NIR JACOBSON
Chromasound
What's that sound? It's a Chromasound!
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In the 80s and early 90s, computers and consoles had sound generation hardware because hardware to play back recordings was limited at the time. The sound generation hardware had a model for designing custom sounds. The hardware could be instructed to play different notes using different sounds that were created using the model.
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The Chromasound Nova, Chromasound Pro and Chromasound Prodigy are portable music players that use sound generation hardware from this time period. You can listen to music from classic games, or write your own music, and take your tunes with you wherever you go!
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Each Chromasound is also available as a Raspberry Pi HAT. Combined with Chromasound Studio, it makes it possible to edit your music using authentic sound generation hardware.
Which systems can one listen to and produce music for?
The Chromasound Pro and Chromasound Prodigy use hardware from the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive. In addition to the songs and sounds you may remember from the games, these Chromasounds also support all of the instrument presets included with the Yamaha DX100 and Yamaha FB-01 synthesizers.
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The Chromasound Nova uses hardware from the ASCII MSX2.
Chromasound Pro
Audio
6 FM synthesis channels, 4 operators per channel
3 Tone channels, 1 Noise channel
1 PCM channel at 44.1 kHz, or
4 PCM channels at 22.05 kHz
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Compatible with SEGA Genesis soundtracks
Hardware
20 MHz processor with 4 KB RAM
512 KB external SRAM
1x FM synthesizer
1x Tone/noise generator
1x microSD slot
1x USB-C serial port (supports charging)
1x 1100 mAh lithium battery
Form Factor
88.9 x 88.9 x 10 mm
Available Now
Chromasound Studio
Play and compose music for the Chromasound and other VGM players.
In-program playback supports the Chromasound Direct and the built-in Chromasound Emulator.
Download the support pack to get started quickly.
Chromasound Updater
Use this utility to update the firmware on your Chromasound.
Note: You may need to run the updater as root or Administrator depending on your system setup.
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Windows users: You will need to install serial port drivers from FTDI before you run the updater. Be sure to extract the drivers to your root directory (C:\) before you attempt to install them in the Device Manager.