Music - One-bit music: why does the ZX Spectrum beeper continue to inspire admiration?

utz about beeper
 Beeper Sounds:
    What's Cooking in the 1-Bit World?

 One-bit music. No, she still is
doesn't sound like AY. Which is quite good for me personally
acceptable, because, despite my love
k AY, I just love the sound of the beeper. Today
I will talk about what happened
inside and outside the world of ZX Spectrumbehind the pic─ 
the last couple of years, and I will also introduce you to
new discoveries regarding history
the roots of one-bit music. I don't collect─
I'm going to go deeper into the technical details, so
what if you are looking for tips on creating─
the next greatest beeper movement─
ka, then you will have to wait for a new one─
launch Info Guide.

               ZX Spectrum:
 growing scene, technological discoveries,
           new world record

   Over the past years, beeper
The ZX Spectrum scene has been continuously growing until
It became impossible to keep track of everything─
scrap appearing in different parts of the inter─
nope. More than 200 were released in 2014
new tracks, as well as several albums and
compilations.
   I guess this kind of explosion is popular─
ity occurred for several reasons. C
on the one hand, a site dedicated to chip mu─
language battleofthebits.org added formatZX
Beeper into your compo system, thanks to th
mu beeper has become the most popular there (
http://battleofthebits.org/browser/
EntryByFormat/zxbeep/ ). BotB attracted a lot of people─
th new composers who may not
have such a close relationship with Spectrum─
Me, like those who were involved in 2009-2012,
but, nevertheless, they enjoy the sound and lie down─
the bone of using available tools─
comrade. Also in new versions of the editor there is a beeper─
new music Beepola appeared 10 additional─
line engines, including such brilliants─
nts of the new school, like Tritone and Qchan, additional─
featuring a wide range of old-school classics.Another (not the most suitable one for this one─
me) the news was the gradual displacement
one-bit blog on the Shiru website with new fo─
room dedicated to the same topic. Considering
passion for the growing ZX Spectrum scene,
I believe that the best moment has come for
transition to this format. Despite this,
the success of the forum was an amazing phenomenon,
taking into account the marginal status
subject of research. Unfortunately, he doesn't─
closed unexpectedly and its future is now not─
known, but plans to resume projects─
it's still there. Just in case, we have created─
gave a new forum on
http://randomflux.info/1bit

   From a technical point of view, the ZX beeper
Spectrum continues to excite. 
By saying this, I mean that there is a large
potential for creating new algorithms and
decisions, the implementation of which takes place on
throughout recent times.
   One of the areas being developed in OS─
What's new, Introspec, is synchronization
input/output devices. This problem is on
which is often overlooked, dovo─
flax is easily solved by leveling the procedure─
ry playback under 8 bars. Unsurprising─
but also that some are both old and new
engines that do not use this technique,
sound bad on the original British ones
models up to version +2. Most famous
an example is the Savage algorithm, which
Introspecupgraded with several new ones 
synthesis procedures.  He also released
an improved version of the Shiru Octode procedures,
under the name Octode XL, improving control
sound volume.
   Some time ago there was an exit
several new engines that did not attract
special attention. Alone Coder discreetly
released the B'TMAN engine (patched by Beep
Tracker). Abrimaal is working on a hybrid 
project 1bit/AY codenamed
DoomBass (http://battleofthebits.org/ 
arena/Entry/Hybrid+Engine/16685/ ).
 I also honed my beeper coding skills─
ny players. I still need a lot─
we need to learn, but taking into account early attempts─
ki, I can say that there are reasons to be proud
already there. I created Ntropic and Anteater, two
very compact engines with alternating them─
pulses. Both contain some innovations─
Note: Ntropic plays pseudo-random
noise (from ROM) along with two tone channels─
lami, and Anteater contains the most simplified
pulse width modulation option.
   I also tried to write an engine with digital─
ditch sound. After long experiments─
Comrade (some of you remember the terrible movement─
Jock POWW), I came up with a pretty acceptable one,
but an ugly method of mixing two kana─
catching looped sounds. Technically thisnothing new: optimized version
principle "the number of serial outputs in
port means volume." Optimized
in this case means specifically under─
prepared samples, unpacked in memory
(1 byte per 1 bit) for fast mixing─
niya (as I said, there is no beauty here). So─
but the volume does not change for each bit─
linear, and higher volume levels
receive additional reinforcement. From the point
In terms of sound, this approach is an improvement─
by simple bit transfer applied
in Sample Tracker, suffering from noticeable
parasitic tone, especially on a sine wave─
line samples. So further experiments─
cops in this area are more than welcome─
xia (and if not, then someone please
make an editor for Phase2:o). In any 
case, the sources of the latest versions of my
engines can be found athttps://github.com/
utz82/ZX-Spectrum-1-Bit-Routines.

