filters). The sidplayfp emulator is quite good though.
I'm designing too a kind of SID on arduino little synth:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iGADIUm3Ro
It's not very impressive at the moment, but it has improved since then (but not my piano skills im afraid)
Talking about Yamaha synth, I've got a PSS-50, it sounds quite nice and archaic. But it's not the same chip as the PSS-470 (and you can't edit sounds)
You can get a list of all the yamaha chips and derivations on this page: http://www.dtech.lv/techarticles_yamaha_chips.html
Something I wonder is if with a keyboard with built in samples or synthetizer, it will sound the same when played via USB on a computer or if that requires extra softwares? I always wondered about that with my Casio keyboard.
@garvalf that's pretty much the same setup I made, except I plugged a speaker instead of a 1/8" jack.
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on June 20, 2016, 05:46:59 AM
Something I wonder is if with a keyboard with built in samples or synthetizer, it will sound the same when played via USB on a computer or if that requires extra softwares? I always wondered about that with my Casio keyboard.
As long as the instruments and the synthesizer are always configured to the same settings, the song will always sound the same, played by a computer. However a human playing the song will certainly sound different, as humans play different all the time. A computer holds all timings up to the millisecond niveau.
I will implement the midi interface with an Arduino Uno after some consideration and not with a Teensy 2.0 for price reasons
UPDATE:
So I purchased Synthesia, a MIDI<>USB adapter, a set of case-mount MIDI jacks and an USB B jack. They will be retrofitted into my keyboard.
The processor will be an Arduino Uno, that will intercept the keyboard matrixing, inject the midi presses and receive the user's keyboard presses and send them to the computer using MIDI.
Quote from: DarkestEx on June 20, 2016, 07:23:14 AM
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on June 20, 2016, 05:46:59 AM
Something I wonder is if with a keyboard with built in samples or synthetizer, it will sound the same when played via USB on a computer or if that requires extra softwares? I always wondered about that with my Casio keyboard.
As long as the instruments and the synthesizer are always configured to the same settings, the song will always sound the same, played by a computer. However a human playing the song will certainly sound different, as humans play different all the time. A computer holds all timings up to the millisecond niveau.
I will implement the midi interface with an Arduino Uno after some consideration and not with a Teensy 2.0 for price reasons
UPDATE:
So I purchased Synthesia, a MIDI<>USB adapter, a set of case-mount MIDI jacks and an USB B jack. They will be retrofitted into my keyboard.
The processor will be an Arduino Uno, that will intercept the keyboard matrixing, inject the midi presses and receive the user's keyboard presses and send them to the computer using MIDI.
Ah ok. So I guess my best bet would be using a 3.5 mm stereo cable then.
Also I can't wait to hear music from you. :3=
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on June 20, 2016, 01:39:12 PM
Quote from: DarkestEx on June 20, 2016, 07:23:14 AM
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on June 20, 2016, 05:46:59 AM
Something I wonder is if with a keyboard with built in samples or synthetizer, it will sound the same when played via USB on a computer or if that requires extra softwares? I always wondered about that with my Casio keyboard.
As long as the instruments and the synthesizer are always configured to the same settings, the song will always sound the same, played by a computer. However a human playing the song will certainly sound different, as humans play different all the time. A computer holds all timings up to the millisecond niveau.
I will implement the midi interface with an Arduino Uno after some consideration and not with a Teensy 2.0 for price reasons
UPDATE:
So I purchased Synthesia, a MIDI<>USB adapter, a set of case-mount MIDI jacks and an USB B jack. They will be retrofitted into my keyboard.
The processor will be an Arduino Uno, that will intercept the keyboard matrixing, inject the midi presses and receive the user's keyboard presses and send them to the computer using MIDI.
Ah ok. So I guess my best bet would be using a 3.5 mm stereo cable then.
Also I can't wait to hear music from you. :3=
Thanks :)
For recording, yes, but I need the midi interface anyways for it to work with Synthesia and to play and record songs.
Yeah I can understand. On a side note I really want to learn how to make Sega Genesis music at some point. The Sega Genesis sound chip can generate hard-rocking songs sometimes too.
That would be nice, but yeah I don't know what you could use to do that either. I think there's a tracker running directly on the Genesis, just like LSDJ.
For the SNES there's SNES GSS, but the original download links are gone so you can only get it via some mirrors, IIRC, and I don't know if it's up to date. Also the controls seems kinda weird. I was looking for a tracker that runs on the PC but having one directly on the console would be even cooler, as long as it doesn't have lower capabilities like Pocket Music GBC and that one Japanese music maker for the SNES (Pocket Music GBC had a missing sound channel or something so it was impossible to make anything sound as good as real GBC music)
I found this, seems it's getting rewritten. http://chipmusic.org/forums/topic/15355/chaos-tracker/
Hm I should check the old version out. I'M definitively curious about how complete and reliable it is. Personally, though, the controls play a huge factor. Houston Tracker got them perfect or close, but SNES GSS controls are just weird (you can't even type in the hexadecimal. Random hex values are assigned to random keys).
On a side note, we really need to make a topic where the first post lists trackers and softwares for various chips or old school hardware.
There's this blog (http://irrlichtproject.blogspot.ca/) I found (is that you
@utz?) with a bunch of trackers listed, dunno how often it's updated but I guess it helps.
Yep, it's him, although I am surprised his blog has a Canadian domain name... O.O
Nah, that's a feature(?) of Blogspot, the domain name changes according to where you are (and not to whoever owns the blog).
Oh ok. I was starting to get ideas lol.
Update on the keyboard:
So I managed to break off a mounting bracket for one black key what really really bothers me. I also soldered most of the midi interface and bought a midi to usb adapter.
