Apple II Sound Manual

Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground file: CSA2SOUND.TXT rev010

The Csa2 (comp.sys.apple2) usenet newsgroup Frequently Asked

Questions files are compiled by the Ground Apple II site,

1997, 1998.

ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs

http://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs

for on-line perusing via Netscape, etc. ...

http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs/

ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/A2.Csa2.FAQs/

The Csa2 FAQs may be freely distributed.

Note: To correctly view tables and diagrams on a super-res display,

use a mono-spaced Font such as CoPilot or PCMononspaced.

____________________________

001- How does the GS produce so many simultaneous sounds?

002- Is there a way to output quadraphonic sound on a IIgs?

003- Do I get Stereo from my IIgs Sound Output jack?

004- Why should I add a stereo board to my GS?

005- How can I build my own GS stereo board?

006- How can I transfer sound files created on a Mac to my GS?

007- How do I program a Phasor Sound Card?

008- What is required to build a Sound Input board for my IIgs?

009- What's what re. MockingBoard hardware and programming?

010- How do I get my MockingBoard to work on my GS?

011- How do I play Ultima IV/V with MockingBoard sound on my GS?

012- How can I get 'regular Apple sound' to play through MB outputs?

013- What GS programs will let me play MIDI files?

014- Would FExt.NDA let you play thru Synthinit?

015- Can I play .WAV files on my GS?

016- What formats are used for audio files?

017- How do I use my Echo speech synthesizer to produce speech?

018- What types of sound files are used on the GS?

019- Where can I find more info on cards, editing, digitizing, ...?

020- What is "old Apple" sound and how is it produced?

021- What is a good source for .WAV and .BNK files?

022- How can I get more System Sounds for my GS?

023- How can I run Music Studio 2.0 from hard disk?

024- How can I record better sound samples on my IIgs?

025- Squeals and other noises spoil my GS stereo board sound? A fix?

026- My IIgs has no sound from the internal speaker. What's the fix?

From: Todd Whitesel

001- If the GS only has eight output chanels, then it would

seen to me that it could only play eight different sounds

at a time. So how can I digitize fifteen different sounds

and play them all back simultaneously?

To summarize the following lecture:

There are 32 oscillators (16 generators) and 16 channels. Not all are

used for actual sound output.

Oscillators are "smart voices" Generators are oscillator pairs that can

generate extra effects with each other Channels are actual independent

output lines like left and right speaker

That said, let's start at the top.

The DOC is a coprocessor with its own dedicated 64K of RAM. All the

sound samples have to be put in this RAM before they can be played.

The DOC has 32 'oscillators' which are essentially smart DMA channels.

Their basic function is to sweep through areas of the DOC memory reading

samples and playing them. They can do so at variable speeds

(automatically repeating or skipping sample values as necessary), they

can loop on a power of two boundary, they can stop when they read a

zero, they have independent volume settings, and various other things

that aid in reproducing complex instruments without loading down the

main CPU.

But when you come down to it, the DOC is capable of playing 32 sounds

simultaneously and independent of each other, provided that all the

sample data fits in the DOC RAM.

The oscillators are not all perfectly identical in operation. For the

basic sample playing and looping they are, but for some more complex

functions they must be paired. This is where the concept of 'generators'

comes from -- the 16 generators ARE operationally identical and that is

why software prefers the generator concept. Both oscillators and

generators are numbered from 0, so oscillators 0 & 1 are generator 0,

oscillators 2 & 3 are generator 1, and so on.

Generator 15 (oscillators 30 & 31) is reserved for system use (one

oscillator is set to loop slowly at zero volume, to generate tempo; I

forget if the other is used by anything, it's probably used to play mono

samples).

Most software use one generator per voice. Since 15 generators are left

over, spec'ing the GS as having "15 voice sound capability" is a fair

statement.

The actual output that comes out the DOC is a 'time-domain multiplexed'

sound output and five digital bits. What happens is this: the DOC

services each oscillator in turn, and for each oscillator the current

sample value is multiplied by the oscillators' volume setting and a

voltage proportional to the product is output on the sound output. Four

of the digital bits are set to the 'channel number' setting for the

oscillator and the last one simply changes voltage from about 3 volts to

about 0.5 (for you EE folks out there, this is the negative edge of an

output-valid strobe).

