ZX81 Music Programs

[David G]

Music-related programs for the ZX81 include:

• Non-audio software, such as music education programs

• 1-bit Programs that play tunes and sound effects via the TV or cassette line out

• Applications that support sound cards (add-on hardware) such as ZXpand+, Quicksilva QS or ZonX support full 8-bit classic sounds

And of course the EightyOne emulator supports all these


Weren't there some MIDI programs as well?

[David G]

Soundless ZX81 music-related programs include:

MUSIC 1 by ICL/Sinclair 1982
This tape contains two programs:
* C - Composers [quiz]
* M - Musicians [quiz]
It is part of the FUN TO LEARN SERIES tapes

Music Educator 1 by Rosetti/Timex 1983
* MUSIC
This is a learn-to-read-sheet-music program

[Moggy]

The Zxpand+ (issue 5.1) can with the addition of a simple ladder DAC connected to the AY chip's B-port play audio tracks using software created by Adam.Klotblixt. ( nollkolltrol )

Charlie Robson the spands creator made a small add on board plus software for the 5.1 for full 16 channel MIDI playing.
He also created a ZXpand+ purely for MIDI and audio use, white in colour, it's designation is issue 6, not to be confused with the Slovakian spands labelled issue 6 which in reality are issue 5.3.

No emulator supports these creations, purely real hardware only.

I made a couple of small samples of zeddy audio. The zeddy uses RAW format I have made these into MP3 for size considerations but the sound is same as what comes out of the DAC.

[David G]

1-bit Sound programs for the ZX81 play sounds though the cassette port/TV interace. No extra hardware is required

Programs include:

• MUSIC COMPOSER MUSIK by Beer and Labus/Memotronic. The grandaddy of all ZX81 1-bit sound programs, with a tune library

• ZX-81 MUSIC type-in from Your Computer magazine March 1982. A good sounding program

• Programme de Musique sur TV type-in from Echos Sinclair magazine, a proof-of-concept routine that actually works

• De la musique sur votre ZX type-in from Ordi5 magazine

• SoundDigitizer.p - Sound Digitizer reportedly works on an unmodified ZX81

• ZX81 1bit music a Spectrum port

Sound effects and Music Engines can be built on the ZX81 1-bit hardware. Can be used with games intro screens or cut-scene moment (on the ZX81 the screen stops while playing music). Are there any games that use this?

• ZX81 MUSIC INTERPRETER sound engine by kmurta includes
  * beatles.p
  * zx81mi.p
  * zx81mi-demo.p

Discussions:

• ZX81 and sound

The Lambda 8300 uses the same hardware as ZX81 to create 1-bit sound, but it is de-coupled from the video, so playing sound does not interrupt the display

• Game SQUEZEE PLAY a machine code analysis with details on the sound effects

https://www.zx81.nl/files.html is currently showing these MUSIC programs

• music-ed.p - Music Educator 1 by Timex

• music-ma.p - MUSIC MASTER, in Dutch with a very short machine/code routine

• MUSIC.P - Music Educator 1 by Timex

• MUSIC2.P - MUSIC MASTER

• MUSIC3.P - MUSIC MASTER (slight variation with two bytes changed)

• MUSIC4.P - MUZIEK, a Dutch program with m/c sound

[GCHarder]

This issue of Compute was dedicated to "Music, Sound and the Personal Computer".

https://archive.org/details/1983-01-compute-magazine

It contains two ZX81 articles, page 69 and page 143.

The April issues contains an addendum to the 1st article.

https://archive.org/details/1983-04-com ... 4/mode/2up

When's the last time you saw a computer magazine with 285 pages.

Regards;

Greg