Was the CPC plus soundchip good?

[Amiga1992]

Mod edit:

Posts split from the CPC+ thread:
http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=89434
Feel free to discuss the merits or caveats of the CPC soundchip and make comparisons, as long as you follow the rules as stated by PortuguesePilot.
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The CPC Plus can be OK visually, but that soundchip is like grinding metal against a blackboard.

[dlfrsilver]

Originally Posted by Akira

The CPC Plus can be OK visually, but that soundchip is like grinding metal against a blackboard.

The sound chip is stereo on the CPC plus, and it 's DMAed exactly like the Amiga

[Retrofan]

Originally Posted by Akira

The CPC Plus can be OK visually, but that soundchip is like grinding metal against a blackboard.

I don't have a CPC Plus, but a 6128, but I've always thought that there are many games with squeaky colors.

Edit: BTW is there a thread for the CPC? If there isn't then I wouldn't call this CPC Plus but just Amstrad CPC so we can talk here about all of them.

[Amiga1992]

Originally Posted by dlfrsilver

exactly like the Amiga

[dlfrsilver]

Originally Posted by Akira

Instead of saying i'm nuts, why don't you get a look first on DMA, and then come saying i'm nuts ?

The Amiga has DMA for the music.

in french, but you got your facts straight :

http://obligement.free.fr/articles/audio_dma.php

And the CPC plus has DMA audio, the same way.

[scuzz]

But they dropped the CPC from the 6128 with the PLUS. I had to change the drive belt in my Plus this year on the 3". But then I have had to replace the drive belts in the 8256, 9512, 2xDDIs, 3x6128s, 2x6128PLUSs, 664 and 2xSpectrum+3 and get this even the 3.5" Citizen floppy drive in a 9512+. Only 3"s to survive this year were in 2xEinstein. Waiting for them to ' a go go '.

The Plus uses the DMA engine unlike the CPC machines.

GX4000
http://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/amiga_scuzz136.htm
CPC464
http://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/amiga_scuzz137.htm
464PLUS
http://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/amiga_scuzz156.htm
CPC664
http://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/amiga_scuzz399.htm
CPC6128
http://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/amiga_scuzz159.htm
6128PLUS
http://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/amiga_scuzz356.htm

I use the 6128 and 6128plus two 464s every day but in truth nothing beats the Amstrad MegaPC..

http://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/scuz...ber17_2501.htm

http://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/scuz...ber17_2502.htm

One word SONIC... not really an Amstrad. Just borrows the case.

Sorry if you were talking about another CPC+. Never heard of it. Maybe a model I missed.

scuzz
http://www.scuzzscink.com/amiga/scuzzblog.htm

[Megol]

Originally Posted by dlfrsilver

Instead of saying i'm nuts, why don't you get a look first on DMA, and then come saying i'm nuts ?

The Amiga has DMA for the music.

in french, but you got your facts straight :

http://obligement.free.fr/articles/audio_dma.php

And the CPC plus has DMA audio, the same way.

DMA feeding the soundchip Akira thinks sound like "... like grinding metal against a blackboard".

How it that relevant?

[Amiga1992]

Originally Posted by Megol

DMA feeding the soundchip Akira thinks sound like "... like grinding metal against a blackboard".
How it that relevant?

It's only relevant in dlfrsilver's weird world where the CPC is the ultimate supercomputer.

[dlfrsilver]

Originally Posted by Akira

It's only relevant in dlfrsilver's weird world where the CPC is the ultimate supercomputer.

I'm talking about the CPC plus, not the classic CPC of course.

[Amiga1992]

Originally Posted by dlfrsilver

I'm talking about the CPC plus, not the classic CPC of course.

We know you are talking about the CPC Super Computer Plus Ultimate End All Be All From Heaven and Hell Mark 378392789.

The one with the same shitty PSG than all the others

[nobody]

Originally Posted by dlfrsilver

The sound chip is stereo on the CPC plus, and it 's DMAed exactly like the Amiga

LoL, and it has a keyboard too, same as the Amiga. About the CPC plus I agree it was fine but at the time it was too late. Even the STE was too late at 1989 and it was much better than the CPC plus.

[drHirudo]

The Amstrad CPC can replay up to 9 channels music
[ Show youtube player ]

Is this the ultra super duper utilized DMA? To send data from 9 memory spots to the audio chip that is capable of only 3 channel? Or is it something like the Amiga way with on the fly mixing, where the stock Amiga 500 was able to do only 8 channels, with TFMX.

[idrougge]

Since it doesn't mention Plus anywhere, it's bog-standard non-DMA sound.

[Amiga1992]

And that video is a fine example of the piece of shit sound you have to withstand if you own one of these (or any other machine with a similar PSG: Spectrum +2, SAM Coupe, Master System, MSX...)

[Shatterhand]

Originally Posted by Akira

And that video is a fine example of the piece of shit sound you have to withstand if you own one of these (or any other machine with a similar PSG: Spectrum +2, SAM Coupe, Master System, MSX...)

The Master System PSG is a little bit different. But it indeed sounds very similar (And it's rather easy to port stuff from one to the other, though the SMS PSG has one more sound channel just for white noise).


Even the Mega-Drive has this same kind of PSG (Actually the same one as the Master System), but it also has an FM chip, so the PSG is used more for sound effects.

[Amiga1992]

Yeah, the MSX also has access to FM and SCC so it works out OK. But every machine relying on this chip sounds like shit.

Atari ST is another one with a variant of this dreary PSG.

I mean, ok, at the time, I am sure it was great, especially when you needed to cut costs, and it's still better than a beeper (unless you use the beeper as pwm) but there's no way I'd listen to this shit nowadays unless I am forced to, unlike AMiga or C64 music.

[s2325]

Jochen Hippel knew how to use ST sound chip.

[Shatterhand]

I really don't think it was that bad either

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[PortuguesePilot]

Both Knightmare games are legendary.

Here's one of my favourites with the ST's AY-3-8910:

[ Show youtube player ]

Dark, moody and packed with feeling. Also, musically very balanced. Much better than the Amiga version (by portuguese-french composers Alain da Silva and David Peres).

The Paula chip is undoubtedly superior for sound and music, but the AY-3-8910 (or the YM2612 variant) had its charm too.

EDIT:
Spectrum tunes I enjoyed particularly:

SWIV (the Highscore tune is also great. Can't find it on Youtube, though)
[ Show youtube player ]

Canon Bubble (basically every tune)
[ Show youtube player ]

The Farmer Jack series
[ Show youtube player ]

Pumpkin Poe (quite brilliant, this one)
[ Show youtube player ]

There are quite some more.

[Megol]

Originally Posted by Akira

Yeah, the MSX also has access to FM and SCC so it works out OK. But every machine relying on this chip sounds like shit.

Atari ST is another one with a variant of this dreary PSG.

I mean, ok, at the time, I am sure it was great, especially when you needed to cut costs, and it's still better than a beeper (unless you use the beeper as pwm) but there's no way I'd listen to this shit nowadays unless I am forced to, unlike AMiga or C64 music.

Maybe you shouldn't be posting in a thread dedicated to a computer with that sound chip then? Or at least not complain about the sound chip repeatedly...