External hardware is responsible for splitting off the various channels

(4 bits means that there can be 16 of them) and outputting them

seperately. The motherboard hardware just ignores the channel setting

and mixes all the sound outputs into the speaker/earphone. The sound

connector on the motherboard only has room for 3 of the four bits, so

expansion cards that plug into the sound connector can only get 8

seperate output channels. Most stereo cards (AE's sonic blaster, for

example) only pay attention to the lowest bit, so even numbered channels

are left and odd numbered channels are right (or is it the other way

round? I forget).

No, it isn't simple, but it gives a lot of flexibility -- most of which

is largely untapped.

____________________________

From: Keen Jeffrey Alfred

002- Is there a way to output quadrphonic sound on a IIgs?

We all know that the "S" in GS stands for sound. Stereo cards

abound but the GS is capable of much more. The following circuit uses

the same technique as stereo cards to decode stereo but decodes

quadrophonic. Inside the GS by the memory expansion slot exists the J-25

sound expansion connector that most stereo cards use. The pin outs are

as follows:

J-25 Connector

1 Analog to digital in (end nearest front of computer)

2 Analog ground

3 Waveform out

4 Channel address zero

5 Channel address one

6 Channel address strobe

7 Channel address two

The analog in (pin 1) doesn't concern us here. The waveform out is

the important signal. The contains the output of all oscilators one

after the other in quick succession (the DOC only handles one at a

time). When the DOC is outputing the waveform from an oscilator it puts

the channel address from the DOC register $A0 + osc (most significant

four bits) on the three channel address lines and pulls the channel

address strobe low. (The DOC realy has four lines but only three are

connected in the GS).

The circuit below uses the first two lines the decode the channels

(creating 4 unique channels) and breaks the signal into four parts

depending on the address using cmos single position single toggle wired

as dual position single toggle switches. Then the chopped output is

smoothed with an active low pass filter with a corner frequency of

17.7KHz.

Because most programs only use stereo the second channel address in

normally low so this circuit will also decode stereo and this will turn

up at the front two outputs. I have built this circuit on a bread board

but need to make a PC board to make a better sounding circuit. Also the

output impedance should be set to 75K ohms but I haven't yet gotten

around to it.

To make sound in stereo or quad all you have to do is place the

binary address of the channel you wish the sound to have in the control

regsister for the ocsilator (the tools can do this) and there you have

it.

o----||----o |\ 1/4 IC7

| R2 | o-----------o--| >o---o

o--/\/\/\--o | | |/ __|___

| _ o-|-----o-----|-------|____|--o

R1 | | \_ IC1 | | | __|___ 1/4 IC5 | *

Pin 3--/\/\/\--o-|- \_ | | | o-|____|------------o---[O]--FL

| \__o | | | 1/4 IC5

o-|+ _/ | | | |\ 1/4 IC7

| | _/ | o---|-|---o--| >o---o

| |_/ | | | | | |/ __|___

_|_ | | o-|---|-------|____|--o

/// | | | | __|___ 1/4 IC5 | *

| | | o-|____|------------o---[O]--FR

IC2 | | | | 1/4 IC5

______ | | | | |\ 1/4 IC7

| | | | o-|-|---o--| >o---o

Pin 4----|a 1|-------------o | | | | | |/ __|___

Pin 5----|b 2|---------------o | o-|---|-------|____|--o

| 3|-----------------o | | __|___ 1/4 IC6 | *

|__ 4|--------------o | o-|____|------------o---[O]--BL

Pin 6----|EN | | | | 1/4 IC6

|____| | | | |\ 1/4 IC7

o----|-|---o--| >o---o

| | | |/ __|___

o-|---|-------|____|--o

| __|___ 1/4 IC6 | *

o-|____|------------o---[O]--BR

| 1/4 IC6

| *Notes: [O] = Output Stage

_|_ FL = "Front Left"

/// BR = "Back Right"

... etc.