I had my first actual paid keyboard lesson yesterday and it was really great fun :D
Make sure to not accidentally break your keyboard right away through some soldering or modding accident. It would suck since this voids the warranty. >.<
Nice to see progress, though :)
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on June 23, 2016, 04:31:38 PM
Make sure to not accidentally break your keyboard right away through some soldering or modding accident. It would suck since this voids the warranty. >.<
Nice to see progress, though :)
The key is fixed now and I completely disassembled it now.
Warranty, yes, right. Private eBay auction from the United Kingdom for a keyboard that is now 30 years old.
I'm quite certain the warranty is gone since I got it ;)
Oh right, it's an Ebay keyboard. Disregard the warranty thing then. :P But still, don't break it beyond repair by accident lol. It would suck since you wanted to make chiptunes and learn piano for quite a while.
A bit late to the party, but here's some inspiration for the aspiring Yamaha chiptuner:
https://chippanze.bandcamp.com/album/cp066-andrea-the-android
In any case, good luck with adding MIDI!
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on June 23, 2016, 12:57:26 AM
Oh ok. I was starting to get ideas lol.
Well, I used to live in Manitoba after all :D
Btw, the tracker list on my blog is usually up to date (maybe 1-2 weeks behind sometimes, but I do my best to keep track of all new releases). But it includes only trackers that are in (more or less) active development. There are many, many more ;) Anyway, new in today: TIATracker (https://irrlichtproject.blogspot.nl/2016/06/soft-tiatracker-v10-released.html) (for the Atari 2600 :D)
Nice, I should check your list out. Also were you born in Manitoba? Go Jets Go by the way :P
This PSS-270 artist is good :)
Now for something different, I have a friend who made a dungeon-synth demo with only a tiny yamaha PSS-50 keyboard (it was recorded live as there is no midi on this one as well) : https://maelifell.bandcamp.com/album/demo-1996 (there is also a cover of the great CPC game Iron Lord)
I find the raw, simple, sounds very suitable for this kind of music (you can't edit the sounds on the pss-50).
Old mini-keyboards are fun. I wish my bro didn't dismantle his when he was kid (he was very into piling up electronic parts for no reason back then :P). But I guess we couldn't have done much with it since it had no audio-out. Some mini keyboards just use premade samples rather than sounds produced by the chip, but I like them too if they don't sound too close to MIDI samples.
Also That Bandcamp music you just posted would fit very well in some RPG I think (I could see this in a Wizardry type clone). It sounds a bit like Sega Master System (the Japanese version of the console that had the FM chip) and some early 16-bits games.
Funny, I didn't know the master system in Japan had a FM chip, it was the YM2413 which is a low cost opl2.
Btw at the moment I'm composing a track for Sega Master System, I've discovered Deflemask vgm export can be replayed on a regular Sega Genesis / Megadrive
For old keyboard, it seems quite easy to install an audio out, like on this video : https://youtu.be/EfE7FQaaJa4?t=2m20s
Maybe you know this video as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLJSdNYcdpk
On the bandcamp music (Maelifell), the PSS-50 has a YM7137 chip, it seems to be FM (only the drum is pcm)
Quote from: garvalf on June 26, 2016, 03:15:02 PM
For old keyboard, it seems quite easy to install an audio out, like on this video : https://youtu.be/EfE7FQaaJa4?t=2m20s
Maybe you know this video as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLJSdNYcdpk
Funny how I initially included the second video into my first post until that one didn't post correctly and got lost.
It's the video that got me I this entire project.
it's almost magical when he begins to play the Ultima VI music... :love:
Quote from: garvalf on June 26, 2016, 07:14:11 PM
it's almost magical when he begins to play the Ultima VI music... :love:
Indeed :love:
But the bells sound great too :D
Quote from: garvalf on June 26, 2016, 03:15:02 PM
Funny, I didn't know the master system in Japan had a FM chip, it was the YM2413 which is a low cost opl2.
Btw at the moment I'm composing a track for Sega Master System, I've discovered Deflemask vgm export can be replayed on a regular Sega Genesis / Megadrive
For old keyboard, it seems quite easy to install an audio out, like on this video : https://youtu.be/EfE7FQaaJa4?t=2m20s
Maybe you know this video as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLJSdNYcdpk
On the bandcamp music (Maelifell), the PSS-50 has a YM7137 chip, it seems to be FM (only the drum is pcm)
Thanks for the link. I'm not good with my hands and soldering but I'll check this out to see if I could implement this on my other keyboard that hasn't been used for 15 years.
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on June 26, 2016, 10:25:33 PM
Quote from: garvalf on June 26, 2016, 03:15:02 PM
Funny, I didn't know the master system in Japan had a FM chip, it was the YM2413 which is a low cost opl2.
Btw at the moment I'm composing a track for Sega Master System, I've discovered Deflemask vgm export can be replayed on a regular Sega Genesis / Megadrive
For old keyboard, it seems quite easy to install an audio out, like on this video : https://youtu.be/EfE7FQaaJa4?t=2m20s
Maybe you know this video as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLJSdNYcdpk
On the bandcamp music (Maelifell), the PSS-50 has a YM7137 chip, it seems to be FM (only the drum is pcm)
Thanks for the link. I'm not good with my hands and soldering but I'll check this out to see if I could implement this on my other keyboard that hasn't been used for 15 years.
You'll get this done ;)
It's not as hard as it might look.
Update on my keyboard:
Looks like its now cleaned and assembled again.
I also had some more keyboard lessons and start to learn how to play it.
Cool, if you manage to play some cool stuff (even if simple), post some clips on Soundcloud and here so we can hear. :)