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Comment by chabes | Hacker News Reader

Digital modules from Mutable Instruments (and related clones + offshoots) use audio-based data transfer for firmware updates.

Interesting way to give the consumer the ability to change the firmware without having to access the back of the module (there's a way to use a serial JTAG adapter as well).

https://github.com/pichenettes/mutable-dev-environment?tab=r...

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As I understand it, transferring data as audio goes back quite ways, right?

I had a Commodore 64 that could use phillips tape. I'm drawing. blank, but IIRC there were musical instruments (maybe the roland juno 60?) in the 80s that were storing their data as audio, too.

Yus, apparently some software was broadcast on the radio, people could record it on tape and use it on their Commodore and such.

Heck, my computer used to get on the land line telephone and ask its friends for software.

One of the weirdest things I did last week was realizing that my flipper zero could be used as a redbox... now I just need to find a payphone with a trunk...

also distributed on thin records inserted into computer magazines

https://obsoletemedia.org/floppy-rom/

Yep, that's correct about the Juno 60. There are people still sharing WAV files of the original factory patches which is cool to be able to re-load now and again.

Here, this is a lot of fun.

http://www.whence.com/minimodem/

I mean, I'm thinking about upgrading from my tech license so I can start playing with digital modes on HF radio...

damn, this thread is making me feel old...

Disney used it to control their animatronics for many years (aka, "audio animatronics")

Kansas City Standard was delivered on cheap records through the mail

Yeah, Juno-106 as well.

On a similar if sillier note note, Korg made a Hatsune Miku guitar effect[1] that was programmable through audio sent from an iPhone app through the guitar pickup.

Annoyingly, the free app isn't available on the US App Store, so open source software would be useful (insofar as the ability to play back a predefined sequence of Vocaloid phonemes using an electric guitar is useful).

[1] https://www.korg.com/us/products/effects/mikustomp/

I have been on the hunt for this pedal, and it is now stupidly expensive. I hope they rerelease it one of these days

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