Typical Output Stage [O]

C2 - C5

o----||----o

| R3 - R6 |

trim pot o--/\/\/\--o

o----o | _ |

| v | | \_ |

----o--/\/\/\--o-|- \_ |

R7 - R10 | \__o---------

o-|+ _/

| | _/

| |_/ 1/2 IC3 - IC4

_|_

///

R1 - R6 : 1.2k ohm

R7 - R10 : 2k ohm trim potentiometer

C1 - C5 : 47pf

IC1 : LM318 high speed op-amp

IC2 : 74F139N dual 2 to 4 decoder

IC3 - IC4 : TL072 dual op-amp jfet input

IC5 - IC6 : 4016 cmos SPST analog switch

IC7 : 4069 cmos hex inverter

----------------------

From: Brian Willoughby

While there is nothing *wrong* with your circuit, I thought that I

would mention that the functionality of IC2, IC5, 6 & IC7 are combined

in a few standard CMOS chips. It turns out that your circuit is so

useful in many applications that you can easily find it in one chip,

thus saving wiring and lowering noise.

Look for a Siliconix DG506 or any make of 4058. I'm not absolutely

sure about the number 4058, but just check in any CMOS 4000 series list

for an 8-channel to 1 analog multiplexer/demultiplexer (not the digital

type, they won't handle audio/sound signals).

----------------------

From: Seth D. Kadesh

One of the chips Brian refers to is a 4052. Both the LM318 and the 4052

can be purchased from B.G. Micro (214-271-5546). Cost for both was

$3.75 USA.

The other parts can be purchased from Radio Shack.

____________________________

From: Rubywand

003- My IIgs has a stereo cable plugged right into the

Sound Output jack. Isn't that two-channel sound?

Nope; and, it is not "stereo" either. The jack is a standard stereo

jack; but, the "Left" and "Right" outputs are connected to a single

'composite' source. Possibly, Apple originally intended to supply

two-channel sound; perhaps, the idea was just to simplify connections to

stereo systems. (Stereo devotees get upset when you give them just one

'channel' to plug in.) Whatever, the fact remains: for multi-channel

output you need to add a "stereo board".

-------------------------

004- Why should I add a stereo board to my GS?

Some programs offer true stereo-- effects and music are lifted from

stereo sources or 'recorded' using two mikes-- others deliver simulated

stereo. Many products output some effects (like a bow twang) through one

channel and other effects (the THUNK! of an arrow hit) through the

second channel. Stereo, of course, produces spacious, '3-D sound'; but,

even the 'separated channels' approach can spread out the action and add

realism.

--------------------------

Related FAQs Resources: R004STEREO.GIF (GIF pic file)

005- Can I build my own GS stereo board?

Yes. Apple includes a rough outline for a stereo board design in

the GS Hardware Reference Manual. The "TDX Stereo Board" is a real-world

realization of the Apple description.

Note: See the FAQs Resource file R004STEREO.GIF for the TDX diagram.

From input to output, the TDX design is straight-forward and

simple. First, IIgs audio enters the 14052 where the "Left" and "Right"

channels are separated using the C0 input to turn ON the appropriate

section (output X or Y) when its channel is valid. (This happens at

supersonic speeds so that the user doesn't notice that each channel is

ON half of the time.) Then, each output goes to a pair of op amps where

it's filtered and amplified.

Design objectives were low noise, low distortion, and low power

consumption. From the start I expected that on-board power amp IC's

would be too puny to drive our speakers to desired volume levels and

maintain low distortion; so, the board includes no power amp IC's and is

not intended to directly drive low impedance loads such as speakers.

Like a tuner, CD deck, or other hi-fi source, it connects to a stereo

amplifier's AUX inputs (or "Tuner", "Tape", etc. inputs) or to the

inputs of speaker units with built-in amplifiers. TDX has plenty of

juice to drive any decent stereo system at 'blow out the windows' volume

levels.

As shown in the diagram, nearly all connections between TDX and the

computer, including ground, are made over the J-25 lines. Power (+5

Volts and -5 Volts) comes from the slot into which the board is plugged.

The outputs go to "RCA-type" hi-fi jacks mounted on the rear of the

board for easy access via standard audio cables. When placing the jacks,

be sure to allow space (between the jacks and rear of the computer) for

the cable plugs or arrange for the jacks to line up with an opening.

The J-25 connection is via a 7-pin mini-molex ribbon cable. It can

go to J-25 (located near the memory expansion slot); or, if J-25 is

being used by the Hyperstudio A/D input board, it plugs in there. (On

both J-25 and its extension on the A/D board, pin #1 is nearest the

front of the computer, pin #2 is next, etc..) All of the parts,

including the Apple-compatible circuit board, are commonly available.

