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Vic 20 Cynthcart or similar?

Posted: Wed May 13, 2015 4:59 pm
by alterus
Hi everyone! This is my first post here. Will hopefully participate regularly!

I have recently begun playing around with Cynthcart for the c64 and am seriously thinking about starting up a chiptune band to play live shows. I really like the sound the Vic 20 makes and would love to include it as an instrument. Does anyone know if something similar to Cynthcart exists for the Vic 20? Basically any program which allows you to play the computer as a synthesizer. Cynthcart allows 3 keys to be pressed simultaneously and it works very well.

Re: Vic 20 Cynthcart or similar?

Posted: Thu May 14, 2015 12:28 am
by R'zo
There is no such cart yet that I've been able to find. If you happen to come across one let me know.

Here is a synth program that I have written vsynth1.d64
It is primitive ands has its downsides but also has it's uses. It can't play 3 keys at once but can be set up as a modular chord box.
Here is the post that I have running for it Vicious Synthesizers
I will also be working on more synth programs in the future including one that allows you to construct loop patterns and assign them to keys on the keyboard.

There is however a synth cart for Atari if your interested synthcart

I have also stumbled across this midi box project for the vic that I have stumbled upon vic midi
it is above my current skill and knowledge level but you may find it useful.

I hope you have fun making music with the vic, it may have it's limitations but it has a very strong and unique sound.

Re: Vic 20 Cynthcart or similar?

Posted: Thu May 14, 2015 2:44 pm
by alterus
Thanks for letting me know about your project R'zo. I'll download it and give it a try on an emulator. Unfortunately I don't have a ram expansion for my Vic, although I've been seriously considering getting one... This seems like a good excuse!

Re: Vic 20 Cynthcart or similar?

Posted: Sat May 16, 2015 4:17 pm
by 4matdemoscene
Aleksi wrote a small monophonic organ a while bacxk that can controlled with the keyboard. It's in assembler so there's no latency.

If you go here and download demodisk1 it's the file called "CNCD ORGAN"

Re: Vic 20 Cynthcart or similar?

Posted: Tue May 19, 2015 11:09 am
by Schema
There's a commercial VIC-MIDI incarnation coming "soon" from Retro Innovations:

http://www.go4retro.com/2013/05/22/newi ... -vic-midi/

Re: Vic 20 Cynthcart or similar?

Posted: Wed May 20, 2015 11:10 am
by R'zo
Schema wrote:There's a commercial VIC-MIDI incarnation coming "soon" from Retro Innovations
I am very excited about this. Any projected price yet?

Re: Vic 20 Cynthcart or similar?

Posted: Thu May 21, 2015 1:34 am
by alterus
That midi interface does look really cool. I'd definitely be interested in one! How many voices would it allow you to play at a time?

Re: Vic 20 Cynthcart or similar?

Posted: Mon May 25, 2015 10:16 am
by Schema
alterus wrote:That midi interface does look really cool. I'd definitely be interested in one! How many voices would it allow you to play at a time?
Four. One MIDI channel for each voice. You can check out the preliminary code and documentation here:

https://github.com/LeifBloomquist/VICMIDI

Re: Vic 20 Cynthcart or similar?

Posted: Mon May 25, 2015 4:13 pm
by alterus
Four! Very nice! Any idea when it will be available? Will it be possible to put our own programs on the midi cart? Will it be possible to change the voices while playing?

Re: Vic 20 Cynthcart or similar?

Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 8:32 pm
by Schema
alterus wrote:Four! Very nice! Any idea when it will be available? Will it be possible to put our own programs on the midi cart? Will it be possible to change the voices while playing?
Timing depends on Jim Brain now. The VIC's four voices are fixed (soprano, alto, tenor, and noise), although I've included some experimental support for the extended "viznut waveforms" but never did get it working very well. Yes, plans to have the cart flashable with multiple banks. "Soon"!