1-bit Audio and the

Arduino
David J. Zielinski
 Overview
1. Terminology of Sound
2. Atari 2600
a. clock division frequencies
b. linear feedback shift registers
3. Arduino Uno
a. Specifications
b. Audio Generation Methods
c. Code Examples and Demos
d. Arduino Due
e. Future Work
sound waves are oscillations in air
pressure. The amplitude (viewed on y axis)
is proportional to the change in pressure

1 = Peak amplitude
2 = Peak-to-peak amp
3 = RMS amplitude
4 = Wave period
loudness is the perceptual sense of amplitude.

quiet vs loud

frequency is the number of repeating events

per unit time.

pitch is the perceptual sense of frequency.

bit depth is seen as quantization on the y axis
Atari 2600

Retail availability 1977

Introductory price 199 USD
Units sold 30 million
CPU MOS 6507 @ 1.19 MHz
Memory 128 bytes RAM, 4 kB ROM
● MOS 6532 (RIOT) Ram-I/O-Timer
● MOS 6507. Smaller/Cheaper version of the 6502
(used in Apple, Atari, Commodore)
● Television Interface Adaptor (TIA)
 Atari
TIA Chip

● non-frame buffer design!

● reading input controllers
● sound effects
○ 2 independent noise
generators
○ 5-bit frequency divider
○ 4-bit audio control (sets Jay Glenn Miner (May 31, 1932 –
waveform) June 20, 1994) was a famous
○ 4-bit volume control American integrated circuit designer,
known primarily for his work in
multimedia chips and as the "father of
the Amiga". Lead developer of the TIA
chip.
String/Tube
Resonance Pitch Perception
100 hz - root
200 hz - octave
300 hz - 5th
400 hz - octave
500 hz - Major 3rd
600 hz - minor 3rd
octave: 200/100 2 2
5th: 300/200 3/2 1.5
4th: 400/300 4/3 1.33_
Maj3: 500/400 5/4 1.25
min3: 600/500 6/5 1.2
6th: 500/300 5/3 1.66_
 blue = equal temperament
red = just intonation

freq
ratio

C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C

pitch
one reason classic video games
sound distinctive is the
utilization of the clock division
technique which results in a
scale based on the undertone
series.
 blue = just intonation
red = harmonic undertone

cents

Pitch
 Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz
Gioseffo Zarlino (1517-1590) was an (1821 – 1894) was a German physician and
Italian music theorist and composer of the physicist who made significant contributions to
Renaissance. several widely varied areas of modern science.

First proposed the idea of the Argued that sympathetic resonance is

undertone series. at least as active in under partials as in
over partials
Harmonic Undertone Demo

http://jackaudio.org/
4 bit poly, 5 bit poly, 9 bit poly
 XOR (exclusive or)
A B Output

0 0 0

0 1 1

1 0 1

1 1 0
Linear Feedback Shift Register
Poly4: Taps at 2 and 3

Now
1 0 0 1 output: 1

Future
1 1 0 0
 Demo of LFSR

Poly4: taps at 2,3

Poly5: taps at 2,4
Poly9: taps at 4,8
Arduino Uno
Flash / Program Memory
32 KB

SRAM / Variable Memory

2 KB

Clock Speed
16 MHz

5v $30
Why arduino?
● low cost. leave installed for installation.
● input: knobs, switches, pressure sensors,
accelerometers, ultrasonic distance,
temperature, capacitive sensing.
● output: usb, control motors, lights, and audio
● making things is more fun then buying things
● open source hardware/software
● manufactured in Italy
● subset of C++
Where can you get it
(and components)?
In Person: Radio Shack
[northgate mall]

Hobbyist: sparkfun.com
adafruit.com

Pro: digikey.com
newark.com
Methods of Running
● With a computer. Use arduino to read input,
then send via serial message (via USB
cable) to computer for further action.

