I've Been Working on an IGT S+ Sound Editor

[ersk3]

IGT S+ Sound Tool V1.00
Over the last days I have been working on a Windows editor for the sound tables used in IGT S+ slot machines. The project originally started as a small utility to make editing AY-3-8910 sound data easier, but it gradually evolved into a much more complete editor.

I think the program has now reached a point where it is usable enough for others to experiment with, so I'd like to share it with the community.

Background
The IGT S+ platform generates all of its sound using the AY-3-8910 Programmable Sound Generator. Each sound effect is stored as a table of AY register values. During playback the software simply steps through the table and writes new values to the AY registers, changing pitch, mixer settings, amplitude, noise, and envelope parameters frame by frame.

While this is a very flexible system, editing the sound tables directly inside a hex editor is extremely difficult. Every row contains multiple hardware registers, and understanding what each value actually does requires constant reference to the AY datasheet. Changing a single sound often becomes a trial-and-error process.

The Goal
The goal was to create a tool that lets you edit these tables visually instead of manually editing hexadecimal bytes. Rather than forcing you to remember what every AY register does, the program presents the information in a way that is much easier to understand.

Features
Some of the current features include:

* Direct editing of AY sound tables.
* Live note display (frequency and musical note).
* Click once to edit raw byte value. Click twice (double-click) for dialog.
* Built-in AY register dialogs for:
  * Amplitude control
  * Envelope period
  * Envelope shape
* Envelope editing using milliseconds instead of raw register values.
* Pitch table browser with keyboard search.
* Individual row playback.
* Spin sound editing and testing.
* Configuration files that can be transferred between different SP revisions, even when the sound tables have different layouts.
* Automatic detection of muted channels and inactive registers.
* Visual highlighting of edited values.
* Built-in explanations of the AY registers and envelope generator.

The idea has always been to hide as much of the low-level complexity as possible while still allowing complete control over the hardware.

Supported Hardware
The editor supports the 10 MHz IGT S+ platform. The program automatically detects 16 MHz SP ROMs and will not allow them to be edited, as the sound table format and playback routines are different.

Not Fully Tested Yet
One important thing to mention is that the program has been developed on PC. I have not yet had the opportunity to perform testing on real IGT hardware. That means there may still be bugs or unexpected behavior that I simply haven't encountered yet.

Looking for Testers
If anyone has real S+ hardware and would like to try the program, I would really appreciate any feedback.

Bug reports, suggestions, feature requests, or confirmation that things work correctly are all valuable.

Many of the improvements already implemented came from experimenting with different ROM revisions, so additional testing on real machines will help make the editor much more robust.

Sharing Sound Configurations
One feature I'm particularly excited about is the configuration file system. Instead of sharing modified ROM images, the editor can save only the sound configuration data into a small configuration file. These configuration files do not contain copyrighted IGT software. They simply describe the AY register table data and related sound settings.

Because of that, they can easily be shared here on the forum, without distributing ROM images. Even better, the editor automatically maps configuration files between different SP versions. That means a sound configuration created from one SP chip number can be loaded into another SP number, even if the sound tables have different layouts.

I'm hoping this will encourage people to share their own sound creations with the community.

If you come up with a particularly cool spin sound, jackpot sound, reel stop sound, or any other interesting modification, please consider uploading your configuration file here so others can try it on their own machines.

It would be great if this thread eventually became a library of custom sound configurations that everyone can enjoy and build upon.

Final Thoughts
This project has been a lot of fun to work on, and along the way I learned far more about the AY-3-8910 than I ever expected. Hopefully the tool will make sound editing much easier for anyone interested in modifying IGT S+ machines.

As always, feedback is very welcome.

Modified: The V1.00 download has been removed; please see the latest post in this thread to find and download the newest version.

[shortrackskater]

Well this sounds like fun! 

So this could basically be unlimited? We could create a song or just figure out how to build a known song. And there should be no issues with commercial music I'd think, since this is for home use?

[lookes]

This is very cool! The standard sounds on S+ are pretty boring. lol... 

[ersk3]

Well this sounds like fun! 

So this could basically be unlimited? We could create a song or just figure out how to build a known song. And there should be no issues with commercial music I'd think, since this is for home use?

