Asolac

Works great, I've got an XEGS so I don't ever use this. Haven't been able to test the 410 drive so I could leave it out to save on shipping, but it's a complete setup for an 8-bit collector. If it goes over $100, I'll throw in a free basic cart (or breakout with the box and manual, if you would rather have that) so you can have full functionality out of the box. take a look

Well, it's been missing for nearly 30 years, when do you think it's going to be found? I already did enough demonstration about it, but I'm not the best musician around and we would need some "Filter preparation software routines" which would be minimal. POKEY can play two SID like voices. The main problem here is that POKEY isn't pre-defined for musicians. This has to be handled by software. Though I'm the only one who is using "timed filter sounds" , no program exists that does the "needed". As I'm no professional musician, Im using the MOD import function of the RMT, which has a very bad emulation and missing features... But, It's even possible for me, through all the handycaps, to create the "right" sounds for playing the tunes recognizable. Even with the RMT, the musician can adjust the influence of the filter in 256 steps for building filter variations, but the resulst differs slighty to heavily from the original POKEY sound. Not to forget that 3 other voices are free for playing digitized sounds, compensating pokey's lacking in deeper sounds... MODs are never as impressive as loading up Prophet64. The POKEY has more voices, but it seems like everything is much looser than with a SID. The POKEY simply wasn't designed for music, it was designed to produce sound. The SID was designed for music. I would love to turn my Atari into a live performance synth, but the POKEY just doesn't seem to be capable of matching the SID in that field in spite of the extra voices. The CMD Floppy drives can even read MS-DOS disks. I'd kill for that on Atari (I'd kill for a CMD drive too actually )

If you just want it for games, then go with the color monitor. The STs can read DOS disks so transferring games isn't a problem, and hard drives have been pretty cheap on ebay recently (I got an SH204 for $36 about three months ago). If you're thinking about doing professional (read: Music) applications then a Mono monitor might be a better bet. I can do everything I do with MIDI with my color monitor though, so don't worry if you get the color and want to experiment with some more serious applications later on. I never had a problem with the RF modulator looking bad In fact, I wish my SC1224 had audio out, because I can hardly hear the speaker. I may just invest in a stereo mod though.

If you're getting a computer as old as this, you're probably not getting it for superior graphics or sound. The XL would be cheaper and just as compatible, so I would recommend that unless you have a particular attachment to the original A8.

I've got a 1050 without a DOS disk, but just today I picked up a 410 (and an upgraded 400 with a better keyboard and 48K ). The disk drive has essentially been useless until now since I don't have any software for it. If there is a way to transfer files from PC to Cassette image, I could CAS2WAV the images and put them on cassette, then put the cassette on the atari and presumably copy the files to disk. Is there any software that would allow me to do this? Is there any software that I could load on cassette in order to format a disk? If I can get a file copied and a disk formatted, then I should be able to get DOS.SYS and DUP.SYS copied too, right?

The POKEY, while a nice chip, is terrible compared to the SID. Just take a look at the hardsynth thread, and all the trouble they've had with getting it to play on key. The SID even has two completely seperate cartridge programs out now that use it as a live performance synthesizer (Prophet64 and AA's own Cynthcart), as well as a literal desktop MIDI synthesizer which uses it as a basic sound generator (SIDStation). While I'd like to see that happen to the POKEY, I don't think it will simply because you can't even tune the thing properly. This should all be expected, though, because the C64 had four years of 800 history to learn from.

any chance we can get a zip file of your mod collection? I've got protracker for my mega4 but no mods and I really liked some of yours.

This will not work. The second device has to have a thru port for this. CZ-101 [OUT] -> [iN] TX81Z [THRU] -> [iN] Atari [OUT] -> [iN] CZ-101 Also the CZ-101 must have a local off function to not play both notes (keyboard and midi signal) at a time. Well, hearing the CZ-101 notes isn't necessary, because I'm using it as a controller for the TX81Z. I need the Atari OUT to be going to the 81Z IN so that I can send programming data to it, and the CZ doesn't have a THRU. I understand that the atari OUT also functions as a THRU, but I'm not sure of the mechanics of it. It seems like CZ OUT -> ATARI IN -> ATARI OUT/THRU -> TX81Z IN would work best, but I want to make sure. The TX81Z has midi thru as well, but since that's what is going to be recieving all the signals being sent by the CZ and the Atari that doesn't help things much. I guess the best thing I can do is try it, so I'll rig it up tomorrow night. Thanks for the help otherwise, guys. I'm definetely going to think about upgrading to 2.06. Why is mouse accuracy so terrible in TOS but massively improved in Neodesk? I'd love to play with something above 2.06 but I don't think I'll have the cash to drop on that kind of thing for a little while. I just wish the keyboard on my XEGS was more like the Mega than the stock 520/1040. That thing is nearly impossible to type on.

