I don’t see the piano overlay where is it
If it were a C64C, I’d be more tempted. But luckily I have an original C64C
Still looks amazing
Interesting, Jeri Ellsworth is in it
Didn’t know she was the one who “gained fame in 2004 for creating a complete Commodore 64 imitating system on a chip housed within a joystick, called Commodore 30-in-1 Direct to TV.”
Also,
just so I understand correctly, it does not have an actual sid, right?
Two actual sid chips and 8 emulated is the way I read it.
we need to ask them if it includes the actual sid chips
nobody has any stock of real sid chips. it has dip sockets for you to add two real chips if you have them, or just use the virtual ones. it does not come with real physical old sid chips.
Remanufacture the SID chips you cowards!
Clone The Sid, Uli!
They may have to wait for this to be resolved first…
Commodore Trademark Fight Heats Up - The Oasis BBS Commodore Trademark Fight Heats Up - The Oasis BBS
Most of the SID is digital anyway, so not a huge deal there. The filter is a fairly limited digitally controlled, analog State Variable, and would really be the only part that would benefit from re-issued SIDs. That said, IMO the modeled filters are sounding quite nice recently.
A friend and I are tentatively planning a clone that would allow different analog filter modules to be swapped in and out. So you could potentially have a fancy state variable, something close to the original, or say a 24db filter, etc. Kind of like the little cartridges for the Avalon, but probably not in cartridge form. ![]()
I did have a huge stack of original SIDs. Most 6581 variants, plenty of 8580s. I sold them all a while back though. I haven’t missed them at all using the ARMSID.
As far as the default state of the ARMSID (someone asked above) it’s perfectly fine. That said, everything I’ve used them in allowed for configuration to a degree. Obviously you can set tons of parameters using the Ultimate 64 Elite II boards. With the TherapSIDs I had you could at least select between 6581 and 8580. Since these new C64s are using the Ultimate 64 Elite II boards, anyone that gets one will be able to configure the ARMSIDs. Even the built-in software SIDs that come on these boards aren’t too bad. I still ended up using the ARMs though.
There are really more options than any SID-Nerd would need IMO. I haven’t found a game or demo yet that I couldn’t get sounding the way I remember it on a SID chip, and with very little effort. (usually just swapping between 8580 and 6581) I trimmed out the filter responses the way I like them in the menu, and that’s it!
The funny part is, there are so many SID revisions, C64 revisions, emulators, etc. out there, that any time you hear a SID, it’s going to sound different than if you ran it somewhere else. I think people became accustomed to how their own C64 sounded in the 80s too, and whatever revision that was, is what they prefer now. (even if say, the music was written on a different one) So nobody is REALLY going to get the exact experience they had back then. There are too many variables. Even then, as soon as the tune/game/demo is played on someone else’s setup, it’s going to sound different again.
So I think nitpicking SID characteristics doesn’t result in much. Find a device, set it up to sound pretty good across your range of SIDs/demos/games, then forget about it. It won’t take long to get used to the new sound.
I still have the original in the attic. I haven’t used it in 40 years. My favourite was the BBC Micro. I used to play the American Civil War on it. Totally absorbed as a kid. Nice to see all these old stuff coming back.
The Commodore was before my time. How is it as a music tool outside of the SID chip? I assume that DIN connector on the back isn’t for MIDI.
it was great for its time and as a teenager I used the C64 music software for chip tune stuff. I had to get one after it came back for relive my old days of learning to code and make noise.
No, one DIN is a serial connection for disk drives etc. the other is video and audio. Separate chroma/luma like S-Video. I love the SID, so never really followed MIDI possibilities if any. I didn’t get into MIDI until Amiga/PC etc.
Here’s a bit of the SID setup stuff:
(Sorry just grabbed phone pics of the screen since I’m playing something
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