At the moment, sound tool V1.00 is focused on editing the existing sound effects rather than the music.

For example, you can edit sounds such as the coin-in sound, bet, bet max, win sounds, reel stop sound, spin sound, hand pay ding, and several other effects that are stored as AY register tables. You can change the notes, pitch, noise, envelopes, timing, spin speed, and generally experiment quite freely with how those sounds behave.

The reason it doesn't support creating songs yet is that the sound effects and the music use two completely different formats. The sound effects are stored as direct AY register tables, while the music appears to use a dedicated music engine that plays note sequences. I'm currently reverse engineering how that engine works.

Interestingly, many of the later SP revisions support Idle Mode Music Selection, and SP1049 even has a special Hand-Pay Lockup Music feature. I'm currently digging into those ROMs to locate the music data and understand the format. Once that's figured out, I am planning to add a proper music editor where you can compose your own songs, edit the existing melodies, and share them in the configuration files.

I've also been thinking about whether the spin routine could be modified to use the music engine instead of the normal spin sound. If that's possible, it would open up the possibility of having a custom tune play while the reels are spinning. That's still very much in the planning and research stage, but it's an exciting idea that I am working on.

As for the legal side, I don't see any commercial or copyright issues with this approach. The editor doesn't distribute any IGT ROMs, copyrighted software or music. It only creates small configuration files containing AY register table data and related settings. Users still have to dump and modify ROMs from machines they already own, and the configuration files themselves contain none of the original IGT program code or music.

Hopefully, if a music editor becomes a reality, people will be able to share custom sound and music configurations here on the forum without sharing any copyrighted ROM images.

In the meantime, feel free to download the tool and have fun experimenting with it. I'm looking forward to hearing your feedback and seeing what kinds of sounds the community comes up with!

[LuckyDog]

Very Cool !!

Sounds like you've been very busy!

[jay]

At NLG we don't allow trading of binaries on site. For the various discontinued platforms like the S+ / PE+ we don't think we would run into any trouble but the unfortunate aspect is that if you are doing it for one then the thinking becomes ok they must be doing it for all and then its a pile on. The site is also run by volunteers and any money received through donations goes to the hosting costs. The costs do add up as there is a wealth of pictures and other such files that drive storage costs. So while we think we are in the right though fair-use (copywrite law) and right to repair laws if we get sued or even a cease and desist letter that is probably the end of NLG. So as the saying goes "Justice is fair but its not free". There is not a legal defence fund.

In the overall scheme of things - the real questions is what damage did the copywrite holder suffer ? Am I now buying a modified S+ and denying IGT the opportunity to sell me a AVP platform for $18k ? guess what, I ain't got 18k to spend on anything. I am not a casino with a gaming license so they would not sell to me in the first place. Am I not buying S+ software from IGT and buying boot leg from someone else ?? guess what IGT doesn't sell / won't sell IGT S+ software.... its discontinued. IGT is not losing money because you have a bunch of hobbyists hacking about. In fact they should be paying for the Pizza party to keep us fan boys happy and promoting the brand.....

So if I may be as bold as to speak for the NLG community we both applaud and welcome your efforts.

[jay]

In the SP731 chip there were a number of songs available such as "We are in the money" that kick in when a jackpot is hit. I haven't played enough to figure out if its the top two awards or all hand pays, or if I set my hopper limit to 2 and cause a hand pay would I get music for a 5 coin pay ........ etc. Its my understanding that this music went away in the newer SP1271 chip as they were making more room for more accounting features. In my machines I have a IGT standalone progressive. These are small boards that you can put behind your pay glass and can support up to 4 levels of progressives by adding more displays. They are strictly 6 digit - 7segment LED displays. I also have a Mikohn linked progressive between the collection of machines.

Here is the crux.... with a 731 I can use either a linked progressive OR the IGT progressive. I can't do both and I can't make the IGT progressive be only the second level progressive.
With the 1271 combined with a SET 90 I can use the linked progressive as my top award and the IGT progressive as the second level award.
Unfortunately I lose the capability of anything other than the standard soundscape.