Starting a new thread for a new computer. First, how can I set up two midi instruments to be used at once? Do I need an expansion box? I'd like to be able to create sounds on my TX81Z and then test them with my CZ-101 as a controller at the same time, but I don't know exactly how to rig the cables. I should be able to do CZ-101 OUT -> ATARI IN -> ATARI OUT/THRU -> TX81Z IN, right? Second, among all the things that came with my new Mega, I have both an ICD Link SCSI adapter, and an ICD FaST SCSI hard drive enclosure, as well as another SCSI enclosure. The FaST enclosure doesn't have a drive in it, but the other SCSI box does. Can I just use the ICD Link with the other enclosure, or do I need to somehow integrate the FaST box into this? When I do have a drive for the FaST, can I integrate it in with the Link? Would I even need the Link with the FaST in the mix? There are also two ACSI ports on the back of the FaST. Can I use those as an ACSI interface, along with the external SCSI interface, to my SH204? On that same note, the FaST enclosure has power connectors for three drives. Can I use three hard SCSI hard drives in the one fast enclosure? Finally, what speed/ram upgrades can I use with the Mega? It's an ST4, in case that matters (in terms of internal space or potential ram, I guess). I'd like to upgrade the TOS, what's the max I can go up to? I love this thing. The keyboard is a million times better than the 520/1040. Not as mushy. Thanks for all the help, guys.

Today, for $100, I bought: Mega ST 4 ICD Link SCSI Adapter ICD FaST SCSI Hard drive enclosure Random SCSI hard drive a Mountain of manuals Software including neodesk I'm in shock right now, I don't know what to do first. I guess I'll start getting software off of my STart disks, and install neodesk on the SH204. I don't even have a clue about dealing with the SCSI stuff.

Thank ijor, I'll give that a shot. Does anyone know why I can't use the double-sided drive from my broken 1040 in the 354? Is there some kind of conflict with the 354 hardware that makes the drive unusable, or is the drive just broken? I'd like to get a new 1040 at this point, but the only one on ebay right now has a broken drive too

I might do that with the TOS in my parts-1040, but I'll wait untill after I an get a dump of the roms. I'm not in immediate need of another 520 so there's no hurry. I can't use a PC-compatable format utility because I can't use a double sided disk to get the information from the PC to the ST. I can't use a disk formatted on the PC because it automatically spreads the data across both sides for some reason. It's a vicious cycle. XP can read and write to 720K disks, and can format them if you use the DOS-based format tool, but it can't format single-sided disks. I don't think any system made for the last decade can. I don't even think I can read them on the PC. As I understand it, the drive would get confused by the lack of formatting on the second side. Nobody has an extra Double-sided drive they can sell me? I'll throw in the 354 with payment for good measure, so you're not left without a second drive. I've got a hard disk coming in the mail soon, so I shouldn't need two floppy drives.

I'll do what I can to get a copy of the rom, but the problem that I've run into lately is that the only floppy drive I have is an SF354, so I can't use any of my disks with my PC. I've got a spare 520 with rom tos that I've been playing with, and a parts-1040 (I've tried to use the disk drive from the 1040 in the 354 case to no avail), but since I don't have a double-sided drive, I can't make disks or transfer any kind of information between the ST and my PC. So I guess I'm in the market for one, preferably less than $30 max. Anyone interested in selling a 314? This is definetely a 520ST, not an STm, and I don't think they released the 260 in the US. You can't click any of the menus. I figured it was the disk-boot TOS but I'll open it up sometime soon to take a peek at the hardware, just out of curiosity. EDIT: Keyboard indicates that this was made on 7-17-85. The metal interference shield (or whatever this is) is much thicker than I've seen on other ST systems that I've opened. I'll attach a picture of the rom sockets. Anyone know if I might be able to scavenge the ram from this to put into my other st, once I get the rom copied? I don't have much use for a spare 520, I'd rather take the chance of messing up both of them and then just get a new 1040 if I do.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's the case. It's not even an STm, just an ST. It looks pretty impressive compared to the normal ST green though.

I finally got the cables to hook up my 520 ST and turn it on and there's some kind of insane TOS that I've never seen before. It's got a shimmering, color changing background of Atari symbols and keeps asking for a systems disk. The window is transparent, which I didn't know the ST could do. Is this just a really early 520 that needs TOS on disk, or did someone replace the TOS in this with something I've never heard of? Picture Attached: Please tell me this is a falcon in a 520 case and I am the luckiest man alive

I've been trying to get started on a project along these lines for almost a year now. Too many distractions to sit down and learn how to program assembly (hell, learn how to program period). I don't think you'll get Prophet64 level stuff any time soon, but you may be able to pull together a version of Cynthcart in a reasonable amount of time (few months? no idea. Might just be a matter of fiddling with the C64 source for all I know). I'd also be interested in doing something for the ST (and all the other ancient comps I have), but there are alternatives for that already in existance.

Turn your XE into a 303? As long as I can still play it like a keyboard live

Ähm.... What does this Synthcart exactly? 892864[/snapback] Essentially, it turns the C64 into a very basic, digital/analog synthesizer. There was a product called Music Maker that was basically a keyboard overlay with tiny piano keys, and the synthcart uses the mapping of that overlay to allow you to play the SID like it's a keyboard synth. There are a variety of basic waveforms, a few effects, and you can also use paddle controllers to alter the filter setting in real time. Obviously no Music Maker-type product exists for the Atari, but with the Pokey's extra channel you could do a lot more.

Would it be possible to use this to create something akin to Paul Slocum's Synthcart for the C64? A small, stand-alone program for using the keyboard and the Pokey as a synthesizer, and avoiding the need to load up a more complex music program?