ZX Spectrum

[psyocean]

Hi all!

The instrumental composition dedicaded to legendary "scool"-computer "ZX Spectrum" (cpu=2-4Mhz, ram=48-128Kb), from which for many people the computer life has begun. I create my first "music" on that computer in music editor "Wham! The Music Box".
It had some features: beep-synth, 8-bit, 2-tracks, only 8-th length notes, no velocity, etc. Rarity!

Audio - https://www.neizvestniy-geniy.ru/cat/mu ... tml?author
Video screen capture on demo phase - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t_hanI_aM4

Made in LMMS.

[bluebell]

Oh that remindes me of my Spectrum, indeed my first computer if we don't count the Sharp PC1401 pocket calculator that could be programmed in BASIC and machine language.

I added 32 kB of ram and installed a bank switch that could be controlled with an output instruction.

I bought a Jellinghaus MIDI interface and wrote sounddump programs for my DX7 and my Roland S10 samlpler. For the latter I needed the additional 32 kB RAM. Then I could dump my sounds to cassette tape instead of the very expensive 2,8" quickdisks.

I failed writing a sequencer since I couldn't find a variable timebase. I tried to stuff the 50 Hz interrupt routine with nop commands to get a variable timing but this wasn't the road to success

[Linuxmusician01]

Oh that remindes me of my Spectrum, indeed my first computer if we don't count the Sharp PC1401 pocket calculator that could be programmed in BASIC and machine language.

I added 32 kB of ram and installed a bank switch that could be controlled with an output instruction.

I bought a Jellinghaus MIDI interface and wrote sounddump programs for my DX7 and my Roland S10 samlpler. For the latter I needed the additional 32 kB RAM. Then I could dump my sounds to cassette tape instead of the very expensive 2,8" quickdisks.

I failed writing a sequencer since I couldn't find a variable timebase. I tried to stuff the 50 Hz interrupt routine with nop commands to get a variable timing but this wasn't the road to success

Wow! I din't know the Spectrum could support Midi. Were there sequencers for it like FastTracker for the Amiga? I couldn't afford a Spectrum nor a C64 at the time. Most people used the Spectrum for gaming but I wasn't very impressed w/ it (sorry). But y'all tell methat it could also be used as a "real" computer.

Did you operate synths with the Spectrum?

[bluebell]

Wow! I din't know the Spectrum could support Midi. Were there sequencers for it like FastTracker for the Amiga? I couldn't afford a Spectrum nor a C64 at the time. Most people used the Spectrum for gaming but I wasn't very impressed w/ it (sorry). But y'all tell methat it could also be used as a "real" computer.

Did you operate synths with the Spectrum?

The MIDI interface by Jellinghaus was more expensive than the whole Spectrum :-/

There was no MIDI software at all as far as I know other than my stuff. I used the Spectrum at home to dump and save my DX7 and S10 sounds to cassette tape.

[folderol]

Nice track. I can't say it reminds me of the ZXspectrum - I never had one. I was a BBC B and Master128 user

[tavasti]

Nice track, but bit too modern for Spectrum.

I had predecessor of Spectrum, ZX-81.

[Linuxmusician01]

Wow! I din't know the Spectrum could support Midi. Were there sequencers for it like FastTracker for the Amiga? I couldn't afford a Spectrum nor a C64 at the time. Most people used the Spectrum for gaming but I wasn't very impressed w/ it (sorry). But y'all tell methat it could also be used as a "real" computer.

Did you operate synths with the Spectrum?

The MIDI interface by Jellinghaus was more expensive than the whole Spectrum :-/

There was no MIDI software at all as far as I know other than my stuff. I used the Spectrum at home to dump and save my DX7 and S10 sounds to cassette tape.

Yeah. The Spectrum was the cheapest home computer in the early 80's. The ZX-81 was even cheaper but was just not powerful enough to catch on. The ZX could do some Math calculations - I think - if you programmed it right. I think it could have been a nice cheap alternative to loggin on to a mainframe in the Laboratory after begging the system administrator for some CPU time. But a ZX for home use? I learned BASIC on it at school, after school hours, in a voluntary extra programme. But the Speccy was something else. Surprises me that the Speccy could even do "something" w/ Midi. The backing up of DX7 stuff sounds pretty amazing to my 1985 ears.

Anyway I've got some very, very fond memories of playing games on the almighty C64 at a friends house (I couldn't afford one). Completely blew me away after the Atari 2600 and the ZX-81. Ah, the memories of an old man...

[bluebell]

I think it could have been a nice cheap alternative to loggin on to a mainframe in the Laboratory after begging the system administrator for some CPU time. But a ZX for home use? I learned BASIC on it at school, after school hours, in a voluntary extra programme. But the Speccy was something else. Surprises me that the Speccy could even do "something" w/ Midi. The backing up of DX7 stuff sounds pretty amazing to my 1985 ears.

Anyway I've got some very, very fond memories of playing games on the almighty C64 at a friends house (I couldn't afford one). Completely blew me away after the Atari 2600 and the ZX-81. Ah, the memories of an old man...

A friend showed me "Jet Set Willy II" on his ZX Spectrum. Now I wanted one, too. The C64 was much too expensive for me.

There was a terminal program to connect a Spectrum to a host but you needed an expensive Interface that offered a serial connector.

BASIC was much too slow so I programmed my dump/restore programs in Pascal and Assembler.

[psyocean]

Thanks so match for comments, dears!

>> Bluebell, I impressive your experience in theme! I study Basic on ZX too, and begin write little programs on Assembler for recording sound on Speccy from tape. I was in one step near success, but my program crashes and craches Code was complicated and hard for me, so I stop building "Recorder" and drowned in games. Schoolchidren...

>> Linuxmusician01, on ZX Spectrum exists few "synth" for play with computer-keyboard. Also Drum machine!

>> Folderol, thanks! Nostalgy!

>> Tavasti, thank you! The Rabbit Hole is too deep for me, I just stood at its entrance

Than in ZX Spectrum 128 installed musical chip AY-3-8910 (Yamaha YM2149F). With it "Wham! 128" allowed 3 tracks and Drum line.
Since that times generate big wave of composers creating music based on this musical processor. Festivals are still.

For example ZX48, ZX128, 1-bit music, etc

There are Spectrum emulators on Linux... for SpeccyMusicians ...

Cheers!

[GMaq]

@psyocean,

Thanks for sharing! I don't know much about the ZX Spectrum (I'm an old guy and got into computers later in life). I enjoyed the piece and the screencast of LMMS. I've never used LMMS so it was cool to see it in action!

[zoco]

There was a terminal program to connect a Spectrum to a host but you needed an expensive Interface that offered a serial connector.

Commodore vic20 was my first and not to make music. What i called my studio those days was still analog.
But then i helped a friend who had a ZX with building a circuit board for an interface for him.
Funny memories.

[jonetsu]

Not the style of music I would enjoy, and I like harpsichord as much as bagpipes and find that both are good on a battle field - the harpsichord perhaps being the 'tank' if put of wheels - I found the piece nevertheless quite good and was surprised by the vocal-like sounds emanating from such a device. I never had a ZX Spectrum and don't know about it. The first computer I have used to make any sounds at all was the Radio Shack Color Computer 3 and it wasn't very good at it. Using a multitasking system such as OS/9 did not help anything in this domain.

[psyocean]

Thanks for comments, colleagues!

Сaught my eye the fun-video of old-school computer music, it's awesome
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w68qZ8JvBds
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht96HJ01SE4
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pX4tBIwhOqY