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Omnimaga => News => Topic started by: DJ Omnimaga on March 03, 2013, 01:04:06 am

Title: Create TI-82 chiptunes with multiple channels!
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on March 03, 2013, 01:04:06 am

Utz has just released a TI-82 music making program called Houston Tracker (http://ourl.ca/18442), allowing you to create chiptunes on your calculator.
(http://irrlichtproject.de/pix/houston.png)
Unlike most other calculator music programs, this one produces a different sound, similar to the ZX Spectrum, rather than just square samples. Here are the features so far:

- 1-bit PFM sound (similar to various ZX Spectrum beeper routines)
- 4 tone channels + 2 interrupting drum sounds
- (Pseudo-)Stereo sound (channels hardpanned l/r)
- Compact editor+player
- Linear song data, no patterns

A sound demo is available on his SoundCloud profile (https://soundcloud.com/irrlicht-project/houston-tracker-for-ti-82) (although some notes seems to be off-key :P). It is not finished yet and it lacks saving/loading, but if someone still owns a TI-82 with ROM 16.0 to 19.0 (not the Parcus model), then he might enjoy this. Download it here (http://www.irrlichtproject.de/downloads/houston.zip)!


This comes a few months after the same author released TI-1-bit Pack (http://ourl.ca/17167), a TI-76/82/82 Stats/83 sound tool. With this tool, you made your songs on the computer then exported the song to ASM data before compiling it for the calculator. The TI 1-Bit Pack contains several ZX Spectrum 1-bit (beeper) routines, which have been adapted for use with TI82 and TI83 graphic calculators. As a result, you can produce various kind of sounds, ranging from NES-like sound to PC88 (which sometimes sounds like Sega Genesis music, but with much less bass).
(http://shiru.untergrund.net/1bit/images/texbeepscreen.png)
You can hear a sound demo here (https://soundcloud.com/irrlicht-project/warpzone-ti82-1-bit). Another sound demo (which includes Warpzone) is available in TI-82 format (http://irrlichtproject.de/downloads/texbeep.zip), which requires CrASH (and ROMs 16.0-19.0).


The author has no plan for TI-83 Plus ports, let alone TI-84 Plus and TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition, so such port will have to be done by another member if people wants versions of those programs to be available for non-discontinued calculator models.

Title: Re: Create TI-82 chiptunes with multiple channels!
Post by: Phero on March 04, 2013, 12:44:25 am

Very nice. I check up on Irrlicht Project every now and again. Good to see that things are still happening :)