I built the TDX stereo board near the start of the IIgs era just as

games like "Tower of Myraglen" were beginning to appear. It sounded

great then and it sounds great today running "Dungeon Master", "Instant

Music", "Jam Session", and Hyperbole MIDI-synth pieces. If your IIgs is

still in mono mode, why not make this the year you 'go stereo'. Add a

commercial unit or build the TDX. Either way, when you spread out the

sound you open up the fun!

____________________________

From: Bryan Ogawa

006- How can I transfer sound files created on a Mac to my GS?

I did the following to get stuff that my next-door neighbor digitized on

his LC using the Control Panel Document Sound for Mac Sys. 7:

1. Digitize

Find the System Folder, and the System document/whatever (it's called a

SUITCASE) and double-click:

find the sound I wanted...

copy to my HFS formatted 800K disk

plop it into my GS

2. Convert

Get AudioZap out and sic it on the files.

Click RESOURCE fork when it asks where to get the sound for.

Save it in any format you want.

Then, you can probably use SynthCreate to make a SYNTHLAB wavebank...

____________________________

From: Mitchell Spector

Related FAQs Resources: R013PHASOR.TXT (Phasor Mini-Manual text file)

007- I just got a Phasor Sound Card and now I need some info.

What are the 4 DIP switches used for? What are the 2 POTs

used for? And, where can I get programming information?

The Phasor is a great sound card. Offers you 12 sound channels

(using all sorts of wave-form patterns and effects, simular to

FM-synthesis in IBMs), 4 white noise generators (synthesized drums, etc)

and a 1-voice synthesized speech channel, expandable to 2 speech

channels. Has a 4 watt amplifier that can drive stereo speakers (left &

right). It's compatible with most older sound cards, like the

Mockingboard, ALF, SMS and Echo+. Few programs ever supported it, let

alone many programs out there that supported the older cards. It did,

however, come with some decent software that showed off the card's

features and let you experiment with it a bit.

The four DIP switches control emulation modes and standard Apple ][

internal speaker sound-level (only if you disconnect internal speaker

and have old speaker toggling sent to Phasor). Switches #1 and #2 are

for emulations. Switches #3 and #4 control your old internal speaker

sounds, again, *if* you have speaker disconnected and that pin location

on motherboard connected to Phasor.

You can set Low, Medium and High volume with three different DIP

positions. This doesn't affect Phasor music/sound however. To do that,

you must turn those two pots you asked about. Each controls either the

left or right stereo channel. Turning them clock-wise increases volume,

and you probably don't want this too high up, or sound gets distorted!

Put both on an equal setting, unless you want one channel louder/softer

than the other.

Phasor DIP switch emulation modes:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Native Phasor mode: 1: closed, 2: closed

Mockingboard mode: 1: opened, 2: closed

Echo+ mode: 1: opened, 2: opened (Never got this mode to

work!)

____________________________

From: Adrian Whichello

008- What is required to build a Sound Input board for my IIgs?

I found the following circuit on ground (in

ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/MiscInfo/Hardware/digitizer.circuit

[quote]

If you don't mind putting together a few parts, you can build your own

adapter, though (explanation follows):

Analog 10-500 uF

In ---------------+------------+----+------------||------ >>

| | |

-+- -+- + To CD player,

5V Zener /_\ Signal /_\ = 1.5V microphone,

diode | Diode | - Battery etc.

GS | | |

Ground -------------+------------+----+-------------------- >>

[end quote]

but I changed it to this (a better ascii rendition of the circuit is

available!):

Analog 100 uF

In ------------+-----------+----+---------+-------||----- >>

| | Z +

-+- -+- +-----+ Z 10K To CD player,

5V Zener /_\ Signal /_\ = 3V Z Z microphone,

diode | Diode | - Z<--+ etc.

GS | | | Z 10K pot

Ground ----------+-----------+----+-----+------------------ >>

The Ensoniq is designed to handle 0 to 2.5V input, but audio sources

usually swing more or less equally +/- about zero. Therefore we need a

level shifter, to put the appropriate DC bias onto the input. The 3V

battery and the 10K pot are for this. To stop the low internal impedence

of the battery effectively shorting the sound source (which happens with

the first circuit), I've included another 10K resistor.

The easy way to set this up is to use a program like AudioZap and with

the CD etc. end input shorted, set the centreline of the oscilloscope

display to be halfway up the screen, so the input signal will swing

equally either side of this reference voltage. The zener diode is to

clip the top of spikes to limit them to about 5V and the signal diode is

to clip any negative going signal to -0.6V. This is protect the Ensoniq

chip from overload.

