Elektron Musical Instruments

>> The NES has a very simple programmable sound generator (PSG)
[...]
>> No envelopes, no filters, no hard sync, 

IIRC there was at least some pitch-up/pitch-down hardware slides.  I think
that was to make up for the fact that each write to the sound registers
caused a click.

>> Compared to the SID, it sounds very poor.

>No it doesn't! ;)

Hehe... it's all software magic.  The video hardware blows chunks too (no raster effects possible (well, one: split screen)), but that didn't stop
Shigeru Miyamoto and company from creating some of the best games ever using
it.

I also recommend nanoloop to anyone wanting to play with minimalist hardware
like the NES sound chip.  Little Sound DJ is cool too, but it's IMO it's
trying too hard to emulate pro audio hardware.  Nanoloop just goes off and
does its own weird thing.

-Jim

-- 
Jim Crawford
Me:   http://www.goombas.org/
Band: http://smush.goombas.org/