1-bit, Z80 and ULA

• 1-bit, Z80 and ULA
  • Original compositions
    • Reviews / info on album 1-myth
  • Playing tools
  • Composing tools
    • ZX Spectrum
    • ZX81
  • Notable musics
  • Other links

This kind of music, which is very recognisable, originates from the beginning of computers, but also on Sinclair Spectrum ZX 48 which pushed the original limits.

Instead of being generated by a dedicated chip, the music is created by the fast speed interaction between the CPU (Zilog Z80 for the ZX 48) and the speaker (beeper). But instead of being a simple beep, the high frequency duty can create more richer sounds, and several voices (up to 16).

Original compositions

• Fight in the Night (phaser1 engine, 2015-2018) ⇩ tap ♫ source (source for beepola) musiques/electro/garvalf_-_1bit_-_fight_in_the_night_zx.mp3 (zx spectrum version) musiques/electro/garvalf_-_1bit_-_fight_in_the_night_garvuino.mp3 (arduino version)

• Valse de la Sorcière (pytha engine, 2017-05) ⇩ AYM ♫ ⇩ tap ♫ source (source for 1tracker) musiques/electro/garvalf_-_1bit_-_valse_sorciere_zx.mp3

• Waltz of the Spectrum (lyndon89 engine, 2017-07) ⇩ AYM ♫ ⇩ tap ♫ source (source for 1tracker)

• Danse d'hiver (Sleizsa Trio engine, Channel F console, 2017-01) file musiques/electro/garvalf_-_1bit_-_danse_hiver_channel_f_trio.mp3 source

• Danse d'hiver (harsher version) (Sleizsa Duo engine, Channel F console, 2017-02) musiques/electro/garvalf_-_1bit_-_danse_hiver_channel_f_duo.mp3

• La chanson du vent (Squeeker plus engine, zx spectrum, august 2016) ⇩ tap ♫ musiques/electro/garvalf_-_1bit_-_chanson_du_vent_zx.mp3

• Horned Gods (xm2squeek, zx spectrum, june 2016) musiques/electro/garvalf_-_z80_-_horned_gods_zx.mp3 ⇩ tap ♫

• Joie et Tristesse (TI-82 calculator cover of Joy in Sadness for Houston Tracker II) musiques/electro/garvalf_-_z80_-_joie_et_tristesse_ti83p.ogg source

• The lonesome cowgirl (TI-82 calculator cover) musiques/electro/garvalf_-_z80_-_lonesome_cowgirl_ti82.ogg file

• Solipsisme (quattropic, 2016): ⇩ tap ♫ musiques/electro/garvalf_-_z80_-_solipsisme.ogg

• Bourrasques (tritone, 2015): ⇩ tap ♫ musiques/electro/garvalf_-_z80_-_bourrasques.ogg

• Archeocat versus Cybercat (TI-83 calculator) file musiques/electro/garvalf_-_z80_-_archeocat_versus_cybercat_ti83p_mix.ogg

• Vanvidd (Anteater engine) ⇩ tap ♫ musiques/electro/garvalf_-_z80_-_vanvidd.ogg

• The Fire beyond the Abyss (TI-83 calculator) file musiques/electro/garvalf_-_z80_-_the_fire_beyond_the_abyss.ogg

• Hymn to Dazbog (Дажбог) (octodexl, 2015-07-03): ⇩ tap ♫ musiques/electro/garvalf_-_z80_-_hymn_to_dazbog.ogg

• Clouds and... (zx16, 2015-02) ⇩ tap ♫ musiques/electro/garvalf_-_z80_-_clouds_and_zx16.ogg

• Tribute to Jan Deak :
  • Journée d'automne (zx16) : ⇩ AYM ♫ ⇩ tap ♫ musiques/electro/garvalf_-_z80_-_journee_automne_zx16.mp3
  • Petite Sonate en fa mineur (zx16) : ⇩ tap ♫ musiques/electro/garvalf_-_z80_-_sonate_fa_m_zx16.mp3
• La moisson d'hiver (ntropic): ⇩ tap ♫ musiques/electro/garvalf_-_z80_-_moisson_hiver_ntropic.ogg
• Chaos ab Ordine (huby) : ⇩ AYM ♫ ⇩ tap ♫ musiques/electro/garvalf_-_z80_-_chaos_ab_ordine_huby.ogg (real ZX spectrum version) musiques/divers/garvalf_-_z80_-_chaos_ab_ordine_huby_fuse.ogg (fuse emulator version)
• The snake Charmer (tritone, 2014-12-01) : ⇩ AYM ♫ ⇩ tap ♫ musiques/electro/garvalf_-_z80_-_snake_charmer_tritone.ogg