The capacitor keeps the DC out of the source. Pin one on the GS

connector is closest to the *front* of the computer (ie with the

expansion slots at the back.

The Ensoniq has a fairly low input impedence (about 3-5K), but most

portable cassette or CD players should be able to handle this, since

most headphones have a much lower impedence than this (usually around 50

to 100 ohms, even as low as eight for old ones). You can use a tape deck

as an amplifier and "impedence buffer" for a microphone.

If you can get the file

http://cassius.ee.su.oz.au/~adrianw/gsaudioin.bsq

there's proof there that it all works (a raw sound file I made).

____________________________

009- Does anyone know where I can get some details on

MockingBoard hardware and programming?

MockingBoard Mini-Manual 11/97 version

From: Rubywand

Part 1: Kinds of MockingBoards

The original MockingBoards come in four basic 'flavors':

Sound I-- produces music tones and a variety of sound

effects (3 voices to 1 Audio Output)

Speech I-- produces speech or limited sound effects

(1 voice output to 1 Audio Output)

Sound II-- 2 x Sound I on a single board (3+3 voices

to 2 Audio Outputs)

Sound/Speech I-- Sound I + Speech I on a single board

(3+1 voices to 2 Audio Outputs)

Note ...

Audio Output: This goes to a speaker or hi-fi amplifier

Voice: a musical note, sound effect, speech sound, etc.

Quite a few of the original MockingBoards were sold. Later MB's use

model names like "MockingBoard A", etc.. The main difference between the

original series and letter-named boards is wider availability of Speech.

Edhel Iaur and Mike Mahon supplied details on models A-D. Prices are

from a Sweet Micro Systems ad in the December, 1985 issue of _A+_

magazine:

MockingBoard A is a stereo music and sound synthesizer with six voices.

Suggested retail price is $99.00. This model has two sockets for adding

speech synthesis IC's so that a user could add speech to one or both

Audio Outputs. Except for the speech upgrade options, MB-A is very

similar to the earlier Sound II.

"MockingBoard B" is just the name of the Speech Upgrade; it is not a

separate MB board. The kit consists of one speech synthesizer chip.

Earlier MB's used the 16-pin SC-01 speech IC, while later board runs

provided 24-pin sockets for the newer (but somewhat flawed) SSI-263

speech synthesizer chip. Suggested kit retail price is $89.00.

MockingBoard C is simply a MB-A that has been upgraded by plugging in

one speech chip. Suggested retail price is $179.00. (There was an

'undocumented' upgrade, obtainable by plugging in the other speech chip,

which allowed the board to "sing harmony" with itself!)

MockingBoard D is a stereo music, sound and speech synthesizer for the

Apple IIc. It connects to a IIc through a serial port and is, of course,

external (unlike the Slot board models for other Apple II's). Its

drivers are very different from the slot I/O of the other MockingBoards.

Suggested retail price is $195.00.

Phasor is a MockingBoard-compatible sound card produced by Applied

Engineering. Looking at the software that comes with the Phasor may be

helpful to MB users.

MockingBoards work on Apple II's with at least 48K RAM. MB can go

into any Slot (except for MB-D, which must plug into a IIc). Most

programs expect it to be in Slot 4; however, it is fairly common for a

program which supports MB to ask you to enter the Slot #.

Most for-MB products will work with Sound I, Sound II, Sound/Speech

I, A, and C. (Some work with D.) Products that use MB include Ultima

III, IV, V Sky Fox, Wiley Byte', Thunder Bombs, Lancaster, Under Fire,

Music Construction Set, GuitarMaster, and Music Star.

MB's 0.5 Watt Audio Output(s) can directly drive an 8 Ohm speaker.

You can also run the Output(s) to a hi-fi amplifier.

Except for speech-only models, MB uses the General Instruments

AY-3-8910 Programmable Sound Generator IC. The PSG has 3 on-chip tone

oscillators (via channels A, B ,C) and a Noise Generator (NG). So, for

example, the Sound II can play up to 6 notes or effects at once. The NG

on each PSG can be mixed with any, all, or none of the three tones.