I am also not aware of any idle or attract sounds for the S+ across any of the chips. Something like Wheel of Fortune has the annoying "Wheel of Fortune" attract sound that pays every so often when the machine is idle. The ones in the casinos are usually S2000 so I am not aware if the original S+ Wheel of fortunes had this, but if so it would have likely been from the brain box and not the base software.

Now with that said - I had thought about a few modifications of my own that are rather hacky (as I lack your talent) but would work with almost any set of S+ chips.

1. You can set the S+ to ring the bell on all wins or just on the top wins. The majority of the S+ don't have bells installed but they do have the wiring. You could get a small sound effects generator - I have a novelty one that has 6 buttons on it - your supposed to put it in your car and press one of the buttons when someone P*sses you off. It has missile launcher, grenade,  machine gun, etc. You simply connect the bell wires to a 12v relay and have it close the contact on one of the buttons on the sound effects generator.
I probably don't want the sound of a grenade going off when I win.... but you get the idea that you can get a novelty sound generator from Amazon, Alibaba, Temu, etc some are even programable with whatever sound you want.
2. You could use the hopper power which I think would use a A/C relay and play different payout music.
3. I was also thinking about reel spin music, the stepper motors use digital input to control their movement but I think there should be a way to trigger off of that as well.

There have been a few hacks pertaining to theme. I believe the S2000 munsters kit has the same reel-table as one of the other S+ themes. The reel strips have to be installed slightly different with the knotch offset but otherwise works fine.
I have this glass kit and reel strips but can't remember which S+ theme it matches up with at the moment.  There is also the Pink Panther theme and a couple of others . It would be nice to have attract sounds, perhaps the munster theme sound while the reels spin etc.

Anyways just wanted to share some ideas.

amazon.ca/gp/product/B09WLJ5M4G/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A19Z8ODYZ5F5BH&psc=1

[ersk3]

Thank you Jay for the encouragement and for taking the time to write such a detailed reply. I understand and support NLG's policy regarding ROM images. That was my inspiration for the configuration file system.

What you mentioned about the SP731 is particularly interesting. I know quite a few SP chips contain idle mode tunes such as "We're in the Money" as attract music, but I wasn't aware that the SP731 actually use them as a jackpot lock-up melody. I can't see anything in the SP731 PSR documentation that indicates this behavior, but I'll certainly take your word for it. That's definitely something worth investigating.

The only chip I knew of that plays a melody during jackpot lock-up is the SP1049. It has a pretty catchy tune when the machine locks up for a hand pay. If you haven't tried it already, SP1049 might be one worth experimenting with. You need to activate this feature in the menu, according to the SP1049 PSR.

You also have some really interesting ideas. The external sound trigger using the bell output is clever because it could be added without modifying the base software at all. Triggering sounds from the hopper or even from the reel stepping signals would also open up some fun possibilities, especially for adding more personality to older S+ machines.

As it happens, I'm working on a music editor for the S+, for the idle music and lockup music. I've mentioned it briefly before, but it's still very much a work in progress. I have something on the beta stage, but it's not working properly. The goal is to make editing the built-in music sequences just as straightforward as editing the sound effects. There's still plenty of work to do, but I am working on implementing it.

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.

[ersk3]

It has been a while since my last update, so I thought it was time to share how the project has progressed and release the current beta version.

New Beta Release
The program can now also edit music sequences found in many SP revisions. It also includes experimental tools for using music during reel spins and payouts.

Development Pause
I need to put development of the program on pause for a while. Rather than leaving the current version sitting privately on my computer, I have decided to release it in its present state for anyone who would like to experiment with it. This is therefore very much a beta release. Most parts work quite well, but it might contain bugs that I have not yet found (Please report bugs).

What Is New Since V1.00
The largest addition is the new music-editing system. The program now searches supported SP ROMs for the built-in music block and displays the songs stored there.

The Music Editor includes:
* Direct editing of music events in graphical music editor.
* Decoded notes instead of only raw hexadecimal values.
* Editing of voices, base notes, note lengths, delays, and comments.
* Different utilitys for copying or moving songs between song slots.
* A music-block repacker for moving available event space between songs.
* WAV / MIDI export.
* MIDI import through a built-in MIDI Import Optimizer.