• La brume, la folie (anteater, 2014-10-11) : ⇩ AYM ♫ ⇩ tap ♫ musiques/electro/garvalf_-_z80_-_la_brume_la_folie_anteater.ogg

• Album « 1-myth » :

1. Rêveries et souvenirs (qchan) : musiques/electro/garvalf_-_z80_-_reveries_atari_xl.mp3
2. Infravision (ntropic)
3. Die verlassenen Kraft (anteater)
4. Rotor (octode) : ⇩ tap ♫ musiques/electro/garvalf_-_z80_-_1-myth_04_rotor_octode.ogg
5. Incantation (tritone) : ⇩ AYM ♫
   • Atari XL export: musiques/divers/garvalf_-_z80_-_incantation_atari_xl.mp3
6. Vapeurs d'alcool (qchan) : ⇩ tap ♫ ⇩ AYM ♫ musiques/electro/garvalf_-_z80_-_1-myth_06_vapeurs_alcool_qchan.ogg
7. Idunns hevn (anteater)
8. Quelques vieux souvenirs (tritone)
9. * * (zx16)

Reviews / info on album 1-myth

• http://www.indieretronews.com/2015/06/one-myth-musical-treat-released-for-zx.html
• http://irrlichtproject.blogspot.fr/2015/06/album-one-myth-by-garvalf.html
• http://retroinvaders.com/en/62686/one-myth-musical-treat-released-for-the-zx-spectrum-bleeper
• https://vk.com/id110716898?w=wall110716898_788
• https://www.demo.org/view_demo.php?id=8845
• https://twitter.com/speccylive/statuses/618575736102752256
• http://speccy-live.untergrund.net/2015/07/one-myth/
• http://chipwiki.ru/wiki/Garvalf_-_One_Myth
• http://commodore.ninja/one-myth-music-album-released-for-the-spectrum-beeper/
• http://retrocomputerspt.org/244/
• https://www.jamendo.com/album/156517/1-myth

Playing tools

• Fuse (linux/unix, mac os x, windows), zx 48 emulator, for playing .tap files. You can also send them into your real sinclair spectrum, if you own one.
• ZXtune for playing several soundchip formats. Some 1-bit music can be embeded into the .ay format.
• http://bulba.untergrund.net/emulator_e.htm (ay & sndh)

Composing tools

• Beepola
• see also: zxbeep on BotB
• List of 1-bit routines and editors for Sinclair ZX machines
• http://zxtrackers.republika.pl/

A copy of the latest link (this copy may not be up to date):

