The Sounds of Sound Bytes IV

10K / Tom Gilmore says:

"Hello!

It's 10k here, with the fabulous task of gathering some samples of the music you can expect to hear at Sound Bytes 4. I have heard and seen all but one of these artists before, and I am very, very excited to say the least. This is in the order on the poster (exceptions: I cannot find an 8bit Talkshow Boy recording and Able Archer is playing but not on the poster). Just click the links, which are the song names, if it wasn't obvious.

little-scale

Music sample: Come Back To Me
Seb is amazing. Pick a console and he has made music with it.

More: Blog / 8bc / Releases

dot.AY

Music sample: Default To Paranoia

(ph)Alex writes Game Boy glitch/grime which is interactive and brutal. He has been known to tear up the mic too.

More: Home Page / 8bc / Myspace

Maddest Kings Alive

Music sample: Sleepy Kisses
Fenris is half of Perth's Chrism & Fenris, go figure. He weaves beautifully rich and dynamic songs on anything from a GBA to a C64. Glitchy and brutal in a way that you would not expect.

More: Home Page / Live at SB3

Derris-Kharlan
Music sample: Luna

Nathan is a real badass. Period. He writes game soundtracks - if the game was "Mars Volta: Rush to the Court of the Crimson King". He plays live with a guitar, check the link for SB3 to check that out!

More: 8bc / Live at SB4

Astro Zombies

Music sample: All New Heights

Darcy is win. Really young dude, with bright, happy and awesomely danceable tunes. He went down like a smooth criminal at the last Sound Bytes.

More: 8bc / Myspace

Able Archer
Music sample: My Heart Will Goon (Titanic Go On!)

A wild fan-boy appears! Aaron has been at every Sound Bytes (right?). He is looking like he will be rocking out with his cock out, oh, and a guitar and the LOLs.

More: 8bc

Talkshow Boy

Adrian has done a Sound Bytes set before - but not like this. He has been a fan of Chipmusic for a long time and now he is performing some of his own! Some of you may know Talkshow for his role in Melbourne's "Keith! Party", or even better his own breakcore/rap/mashup tunes.

More: Myspace (rap)"

Visit: dpad.com.au

ACMC Poster - Hardcopy

Very glossy - actully, much nicer than this photo would have you believe.
I'm very happy with this print out.

Dorkbot Adelaide Workshop #1 Wrapup

Today was the first Dorkbot Adelaide workshop, which focused primarily on physical computing and Arduino. Software materials (code and patches) can be found here. The workshop was a success, as I felt that participants both enjoyed themselves and got something out of it too. Thanks to everyone for coming along. Many thanks to the University of Adelaide, Elder Conservatorium, the Electronic Music Unit, Christian Haines and Peter Sansom for the venue and the resources - it would have been impossible without this help.

Dorkbot Adelaide has a forum!

Please feel free to join the Dorkbot Adelaide online forum, to discuss upcoming meetings, collaborative projects, suggest workshops and more!

http://www.createforum.com/dorkbotadelaide/

Dorkbot Adelaide Workshop Materials

Here are the basic materials in terms of Max/MSP patches and Arduino files for some of the basic things we will be looking at for the Dorkbot Adelaide physical computing workshop today.

This covers:

• Digital input for a single button
• Digital input for multiple buttons
• Digital output for a single output (LED etc)
• Digital output for multiple outputs (LEDs etc)
• Analog input for a single device (potentiometer, LDR etc)
• Low-res analog input for multiple devices (potentiometers, LDRs etc)
• MIDI output on a software level
• PWM output
• Sample trigger from an analog input threshold via MIDI on a software level
  

How to pad a .BIN file

I recently needed to pad a very small .BIN file of around 1.4KB to fit into a 128KB memory space. I am sure there are much easier ways of doing this than my solution, but it worked for me so I thought I would share. You will need bin2hex and hex2bin.

1. Copy bin2hex and hex2bin to the same directory as your .BIN file.

2. Open a command prompt in Windows. Navigate to your .BIN file directory.

3. Type "bin2hex file.bin file.hex" where file.bin is the input .BIN file and file.hex is an output .HEX file.

4. Type "hex2bin file.hex /Lxxxxxx file2.bin" where file.hex is the .HEX file that was created in step 3, xxxxxx is the length in bytes of the padded output file and file2.bin is the output .BIN file.

For example, if I wanted to pad my file to be 128KB in length, I simply type "hex2bin file.hex /L131072 file2.bin" because 128KB is equal to 128 x 1024 bytes (which is 131072 bytes).

audio2fourbits

A very basic Max/MSP patch that I made to be able to convert a floating-point based audio file into four-bit waveforms with integer values. It requires Max/MSP or the freely available Max/MSP runtime. Download the patch here: http://www.milkcrate.com.au/_other/downloads/max_patches/audio2fourbits.maxpat

Each sample is scaled from -1. - 1.0 to 0 - 15. Each even index sample (0, 2, 4 etc) is written to the low nibble of a byte, while each odd index sample (1, 3, 5 etc) is written to the high nibble of the same byte.

