AmiGUS mini: 24-bit Sound for Amiga 1200 & 600

We've previously mentioned AmiGUS - a modern Zorro II based Amiga Soundcard. This impressive piece of kit boasts a 192Khz sample rate at 24-bit - undoubtedly a superb choice for owners of "big box" Amiga machines (like the 2000, 3000 & 4000) but let's not forget, 95% of Amiga fans don't own such a high-end machine.

Most users rock smaller, wedge models (like the A600 or A1200) as their "Amiga Daily Driver" and it is these worlds that AmiGUS mini is designed to rock! The features are startlingly close to the Zorro version; I/O options are leaner, but nearly all other features have survived the miniaturisation process:

• PCMCIA I/O card for Amiga 600/1200
• High-quality digital mixer in FPGA, 24-bit 192kHz
• Hardware-supported playback of 32-channel modules, MP3s, and 8/16-bit AHI streams on a standard 68000(!)
• 32 channel playback, with 32 MiB sample memory - therefore also suitable as a MIDI card or for MOD/S3M/... module formats
• Analogue and TOSLINK audio output via a combined 3.5 mm jack plug in 24-bit 192 kHz
• Analogue input via 3.5mm jack plug in 24-bit 96kHz
• On-board VU meter for fun light effects!
• All analogue and digital mixer sources and the final mix can be sampled in 16-bit 96kHz
• On screen mixer: feed and mix external audio sources, including the native Amiga signal
• Supports AHI and MHI libraries
• Enables the development of new MIDI and tracker formats on the Amiga
• Mixer settings can be saved and loaded at boot time
• Modern CPLD-less design
• New developer framework/SDK

The product is currently in beta and, from my tests on my own 68060-powered A1200 - is shaping up to be pretty remarkable!

• I found that the mixer, command-line WAV playback and AHI tools like ScummVM all worked flawlessly
• In the past days, a new version of Hippoplayer (an app that had been in hiatus for nearly two decades at one point) has been released to the Aminet, allowing for playback of multi-channel mod files; neat!
• Still in the works are a Soundfont (SF2) converter - marking the first time that Amiga users can easily compose with this popular multisample format. Additionally an updated CAMD (Commodore Amiga Midi Driver) library will allow MIDI applications to directly address the onboard 32 channel/32 megabyte ROMpler. This playback engine mimics the Gravis Ultrasound PC soundcard from 1992. As such, there are no filters (a shame) but there are hardware ADSR envelopes, plus the possibility of addressing sample start, end and loop pointers. And of course, a price will need to be decided.

To keep up to date with AmiGUS, go to: https://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=120290

• Amiga TFMX Hardware Synth Prototype 30-May-26
• New Amiga Soundcard: AmiGUS 10-Apr-25
• Computer Music Chronicles: The Amiga as a Guitar Pedal 05-Apr-24
• Octamed SoundStudio V8 Announcement 05-Feb-24
• Amiga 1200 Jungle Hardcore 16-Feb-22