● Stand alone. Arduino reads input and does

any processing on board.
Methods to Generate Audio
Type Pro Con

tone function call ● part of standard libraries. ● monophonic (1 pitch at a

● pitch is accurate. time).
● square wave only.

add on shield ● actual audio output (24bit, 44k). ● arduino uno processor is
too slow.
● shield costs $$

pin toggle in main ● generate arbitrary 1-bit waveforms. ● 1-bit waveforms

loop ● polyphonic (multiple pitches). ● pitch not accurate
● simple programming ● highest pitch limited by
amount of processing

pin toggle in ● generate arbitrary 1-bit waveforms. ● 1-bit waveforms

interrupt ● polyphonic (multiple pitches). ● complicated programming
● pitch is accurate ● need buffer = latency
Things you will need:
How does electricity work?
How to convert 5v to 0.45v ?
Solution: voltage divider
What does this look like?
 Pitch Linear
void loop()
{
int v = analogRead(A0);
int v_half=v/2;

if(current_sample<v_half)
digitalWrite(2,HIGH);
else
digitalWrite(2,LOW);

current_sample=(current_sample+1)%v;
}
 Pitch Exp
void loop()
{
int v = analogRead(A0);
int vp=int(pow(v,2.0)/5000.0);
int v_half=vp/2;

if(current_sample<v_half)
digitalWrite(2,HIGH);
else
digitalWrite(2,LOW);

current_sample=(current_sample+1)%vp;
}
samples

input value
 Noise
void loop()
{
int v = analogRead(A0);
int vp=int(pow(v,2.0)/5000.0);

if(current_sample==0)
{
int val=random(2);
if(val==1) digitalWrite(2,HIGH);
else digitalWrite(2,LOW);
}

current_sample=(current_sample+1)%vp;
}
 Dual Pitch
void loop()
{
int v = analogRead(A0);
int v2 = analogRead(A1);

s1.set_freq(v);
s1.tick();

s2.set_freq(v2);
s2.tick();
}
 AND aka Ring Mod
void loop(){
int v = analogRead(A0);
int v2 = analogRead(A1);
A B Output
s1.set_freq(v); 0 0 0
s2.set_freq(v2);
0 1 0
int d=s1.get_val(); 1 0 0
int d2=s2.get_val();
1 1 1
byte f=d&d2;
digitalWrite(2,f);
}
 XOR aka Korg MS-20 Ring Mod
void loop(){
int v = analogRead(A0);
int v2 = analogRead(A1);
A B Output
s1.set_freq(v); 0 0 0
s2.set_freq(v2);
0 1 1
int d=s1.get_val(); 1 0 1
int d2=s2.get_val();
1 1 0
byte f=d^d2;
digitalWrite(2,f);
}
 Program Material
byte val=pgm_read_byte_near(pos);

if(val>128) digitalWrite(2,HIGH);
else digitalWrite(2,LOW);

pos++;
if(pos>pos_end) pos=start_pos;
 Decimation Delay

byte val=delay_array[d_pos];
int prob=random(0,1024);

dv=(val>0 && prob<decay) || pbyte;

delay_array[d_pos]=dv;
d_pos=(d_pos+1)%dtime;

digitalWrite(3,val);
digitalWrite(2,pbyte);
 Looper
if (sensorVal>0) {
pbyte=pitch_sample<phalf;
triggered=true;
}
pitch_sample=(pitch_sample+1)%pmax;
byte val=delay_array[d_pos];

if(triggered) delay_array[d_pos]=pbyte;
else delay_array[d_pos]=val;

d_pos=(d_pos+1)%dtime;

digitalWrite(2,pbyte); digitalWrite(3,val);
 Arpeggiation

byte notes[6]={1,2,4,8,4,2};
int vpn=sensor_val*notes[current_note];
int v_half=vpn/2;
digitalWrite(2,current_sample<v_half);

current_sample=(current_sample+1)%vpn;
note_sample++;

if(note_sample>samples_per_note){
note_sample=0;
current_note=(current_note+1)%6; }
Arduino Due

Due Uno
Clock Speed 84 Mhz 16 Mhz
SRAM (Variables) 96 KB 2 KB
Flash (Program) 512 KB 32 KB
Voltage 3.3v 5v
Analog Input 12 [12 bit] 6 [10 bit]
Analog Output (D/A) 2 0
Digital Pins 54 14
Price $50 $30
Guitar Effect Pedal
Active Paintings
Skull Drum and Leg-
Tar
 P10 Project
100, 1k, 10k, ... channel installation
Thank You!
Wet Ink Ensemble
@ Casbah
8pm
featuring Kenneth Stewart's "Make It Opaque"