   I recently came up with a new trick - in─
phase rotation. It allows you to adjust─
set the volume (seetest5O.sna), and
works with different duty cycles (see.
test25.sna), but with a duty cycle not equal to2 
(coefficientfilling not50% ) volume
is slightly less regulated.
   The idea is that for each of the two ka─
we have two cash counters, with the same ones─
mi periods, but different phases. Results
We sequentially output both of them to the port.
When they are out of phase, the volume is equal
zero. When they are shifted (for example, one
counts with0, and another with #4000), appears
sound.

   And finally, the world record for the largest
number of program channels per one bit─
engines, previously held by Shiru with his
8.5 channel Octode procedure, was beaten
in March 2014 with the 16-channel ZX-16 procedure
- Jan Deak became the new record holder
(Jan Deak), who is already more than two ten─ 
years old held the championship, even before graduation
Octode. Unfortunately, the author of the procedure will soon─ 
died mysteriously in November. In his honor
The album was released in early December 2014:
http://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=64543

                  Outside ZX:
       Oh my god, it's spreading!

   Recent rise in popularity of Spectrumo─
of all beeper music did not go unnoticed─
outside the world of ZX. New tools and work
appeared on several platforms.
   Back in 2012 Apple ][ coder krue added
support for the old Electric Duet engine
tracker Shiru 1tracker (http://krue.net/
1tracker ). Unfortunately, 1tracker does not have
Apple beeper emulation ][, due to its
absence in the Game_Music_Emu library. K
Fortunately, krue took the path of creating his own─
own tracker for Apple ][, ra─
working on original hardware. Having named
his Stitch, he implemented 4 channels of sound with
pulse frequency modulation. (http://
krue.net/stitch )
 I have no news from more widely from─
well-known platforms such as IBM PC. Poly─
phonic musical instruments are already su─
existed in the early 80s, and in the early 90s
an amazingly high level has been achieved
(8 channels or more using Note Baron).
It is not surprising that the development after this
it became, given the widespread camp─
Dart sound cards on PC. But why beeper?
didn’t prove himself again - it remains for─
disgusting. I hope that over time we
we'll see at least some research into the old
tools. [You may note demo 8088
M.P.H. ] 
   However, quite a large volume
work was carried out outside the traditional 1-bit─
ny platforms. The most significant achievements─
most likely the work of XXL on
Atari 8bit computers. Since 2009 it has been ported─
shaft a wide range of Spectrumengines
to the GTIA chip used in the XL/XE, including
classics like ZX7 and Music Studio, and
also new school procedures such as
Phaser1, Octode and Tritone. His series of works 
"Beep'em all" has earned legendary status 
(http://xxl.atari.pl/beepem-all/ ).   XXL
continues to work in this direction, not
added Octode XL to my bib so long ago─
library of procedures.  Some converters
became available to the general public (http://
atarionline.pl, look for the section "Pomocnik/
Helper" ). I'm glad to see the growing popularity of─
the essence of GTIA music, not the least role at times─
vitiia played by demo party Silly─
Venture, which has been organizing compos for two years, 
dedicated to this chip.
   XXL also attempted to create
beeper music on Atari VCS/2600 in 2011
year, using the Squeeker engine from
Zilogator (http://www.pouet.net/ 
prod.php?which=58051 ), and not so long ago
ported the developments of Lyndon Sharp (Lyndon
Sharp):http://battleofthebits.org/arena/ 
Entry/circls/12238/ Vconnection with restrictions─
ami platform exact conversion LSengine is not
seems possible, but it is very close─
similar to the original.
   Let's move on to more exotic conso─
lam. Simon Jonassen aka The Invisible Man
successfully ported Music Studio procedures
on TRS-80 CoCo and DragonЗ2/64. (https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMqCqWerzQk ).  He
also develops its own algorithm:
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=ЧjCfбhcYyNU
 Kakos_nonos almost finished VITracker -
new tool for "Apogee BKO1". Besides
he did a lot of work for this
machine and the 8253 chip used in it,
PIT compatible, including porting
Tritone procedures (http://www.pouet.net/
prod.php?which=62460 ). Watching him
interest in other platforms created in
The USSR makes me wait for new achievements─
ny.
   And last but not least important
point - let me spam yours again─
them with creativity. I ported several special ones─
Ktrumov procedures on graphic cal─
culator Texas instruments TI-82/83 (http://irrlichtproject.de/downloads/
ti1bit.zip ). They work well, fortunately─
giving the Z80 processor at a clock frequency6
MHz. Next, I created a tracker that runs on
these calculators, as well as newer ones
models - 83+/84+ (http://
irrlichtproject.de/houston ). It contains
three beeper engines of my design: two
with pulse frequency modulation (PFM) and
one with alternating pulses. The problem is
that I'm not the most experienced coder, but at the time
change of tracker writing, 2 years ago, was and
even worse. So I came to the choice not
the most optimal options, as well as several─
many critical errors that are still
I haven't been able to fix it yet. Having learned from these
mistakes, I hope to completely rewrite
tracker this year.
   Some time ago I accidentally got
programmable calculator Sharp PC-1403.
And, of course, I couldn’t help but try
one-bit sound(http://www.pouet.net/
prod.php?which=63526 ).This is not the best
machine for similarexperiments, taking into account
The processor used in it is SCb1860
frequency768 KHz (3 machine cycles per clock,
so the result is192 KHz) with
set of commands is only slightly faster than
Z80. After the Osaka demo I took a second one 
attempt to write an algorithm using
this time alternating pulses instead of an hour─
pulse-total modulation (PFM). (Procedure─
ra and XM converter are available here:http://
irrlichtproject.de/downloads/osaka2.zip ).
It has become one of the fastest procedures
in history, taking only44 cycles. But alas,
the quality of music on this platform so far
still not the best.

