Register-level chiptune synth -- 97 real sound-chip emulations played like a tracker driver.
BITCHIP runs 97 real emulator cores -- ymfm/MAME device code, emu2149, emu76489, olc2A03 and friends -- organised by family: SID (6581/8580), PSG (AY/YM2149/SN76489/NES/GB DMG/POKEY/TIA...), 2-op and 4-op FM (OPL/OPLL/OPN/OPM/OPZ/OPX), wavetable (PCE/SCC/N163/FDS/WonderSwan...), PCM (PAULA/OKI/S-DSP/C140...) and speech/LPC chips (VLM5030/TMS5110/SP0256...).
Each chip is played through its real register map: the blueprint view draws the chip's actual channel architecture, wave RAM is editable in the chip's own bit depth, and the mixer routes each hardware channel with per-channel pan/level.
ROUTE AUTO allocates notes across the chip's channels; CHAN forces every note onto the blueprint-selected channel.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| CHIP | The chip selector -- 97 real cores grouped by family (SID/PSG/FM/WAV/PCM/LPC). |
| ROUTE | AUTO spreads notes across hardware channels; CHAN locks to one. |
| ON | Layer/chip power. |
| RND (chip) | Randomize the current chip's patch -- rnd-* history entry. |
| Blueprint | Live diagram of the chip: channel cells, wave RAM, envelopes -- the real register map. |
| Channel RND | Each channel strip has its own randomize -- also recorded as history. |
| RND (top) | Re-roll the whole patch -- lands in the preset list as rnd-*. |
| THEME | Cycle the colour theme. |
| REGISTER | Licence dialog (demo limits the feature set). |
BITCHIP: chip blueprint + channel controls centre, control panel + presets left, FX chain + LFO rack right, keyboard bottom.
The running plugin -- the centre panel IS the chip: a live blueprint of its channels, wave memory and envelopes.
The combo groups all 97 cores by family. Each selection redraws the blueprint as that chip's real channel layout.
SID 6581 -- the C64 legend: 3 voices, ring-mod/sync, the famous analogue-ish filter, measured-style envelopes.
NES 2A03 -- pulse1/pulse2 with duty + sweep, the nesdev triangle, noise LFSR. Classic 5-channel chiptune rig.
GB DMG -- Game Boy APU: two squares, a 32x4-bit wave RAM channel (USR = draw your own table) and the noise channel.
YM2612 OPN2 -- the Mega Drive's 6-channel 4-op FM. The blueprint grows operator pages per channel.
Every hardware channel gets its own strip -- power, pan, and a per-channel RND.
Per-channel R buttons re-roll just that channel's params -- a quick way to audition variations while the rest of the patch stays put.
The chip-level RND re-rolls the current chip's whole patch -- registers, waves, envelopes.
The top bar and the live blueprint -- the blueprint IS the chip: clicking a module (channel cell, mixer, filter, clock, output) re-points the control strip below it.
CHIP -- the master selector: 97 real cores grouped by family (SID / PSG / 2-op FM / 4-op FM / wavetable / PCM / speech-LPC).
ON -- chip/layer power.
ROUTE -- AUTO allocates notes across the chip's hardware channels; CHAN forces every note onto the blueprint-selected channel.
RND -- re-roll the current chip's whole patch (registers, waves, envelopes). Written to history as rnd-*.
Blueprint -- the chip's real register map drawn live: channel cells, wave RAM, envelope and mixer nodes. Click a node to edit it below. Right-click a channel cell toggles its hardware mute (double-click mutes too); double-click a module node parks its bound control at its OFF option (double-click again restores); the small pad at a channel cell's bottom-left toggles its membership in the AUTO route mask -- excluded channels take no notes while ROUTE is AUTO.
Channel strip -- the blueprint-selected channel: power, VOL, the channel's register cells and its own per-channel R randomize (also history).
Control surface -- scrollable column: channel strip, then CHIP globals, PERF and GLOBAL sections.
Module views -- clicking non-channel nodes swaps in the right editor: MIXER desk (per-channel pan/level), BUS register matrix, CLOCK readout + TICK/RATE controls, WAVE scope + ops for chips with user wave RAM (USR), OUT level, and the INFO box (chip name, core, tick Hz, host rate, hw voices).
The performance and global sections at the bottom of the surface -- these apply to every chip.
VOICING -- MONO legato / POLY.
GLIDE -- portamento time (mono).
ATTACK -- amp attack.
DECAY -- amp decay.
SUSTAIN -- amp sustain level.
RELEASE -- amp release.
OCTAVE (-2..+2) -- coarse octave shift.
SEMI (+-12) -- semitone transpose.
FINE (+-50c) -- fine tune.
PAN -- output pan.
MODE -- GATE (sounds while held), TRIG (one-shot), LATCH (toggle per key).
ARP -- arpeggiator: OFF / UP / DN / UD / RND.
ARP SPD (1--16) -- arp rate.
ARP OCT (0--3) -- arp octave span.
VIB DEP (0--12 st) -- vibrato depth.
VIB RT (0.1--20 Hz) -- vibrato rate.
KEYTRK -- key tracking amount.
VELS -- velocity sensitivity.
BEND -- pitch-bend range.
WIDTH -- stereo width.
SAT -- soft-clip drive.
Every randomize -- top bar, chip, channel, route -- lands in the preset list as history.
Hit the top-bar RND -- chip pick, patch, routing and FX chain re-roll together.
The preset list is the history: rnd-* rows accumulate per click. Double-click recalls, R renames a keeper, X deletes, SAVE names the current state.
Shared rack on the right: effects on top, LFO routing below.
Slot power, per-slot RDM, reorder/remove, ADD browser. RND CHAIN/RND FX/RND PRM re-roll the chain (also written to history).
LFO LINK then click any knob or blueprint control -- the mod ring animates live.
Left column: I/O, post-filter, EQ, comp, limiter, presets. ? opens this manual; THEME re-skins everything; ABOUT shows credits.
The house-style panels common to the AZOPSOFT suite.
VU meter -- stereo output level with peak hold, sitting under the visualizer. It mirrors what leaves the plugin after the master chain -- keep peaks out of the red.
I/O panel -- GAIN input trim and VOLUME master out bracket the post chain: multimode MODE / CUTOFF / RESO filter, LOW / MID / HIGH EQ, comp THRESH / RATIO / KNEE and limiter THRESH / RELEASE. The preset browser below has search, SAVE, theme cycling and ? (this manual).
FX rack -- serial effect slots on the summed output. + ADD opens the effect menu, CLEAR empties the chain, ^ / v reorders slots; each slot has BYPASS, RDM (random params) and X. Rack randomizers: RND CHAIN builds a fresh chain, RND FX appends one effect, RND PRM re-rolls every slot's parameters.
