Atari POKEY Chip Emulator V2.

0
==============================
by Ron Fries
31 Jan 97

The PokeySound Chip Emulator is designed to emulate the functionality of the

Atari POKEY Chip Hardware through 'C' Sourcecode. The emulator is able to
produce sounds which are essentially identical to the original POKEY chip,
including the exact distortions and pitches.

The emulator is designed to run in a 32-bit environment. Though it can be

compiled and run in a 16-bit environment, it is slow.

I would like to give special thanks to Neil Bradley. He provided excellent

testing support and was also the driving force behind the multiple POKEY
emulation.

New Features:
-------------

Version 2.0 of the 'PokeySound' adds the following features:

1) Support for multiple POKEY chips. The maximum supported is configured

at compile time.

2) An adjustable gain. The previous releases had a built-in gain of 64.

3) A clipping option. Depending on the number of chips emulated and the

configured gain, it is possible for the output to exceed 8-bits.
Clipping can be enabled to prevent this, though it does increase the
processing time.

Standard Features:
------------------

The 'PokeySound' emulator supports the following functions:

1) All polynomial sound generators:

a) 4-bit poly - actual bit pattern determined from sampled sound
b) 5-bit poly - actual bit pattern determined from sampled sound
c) 17-bit poly - simulated random bit pattern
d) 9-bit poly - derived from simulated 17-bit poly

2) Full support of all 'Divide by N' counter clocks:

a) 1.79 MHz (high limited to playback sample rate)
b) 64 KHz (high limited to playback sample rate)
c) 15 KHz

3) Full support of all 'Divide by N' resolutions:

a) 8-bit - single channel
b) 16-bit - double channel

4) Full support of all distortions

a) 5-bit poly, then 17-bit poly
b) 5-bit poly only
c) 5-bit poly, then 4-bit poly
d) 17-bit poly only
e) no poly counters (pure tone)
 f) 5-bit poly only

5) Full support of volume control

6) Full support of all pitches - distortions will vary exactly as the

original Atari based on different pitches

7) Accurate pitch generation

8) Support of any playback sample rate (e.g. 22050)

The 'PokeySound' emulator does not currently support the following functions:

1) High pass filters

Though I don't believe adding support for the High-Pass filters is very
complicated, I decided not to add support right now because I don't
believe this feature is used much. I'm also not sure how much impact it
would have on performance. Let me know if you find an application that
uses it.

In the 2.0 release, I've removed the non-optimized vrersion. It was only
left in for reference. If you would still like to see the non-optimized
version, it's available in the 1.2 release.

One of the unique features of the emulator is that the processing time varies
based on the frequency. Since the routine only calculates new output values
when a change is sensed, the lower frequencies (which change less frequently)
will require less processing time.

Differences Between the Emulator and the Actual POKEY Chip:

-----------------------------------------------------------

The biggest difference between the emulator and the original hardware is
that the emulator emulates an 'ideal' POKEY chip. All output from the
emulator is a based on a precise square wave, whereas the output from the
original chip has decay. Though the output is slightly different, I
don't believe this difference is easily discernible.

Another slight difference is the 17-bit/9-bit poly. Since the polynomial

is large (2^17 bits), I choose to create the sample using a random number
generator rather than a table. I don't believe this difference is
significant.

There are also a few differences which are introduced by aliasing. This is
a direct result of using an output sampling rate which is not identical to
the original sound rate. It is most evident with high frequencies.

A final difference is the lack of support for the High-Pass Filter

functionality. I plan to add this in a future release if necessary.

Sample/Test Application:
------------------------

The test program I've distributed is a 16-bit DOS application created with
the Borland 'C' compiler. The only reason I used 16-bit was because I
already had a set of working SB drivers in 16-bit. Since the test system
is dedicated to generating sounds, the performance in 16-bit is more than
adequate.

POKEY.C
=======

The POKEY.C file is the heart of the PokeySound Emulation program.

Although the routines in the file must work together, no other files are
modules are required for operation. A header file, 'POKEY.H', has
been included for use in other modules, and provides the necessary
function prototypes. I've attempted to make the routines as portable as
possible, so the file should compile on almost any compiler with little
or no modification.

I have made some attempts at optimizing the routines, though I am sure

more optimization can be done. They are currently only available in 'C'.
I'll be happy to convert them to assembly language if desired. Please feel
free to send me e-mail at [email protected].

The routines are easy to use. Detailed descriptions on the function calls
are listed below.

The POKEY.C module can be compiled in a 32-bit or 16-bit environment.

Since these routines are optimized for 32-bit use, the code will default
to 32-bit. To compile in 16-bits, use a command line option to define
the variable COMP16.

GENERAL OVERVIEW
----------------

On start-up of the system, a single call should be made to Pokey_sound_init.

This routine will prepare the structures for sound output. This routine
can be called again if necessary during warm-start or other reset.

Once in the main loop, there are two other functions that will be used.
Whenever the system needs to write to either the AUDC or AUDF values,
a call should be made to the Update_pokey_sound routine. This routine will
take care of updating the internal registers. It will pre-calculate several
values to help with optimization.

The only other routine that is called is the Pokey_process function. This
function will fill a audio buffer with a specified number of bytes. This
function should be called whenever a new audio buffer is required.

