ZX SPECTRUM AY digital MUSIC: YERZMYEY - "DIG IT"

ZX Spectrum was in some ways similar to Amiga 500. Samples (digital sounds) were used in ZX games/demos since 80s. In 1992 apeared first tracker fully operating on samples (like Amiga 500) and it was called simply Sample-Tracker. It can play digital music with AY chip or Z80 chip (beeper) in both cases with 3 channels of sound (so-called ZX-MOD).

As You can see, the tracks don't move while playing: it's because for better quality of sound all CPU's powers (3,5 Mhz only!!) go for music-procedure, not for screen's refreshing. The screen is beeing refreshed after any key is pressed (and the music stops then).

However ZX Spectrum is the only 8-bit computer capable (while playing 3-channel digital music) to show in demos full-screen pictures and additional moving effects, like scrolls or analyzers.

This is my tune "DIG IT" made for ZX Spectrum 48Kb with AY interface (also can work on Spectrum 128K of course).

More ZX Spectrum music: http://www.myspace.com/yerzmyey

More downloads/infos about ZX Spectrum 48K scene: http://zxspectrum48.i-demo.pl/

Category:

Music

Tags:

• zx
• spectrum
• 48
• kb
• digital
• sample
• music
• ay
• interface
• yerzmyey
• MOD
• amiga
• 500

[mckeeclyde]

WOOAAHH :0-) This is well cool man,full explanation needed for a dumbass though even if you av to email me all the info how to do it,what was used etc,would u do that man? Iv got a spectrum somewhere,did u use one or an emulator on PC?? What's the music program called?Sweet tune man

[yerzmyey]

@mckeeclyde Thx man. :) Well, the program is here: zxspectrum48. i-demo. pl/aymusic.html (remove spaces) and it works on ZX48+AY interface or on ZX128. :)

[Scumkill2]

I never had any 8bit machine. My first computer was Amiga A1200 and I'm still using it for AHX (chiptune tracker) and Protracker. ZX Spectrum is one of the most interesting retrocomputers. I didn't know that Speccy supports sampled sounds and I didn't know it has stereo sound!

[yerzmyey]

@Scumkill2 Well, the first fully digital tracker for Spectrum48 appeared in 1993. Of course there are more nowadays, also for Spectrum128. As for stereo - the AY chip is stereo by default. Sadly, to make the computers cheaper - Sinclair made a mono sound output (which suxx). Now people make the output back into original stereo. However new AY-interfaces for Spectrum48 are already stereo of course.

Greetings!

[Scumkill2]

@yerzmyey Ha, ha, ha. Nie wiedziałem, że jesteś polakiem. ;D Coś w tym jest, że my Polacy mamy sentyment do cudownej technologii sprzed lat. Tak jak napisałem wcześniej moim prymitywnym "Ungielskim" myślę o nabyciu Spectruma, ale nie wiem jak teraz się na nim działa. Często żałuję, że urodziłem się tak późno i nie posmakowałem różnorodności w świecie komputerów. Teraz możemy się tylko zachwycać nowymi aktualizacjami do Windy albo grafiką bliższą rzeczywistości. Nuda.

[yerzmyey]

@Scumkill2 Aaaa, w takim wypadku zapraszam na maila: yerzmyey AT interia.pl

[jjovereats]

If you overclocked this to 14MHz, you could create a full FLAC player using the AY chip :)

I'm 11 and I have 4 PCs (one C64, 3 IBM compatibles), and 4 VCRs (two tape camcorders, two desktop VCRs) in my room.

[richardmaudsley77]

@Scumkill2 You can use MP3 players.

You can even speed the files up on your PC to make it load faster - nearly pissed myself when I had a go and it worked. BLIP and manic miner was running!

[Skimaskkass]

Sweet!

[Corrupt5358]

@Scumkill2 It didn't have stereo sound, but could always support sampled sounds - be it at very low quality.

[Scumkill2]

@yerzmyey Thanks for response. I would like to buy a Speccy (because it's cooler than any 8-bit machine) one day for my own 8-bit retrocomputing enjoyment and music stuff. Tapes are already dead (and not really convenient), so what is the alternative today? Do you use any DIY/hack tape or floppy emulator (like Amiga/Atari users) with your Speccys? I ask because I'm hater of emualtion. An emulation is BETRAYAL!)