This project uses a chip that was common in video games of the 1980's. I really like the sounds it produces. Unfortunately there isn't any how-to, or schematics, for this project.
This video shows a hardware ("real") SP0256 IC sequencer from Ableton Live via internal MIDI routing and a serial connection over USB.
Learn more about controlling a speech IC via Arduino
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/05/controlling_a_speech_ic_v.html