New SID Synth

[M-.-n]

Paul,

Not sure I'm 100% correct since I don't own any of them. However, a little
history lesson: In the old days, since those chip where basically uber
limited, people had to use tricks to make them sound more 'interesting'
(people were writing whole tunes & FX on one chip!) .

One of the big + of the setup was that those chips were connected to a main
CPU that was able to change their parameters really fast creating complex
timbre coming not from only the chip but rather from the combination of a
fast controller and the chip. Hand in hand. These techniques are what make
music on gameboy/sid/NES interesting (hum, at least for some of us) and the
root what I was trying to achieve -and still am- with lgpt: applying it to
samples. Maybe think of it as a modulation like LFO/Envelopes but a lot more
complex since they where completely programmable.

A standalone SID has a rather interesting filter and kind of a lovely sound
but you get around it pretty quickly: the power of using the SID lies in the
ability to control it fast. For exemple, the sid station from elektron was a
rather dull implementation since it was 'only' midi powered and you couldn't
get very creative in the tone programming, only rely on the 'classic' synth
parameters. Plus it was ridiculously overpriced.

I think your "friend" must mean that: hyper sid is controlled by midi (and
therefore has a slow update possibility) while his must have a programmable
onboard controller that allows for more creative sound bending/shaping. Note
that the fact it is not controllable from midi sucks IMHO because you should
be able to "program" the modulation sequences and then take it with you just
like a nord mod.

Hope this helps clearing some shadows.
Marc.

  -----Original Message-----
  From: music-bar-bounces at lists.music-bar.org
[mailto:music-bar-bounces at lists.music-bar.org]On Behalf Of punkdISCO
  Sent: mardi 23 septembre 2008 21:32
  To: 'Music-bar'
  Subject: New SID Synth


  Hey all



  Just noticed this new SID synth:



  http://www.hypersynth.com/index.html



  I have a HardSID VST which sounds frickin ace.  It has a few shortcomings,
not least the guy who actually makes it is a complete fascist.  For example,
he just pointed out on his Yahoo list that advertising is forbidden when I
simply expressed my interest in this new sexy SID synth.  Since when does
discussion = advertising?  I did point out the fundamental reasons where the
HardSID is better.



  Anyway, it looks better than my HardSID in a few respects:



  -          Nicer/simper interface

  -          It is a stand alone MIDI box that can optionally be controlled
by a VST

  -          It has full sized audio sockets and, they are balanced

  -          It will soon have an optional dedicated hardware controller

  -          Front panel backlight brightness can be controlled by
user-assignable MIDI events (MIDI-driven Visualization) (YAY!!!)



  Things I don't like

  -          Only 2 LFOs (not a prob for me but will put some people off)

  -          Only 1 SID chip!!!!  The HardSID can hold 4. This really sets
it apart from the competition.

  -          No arp!!

  -          No 64 step sequencer thingy so Im guessing its not going to be
up to percussive sounds

  -          No Wave in

  -          The audio sucks! I sure it will sound just as good but the
demos are awful



  Mr HardSID did explain this stuff:



  "Also, don't confuse a simple MIDI message sender panel (a remote
controller) with a synth engine with 8000Hz update rate.

  Of course it can't have a wave in pin, since MIDI has a baud rate of 31250
bits per second. If you count the error/parity stuff, it can't be more than
roughly 3125 bytes per second. Which is less than one SID register at
8000Hz. (0.39 registers at 8kHz)"



  [some of the above prob relates to the fact that the HardSID does not have
any MIDI, rather, its controlled via a VST frontend over USB]



  I have asked the HardSID list before what this actually means to someone
who does not have a pointy head, but I have never really understood their
replies.  Im guessing it would account for why my HardSID sounds like
complete filth and the HyperSID sounds like a poor VST?  (Either that or its
just their demos are shite).



  SIDs rock..



  Paul

  London

  www.punkdisco.co.uk

  Banned by YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EvlOpBe0xU

  "thats mental! and rather fkin ace too! cheers! dick subhumans"


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