Analogue tones of a ZX Spectrum Load set to ride again via podcast project
- Reference: 1634902151
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/10/22/zx_spectrum_radiolab/
- Source link:
Audio cassettes were the medium of choice for software back when Sinclair and Commodore's 8-bit hardware ruled the roost. The floppy disk seemed impossibly glamorous for the average home computer user and code was instead delivered via audio.
While the sound of those files was unintelligible for most, for some enthusiasts it was possible to discern the type of data being loaded. Right up until the all-too-common R Tape Loading Error (which usually seemed to come right at the end of a lengthy period staring at a loading screen).
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As well as the ubiquitous audio cassette, programs were distributed on other media. After all, if one could get a sound out of something, one could also have a crack at popping some data on it too.
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Back in 1983, Simon Goodwin (formerly of beloved ZX Spectrum magazine Crash and now working in audio technology) was a member of the Radio Wyvern Computer Club team. As an experiment, the radio station had broadcast the analogue loading tones of data and some keen listeners managed to coax the audio into their home computers.
Nearly 40 years on, another attempt to send out software via audio is to be attempted as part of the [4]Radiolab project Mixtape .
[5]Sir Clive Sinclair: Personal computing pioneer missed out on being Britain's Steve Jobs
[6]Thanks, Sir Clive Sinclair, from Reg readers whose careers you created and lives you shaped
[7]Relics from the early days of the Sinclair software scene rediscovered at museum during lockdown sort-out
[8]Elite name on Brit scene sponsors retro video games preservation project at the Centre for Computing History
We struggled with making tape-to-tape copying work (of our own BASIC code, of course) so it will be interesting to see how the format survives the codecs and converters of today's digital world.
"It's amazing how well the ZX tape format copes with duff transcription," Goodwin told The Register . "I'm sure results will vary. Psychoacoustic it ain't."
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We can imagine some types of compression doing horrible things to the sound, however, it will be a lot of retro fun finding out what works and what doesn't (spoiler: sticking a microphone beside a speaker probably won't do the trick).
The podcast is due to start today, with new episodes dropped weekly detailing the history of the not-so-humble cassette tape. The code itself will turn up in a later episode (accompanied by lots of warning of when those familiar audio tones will start). Goodwin told us: "The live explanation of how to decode ZX files by ear is certainly worth a listen."
His promise of a deep dive into audio and data copy protection sounds worth a download by itself.
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As for what the software will actually do, should you manage to get it into a ZX Spectrum (or compatible device), Goodwin was tight-lipped about the cassette-themed animation. He said he wants "those who download it to have the thrill of watching it work. Of course I expect some will post results – the more the merrier." ®
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[4] https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/projects/mixtape
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/17/sir_clive_sinclair_obituary/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/19/remembering_clive_sinclair/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/17/dymond_software_museum_of_computing/
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[11] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Of course I would never tell you to look over the web for some kind of archive site that has all those games, cause that would be illegal.
Just remembered the graphpaper with the colour grid copied onto it using 1,2,3 and 4 to represent the colours.
My dad did it. Will have to mention it next time I see him
memories
There was a Tron-like Spectrum game called Blind Alley which had the most recognisable sound on tape. I could identify that from about 3 seconds of audio, when fast-forwarding through my tape player.
One thing I did manage once was to use 2 tape recorders and a phone call to transfer a program to my mate round the corner, with a simultaneous SAVE and LOAD and some silence it worked like a non-flow-control modem.
I liked the custom loaders. One of the best was Fairlight. It had an initial short load to get its custom code into RAM then silence.
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Until suddenly the data came screaming in with no discernible lead-in tones. The custom loader also read data into screen RAM in the correct order to make the image appear from top down to the bottom.
And of course who can forget [1]the intro music that demonstrated what a piezoelectric speaker could do even though the code could only send a 1 or a 0 to it.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjgWaBOUAKU
Software via teletext...
Who remembers the ability to download software via teletext?
It was promoted on "Micro Live", presented by Ian McNaughton-Davies
I seem to recall the software was only available for BBC Model B owners, and you had to buy a separate teletext adaptor, in order to "download" the code.
You could actually goto (not the BASIC command) the Ceefax page on a suitably equipped teletext TV, but the code could only be seen.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro_Live
Inner City Unit did this on vinyl years ago
Inner City Unit, a spinoff from Hawkwind, released an album called ... The last song on the record – 'ZX Spectrum Code' – contains the audio ...
Re: Inner City Unit did this on vinyl years ago
Double thumbs up for the ICU ref, although I think Nik Turner might have been a bit pissed off at describing them as a Hawkwind spinoff, even if the two were not entirely unrelated.
For those unfamiliar with ICU - check 'em out - especially the 2nd LP "The Maximum Effect".
, programs were distributed on other media...
For example in the form of a couple of k of hex printed inside magazines to be lovingly typed in - yep, we really did that!
Re: , programs were distributed on other media...
Cant see the problem there.
Except on prunting errors..........
Re: , programs were distributed on other media...
Tiny Basic was famously distributed as assembly code in Dr Dobbs... a bit easier than rows and rows of hex bytes (I recall Space Invaders for the Microtan 65!) but still not an easy task. Though at least one could ignore the comments.
This isn't particularly new
There's been plenty of people over at comp.sys.sinclair and World Of Spectrum who've experimented with various ways to play recordings into a ZX Spectrum - MP3 players, iPods, even (back in the day) minidiscs and the like.
There's even been programs tucked away on vinyl albums; I've even got vague memories of some magazine doing a flexidisc, and about a decade ago, I helped to slap together a loading screen for a "hidden" program on a CD album!
So yeah, it'll probably work, so long as they don't overcompress the audio.
> We struggled with making tape-to-tape copying work
With a twin tape stereo for the copying and a decent tape player connected to the Speccy almost every tape I copied worked perfectly. For personal backup reasons of course, ignore that box of 50 C90s full of games...
Now, where did I put the colour code grid for Jet Set Willy?