Play MIDI files with GR8NET

The modern multi featured MSX cartridge GR8NET introduces means to play midi files, straight on your z80-machine.

MSX hard and software developer Eugeny Brychkov his MSX extension GR8NET is one of those multi features devices that brings a lot of existing MSX hardware into one box. With a network connection as its default function, GR8NET also offers a flash cart storage slot, memory mappers, flash ROM, sound chips like SCC, MSX-Music and Audio and PCM, a range of display options, and a dedicated GR8NET-BASIC.

With the help of Maarten Loor and Laurens Holst, the developer added MIDI replay features to the extension just recently.

The package is located here. DOS1 and DOS2 are supported. Only Midi format 0 is supported, you can use this application for conversion. Please update OPL4 firmware to the latest because it now contains Midi MathPack. If you have mono GR8NET you can set up "mono mixing" mode in regular image using _NETOPL4IMG. If your GR8NET's _FLINFO shows GD25Q16 - 2 MB serial flash chip, then you can write 8-bit sample ROM and enjoy OPL4 through GR8NET. However if it shows M25P16, then OPL4 ROM will not work and you will need to replace the chip with W25Q128 (16MB one).

relevant link: gr8bit home
relevant link: sample video of the GR8NET playing the famous games' midi files

Comments (20)

By gdx

Enlighted (6436)

29-06-2022, 09:54

Is this unrelated to the MSX-MIDI?

By SjaaQ

Champion (381)

29-06-2022, 10:49

For midi conversion I use this python script in linux:

#!/bin/python3
import mido
from pathlib import Path, PurePath

for f in Path('.').rglob('*.mid'):
	print(f.relative_to("."))
	fileExt=f.suffix[1:]
	fileName=str(f.relative_to(".").with_suffix(''))

	min = mido.MidiFile(f)
	mout = mido.MidiFile()

	mout.tracks.append(mido.merge_tracks(min.tracks))
	mout.ticks_per_beat=min.ticks_per_beat
	mout.type=0
	mout.save(fileName + "." + fileExt)

The more complex stuff for midi playing is offloaded to the GR8NET so you can get so decent speed on 3.5Mhz as well.

It is fun to hear the Monkey Island theme playing on you MSX!

By edoz

Prophet (2501)

29-06-2022, 13:10

Thank you Eugeny Brychkov for all your hard work! It is amazing what you did over the years with the GR8NET. It is a must- have hardware you have to own! I really thankfull for it!

By ToriHino

Paladin (925)

29-06-2022, 19:06

Nice work! Too bad my GR8NET is based on the M25P16.

By Eugeny_Brychkov

Paragon (1232)

30-06-2022, 00:12

Ask people around you - and will definitely find someone who can do the chip replacement job decently (having skills and required tools).

@gdx: I think you are right. MSX-MIDI seems to be hardware MIDI data transport interface, but this is MIDI data stream player (audio endpoint device).

By meits

Scribe (6572)

30-06-2022, 10:13

Eugeny_Brychkov wrote:

Ask people around you - and will definitely find someone who can do the chip replacement job decently (having skills and required tools).

I still have two chips left and have no problems placing them.

By Eugeny_Brychkov

Paragon (1232)

30-06-2022, 10:50

meits wrote:

I still have two chips left and have no problems placing them.

By meits

Scribe (6572)

02-07-2022, 11:20

meits wrote:

I still have two chips left and have no problems placing them.

They're both reserved now.

By Eugeny_Brychkov

Paragon (1232)

05-07-2022, 12:46

meits wrote:

They're both reserved now.

Let us know on the results of the replacement!

By meits

Scribe (6572)

06-07-2022, 19:47

There's one more chip available.
@Eugeny. The previous chip replacements went very well

By Eugeny_Brychkov

Paragon (1232)

07-07-2022, 15:41

meits wrote:

The previous chip replacements went very well

Great! Will be very glad if owner notifies me about change so that I update the configuration record.

By meits

Scribe (6572)

07-07-2022, 22:45

@Eugeny,
I successfully flashed the POF file from the gr8net-fpga-full.zip archive (dated 2020-02-19 12:24)
The owner's firmware was still outdated so _flinfo did not work. I updated that to flash version v.0.12 (2022/7/5).
Then I ran reflash.asc through all 8 steps.
The engine is V.0.10 (2020/1/3). That's the POF file I flashed, I guess?
Eitherway, I get a warning in the POST screen:
Warning: FPGA and flash chip firmware versions mismatch, please update both to the latest.

I'd like to know how to get this straightened out. Thanks.

By Eugeny_Brychkov

Paragon (1232)

08-07-2022, 07:39

As old parallel flash chip firmware (update.bin) did not support _flinfo, it would also not support _flupdate, therefore it will not be able to update serial flash using reflash.asc. In this case you can do two ways: (1) update parallel flash firmware using update.bin with the closest date to 20200219 from here and _netfwupdate(3) before you replace the serial flash chip, or (2) use offline update from here (download zip) after you replace the chip and flash POF into it.

And after you get more or less leveled versions in _netver and _flinfo works, perform reflash.asc to get to the latest version.

By erikmaas

Expert (70)

11-07-2022, 11:06

I have also updated mine some time ago. I think I more or less followed the procedure described here without a problem.

By meits

Scribe (6572)

11-07-2022, 23:22

Thank Eugeny, that worked.

By Retrofan

Paragon (1339)

23-07-2022, 12:02

ToriHino wrote:

Nice work! Too bad my GR8NET is based on the M25P16.

Is your chipset replaced already? You need it for your projects

By ToriHino

Paladin (925)

26-07-2022, 17:20

Retrofan wrote:

ToriHino wrote:

Nice work! Too bad my GR8NET is based on the M25P16.

Is your chipset replaced already? You need it for your projects

No not yet, but currently more focusing on the OPL4 itself anyway

By Retrofan

Paragon (1339)

29-07-2022, 18:33

ToriHino wrote:

No not yet, but currently more focusing on the OPL4 itself anyway

If you want to sell the GR8NET, please let me know as OPL4 ins't needed in my case

By Eugeny_Brychkov

Paragon (1232)

28-09-2022, 22:32

I updated the MIDI.COM application as well as sample demo. One fix (/L key operation was inverted!), replaced a tune (one appeared to be playing twice in the demo), and put GD.COM as graphics display program for all possible VDPs.

By MSX4ever

Champion (259)

02-10-2022, 23:21

Thanks for the update midi.com and the new demo.
I would also like to thank you for giving advice on how to place the new memory chip W25Q128 (16MB one) in the GR8NET cartridge.

Share

Related content

Comments (20)