The MIDI Import Optimizer allows tracks to be selected, previewed, trimmed, and simplified before converting them to the SP music format. This is necessary because the S+ music engine has a limited number of events and only three AY sound channels.

Graphical Music Editor
There is a graphical piano-roll editor for working with the music more visually.

Notes can be selected, moved, resized, copied, pasted, deleted, and previewed directly from the graphical display. It also includes chord shortcuts, channel controls, automatic chord entry, beat and tempo estimation, range selection, zooming, and a Tempo Wizard for changing the timing of selected areas without changing the notes.

This means it is now possible to compose new tunes or rebuild known melodies inside the existing SP music block. It is not unlimited since the editor must still work within the available ROM space and the limitations of the original IGT music engine.

Spin Audio Manager
A major addition is the experimental Spin Audio Manager. On supported SP revisions, it can redirect the normal reel spin sound to one of the songs stored in the ROM.

Current options include:
* Original reel spin sound.
* Play a selected song instead of the reel spin sound.
* Resume the song on the next spin.
* Restart the song from the beginning on every spin.
* Add an end-of-song delay.
* Continue playing music for a selected time after the reels stop.
* Pause continued music during the payout count-up.
* Experimental payout-song replacement.
* Experimental win count-up and (bet)-speed controls.
* A built-in spin and win preview.

Spin Audio Manager support is not the same as normal Music Editor support. An SP ROM may contain music that can be edited, but still lack the specific routines, hooks, or unused ROM space required by Spin Audio Manager. A current compatibility-list button is included in the Spin Audio Manager. It shows the current preliminary support status for the different options. If your chip is not supported, you can send me a message and I can look into it.

Please treat all Spin Audio Manager functions as experimental, since they patch a custom built routine into the unused space of the ROM.

Configuration Files
The configuration system has been expanded considerably. Music configurations can be imported between different SP revisions. The import dialog allows source songs to be assigned to different destination song slots, previewed, timing-scaled, and fitted into the available music space of the target ROM.

Other neat stuff
The main sound tool has also received several improvements, including:
* A ROM Inspector showing the SP number found inside the ROM (Usefull if you don't know).
* Improved configuration project information.
* Better detection and blocking of unsupported ROM formats.


Worth mentioning
If you try to patch a rom file that does not have suitable space for the patches, saving is blocked rather than risking damage to the ROM image. Some ROM files simply does not have enought free unused space.

Hardware Testing and Bugs
My hardware testing has primarily been performed with SP1137. I have not done extensive testing across all of the SP revisions. If you find a problem, please report it to me and I will have a look into it.

Registration and Activation
V2.9 Beta must be activated before it can be used. Activation is free of charge for contributing members, staff, senior members, moderators and administrators.

To request activation: Start the program, fill in the form and copy the generated license request string. Send the request string to me in an private message. I will send an activation key back to you. Paste the returned key into the registration window and click Register.

Please do not redistribute the package elsewhere.

Final Thoughts
Feedback, bug reports, configuration files, hardware-test results, and suggestions are very welcome.

[ersk3]

Here are a few screenshots from the current version of the program. I thought it might be useful to show what the tool looks like

[rawdogyourdad]

wow this is awesome, id definitely be interested in helping test this out.

im currently waiting on an assortment of capacitors because the music produced by my 4th of july cabinet is currently a little avant-garde for my taste. id really prefer correct pitch with my dose of nostalgia.
once i get it functioning at a baseline id love to give this a go.

now i combed through the posts in the thread but i havent really seen any mention of how you would program the rom chip? is there some interface on the board i can communicate with? or special hardware i would need?
is the reason this isnt mentioned because this type of discussion is not permitted here? (software:   instructions on how to use it on hardware: )

if so my bad i didnt know

anyways, cool post dude

[ersk3]

You don't need any special interface, just an EPROM reader/programmer and some EPROMs. It's actually very comparable with CD-rom discs and a CD reader/writer, that you connect to your PC.

For a reasonably cheap programmer I'd look at:
XGecu T48 (TL866-3G) – Cheap, very capable and supports a huge range of chips. Probably the one I'd recommend.
GQ-4X4 – Also a good universal programmer and particularly popular for older EPROMs, but generally a little more expensive.

