atari Lynx What is the sound chip used for atari lynx?

[Prosystemsearch]

For a time I assumed it was a Texas instruments chip from that late 1980s. Now I want to be sure what it uses for sound effects.

[jaybird3rd]

http://atariage.com/Lynx/faq/index.html

[GadgetUK]

Micky provides sound I think.

[LX.NET]

Yep, Mikey has 4 timers (channels) dedicated to sound production. Mikey is a modified 65SC02.

[johannesmutlu]

Hi, i know that the lynx has 4 8bit dac channels wich are controlled by a 32 apu chip, HOWEVER since most games ,more sounding like a master system, i wonder if those bleeds are digitized or does the lynx 8 bit dac's has a option to switch & run in fm modus too??? Really why else most lynx games sounded like a master system???

[StinkerB06]

Hi, i know that the lynx has 4 8bit dac channels wich are controlled by a 32 apu chip, HOWEVER since most games ,more sounding like a master system, i wonder if those bleeds are digitized or does the lynx 8 bit dac's has a option to switch & run in fm modus too??? Really why else most lynx games sounded like a master system???

The lynx did not produce FM synthesis. (BTW: Where are you learning this from?) It has a form of a linear feedback shift register (or LFSR) random number generator that has a length of 12 bits.

Bits 0-5, 7, 10, and 11 can be feedback taps. Each bit also has an output gate to XOR feedback.

 

It was time-consuming for composers to get a decent waveform out of the LFSR synthesizer, so they just kept one feedback bit enabled, in which generates what is called "pure square waves". That's why most games tend to sound like a "Master System" at times.

The chip also had a mode for "integrated" output, which is just a form of random DPCM instead of raw noise. This just changed the amplitude of the DAC up or down over time. This would've been easier for "flute-like" sounds of those composers, as they can possibly simulate a triangle wave.

 

The DACs also had a register for streaming 8-bit PCM audio. Klax and Qix are currently the only games I know that used PCM music.

 

Also, "32" means the multiplication of 4 channels x 8 bits/channel. It's like Wikipedia says that the DAC is 32-bit but it's just the sum of four 8-bit DACs.

I think for what you said is that the Lynx had two processors, the Mikey and the Suzy.

Edited December 9, 2017 by StinkerB06

[Heaven/TQA]

The sound chip imho is one of the hardest to control and get nice tunes out of it compared to any console/computer before.

[emkay]

The sound chip imho is one of the hardest to control and get nice tunes out of it compared to any console/computer before.

Doesn't that refer to POKEY?

[Heaven/TQA]

Nah as seen last night with the 256 bytes music

[emkay]

Nah as seen last night with the 256 bytes music

Yes, I know... there is an issue that always breaks music development using POKEY. Without hearing it, I'm pretty sure in foresight that it has not much to do with some melodic stuff and controlled volumetric sounds or controlled waveforms...

 

Here's an impression of different soundstyles... different tunes may fit to different tastes

 

[+davidcalgary29]

Lynx music really seems to be an area ripe for development. None of the released games, aside from Klax, use music and sfx as an integral part of gameplay and show off MIKEY to its full extent. The music and sfx in Loopz is fabulous, but I cant think of another game that approaches those two...perhaps Toki? Raiden would have been 10x better with in-game music.

[+karri]

Jukka tried to make the Lynx to a real-time synthesizer. For really good in-game music I believe this is the way to go. Make Lynx part of the composing process.

 

It should be possible to write a small ComLynx interface that just receives the register changes over ComLynx and outputs these register changes to the hardware.

 

Then you need some code that can read in MIDI from your keyboard and translate the events to Lynx register changes. With a multitimbral synthesizer you can dedicate one channel for percussion and leave two channels for the music. Plus one channel for sound effects.

 

The great thing is that due to the lack of channels you only need to learn to use two fingers for playing the piano

[Level42]

Criticize POKEY as much as you want, I love it and we are lucky that it actually was done by Doug Neubauer.

Just read an old interview with him the other day and he said that Atari first intended to give the A8 simply a TIA for sound ?

 

 

The horror !!!!

 

Can you imagine ? Later they actually DID make that mistake with the 7800, which considering it was even yet more years later is completely insane IMHO.

 

And yes I know the Lynx wasn't developed by Atari, but it seems to run along the storyline. Even the ST was victim of it by ditching AMY......

 

I actually doubt if I would have loved the A8 as much as I do if it would have TIA sound.....sound and music was clearly underestimated often.....not always, but often....

 

I thought the sound of the Lynx was better than any other handheld of that time....the Lynx I has a much better sound than the II though.....the II sounds tinny.....

Edited December 12, 2017 by Level42

[phuzaxeman]

Lynx music really seems to be an area ripe for development. None of the released games, aside from Klax, use music and sfx as an integral part of gameplay and show off MIKEY to its full extent. The music and sfx in Loopz is fabulous, but I cant think of another game that approaches those two...perhaps Toki? Raiden would have been 10x better with in-game music.