Many MB "Speech" version boards use the Votrax SC-01 Speech

Synthesizer IC. The SC-01 uses 64 phoneme sounds to produce speech. MB

software lets you adjust duration of each phoneme in 4 steps, create

"rules" for custom sounds, and speak sentences from text in BASIC

programs. The SSI-263 speech synthesizer appeared on later model MB's.

(At present, more info on the SSI-263 is not included here.)

All MB versions use the 6522 Versatile Interface IC to handle board

I/O. Except for the Sound I board, early models have circuit board

points to which you can add cables to utilize I/O ports not needed for

Sound or Speech.

Part 2: Sound Programming

Each Programmable Sound Generator (PSG) has 3 output Channels: A, B,

and C. There are also 3 Tone oscillators, one committed to each Channel,

and one Noise Generator (NG) which can send its output to any

Channel(s). Amplitude (output Level or Volume) and Envelope Control

ON/OFF is set for each Channel.

The PSG's Enable/Disable register has 8 bits. Three bits let you

decide whether or not to send a Tone oscillator''s output to its

Channel. For example, you can enable Tone outputs for the oscillators

going through Channels A and B while disabling Tone output for the

oscillator connected to Channel C.

The Enable/Disable register also lets you decide whether or not to

send the Noise Generator's output through a Channel. Three bits let you

decide which Channel(s) the NG's output will go through. For example,

you can enable NG output through Channels A and C but not through B; or,

disable NG output through all three Channels, etc..

If, for example, Channel A's Tone oscillator output is enabled and

NG output is enabled for Channel A, then, a mixed Tone + NG signal will

go through Channel A. Setting Channel A's Amplitude controls the Level

for the mixed signal.

Often, a programmer will want to individually control the Levels of

Tone outputs (for music) and Noise outputs (for sound effects). This is

accomplished by using one PSG Channel only for Noise and two Channels

only for Tones. Since the MB Sound II has 2 PSG's, a typical game

application using the board will have 4 music tones and 2 effects

sounds-- each individually controlled for Level.

More specifically, the user can set Tone Frequency (12 bits, 4

coarse & 8 fine) and Amplitude (4 bits) for each channel individually. A

fifth Amplitude bit lets you decide if a channel's Level will be "fixed"

(use the Level value) or "variable" (i.e. follow the current Envelope

pattern). You have 4 bits to set Noise Generator Frequency.

Tone Freq = A2 Clock Freq/ [ (4096 x Coarse) + (16 x Fine) ]

Noise Freq = A2 Clock Freq/ (16 x NG value)

The Envelope of the combined outputs of enabled sources can be

controlled for Period (16 bits, 8 coarse & 8 fine)** and, roughly, for

Shape (4 bits).

Env Freq = A2 Clock Freq/ [ (65536 x Coarse) + (256 x Fine) ]

The registers of the PSG are described briefly below:

Reg. Function and Bit(s) used

00 A Freq. fine (bits 0-7)

01 A Freq. coarse (bits 0-3)

02 B Freq. fine (bits 0-7)

03 B Freq. coarse (bits 0-3)

04 C Freq. fine (bits 0-7)

05 C Freq. coarse (bits 0-3)

06 NG Freq. (bits 0-4)

07 Enable/Disable note: Enable =0/ Disable =1

bit 5: NG sent to A

bit 4: NG sent to B

bit 3: NG sent to C

bit 2: A Tone

bit 1: B Tone

bit 0: C Tone

Ex: Writing $F0 to Reg 07 plays tones A, B, C plus noise on C

Ex: Writing $F8 to Reg 07 plays tones A, B, C and no noise

08 A Level (bits 0-3) and

Envelope Control (bit 4): 1 = Use Env; 0 = Use Level value

09 B Level (0-3) and

Envelope Control (bit 4): 1 = Use Env; 0 = Use Level value

0A C Level (0-3) and

Envelope Control (bit 4): 1 = Use Env; 0 = Use Level value

0B Envelope Period Fine (bits 0-7)

0C Envelope Period Coarse (bits 0-7)

0D Envelope Shape (four bits):

Continue (bit 3) 0= do 1 cycle and set Level to zero

Attack (bit 2) 1= count up 0= count down

Alternate (bit 1) 1= reverse count direction each cycle

Hold (bit 0) 1= do 1 cycle and hold count

To program the MB you write to the board's 6522 I/O chip(s). All

address references here are for a MB Sound II (2 Audio Outputs) in Slot

$C400 ORB1 function to perform, Output 1

$C480 ORB2 function to perform, Output 2

$C401 ORA1 data, Output 1

$C481 ORA2 data, Output 2

$C402 DDRB1 data direction, Output 1

$C482 DDRB2 data direction, Output 2

$C403 DDRA1 data direction, Output 1

$C483 DDRA2 data direction, Output 2

Before sending music, etc. data to the MB you must Initialize the

board's I/O. To Initialize the 6522's: Store $FF at $C402 and the other

three DDRxx addresses. This needs to be done by your program just once.