The SP program eprom chip contain a 64 KB (kilo byte) file, that is equivalent og 512 kbit (kilo bit) file. Eproms are measured in kilo bit, but on a computer files are offen shown in kilo bytes. A normal 27C512 EPROM is the correct size. I'd recommend buing the W27C512 EEPROM chips though, because they can be electrically erased and rewritten by the programmer.

It's a little like CD-R vs CD-RW. A normal windowed 27C512 EPROM can actually be reused too, but you need a separate UV EPROM eraser. With a W27C512 EEPROM you can simply erase it electronically and program it again, which is much nicer when experimenting.

As far as I know, reading the ROM from a machine that you own for your own use is generally fine, provided you're not distributing copyrighted ROM dumps, but laws can vary between juristictions.

And definitely give the Sound Tool a try once you've got your machine running properly You need to be an NLG Contributing Member to get a free licence code for it. It's also a nice excuse to support NLG – there's a huge amount of useful information and knowledge on this forum that has been built up over the years.

Let me know if there is anything I can help with.
-Erik Skei

[Kfrankie]

So I’m not a computer programmer by any stretch.  In a nutshell, would it be possible to program my sp809 chip to play Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture on my S+ Red, white, and blue each time a 50 coin or more jackpot is hit?

[rickhunter]

No, what is possible with this software is to change the tones and sounds the machine uses for various events.  There is no event on the S+ that plays a sound other than the credit rolls up (a bunch of dings) and a handpay jackpot.  Some games play a song during a free spin win (i.e. 4th of July, Spin 'til you win).

[Kfrankie]

No, what is possible with this software is to change the tones and sounds the machine uses for various events.  There is no event on the S+ that plays a sound other than the credit rolls up (a bunch of dings) and a handpay jackpot.  Some games play a song during a free spin win (i.e. 4th of July, Spin 'til you win).

So I can’t make it do the Charleston, but I can make it beep in a sequence of tones somewhere in the G scale to make it do the Michigan Rag? I’ll take that!

[ersk3]

Just to clarify, you can replace the original reel spin sound with a melody, similar to the tunes played in idle music mode. As mentioned: "some games play a song during a free spin win (i.e. 4th of July, Spin 'til you win)". Those melodies are played with the sound motor that I just exploit to do more. And those melodies can indeed be modified or changed with this tool also.

You can rearrange events to create fairly long and complex songs. Each event can play up to three notes simultaneously, allowing for major and minor chords, power chords, octaves, and other interesting effects. You’re not limited to a particular scale, so there’s plenty of freedom to compose your own music. It will still be limited to a sequence of tones. It will never play a song like a MP3 file.

You can choose whether the song restarts with each new game or resumes where it left off, similar to newer games on the IGT G23. You can also set the music to continue playing for a specified time after the game ends. If you start another game before that timer expires, the music carries on uninterrupted.

There’s also an option to select separate music for the win count-up.

I was planing to make a YouTube video demonstrating its features at some point, but I haven’t had the time yet. The tool is relatively straightforward to use, although it does require some technical knowledge, and a little musical knowledge certainly helps when composing your own songs.

[jay]

Just building on your clever thoughts;
What would be a nice add on application would be for you to be able to load a MP4 file, then allow you to isolate a 10second window, subsequently take those 10seconds and extract and transform this into the S+ tone-ial output so you would get something that would resmemble the MP4 albiet a much simplified version.

[ersk3]

Good suggestion Jay! I’ve actually experimented quite a bit with this, but with limited success. It’s surprisingly difficult to simplify recorded music into something that sounds recognisable with only three simultaneous notes.

Which notes do you keep, and which do you leave out? What’s noise, what’s an unnecessary octave, and what’s an essential bass line? Take Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, for example. The background beat is a huge part of what makes it recognisable, but extracting useful notes from the recording also produces a lot of unwanted information. Dropping the wrong notes can completely change the result.

I have actually built a MIDI import/export function in the Sound Tool. With the importer, you can zoom in on a section—say, a 10-second window you want to keep—and filter out notes above or below a chosen pitch. That gives you more control over simplifying the music, but getting a good result still takes a lot of manual work.