For best results, I recommend using at least two output buffers. Using this
scheme, the sound card can be playing one buffer while the system is filling
the other.

DETAILED FUNCTION DESCRIPTIONS

------------------------------

Pokey_sound_init(uint32 freq17, uint16 playback_freq, uint8 num_pokeys)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
This function initializes the structures used by the PokeySound routines.
This function takes three parameters: the main clock frequency, the
playback frequency and the number of POKEY chips to emulate.

The maximum number of POKEY chips emulated is configured at compile time.

Though the maximum number of chips can be configured as one, the PokeySound
1.2 routines are recommended if only a single chip is to be emulated since
they have will provide better performance.

The main clock frequency is the frequency of the 1.79MHz source clock.
To provide exact results, freq17 should be set equal to 1789790 Hz. As an
alternative, freq17 can be set to an approximate frequency of 1787520 Hz.
Using this approximate frequency will reduce aliasing and thus produce a
clearer output signal.

A constant has been defined for both of these values for your convenience.
The names are FREQ_17_EXACT and FREQ_17_APPROX.

The playback frequency is the frequency of the sound playback (the frequency
used by the sound card). For best results, the playback frequency should
be an even division of the main clock frequency. Since most of the sounds
will be generated using the 64kHz clock, I also recommend making the
playback frequency an even division of the 64kHz clock.

The 64kHz clock is exactly equal to the main clock divided by 28. For
the playback frequency, I recommend one of the following values:

1) FREQ_17_APPROX / (28*1), which is equal to 63840. Of course, most sound

cards can't reproduce this frequency.

2) FREQ_17_APPROX / (28*2), which is equal to 31920. All of the newer cards

will support this frequency.

3) FREQ_17_APPROX / (28*3), which is equal to 21280. All of the SB

compatibles should support this frequency.

4) FREQ_17_APPROX / (28*4), which is equal to 15960. This may be the

best choice, as it offers good sound reproduction with good performance.

Of course, these options also assume you are using the approximate
frequency for the main clock as well. Any of these choices will offer the
best results when the main 64kHz clock is used, reasonable results when the
15kHz clock is selected, and marginal results when the 1.79MHz clock is
selected (the only way to produce good results in all cases is to set the
playback frequency to 1.79MHz!)

Feel free to experiment to find other alternatives as well.

This function has no return value (void).

Update_pokey_sound (uint16 addr, uint8 val, uint8 chip, uint8 gain)

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This function should be called each time an AUDC, AUDF or AUDCTL value
changes. This function takes four parameters: the address to change,
the new value, the chip to be updated, and the gain to be used.
The lower four bits of the address should be one of the following values:
 Addr Description
------ -----------
0x00 AUDF1
0x01 AUDC1
0x02 AUDF2
0x03 AUDC2
0x04 AUDF3
0x05 AUDC3
0x06 AUDF4
0x07 AUDC4
0x08 AUDCTL

In order to support multiple POKEY chips, only the lower four bits of
the address are used. Note that this routine can no longer be called with
any address as it will affect the operation of the specified chip.

The routine pre-calculates several values that are needed by the

processing function. This is done to optimize performance.

The output will be amplified (multiplied) by gain/16 (previous releases had

a built in multiplier of 4, which calculates to a gain value of 64). If the
output exceeds the maximum value after then gain and clipping is enabled,
the output will be limited to reduce distortion.

The best value for the gain depends on the number of POKEYs emulated and
the maximum volume used. The maximum possible output for each channel is 15,
making the maximum possible output for a single chip to be 60. Assuming all
four channels on the chip are used at full volume, a gain of 64 can be used
without distortion. If 4 POKEY chips are emulated and all 16 channels are
used at full volume, the gain must be no more than 16 to prevent distortion.
Of course, if only a few of the 16 channels are used or not all channels are
used at full volume, a larger gain can be used.

To enable clipping, define the logical CLIP before compiling. This is the
default mode of operation as it has already been included in the POKEY.H file.
Note that this is only recommended if clipping is necessary since it will
impact the performance.

This function has no return value (void).

Pokey_process (uint8 *buffer, uint16 n)

---------------------------------------

This function calculates and fills a buffer with unsigned 8-bit mono audio.
This function takes two parameters: a pointer to the buffer to fill and
the size of the buffer (limited to 65535). This function fills the
buffer based on the requested size and returns. It automatically
updates the pointers for the next call, so subsequent calls to this function
will provide a continuous stream of data.

The size of the buffer that is needed depends on the playback frequency.
It is best to keep the buffer as small as possible to maximize response time
to changes in the sound. Of course, the minimum size is dependent on
system and emulator performance.

Selecting the correct buffer size is a careful balance. Selecting a buffer

size that is too small will produce noticeable clicks in the output, though
selecting a size that is too large will cause a poor response time and
possible delays in the system when the new buffer is filled.

This function has no return value (void).

License Information and Copyright Notice

========================================

PokeySound is Copyright(c) 1996-1997 by Ron Fries

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under
the terms of version 2 of the GNU Library General Public License as published
by the Free Software Foundation.

This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT
ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS
FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU Library General Public License for more
details.

To obtain a copy of the GNU Library General Public License, write to the Free
Software Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.

Any permitted reproduction of these routines, in whole or in part, must bear

this legend.