Mockingboard
Encyclopedia
The Mockingboard is a sound card
for the Apple II family of microcomputer
s built by Sweet Micro Systems. The standard Apple II machines never had particularly good sound, especially when compared to competitors like the SID
chip-enabled Commodore 64
. With the notable exception of the Apple IIGS
, all an Apple II programmer could do was to form sounds out of single clicks sent to the speaker at specific moments, which made the creation of complex sounds extremely difficult to program and made it mostly impossible to do any other processing during the creation of sounds. The Mockingboard allowed programmers to send complex, high-quality sound via its specialized hardware, without need for constant CPU attention. The Mockingboard required external speaker
s, although it could also be connected the Apple's built-in speaker. However, as the quality of the built-in speaker was not high the instruction manual recommended obtaining external speakers.
The Mockingboard was available in various models for either the slot-based Apple II
/ Apple II Plus
/ Apple IIe
systems or in one special model for the Apple IIc
. Sound was generated through one or more AY-3-8910 or compatible sound chips, with one chip offering three square-wave synthesis channels. The boards could also be equipped with an optional speech chip (a Votrax
SC-01 or compatible).
Some software products supported more than one Mockingboard. Ultima V
supported two boards, for a total of 12 voices, of which it used eight. Most other programs supported at most one board with six voices.
There was a Mockingboard-compatible sound card from Applied Engineering
, called the Phasor
. It had 4 sound chips and thus provided 12 audio channels. Few programs supported using it for more than six voices, however.
In 2005, an Apple II retrocomputing
hardware company, ReactiveMicro.com, cloned the Mockingboard and offered it for sale. It is also fairly easy to build a clone on a prototyping board, since the Mockingboard contains relatively few components.
Sound card
A sound card is an internal computer expansion card that facilitates the input and output of audio signals to and from a computer under control of computer programs. The term sound card is also applied to external audio interfaces that use software to generate sound, as opposed to using hardware...
for the Apple II family of microcomputer
Microcomputer
A microcomputer is a computer with a microprocessor as its central processing unit. They are physically small compared to mainframe and minicomputers...
s built by Sweet Micro Systems. The standard Apple II machines never had particularly good sound, especially when compared to competitors like the SID
MOS Technology SID
The MOS Technology 6581/8580 SID is the built-in Programmable Sound Generator chip of Commodore's CBM-II, Commodore 64, Commodore 128 and Commodore MAX Machine home computers...
chip-enabled Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
. With the notable exception of the Apple IIGS
Apple IIGS
The Apple , the fifth and most powerful model in the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer. The "GS" in the name stands for Graphics and Sound, referring to its enhanced graphics and sound capabilities, both of which greatly surpassed previous models of the line...
, all an Apple II programmer could do was to form sounds out of single clicks sent to the speaker at specific moments, which made the creation of complex sounds extremely difficult to program and made it mostly impossible to do any other processing during the creation of sounds. The Mockingboard allowed programmers to send complex, high-quality sound via its specialized hardware, without need for constant CPU attention. The Mockingboard required external speaker
Loudspeaker
A loudspeaker is an electroacoustic transducer that produces sound in response to an electrical audio signal input. Non-electrical loudspeakers were developed as accessories to telephone systems, but electronic amplification by vacuum tube made loudspeakers more generally useful...
s, although it could also be connected the Apple's built-in speaker. However, as the quality of the built-in speaker was not high the instruction manual recommended obtaining external speakers.
The Mockingboard was available in various models for either the slot-based Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
/ Apple II Plus
Apple II Plus
The Apple II Plus was the second model of the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer, Inc. It was sold new from June 1979 to December 1982.-Features:...
/ Apple IIe
Apple IIe
The Apple IIe is the third model in the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer. The e in the name stands for enhanced, referring to the fact that several popular features were now built-in that were only available as upgrades and add-ons in earlier models...
systems or in one special model for the Apple IIc
Apple IIc
The Apple IIc, the fourth model in the Apple II series of personal computers, was Apple Computer’s first endeavor to produce a portable computer. The end result was a notebook-sized version of the Apple II that could be transported from place to place...
. Sound was generated through one or more AY-3-8910 or compatible sound chips, with one chip offering three square-wave synthesis channels. The boards could also be equipped with an optional speech chip (a Votrax
Votrax
Votrax International, Inc. , or just Votrax, was a speech synthesis company located in the Detroit, Michigan area from 1971 to about 1996 It began as a division of Federal Screw Works from 1971 to 1973...
SC-01 or compatible).
Some software products supported more than one Mockingboard. Ultima V
Ultima V
Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny is the fifth entry in the computer role-playing game series Ultima.-Plot:After having mastered the eight Virtues, attaining Avatarhood and retrieving the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom in the previous game, the player is summoned back to Britannia by his old comrades Iolo...
supported two boards, for a total of 12 voices, of which it used eight. Most other programs supported at most one board with six voices.
There was a Mockingboard-compatible sound card from Applied Engineering
Applied Engineering
Applied Engineering, headquartered in Carrollton, TX, was a leading third-party hardware vendor for the Apple II series of computers from the early 1980s until the mid-1990s.-History:...
, called the Phasor
Phasor (sound synthesizer)
Phasor is a stereo music, sound and speech synthesizer created by Applied Engineering for the Apple II family of computers. Consisting of a sound card and a set of related software, the Phasor system was designed to be compatible with most software written for other contemporary Apple II cards,...
. It had 4 sound chips and thus provided 12 audio channels. Few programs supported using it for more than six voices, however.
In 2005, an Apple II retrocomputing
Retrocomputing
Retrocomputing is the use of early computer hardware and software today. Retrocomputing is usually classed as a hobby and recreation rather than a practical application of technology; enthusiasts often collect rare and valuable hardware and software for sentimental reasons...
hardware company, ReactiveMicro.com, cloned the Mockingboard and offered it for sale. It is also fairly easy to build a clone on a prototyping board, since the Mockingboard contains relatively few components.
Early models
- Sound I: one AY-3-8910 chip for three audio channels
- Speech I: one SC-01 chip
- Sound II: two AY-3-8910 chips for six audio channels
- Sound/Speech I: one AY-3-8910 and one SC-01
Later models
- Mockingboard A: two AY-3-8913 chips for six audio channels and two open sockets for SSI-263 speech chips
- Mockingboard B: SSI-263 speech chip upgrade for Mockingboard A
- Mockingboard C: two AY-3-8913 and one SSI-263 (essentially a Mockingboard A with the upgrade pre-installed, only one speech chip allowed)
- Mockingboard D: for Apple IIc only, not software compatible with the other Mockingboards, two AY-3-8913 and one SSI-263
- Mockingboard M: Bundled with Mindscape's Bank Street Music WriterBank Street Music WriterBank Street Music Writer was an application for composing and playing music for Atari 8-bit, Apple II, Commodore 64 and DOS . It was written by Glen Clancy and published by Mindscape. The original Atari version, developed under the name "Note Processor" was released in 1985 and used the computer's...
, with two AY-3-8913 chips and an open socket for one speech chip. This model included a headphone jack and a jumper to permit sound to be played through the Apple's built-in speaker. - Mockingboard v1: A clone of the Mockingboard A from ReactiveMicro.com