Your program gets access to a PSG via the 6522 by using a few basic

Function codes which set the PSG's I/O control lines:

Set Inactive = $04

Set PSG Reg# = $07

Write Data = $06

Reset = $00

To Write to a PSG register: Tell the PSG which Register you wish to

access (i.e. Set the "current register" #) and Write the data. This is

easiest to do with subroutines to handle the basic Functions.

Example Subroutines (for Output Channel 1):

Set Reg # 1000: A9 07 8D 00 C4 A9 04 8D 00 C4 60

Write Data 100B: A9 06 8D 00 C4 A9 04 8D 00 C4 60

Notice that each Function sub ends by setting the PSG control lines to

Inactive.

Similarly, to do a Reset (set all PSG regs to zero) ...

Reset 1016: A9 00 8D 00 C4 A9 04 8D 00 C4 60

To put the value $55 in PSG Register 02 (Channel B Freq. fine) ....

1080: A9 02 put Reg# in A (6502 accumulator register)

1082: 8D 01 C4 store A at the Data address ORA1

1085: 20 00 10 JSR to Set Reg# (sets "current register" to Reg 2)

1088: A9 55 put the value $55 in A

108A: 8D 01 C4 store A at the Data address ORA1

108D: 20 0B 10 JSR to Write Data ($55 goes into PSG Register 2)

1090: 60 Exit from subroutine

----------------------------

010- How do I get my MockingBoard to work on my GS?

You need to go to the GS Control Panel and change the Slots setting

for the Slot your MB card is in to "Your Card".

The 'standard' place for a MockingBoard is Slot 4. A few early

programs require that the board be there in order to work; but, most

programs which use MB will let you specify the Slot. A few games and

other wares require modifications or interface software to work with MB

on a GS.

---------------------------

011- I have a Mockingboard Sound II board installed in my GS but

cannot get it to work with Ultima IV and Ultima V. How can

I play these games with MockingBoard music and sound effects?

U4MOCKV2.SHK is a collection of programs which will let you play

Ultima IV on your GS with MockingBoard sound. You can also set game

speed and border color.

For playing Ultima V with MB sound, check out U5MBONGS.SHK.

Both of these wares take care of activating the MockingBoard Slot

without changing Control Panel settings. You can find them on Ground in

the AOL area:

ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Collections/AOL/Games/Adv./Roleplay

____________________________

From: Tom Mage

012- How can I get 'regular Apple sound' (like BEEPs, etc.) to play

through my Mockingboard's outputs?

I recently got a Mockingboard C, which, it turns out, has a plug

and cable specifically for connecting in sound from the Speaker! (Most

likely, the MB A has a similar connection.)

----------------------------

From: Rubywand

Evidently, older Mockingboards (like our Sound II) do not include

the built-in Speaker connection; so, users with these boards will need

to do a simple mod.

The Apple II speaker is in the Collector circuit of the sound

output transistor-- one end of the spkr goes to a resistor and capacitor

connected to the output transistor Collector and the other goes to +5V

(not ground). To get an audio output signal, the spkr must be in place;

or, you can substitute a 1 watt resistor-- something in the 22-39 Ohm

range.

The output should come from the side of the spkr (or 1 watt

resistor) going to the resistor & capacitor connected to the

transistor-- i.e. the side which is _not_ the +5V side. The output goes

through a coupling capacitor to the center lead of your RCA plug. The

Ground side of the RCA plug goes to ground.

"Ground" is DC ground = any motherboard trace area which is

connected to the ground side of the power supply. For example, the

outside "shell" of the composite video output is soldered to ground.

Here is a rough picture ...