The idea is that samples can then be stored in a way that makes it easy to read back on, say, an Atari 2600 or a Sega Master System or any other sound chip that supports playing back four-bit samples.

So in order to playback the sample, something like this is required (clearly - this is just a concept, not real code):

output to DAC = sample array [index >> ((index%2) << 2)]

In order to use this patch, do the following:

1) Prepare an audio file like you want (probably this involved some pitch shifting, normalisation, filtering etc).

2) Click READ. Load the sample as .wav file into the patch after clicking.

3) Select the number of samples that you wish to read from the file.

4) Click CLEAR, then STOP, then GO, and wait until the INDEX field stops counting up.

5) Double click on the tex object to the left of READ to see the samples - here you can copy and paste your samples.

6) Most likely you will want to add a separator such as a comma (depending on the usage and the target programming language, I suppose). Use a text editor to replace all spaces with comma spaces or whatever separator you require.

7) Paste your samples into your code or wherever you want to use the four-bit audio.

ACMC Poster - "EPROM MUSIC"

Here is the design for my poster for the upcoming Australasian Computer Music Conference 2009 in Brisbane, titled "EPROM MUSIC".

Performance-worthy PAL Atari 2600 Jr

I've added a direct audio output from my Atari 2600 Jr, mainly for some upcoming performances.

Nicolas Collin's Handmade Electronic Music DVD!

I mentioned a while ago that I have a short video on the DVD that accompanies the new edition of Nicolas Collin's Handmade Electronic Music: The Art of Hardware Hacking. Well, my copy of the DVD arrived today - and it's great! I would recommend to everyone to run out and grab this book, as it's jam-packed with hardware hacking action.

More Atari 2600 Drum Sample Channel Action

I've changed the samples on the Atari 2600 sample playback mode, so that there are now a total of 16 samples. I am currently looking at adding more. Are there any requests for specific samples?

Low-Bit Gamelan Compilation [2009]

The Low-Bit Gamelan Compilation – a release of five original tracks with a strong influence from the beautiful music of Indonesian gamelan! Thanks to all who submitted tracks - I'm very happy with this compilation.


Track Listing
01. Derris-Kharlan: Sarin
02. little-scale: Monsoon
03. Baron Knoxbury: Pilo Hau Gamelan
04. Red Robin: Pemanasair
05. The Listrix: Rock the Gamelan


Download this compilation here!

Atari 2600 MIDI Drum Sample Channel!

I've added the capability of playing back some very basic drum sounds for my A26F full MIDI interface. The user can control the pitch of the sound in real time. Join the announcements group for this project here.

A26F Atari 2600 Interface Update

I've made some small updates to my A26F Atari 2600 Full MIDI Interface. A slight volume issue has been resolved, and the whole thing runs a little more smoothly and efficiently than before. Join the announcements group for this project here.

Sound Bytes 4 in Melbourne - Giant Aus Chipmusic Show!

There is an amazing show coming up soon put on by Dpad Productions featuring many of the regular faces of the Australian chipmusic community.

Date: 17th of July
Venue: Queensberry Hotel, Corner Swanston and Queensbury in Melbourne
When: 7pm Onwards
Who:
- little-scale
- Dot.AY
- Talkshow Boy
- Maddest Kings Alive
- Derris-Kharlan
- Astro Zombies
- Slurry Beats Collective feat. Dr Dollar Dollar

How great is that lineup? Seriously. You have to come along.

Exec('Coward') - The Sinistar Sinicore Sample Comp

Beware says:

"Exec('Coward') - The Sinistar Sinicore Sample Comp!
01. Sissy Creeper - Flashbob
02. Sinistartled - Chip Champion
03. The Headache - eLectrodreams
04. Therefore We are Always Confident - we the sick
05. Alexis Berlin - Edward Shallow
06. Mr. Functional - little-scale

This comp was done over the course of one month using only samples ripped from the cult-classic arcade game, Sinistar.

This sample pack, ripped by Beware, includes 21 samples of lasers, explosions, sound FX and those vocals samples that can still strike fear into the hearts of anyone who played the game as a child. Each participant was allowed to splice, stretch, speed up, slow down, pitch, etc, etc, etc the samples into whatever they wanted, but these samples, and ONLY these samples, have been used.

The sample pack can be found here: http://8bitcollective.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=10398 Special thanks to Digital Press Sound Archives for supplying the great vocal samples and Sykotic-Sword for hilarious cover art! Enjoy! Download Here (17 MB)"

Sega Master System Music @ ACMC2009

I've got some Sega Master System music in this year's Australasian Computer Music Conference in Brisbane. Not sure about the dates and times of the concerts yet, will be within the period 2 - 4 July. Details are still forthcoming.

Sega Game Gear VS Master System

Here is a little recording. I thought it was very interesting when I compared the output of my Sega Game Gear (heard from 0:00 to 1:23) to the output of my Sega Master System II (from 1:24 to 2:47). The exact same data was used to generate these two recordings. Both have been normalised, however the GG was about 30 dB quieter than the SMS.

