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Elektron Musical Instruments

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Thread

Sid Trackers

Sid Trackers

2002-07-01 by Jeff Monroe

Sorry, caught the ass-end of these thread. What exactly is a sid 
tracker? If you could
point me to or give more info I'd like to read up on it....

-= jeff

phonophobie wrote:

>hi,
>i just read your messages. i just want to say that i like people who 
>still uses tracker for their music. trackers are still an unbeatable 
>tool to create these special kind of music. the worse thing about it 
>is - you always need a external computer to create. sidtables are 
>nice but these hardcore effects we all like mostly can\ufffdt be done with 
>it. and only using hardsid is a little bit frustrating. because it is 
>just like a external player.. like playing a cd in a cd-player:/ it 
>would be nice when there would be something between. maybee a 
>sidstation editor with advanced programming.. but i guess no one -
>even electron- will do it. anyway track on ;)
>-phono
>
>
>--- In elektron-users@y..., "Chris Stammen" <cosmiq@h...> wrote:
>  
>
>>Thanks for the usefull information! :)  And indeed.. I better use 
>>    
>>
>goat-tracker to build rithms and afterwards record it while playing 
>the sid through the sidstation: It's not only easier to compose with 
>a tracker (IMO), but it also gives the oppertunity to compose the SID 
>while I don't even have the sidstation (yet). Good tip! :)
>  
>
>>The way of composing with lot's of sysex data to 'program' the 
>>    
>>
>oscillator volumes doesn't sound like a fun way to compose. 
>Especially not in a 'horizontal way of composing' (cakewalk / cubase 
>style - blerghh)  Anyway: I just *love* the oldskool tracker-
>arpeggiators (effect 0xx in protracker).. It seems that they can be 
>built with the Sidstation. Therefor I definately gonna buy one!  Do 
>you know how these arps are made?  I tried to build these on my K-
>Station and Virus but both of them didn't gave a good result. 
>(Just 'UP'-arpeggiated a pulse with some PWM and a bit delay;;  the 
>result was a chaos of sounds, far too clear to compare with the 
>original module -arps)
>  
>
>>Thanks again for the story down here ;-) And Steven, could you warn 
>>    
>>
>me when you have made a sidstation- rithm!?  I'm curious of what's 
>possible with that toy!
>  
>
>>greetz,
>>-Chris
>>
>>
>>  ----- Original Message ----- 
>>  From: Steven Henry 
>>  To: elektron-users@y... 
>>  Sent: Monday, July 01, 2002 3:12 PM
>>  Subject: Re: [elektron] SidStation Drumpatches
>>
>>
>>  >Is it possible to build oldskool C64 rithms with a sidstation? 
>>    
>>
>And then, 
>  
>
>>  >how are the patches arranged? (Can I assign C#2 to bassdrum, D#2 
>>    
>>
>to snare, 
>  
>
>>  >E#2 to hihat, etc and build a drumbank this way?)
>>
>>  Although the sidstation can achieve the oldskool drum sounds, its 
>>    
>>
>usually 
>  
>
>>  only possible to trigger them as you would if you had built the 
>>    
>>
>sound on any 
>  
>
>>  synth (one per patch).
>>
>>  You build single drum sounds in the table editor (all 3 
>>    
>>
>oscilators have a 
>  
>
>>  wavetable.) If you've never used a sid tracker before, the 
>>    
>>
>wavetable looks 
>  
>
>>  like a step sequencer with assignable waveform, pitch etc. for 
>>    
>>
>each step. If 
>  
>
>>  you set the playback rate fast enough this sequence can sound 
>>    
>>
>like a snare 
>  
>
>>  or a bassdrum. Its also possible to build whole beats this way 
>>    
>>
>(but this is 
>  
>
>>  very tricky compared to a c64 tracker.)
>>
>>  Unfortuneatly you can't assign each oscilator to a different 
>>    
>>
>note / midi 
>  
>
>>  channel. So you can only really play one sequence/drum sound at a 
>>    
>>
>time. The 
>  
>
>>  operating system on the sid is set out like a synth.. so even if 
>>    
>>
>it had 
>  
>
>>  assignable midi channels - normal drum machine funtions eg. 
>>    
>>
>copying and 
>  
>
>>  pasting single drum sounds wouldn't be possible without an 
>>    
>>
>external editor. 
>  
>
>>  Instead, All 3 oscilators are grouped as a patch, which seems 
>>    
>>
>like a bit of 
>  
>
>>  a waste. So while the sid is great for lead sounds and single 
>>    
>>
>drum hits the 
>  
>
>>  kind of opperation which you talk of would not be available 
>>    
>>
>without a major 
>  
>
>>  O.S. re-build.
>>
>>  There are a few ways to get around this. One is to set your 
>>    
>>
>wavetables to 
>  
>
>>  different drum sounds, trigger when you want a hit, mute the 
>>    
>>
>oscilators via 
>  
>
>>  midi and use a program (ive used max/msp for this) to send 
>>    
>>
>controllers to 
>  
>
>>  unmute the oscilators as they are needed. (extremly back 
>>    
>>
>asswards.)
>  
>
>>  Of course, there are also a few alternatives to building the 
>>    
>>
>beats on the 
>  
>
>>  sid. I usually use goat tracker (pc bassed sid tracker) save the 
>>    
>>
>file as a 
>  
>
>>  sid.. and play back using ASID mode. (a funtion on the sidstation 
>>    
>>
>which 
>  
>
>>  allows you to play sid tunes via sysex from your computer on the 
>>    
>>
>sid.) Iv'e 
>  
>
>>  also attempted to build an ASID drum machine in Max. with quite 
>>    
>>
>nice 
>  
>
>>  results. but this is unfinnished due to 8 bit sysex grief .
>>
>>  >Is the noise coming out of the C64 chip really that terrible?
>>
>>  No not at all.. the noise is one of the best bits. It isnt really 
>>    
>>
>noise. 
>  
>
>>  what happens is that the oscilators don't stop when you stop 
>>    
>>
>playing, so the 
>  
>
>>  backround noise is just a tuneful variation on the last note you 
>>    
>>
>played. 
>  
>
>>  sometimes it even blurts out a big groan.
>>
>>  It really is a fantastic instrument  with morr character than any 
>>    
>>
>other 
>  
>
>>  synth ive ever used. though a drum macine it aint'.
>>
>>  >Where can I find MP3's only using SidStation ( I already 
>>    
>>
>downloaded all the 
>  
>
>>  >mP3s on sidstation.com)
>>
>>  Hmmn, I know alot of the guys at ww.micromusic.net use 
>>    
>>
>Sidstations. but most 
>  
>
>>  sid fundamentalists use trackers.
>>
>>  /Steven
>>
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>  
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-- 
--= jeff.monroe
http://www.lemurgene.com

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