+5V side

[]< Speaker or 27 Ohm resistor

|---------------------|(--)|------------------------ Output

| 10uF 10uF to Amplifier

| 2 caps connected as bi-polar capacitor

Transistor _________________ Ground

side |

DC Ground

You can get a bi-polar coupling capacitor at Radio Shack (2uF-5uF

is fine) or make one by connecting two 10uF caps neg end to neg end.

(The value is not critical, two 5uF caps connected back to back is

fine.)

----------------------------

From: Michael Mahon

For the vast majority of connections to external amplifiers, a

non-polarized capacitor is not required in this circuit, precisely

_because_ the transistor side of the capacitor never goes below ground.

A 4.7 uF capacitor, with the (+) side toward the transistor collector

and the (-) side toward the amplifier will do the job nicely.

____________________________

From: Mitchell Spector

013- Are there any GS programs that will let me play

MIDI files that I get from the web?

The best one out there is MIDISurgeon 2.0, formely available from

EGO Systems. It lets you convert and tweak (very finely if need be) MIDI

files into MIDIsynth format, what most people heavily associate with

synthLAB. MIDIsynth is really the best way to hear MIDI sequences,

though it is very limited these days: 7 voices and 64K worth of patches

maximum (choosen from a small number of instrument banks out there, with

a sparse selection). If you have MIDI files that are under 7 voices and

only use a couple of instruments it is passable.

There is also the freeware MIDIConvert program, but it isn't very

flexible.

WaveLAB (another program by Dave Tribby) is also worth downloading,

it allows you to create new instrument banks.

You should be able to get MIDIConvert from the Caltech and Ground

FTP sites. SynthLAB/MIDIsynth is part of System 6, downloadable from

Apple's FTP site. As for MIDISurgeon, you'll have to contact Dave Tribby

to find out its status.

I personally just use a MIDI connection between my Apple IIgs and

PC with one end running synthLAB and the other CakeWalk Express, then

have one side "play" the other and I record that. Makes editing much

easier and faster.

----------------------------

From: Edhel Iaur, Esq.

Apple's SynthLAB may be necessary for many solutions. Check out the

following URLs for related midi wares:

ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/Music.and.Sound/

ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple16/Music/Applics/

---------------------------

From: Clayburn Juniel/Effective Software Solutions

Hey, what about Music Composer? It's much better than synthLAB for

doing MIDI playback.

Just a note. Music Composer* does use the MIDIsynth tool to play

the music, and to do some editing. MIDIsynth does a lot that synthLAB

doesn't use. It was always my impression the that synthLAB was never

finished.

*ESS web site: http://www.primenet.com/~clay1/

_______________________

014- Would FExt.NDA let you play thru Synthinit if you

placed Synthinit in the System.Setup folder?

OK, I guess it's shameless plug time :) FExtNDA will allow you to

use SynthInit from any desktop program. Place SynthInit in your

System.Setup folder, and FExtNDA in your Desk.Accs folder (of course :).

Then, in FExtNDA's preferences, check 'Send finderSaysIdle'. If you want

to be able to use keypresses to change songs, also check 'Send

finderSaysKeyHit'. For more useful information on using the two

together, check the docs in FExtNDA.

PS: SynthInit isn't the only Finder Extension that will work: IR,

DeskTracker, FinderView, FinderSounder, TeacherReader, EGOed, etc. etc.

etc. all work.

________________________________

From: Charles T. Turley

015- Can I play .WAV files on my GS?

Yes. Download and check out 'Universal Sound Edit'. It's a GS sound

editor that handles virtually every type of sound format from just about

all computer platforms.

You can read the documentation file and download the program

archive-- USE.SHK -- from the GS.AUDIOWARES/ folder at ...

ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Collections/1WSW/GS.WorldView/

________________________________

From: Dave Huizing

Related FAQs Resources: R011SNDFMTS.TXT (text file)

016- What formats are used for audio files?

See the Audio File Formats Guide FAQs resource file R011SNDFMTS.TXT

________________________________

Related FAQs Resources: R012ECHO.TXT (Echo mini-manual text file)

017- How do I use my Echo speech synthesizer to produce speech?

See the Echo Speech Synthesizer Mini-Manual FAQS resource file

R012ECHO.TXT .

________________________________

From: Ian Schmidt

018- What types of sound files are used on the GS?

Several types of sample files are used. Here are the most common.

Name Ext. FType Description

---------------------------------------------------

Raw no std. BIN Contains only raw sample data. The

auxtype is normally the sample rate

divided by 51. (See section CA for