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Explore the fascinating world of vintage sound chip reverse engineering in this 58-minute conference talk that delves into the hidden algorithms and secrets within classic digital audio processors. Learn how to build emulators for old sound chips from synthesizers and game consoles through practical reverse engineering techniques, including silicon analysis, logic analyzer usage, and decoding of compression schemes and forgotten audio algorithms. Discover the speaker's current project of reverse engineering a custom 1990s DSP using only an Arduino Mega and systematic speculation, with methods you can apply to other chips. Follow the journey from analyzing fixed behavior hardware to tackling programmable DSPs that execute real-time audio manipulation code, understanding how to decode undocumented bytecode without destroying original hardware. Gain insights into silicon reverse engineering processes, hardware preservation efforts, and the technical challenges of making vintage audio technology accessible without original equipment, building on previous work with Roland digital piano custom algorithms analyzed through microscope die shots.
