Since I haven't had a chance to use one of these carts yet, and I've only read the documentation in its current draft mode, I'd like to better understand "direct" mode.

Does that mode allow the modulation wheel to be used to slide the pitch of any of the chip's four voices up and down seamlessly?

If so, what musical note does it start on by default?

Can this starting point be assigned to a note of the player's choice or can that happen automatically somehow?

I'd like to help improve the current draft user manual for this cart and understanding this better would help immensely. Of course, being able to put a cart through its paces would be even better!

After reading the documentation and hearing your demo, @LeifBloomquist , I'm keen to support this project and pitch in as best I can. I don't have a VIC-20 at moment (I should be able to source one soon), and I've never programmed anything with MIDI or anything for the VIC-20, but I'm keen to have a look at the files here and chat through possibilities. I dabbled with BASIC in the 1980s and have done some programming more recently.

As an electronic musician, I would love any extra expressive CC commands, like modulation and pitchbending if you think these could be practical to implement. Is there a VIC-20 emulator I can use to playtest the existing code? And if so, can I send MIDI controllers signals to it somehow?

Count me in as keen to help take this project further. I'm also an illustrator, so if you'd like to jazz up the project artwork, manual, etc. I have skills to share. I'd gladly provide these services in return for a cart, if they're of value to you (Jim?)... and I'd like to make a proper video review of the cartridge, after being a bit underwhelmed by the only one I could find on Youtube (the conference talk videos circa 2015 were more inspiring). I'd do both of these things in return for a freebie. :P

I have a general "Danimations Digital Media Tips" channel on Youtube, where I'd like to showcase the project and you'll hear a little bit of my chiptune compositional spark in the theme music there too. ;) http://youtube.com/danimationstips