From the Forums: Circuit Playground Express takes on music synthesis #CircuitPlaygroundExpress #CircuitPython #ZXSpectrum #VintageComputing @Adafruit

Adafruit forums poster Kevinjwalters writes about generating decent music on a microcontroller:

The Circuit Playground Express goes duophonic implementing a tiny number of the features of the ARP Odyssey with the help of a little bit of external electronics:

• Adafruit Circuit Playground Express PSG Chip Emulation Demo I – The Blue Danube

This one doesn’t use the CPX speaker, the audio output from the external mixer circuit is being amplified. It’s also shown on a Telequipment S51B oscilloscope (the one with the broken trigger function).

Then a bit more about the complexities involved:

I’ve realised the youngsters may not understand the origins of this arrangement and the challenges of the rendition on the 1 bit sound of the ZX Spectrum. Some background:

• Manic Miner Title Music (ZX Spectrum 48K) (YouTube) – brace yourself for the 2-note chords
• Wikipedia: Manic Miner
• Kenneth B. McAlpine: All aboard the impulse train: an analysis of the two-channel title music routine in Manic Miner – a scholarly analysis of the music in Manic Miner