The music and sound effects in Shadow of the Beast are better than orchestrated Loopz, Toki, and Rampage. It has to be one of the best if not the best game to represent the lynx sound capabilties. Some of the music in LOOPZ is a little muddy but Shadow of the Beast is very precise.

 

Edited December 12, 2017 by phuzaxeman

[+davidcalgary29]

Yes, I forgot about that — it’s very nice and clean. I do still prefer the music on an aesthetic basis in Loopz and Toki, though.

[+karri]

The music and sound effects in Shadow of the Beast are better than orchestrated Loopz, Toki, and Rampage. It has to be one of the best if not the best game to represent the lynx sound capabilties. Some of the music in LOOPZ is a little muddy but Shadow of the Beast is very precise.

 

 

That was a really cool set of tunes. It is obvious that all was composed by the same guy. The flute section is the best. But I also like the backgrounds a lot.

[Lost Dragon]

Lynx music really seems to be an area ripe for development. None of the released games, aside from Klax, use music and sfx as an integral part of gameplay and show off MIKEY to its full extent. The music and sfx in Loopz is fabulous, but I cant think of another game that approaches those two...perhaps Toki? Raiden would have been 10x better with in-game music.

It's a pretty poor show when the Nintendo GB version of Viking Child has in game music, but the Lynx version doesn't:

 

https://youtu.be/TRGYBJ8oW9o

[Koa Zo]

The music and sound effects in Shadow of the Beast are better than orchestrated Loopz, Toki, and Rampage. It has to be one of the best if not the best game to represent the lynx sound capabilties.

Thanks for posting that. I'd never played the Lynx version so it was my first time hearing those renditions. I enjoyed listening along to the whole recording there.

[sage]

Lynx music really seems to be an area ripe for development. None of the released games, aside from Klax, use music and sfx as an integral part of gameplay and show off MIKEY to its full extent. The music and sfx in Loopz is fabulous, but I cant think of another game that approaches those two...perhaps Toki? Raiden would have been 10x better with in-game music.

Sorry, but playing samples (or mods) does not "show off" anything. Its just boring. The asic is designed for that. you stress memory and cpu (which is no problem in KLAX).

Proper chip music is much much harder.

[+davidcalgary29]

Agreed, but I cant think of better examples in Lynx games. But I still think the samples in Loopz and Klax (and Rampart, STUN Runner and Lexis, for that matter) are excellent and great fun.

[doctor_shred]

I've always felt that the sound hip in the Lynx was better than that in the ST. Many ST games were let down by poor sound and I'm not talking sample playback but actual synthesis. The Lynx may not be highly regarded for it's sound capabilities but it had potential as Shadow of the Beast proved.

[Turbo Laser Lynx]

Sorry, but playing samples (or mods) does not "show off" anything. Its just boring. The asic is designed for that. you stress memory and cpu (which is no problem in KLAX).

Proper chip music is much much harder.

 

My two cents: I agree that chip music is more exciting, and it seems to be the case for most musicians/music 'hobbyists'. I guess sampling was really hot shit in the 80's and 90's, but all in all it ruined synthesizers and music in many ways for a long time. Low bitrate sampling/music still has its charm because it sounds unique, (Like Amiga / mod music) but after that it became oblivious. Analog synths and old computer/console music chips are exciting because they sound like nothing else, they sound like electric instruments, futuristic and splendid. Most modern synths are a collection of samples, not so exciting. Fortunately the trend has turned by now. Obviously I'm not saying there's not a lot of amazing music done with samples, the sound and technology just not as unique.

 

Samples used for extra effect and as speech sound effects are really fun though, like for example in APB. It'd be fun to see more of that in homebrew games.

 

Btw. Just wanting to avoid confusion for readers of this thread, it was the Megadrive/Genesis that had a Yamaha FM sound chip: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaha_YM2612

 

the Master System / Game Gear has this sound chip that only produces square waves and sounds slightly boring because of that: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Instruments_SN76489

 

Thankfully the Lynx can produce triangle sound too!

Edited January 15, 2018 by Turbo Laser Lynx

[sage]

 

Thankfully the Lynx can produce triangle sound too!

 

With Samples, yes, with Chip, no.

[Turbo Laser Lynx]

 

With Samples, yes, with Chip, no.

 

That sucks! Haha! So I seem to have something mixed up. Is the Lynx able to 'fake' triangle sounds with the envelopes or something then? I thought I read something about it in the dev docs. Just comparing GG and GB music to Lynx music there seems to be a little bit more diverse sound on the Lynx and it seems to be able to create more sharp sounds, is that sample based then or some envelope/sound creation trickery?

[sage]

Yes, you can somehow fake it with waveforms. but it is tricky to find correct ones.

Sawtooth is completely impossible