Using the DSP.

[thisisentchris87]

Hi I'm new here and I'm wanting to know how I program the DSP without the use of a Mac and the DSP Linker. For one I don't have a Mac (I could get an emulator, but I run vista and I hear their slow) and the sound utility pack I cant get open with stuffit (its in a .sit file and I don't know why I bothered). I have found info about something called Music Macro Language that gets around this, but I haven't found anything relating to a download for the Saturn.


So I am shooting the wind by trying this or do any of you know how I can accomplish this?

 

[antime]

MAME has working emulation of the audio DSP, so you can use the sourcecode as reference. I'm unaware of an existing assembler for the DSP, so you will have to make one or compile the opcodes by hand.


I think I used some free sit-utility to open the archives instead of Aladdin's expander, but I can't remember the name of it. I also tested the DSP linker under the Basilisk emulator and it ran fine on a 700 MHz P3, and unless you have a PowerPC Mac you'll have to use an emulator anyway as the Classic environment doesn't run on Intel Macs.

 

[thisisentchris87]

Well I might as well use an emulator then, I have experience in using Basilisk from my days in trying homebrew 3DO. Can I use the sound apps on a System 7.5.3 on a Mac Quadra 650? The manuals arn't very clear on the system requirements.


I already use Windows Virtual PC for the SaturnOrbit dev environment so I guess my "mac" will have to run within it, don't know if it can run on Vista.

 

[thisisentchris87]

Well this is disappointing.


I've set everything up and working but, The Sound Utilities extract into 0b files and can't be run. 🙁


By the way, I am downloading the soundtls.sit from the above resources in this subforum.

 

[antime]

Get a better StuffIt extractor, or use this version instead.

 

[thisisentchris87]

I was using Stuffit's official program.


But at any rate I tried the zip, but like before Windows says the Linker 2.0 (which I assume is the program) 0b .0 file and Mac says 0b .0 file. Double click on it in mac and it says the program used to open the file cannot be found, blah blah blah. And I don't think my decompress is crappy, its 7-zip.


I don't know anything about macs, so I don't know what its application extensions look like.


Unless you can provide me with the actual files need for the DSP Linker (which is all I want), I'll ask instead for examples of how the opcodes were compiled by hand.


Thanks for putting up with this.

 

[antime]

Don't use normal Windows/Unix tools with these files, they don't understand Mac file forks. Just copy the archive into the emulated machine and extract it there (use the StuffIt archive, the old zip tools won't understand forks archived by OS X).

 

[thisisentchris87]

That would help. Unfortunately I can't find any Stuffit Expander versions on the internet (even on pirate sites) that work with Mac 7.5, the only version that the idiots offer that works on legacy systems is only on Mac OS 8.6.


That's the lowest I'm guessing I can go for the DSP Linker, unless it can work on OS X (which I don't have). I'm not a Mac so I wouldn't know.


In the mean time I'm in the process of getting Mac OS 8.6.

 

[thisisentchris87]

Got it, my biggest problem was how aggravating getting Stuffit was!


Any way, found a version for 7.5.3 (and info for the day when I want to emulate a PowerMac) and everything is running perfectly, the linker Pokes me for the Saturn Sound Board (I don't have it, but it would be a blast to have) but so far it looks like it allows me to program with out.


Touch Down!!!!

 

[thisisentchris87]

Well looks like it isn't exactly a success. Turns out you need the Saturn Sound Board in order to get the necessary DSP microprogram, possibly. The needed file is a EXB file, that is the program (by what the manuals say). But it looks like It writes all the files needed (with all sorts of SCSI errors), but I'll need to test them if it works.

Does anyone have any previous experience programing the DSP, with the Linker, without a Sound Board? (just so I don't need to add this to my already busy life)

Thanks.