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 Forum index » DIY Hardware and Software
Simmons SDS PROM images.
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reve



Joined: Feb 23, 2008
Posts: 149
Location: USA

PostPosted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 4:37 pm    Post subject: Simmons SDS PROM images.
Subject description: Anyone hoarding images or have a list of published PROMs?
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Hi Electro-Friends!

So hey, I picked up a Simmons SDS 9 kit on the cheap. It came with a couple spare EPROMs... which seriously whet my appetite for additional PROMs. But darned if I can't find a repository of Simmons binary images on the internet. I found the Oberheim and Linn stuff... but no Simmons. Heck, I can't even find an authoritative list of what OEM PROMs were available for purchase when these things were new.

The interwebs have told me that the eprom-based SDS machines used a linear data format rather than the companded format used by Oberheim, Linn and others, so I can't just burn those.

I thought maybe I could convert some of those sounds to linear, but that's not as exciting as getting copies of the official Simmons PROMs. Plus I'm fuzzy on the format. I thought the PROMs could have different sampling rates (like with the oberheims), and I'm not sure how that information is stored... if it even is. Is it just 8 bit linear PCM? Endian format? Crap, I have no idea.

So! If you have a) eprom images, b) a list of images, or c) more technical information about how to make sound into an SDS-compatible eprom image... I'd love to hear from you. Smile Or even if you have a reader and could just send me a raw binary to dissect. Smile

Thank you!!
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klo



Joined: Feb 09, 2008
Posts: 9
Location: Darmstadt

PostPosted: Sat Mar 13, 2010 11:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

http://www.simmonsmuseum.com/?area=eproms
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reve



Joined: Feb 23, 2008
Posts: 149
Location: USA

PostPosted: Tue Mar 16, 2010 12:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

klo wrote:
http://www.simmonsmuseum.com/?area=eproms


I am weeping with joy.

Thank you, Klo!
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Oortone



Joined: Mar 07, 2011
Posts: 30
Location: Sweden

PostPosted: Wed May 29, 2013 7:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Are these eprom images available alsewhere? They have been removed from that site.
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HansRL



Joined: Nov 17, 2012
Posts: 15
Location: Norway

PostPosted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 11:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Oortone wrote:
Are these eprom images available alsewhere? They have been removed from that site.


Old thread but I've not found an answer elsewhere?
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helge-h



Joined: Jun 17, 2014
Posts: 24
Location: Norway
Audio files: 2

PostPosted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 2:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

https://web.archive.org/web/20090510114833/http://www.simmonsmuseum.com/?area=eproms

I haven't tried to download anything myself.

Helge
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ian-s



Joined: Apr 01, 2004
Posts: 2669
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Audio files: 42
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 2:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I have a few Simmons rom images that I used in a project.

It is a collection of images from a few contemporary machines.

the Zip is here

If you want to preview before burning, you can audition the sounds via this link.

Last edited by ian-s on Mon Apr 18, 2016 1:37 am; edited 1 time in total
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Oortone



Joined: Mar 07, 2011
Posts: 30
Location: Sweden

PostPosted: Sun Apr 10, 2016 4:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

helge-h wrote:
https://web.archive.org/web/20090510114833/http://www.simmonsmuseum.com/?area=eproms

I haven't tried to download anything myself.

Helge


Don't know if I'm doing this right but I can't download.
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HansRL



Joined: Nov 17, 2012
Posts: 15
Location: Norway

PostPosted: Sun Apr 10, 2016 5:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Great idea Helge, but sadly no files archived.

Thanks for the files Ian. Your player where also useful. I’ve read that with Simmons 8-bit linear PCM format I only had to rename wav files to bin, or the other way around. Doesn’t work I practice as it turns out. Even though VLC have registered ‘bin’ file extension on my Win10 computer.

I’ve seen a couple of project for car computers where they replace the eprom with a parallel flash chip and a USB eraser/burner. Anyone seen similar projects for old eprom drum players?
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ian-s



Joined: Apr 01, 2004
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Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 10, 2016 1:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

HansRL wrote:
I’ve read that with Simmons 8-bit linear PCM format I only had to rename wav files to bin, or the other way around. Doesn’t work I practice as it turns out.


All the rom images are header-less 8 bit pcm data. I think some older audio editors (cool edit?) had an option to deal with raw audio data.

Percuter and Simmons are linear, the others are a-law.
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blue hell
Site Admin


Joined: Apr 03, 2004
Posts: 24079
Location: The Netherlands, Enschede
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 10, 2016 2:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Cool Edit - check (and it still works on win 8 Cool ) .. so that Adobe follow up thing probably as well .. but that's been phased out too now of course Confused

Anyway .. i could behead some files here.

_________________
Jan
also .. could someone please turn down the thermostat a bit.
Posted Image, might have been reduced in size. Click Image to view fullscreen.
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ian-s



Joined: Apr 01, 2004
Posts: 2669
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 1:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I had some free time on the weekend (when the teenagers let me near the computer) so I created the ROM browser/downloader web app.

link

I am quite pleased with the code, the app downloads the zip file and uses it's internal structure to build the groups of samples.
The rom data is deflated from the zip and converted to a wav datauri for the download link and the media player control.

The Oberheim a-law roms are converted to 12 bit samples so the wav file is 16bit for them, 8 bit otherwise.
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HansRL



Joined: Nov 17, 2012
Posts: 15
Location: Norway

PostPosted: Tue Apr 26, 2016 1:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Ian, that page of yours looks great. I'm a bit slow, could you please clarify. All files availably are now compatible with Sims and Dyns? No longer for Lins and other with compressed format?
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ian-s



Joined: Apr 01, 2004
Posts: 2669
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Audio files: 42
G2 patch files: 626

PostPosted: Tue Apr 26, 2016 3:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

HansRL wrote:
Ian, that page of yours looks great. I'm a bit slow, could you please clarify. All files availably are now compatible with Sims and Dyns? No longer for Lins and other with compressed format?


I wasn't sure is anyone would be interested in conversions so the rom downloads are just byte for byte copies of the original rom images.

Only the Oberheim rom images use the a-law compression so I guess the others are interchangeable (assuming they fit, you can't put put a 27128 into a 2764 socket).

The code expands the a-law data to 16bit and I have a 16 bit linear pcm to a law converter already written. If enough people think it would be useful, i can add a third download link so that all roms have a wav, linear and a-law version. Perhaps an option where you can select your own wav files and have them converted to both rom image types?

The drum machines use something like a 555 oscillator as a sample clock which is variable from about 15-30kHz. The range might vary depending on the type of sound associated with the specific rom type.
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HansRL



Joined: Nov 17, 2012
Posts: 15
Location: Norway

PostPosted: Tue Apr 26, 2016 3:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

ian-s wrote:
Perhaps an option where you can select your own wav files and have them converted to both rom image types?
Idea

Not sure how you would secure how files fade out in a usefull manner? You might have to make an online editor?
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ian-s



Joined: Apr 01, 2004
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Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 27, 2016 10:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I have updated the app so that it will create a linear version of the a-law images under the link alt-samplename.bin

The news/info updates are now moved to a blog so they don't mess up the app too much.
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