 History of one-bit music: new discoveries

   In recent years, I have also researched the
history of one-bit music, which, as it turns out,
elk, full of surprises. Like some of
you may know, one-bit music is
a very old phenomenon, rooted in
the beginning of computer music.  In fact,
the first music created on a computer would be─
la one-bit and used the same one
the principle is the same now - the timer is counting down, you─
water data to the speaker/DAC upon reaching well─
left value, then repeat. This happened─went in 1951, first at the university
Sydney, and then, a few months later,
regardless of these studies, in Manches─
Terek University:
http://www.csse.unimelb.edu.au/dept/about/
csirac/music/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/
7458479.stm
 This is all pretty old news. Open─
This is the fact that neither Jeff Hill
(Geoff Hill) from Sydney, nor Chris Strachey 
(Chris Strachey) from the University of Manchester─ 
They haven't invented anything new. This honor
belongs to the legendary computer pioneer─
ditch to Alan Turing himself. In his leadership─
twe to the Manchester Mark I computer
1950, almost an entire page is dedicated
this topic (http://www.alanturing.net/
turing_archive/archive/m/m01/M01-030.html
). Moreover, things are even better:
the issue of one-bit music was not raised
by chance - it was included in the design of the car.
The Mark I has opcodes that force the speaker
make sounds.

   Fast forward a few years to
early 50s and 60s. Computer music everything
still had some novelty.  Max Matthews
Matthews from Belllabs) together with 
experimented with several colleagues
in the field of art, creating algorithmically─
Chinese compositions that an ordinary mortal
I would hardly call it music. It would be possible
assume that this is something else─
container How did it all actually happen?
business? On closer examination, all
the picture is crumbling before our eyes. Taking in
attention to the surviving records of that time─
no, I come to the conclusion that entertainment is like
"let's send a few pulses to the bi─
per and connect the AM radio to what is happening"
(and this, at least indirectly, is one-bit music)
wasn't that uncommon. The problem
was that few people accepted this
seriously. Such irrelevant fun
occupied the minds of mainframe operators in
free time. But much of what happened
in those days it was never written down, but now
and completely lost.
   The most notable experiments of the early
1-bit music saved by Pete Samso─
nom (Pete Samson, with support from Massachu─ 
Seto Institute of Technology) were 
created in 1959 on the TX-0 (http://
shiru.untergrund.net/1bit/pivot/
entry.php?id=102), and later on the PDP-1. Liu─
di who had access to the IBM 1401 created
music throughout the 60s (https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPk8MVEmiTI ).
There are rumors about similar activity in
Sweden in the 50s. Documentary confirmation─
vinyl recording was born (http://
www.ctrl-c.liu.se/misc/
datasaab/musik-eng.html ). In Germany com─
Zeus K G company had fun with the computer
Z22 in 1958 (https:// 
chipflip.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/more-
computer-music-recordings-from-the-1950s )
Even employees of the central tax office
North Rhine-Westphalia office development─
a music program for the mainframe
Telefunken THR in 1963 
(http://www.dj1xk.de/trЧ.html ).

 That's all I could find for the current
day. I would like to know more about what happened─
in other places, especially in countries
former Eastern Bloc. Perhaps a computer─
yuter geeks in the USSR of that time were not bored─
whether as much as German workers on─
log service, but I'm sure they have it too
there were some developments. If you have
suitable sources of information, please provide
know, please.  You can find me at
WorldofSpectrum. 

utz 
irrlichtproject.de
irrlichtproject.blogspot.com