The output from the GG was via the headphone jack - I'm guessing it has some broken caps that need replacing, hence the lack of volume and the very dull nature of the sound. The output from the SMS was directly from the VDP chip via a line out I added (since the SMS2 only has an RF modulator for output).

Of course, this is only my SMS and GG, so please keep that in mind when listening.

Download here (1.9 MB)

Sega Game Gear MIDI Interface Video

A very brief demo of the Sega Game Gear MIDI Interface. Apologies for the poor sound quality - my Game Gear needs to have its caps replaced.

Farewell de la Catessen

It is with some nostalgia and sorrow that I report about the de la Catessen Gallery. Luke Altmann has decided to shut the gallery as a music venue. It was a very important venue in the underground and experimental music scene in Adelaide, a place where like-minded people could meet and also the site of many exciting concerts and series. Of special importance to me was the Adelaide Festival of Unpopular Music, the Tyndall Assembly Concert Series, the concert for the Game Boy Australia 2007 Tour, the various milkcrate events and screenings and the Trianide Concert.

Thanks so much for all of the hard work that you put in to the scene, Luke. We really appreciate it. Also, thanks so much for the support that you have shown for Hidden Village - without you and the de la Catessen we would not even have existed as an ensemble.

More information about past de la Catessen events can be found in the archive.

Sega Game Gear MIDI Interface

I just thought I would mention that my Sega Master System MIDI interface is pretty much compatible with the Sega Game Gear. To be the first to know when this is available in some form, please join the Sega Master System MIDI Announcements Group here.

BBB!

I recently purchased a BBB
I've been happy with the results.

I'm in STFUAJPGM Episode #0!

My music is in the recent debut episode of STFUAJPGM (episode #0), which you can check out here. A little bit about STFUAJPGM:

"STFUAJPGM is a miniature mixtape and magazine with a focus on the freely distributed music within the chiptune community. We hope to explore an array of themes inspired by video game culture (and more) in each episode, by use of short articles, videos, pixel art, and of course: music."

It's a cool idea an deserves to be checked out: http://stfuajpgm.com/

Threer TTF Font

Threer TTF (download here):
Based on a 3x3 Grid.

Tee-Pee and Fiver TTF Fonts

Fiver (download here):
Based on a 5x5 grid.

Tee-Pee (download here):
Handwriting-like style made using a track pad.

Scaler TTF (Font)

A true-type font based on the writing style that I use for a large number of my music releases. Essentially uses a 3 columns x 5 rows grid for each character. As a result, each character can be stored as a bitmap that takes up 15 only bits (2 bytes).

Download it here. Video demo is here.

Animal Awareness (Data Moshing Video)

Inspired by dot.AY's recent foray into data moshing. A short video of my cat Kira, whose head turns to look at the viewer. A set of small, repeating videos was created where each video was exactly one frame longer than the previous one, starting with an initial length of four frames for thirty iterations. All of these videos were then "data moshed" together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94nqomzSx7s

Brian Green's Work with my Atari 2600 Samples

Brian Green has made a nice sound work using my Atari 2600 sample pack.



More info can be found on Brian's blog here.

X-EDX Tuning Synth

I made a very basic synth to explore equal division by ratio tuning a little more easily. The name comes from the fact that it can play any tuning of the form "x equal divisions of ratio a is to b". It's basically a patch with a sine / pulse / triangle wave, with a MIDI input.

The frequency of the wave is determined by the settings that the user puts in (reference frequency, ratio numerator, ratio denominator and equal division). The synth also contains an amplitude envelope.

The video example shows the synth playing a group of fifths, first with a scale based on perfect fourths and then using a scale based on perfect fifths. Very much inspired by nitro2k01's work here. Thanks Didrik!

Download it here.

12-TET, 7-ED5th and 5-ED4th

Here you can see a comparison of frequencies as governed by 12-TET, "7-ED5th" (7 equal divisions of the fifth) and "5-ED4th" (five equal divisions of the 4th). Includes deviations given in cents when compared to 12-TET.

Nitro Tuning: X-EDX

I was very much intrigued and inspired by nitro2k01's recent post about tuning (specifically, the post was about tuning in a "6-EDF" or six divisions of a fifth). Naturally, I wanted to play around with these ideas as well, so i made a super-simple Max patch that allowed me to easily explore these tunings. You can see it below. The patch allows the user to explore "variable" divisions of a "variable" ratio, hence the name X-EDX.

Performance Boys Get An Upgrade - Thanks, Celsius and Cid!

My two performance 'Boys have recently received an upgrade, courtesy of Celsius and Cid, who installed the Nonfinite LED backlight modification. It looks great, and will surely be very useful for upcoming shows.

Thanks so much, Eugene and Andrew! This is a fantastic wedding present.

I'm in Lotek64 Magazine Issue #29!

This is something that may interest any German readers. Steffen Große Coosmann has written a brief review relating to two of my releases (The Third Laser and You Can't Change The World) in the latest issue of the excellent Lotek64 Magazine. Turn to page 28 to see what he has written. The great thing about Lotek64 is that it covers many aspects of low-bit culture, and is jam-packed with news and articles, so it's well worth the read. Download it here.