Linus Akesson’s C=Tar

I’m a geek, you’re a geek, we’re all geeks.

And Linus Akesson is a very geeky music youtuber that plays music with the Commodore 64.

But not in the traditionnal method of composing a SID tune and playing it back; he builds instruments around the computer and plays them.

His youtube channel is filled with music-related videos with various incarnation of a Commodore-based instrument – theremin, accordion, organ…

2023/09/252023/12/08 by wereallgeeks Categories: 100% Geek, Audiovideo, C64SID, Commodore 64, Computers and technology, Geek lounge, Geekyness, Projects, RetrocomputingTags: c=tar, citar, commodore, Commodore 64, Commodore 64C, guitar, keytar, mod, modding, music, musical instrument, retrocomputer, retrocomputers, Retrocomputing, SID, SID chip, theremin

We tried a BackSID on our Commodore 64, here’s how it was

I’m a geek, you’re a geek, we’re all geeks.

And when we built a Commodore 64 we needed something to replace the 6581 Sound Interface Device

MOS 6581 “SID” chip is the audible output of a Commodore 64 computer. It was revolutionary when it was released in the 1980s, and made it’s way in synthesizers and gave its sound to the Commodore 64.

This chip has an analog nature, filtering, and could produce 3 simultaneous voices – much better than anything IBM’s “personnal computer” could produce at the time.

When we built the 250466 reproduction board, the SID was borrowed from another C64. That meant one of the two Commodore had no audio output. It meant silent gaming and no music.

Shopping for a SID chip online has it’s share of frustration and getting a genuine, working one isn’t guaranteed. The scarcity of the chip has the side effect of increased pricing. An 6581R4AR like the one borrowed for the build can fetch north of 100$ on auction sites.

The repro chips are a bargain by comparison. And will be much more future proof than 40 years old microchips.

A question remain – Do they sound the same?

2023/09/042023/08/27 by wereallgeeks Categories: 100% Geek, C64SID, Commodore 64, Computers and technology, Geekyness, Projects, RetrocomputingTags: 6581, audio, BackBit, BackSID, C64, commodore, Commodore 64, Commodore 64C, DIY, electronics, MOS, MOS6581, MOS6581R4AR, retro, retro computer, retro computing, retrocomputer, SID, SID 6581, SID chip 6 Comments

Stereo Commodore 64

I’m a geek, you’re a geek, we’re all geeks

and geeks enjoy their old games and computers on modern equipment.

In the eighties, most television sets were mono. So gaming aparitus and computers of the time were also mono. But modern televisions are at least stereo, and often cinema-style ambiophonic…

The commodore 64 uses what was revolutionary at the time, the “Sound Interface Device” – SID chip, for short.

The SID chip is capable to play 3 different voices simultaneously, and add filtering to the audio output, which makes for a remarquable audio quality, much more advanced than most of what was avaiable at the time.

Only issue (for modern times) is that it has only one channel. Mono. non-stereo. Being that the audio quality is rather advanced, audio snippets have been extracted from games for years in “SID files” and enjoyed by geeks – in mono.

In addition to outputting audio from the computer, the SID chip’s analog inputs are used to control paddle inputs from the game port, which is used for some game or as a mouse pointing device.

Is there a way to get the Commodore 64 to output in stereo?

2023/07/242023/09/05 by wereallgeeks Categories: 100% Geek, Audiovideo, C64Mods, C64SID, Commodore 64, Computers and technology, Geek lounge, Geekyness, RetrocomputingTags: 100% Geek, Arm2SID, ArmSID, C64, C64C, CGSC, commodore, Commodore 64, Commodore 64C, Commodore alteration, DIY, Electronic, electronics, Geek, Geekyness, HVSC, MixSID, mod, SID, Sid-Tuner, SidFX, Sound Interface Device, stereo, Stereoplayer, StereoSID, SwinSID, video games

C64 Sid chip replacement

I’m a geek, you’re a geek, we’re all geeks

and geeks enjoy their old games and computers.

In the eighties, the commodore 64 used what was revolutionary at the time, the “Sound Interface Device” – SID chip, for short.

The SID chip is capable of playing 3 different voices simultaneously, and adding filtering to the outputted audio, which made for a remarquable audio quality, much more advanced than what was avaiable at the time.

But the chip is no longer being produced.

When building a new Commodore, or fixing one up, where can a geek get a replacement SID?

2023/07/102023/08/10 by wereallgeeks Categories: 100% Geek, C64SID, Commodore 64, Computers and technology, Geek lounge, Geekyness, RetrocomputingTags: 100% Geek, ArmSID, C64, C64C, CGSC, commodore, Commodore 64, Commodore 64C, Commodore alteration, DIY, Electronic, electronics, Geek, Geekyness, MixSID, mod, SID, SidFX, Sound Interface Device, SwinSID, video games 5 Comments

Using Commodore 64 to play music

I’m a geek, you’re a geek, we’re all geeks.

And geeks like to listend to chiptunes – music made by computers. The commodore 64 being one of the most popular gaming platform of all time had quite it’s share of music composed for it.

Part of the reason being the Sound Interface Device (SID) chip within the computer. When the SID chip was released, it was re-vo-lu-tion-ary. The chip was used not only in computers, but also in synthesizers. That’s how good it sounded.

Today’s article will explore how to use the Commodore 64 as a SID music player.

2023/06/262023/08/23 by wereallgeeks Categories: 100% Geek, Audiovideo, C64SID, Commodore 64, Computers and technology, Geek lounge, Geekyness, Projects, RetrocomputingTags: 100% Geek, 1541 ultimate, C64, C64C, chiptunes, commodore, Commodore 64, Geek, Geekyness, HVSC, music, music player, pi1541, sd2iec, SID, SID chip, Sid tunes, sidplay64, synthesizer, wereallgeeks 2 Comments