ZX Spectrum

• Cross-Platform Multi-Engine Editors: 1tracker Beepola

• anteater (utz) 2ch square wave, click drums, simple PWM, compact size XM converter
• BeepTracker (Alone Coder) 5ch pin pulse, envelopes/volume control, fx, non-interrupting sample drums native editor
• BT'man (Alone Coder) 5ch custom synthesis, volume control, fx native editor
• Earth Shaker (Michael Batty) 1,5ch custom synthesis, click drums 1tracker Fuzz Click see SpecialFX
• Huby (Shiru) 2ch PFM, synth drum, compact size XM converter, 1tracker, Beepola
• LSengine (Lyndon Sharp) 2ch custom synthesis, non-interrupting sample drums XM converter, 1tracker Music Box, the see Wham
• Music Studio, the (Saša Pušica) 2ch custom synthesis, interrupting synth drums native editor, Beepola
• Music Synth (Simon C. Tillson) 2ch PFM, envelopes, interrupting synth drums native editor, native editor (tracker edition)
• nanobeep (utz) 2ch custom synthesis, click drum, compact size XM converter
• ntropic (utz) 2ch square wave, 1ch noise, click drum, compact size XM converter, 1tracker
• Octode (Shiru) 8ch PFM, click drums XM converter, 1tracker
• Octode XL (introspec) 8ch PFM, volume control, click drums XM converter, 1tracker
• Octode 2k15 (utz) 8ch PFM, click drums XM converter
• Octode PWM (utz) 8ch custom synthesis, click drums XM converter Orfeus see SpecialFX
• Oleg Origin Engine (Oleg Origin) 2ch custom synthesis, click drums editor n/a
• Phaser1 (Shiru) 1ch square wave, 1ch dual generator square wave, fx, interrupting sample/synth drums native editor, 1tracker, Beepola
• Phaser2 (Shiru) 2ch dual generator square wave, fx, non-interrupting synth drums 1tracker
• Phaser3 (Shiru) Even more awesome than Phaser2. 1tracker
• PlipPlop (✝Jonathan Smith) 1ch custom synthesis, click drums Beepola
• poww (utz) 2ch custom synthesis, click drums 1tracker
• prdr (Shiru) 2ch custom synthesis, pitch slides 1tracker
• qaop (utz) 2ch wavetable synthesis, click drums XM converter
• Qchan (Shiru) 4ch PFM, envelopes/volume control, click drums XM converter, Beepola
• quattropic (utz) 4ch square wave, variable pulse width, noise, pitch slides XM converter
• rawp (utz) 2ch wavetable synthesis, click drums XM converter
• SampleTracker (CBM) 3ch digi native editor
• Savage (Jason C. Brooke) 2ch square wave, variable pulse width, fx, click drums Creador Musical (native editor), Beepola
• Savage HD (introspec) 2ch square wave, variable pulse width, fx, click drums editor n/a, can patch Beepola output against source
• Squeeker (Zilogat0r) 4ch custom synthesis, variable pulse width native editor, XM converter
• SpecialFX (✝Jonathan Smith) 2ch PFM, envelopes, click drums Orfeus (native editor), Beepola
• Spectone-1 (Zoltan Janosy) 4ch custom synthesis, envelopes editor n/a
• Stocker (Shiru) 2ch PFM, full envelopes/volume control, click drums Vortex Tracker converter, 1tracker
• tbeepr (introspec) 2ch custom synthesis, variable pulse width, duty cycle sweep, interrupting click drums 1tracker, source
• Tim Follin 3ch (Tim Follin) 3ch PFM, volumes 1tracker
• Tritone (Shiru) 3ch square wave, variable pulse width, click drums XM converter, Beepola
• Tritone FX (utz) 3ch square wave, variable pulse width, noise, tick-based fx, click drums source, editor n/a
• Wham (Mark Alexander) 2ch square wave, interrupting synth drums native editor, native editor (tracker edition), Beepola
• wtfx (utz) 2ch wavetable synthesis, tick-based fx editor n/a, source
• xtone (utz) 6ch square wave, variable pulse width, click drums XM converter
• yawp (utz) 3ch wavetable synthesis XM converter YU The Music Box see Music Studio, The
• ZX-3 (✝Ján Deák) 3ch PFM, envelopes native editor
• ZX-7 (✝Ján Deák) 8ch PFM native editor, 1tracker
• ZX-10 (✝Ján Deák) 4ch PFM, envelopes 1tracker
• ZX-16 (✝Ján Deák) 16ch PFM, pitch slides XM converter, MIDI converter

ZX81

• 1k2b (utz) 2ch square wave, click drums XM converter

Notable musics

• Old 1-bit musics:
  • First computer musics: PDP1, circa 1964, & video.
  • Tim Follin, Raw Recruit (1988).
  • Tim Follin, Agent X
  • Ben Daglish, Artura
• Modern musics:
  • MISTER BEEP, Through the heavy fire (2014).
  • Irrlicht Project, Galaxzija 10 (2013)

Other links

• 1-bit MUSIC / BEEPER forum
• 1-bit MUSIC / BEEPER Music forum deleted
• zx beeper demos
• ZX art
• http://aygor.abrimaal.pro-e.pl/
• http://zxtunes.com/
• What is 1-bit music
• World of Spectrum
• Irrlicht Project music and blog
• JSSpeccy: A ZX Spectrum emulator in Javascript : http://matt.west.co.tt/spectrum/jsspeccy/
• BitFM radio: http://bitfm.randomflux.info/