Monday, September 05, 2005

 

Loading a ZX Spectrum via an iPod Mini


I've had stress with this for a few days trying different things, but finally got it working.

Assuming you have a .TZX file (archives here), or a tape that you can sample as a .WAV or .mp3 (using something like Audacity or this) then you can do the following:

(1) If you have a .TZX, convert it with TZX2WAV.EXE into a .WAV
(2) Once you have a .WAV, load it into Audacity
(3) ... Boost the gain to +36dB using the slider on the LHS of the screen (I think I had to select the whole audio track with the mouse first, since you can boost just sections of the file)



(4) ... Export as an .MP3
(5) Add the MP3 to your iTunes library
(6) ... on the properties tab for that "song", boost the volume to +100% and set the equalizer to "Pop"
(7) On the iPod, play back at full volume, and make sure the "Sound Check" setting is off (in the Settings menu somewhere)
(8) Use a stereo socket to mono plug converter so that the Spectrum receives a mono feed from the stereo iPod. 85p from Maplin, order code FK14Q.

Phew. I'm sure there are other ways, but this worked for me. YMMV.

I also heard on comp.sys.sinclair about TZX support on Podzilla. I'll have to check that out some time.



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