interested in using the C64 as a SID synthesizer...

[jbuonacc]

hello everyone. i've recently been getting back into making music with the C64. right now i have a small system that i picked up some years back, but am looking to get some other things. i wouldn't mind an older unit in nice shape to replace the one i have. i have a PSU and a 1541 drive which seem to be healthy for now, though i might want to look into upgrading them. i've heard that the newer grey verion 64c has a different sound chip in it, so i'd be looking to get one of those as well. i checked ebay, but either the prices were outrageous, or there was just too much stuff involved. shipping cost is a concern due to the weight of PSUs and drives, so i was hoping to use the ones i have for now. i didn't have too much luck looking for other people that sell them.

i'm in Rochester, NY if it helps to know. please contact me here or at [email protected] if you're able to help. thanks, take care...

-justin.

[Gambit]

Taking a train to Toronto Canada may be an idea. They have alot of shows and usergroups there with low priced units you could bring home.

[gklinger]

Taking a train to Toronto Canada may be an idea.

Given the geography, I think a boat might be a better mode of transportation. Too bad the whole ferry thing didn't work out.

[jbuonacc]

ughh, what a joke that was. really too bad, could have been a great thing (at least for us).

i do appreciate the advice, but i'm not sure that would help much. maybe if i were buying a carload of stuff (might customs have a problem with this though? ), but i'd probably spend more in gas, tolls, etc than i would on a few C64 consoles. also, i haven't kept up on it but has the passport law kicked in yet? i really would like to check out the scene up there though, and it'd be a great idea if i were after a bunch of stuff. i did find a sales list from the Toronto users group, but i'm not sure how shipping from Canada is. i'm a bit concerned about that also because a friend was telling me about sending something to Canada and the receiver having to pay a $30 'broker's fee' to collect their item. after hearing this i'm hesitant to order anything from across the border. anyone heard of something like this? has anyone from the US ordered from the Toronto users group before?

about the only other thing i've found so far is a list from a users group in Cincinnati, Ohio. not sure how current the list is, but it looks like they've got a lot of stuff. i'll try to contact them if there's not anyone here with some units to spare.

i've been reading a bit more and found some information on an electronics project to make a MIDI synthesizer from the C64. looks like people have come up with all sorts of custom designs, i'd like to try something like this myself. i'd also be interested in any non-functional C64 consoles that could be used for modification if anyone has any that they'd be willing to part with.

right now i'm pretty excited with what i've found. if anyone has anything i might be able to use, please contact me.

**another thing i might be interested in is something that can get audio into the C64. i saw something called (i believe) the 'Covox Voice Master - Voice and Music Processor' which looks like it can record speech through a device that hooks into the controller port? does anyone know any details about these devices? also, i guess i'd be looking for any MIDI or music related stuff for the C64 as well. not too sure what's out there.

[rbernardo]

i've heard that the newer grey verion 64c has a different sound chip in it, so i'd be looking to get one of those as well.

Grey? Do you mean the off-white C64C?

i didn't have too much luck looking for other people that sell them.

We have brown and off-white C64s for $5 each. It's the postage that drives up the price.

Truly,

[rbernardo]

i saw something called (i believe) the 'Covox Voice Master - Voice and Music Processor' which looks like it can record speech through a device that hooks into the controller port? does anyone know any details about these devices?

I have the Covox Voice Master with disks and instruction books. What would you like to know?

Sound quality is pretty rough with it,

[gklinger]

i haven't kept up on it but has the passport law kicked in yet?

It has.

i really would like to check out the scene up there though, and it'd be a great idea if i were after a bunch of stuff.

If you were going to make the trip you should try to do so on the third Thursday of a month (like this coming Thursday) when TPUG meets. You would probably enjoy attending one of our meetings (there's a dinner beforehand) and you could bring home all the C= equipment your car can hold. When crossing back into the U.S. you would be obliged to declare your purchases but with the small amount of money involved, it's doubtful you'd be charged any duty or taxes.

As for shipping, it isn't all that much more than shipping within the U.S. (they tend to charge by distance) provided one avoids UPS who charge all kinds of (excessive) customs handling fees. Canada Post and the USPS all the way.

about the only other thing i've found so far is a list from a users group in Cincinnati, Ohio. not sure how current the list is, but it looks like they've got a lot of stuff.

Sounds like the Cincinatti Commodore Computer Club (CCCC). They're good people. You would also be in safe hands with the gentleman who posted before me, Robert Bernardo of the Fresno Commodore User Group. You'd be hard pressed to find a better deal than the ones he offers the community.

[jbuonacc]

rbernardo - you're right, i guess it would be off-white. i'm a bit color-blind and i'd guess that the few i may have seen in person were closer to yellow/orange than either white or grey. i'll send a PM regarding the C64s, assuming that you're offering. as for the Covox, i wouldn't expect great sound quality from it. i think i have an idea of what speech or instruments would sound like on the C64. i'm just a bit unsure as to how you go about recording and what you're able to do with the samples from there. hmm, i guess i've got a lot of questions about it actually...

- how long can a sample recording be? (maybe a few seconds at most?)
- are samples saved seperately and able to be used in music programs, or can the recordings just be used with the Covox software?
- does the recording device need to be used to play back samples, or can they play out of the C64's audio out once they're recorded?
- i'm also curious as to why they label it as a 'music processor' and what sort of uses they had in mind for it.

not really expecting too much, i guess i'm hoping it can work something like the 'Sampler 64' or 'Sound Sampler' though i'm not too sure of how those work either. that's probably what i'm really after, i'm just guessing that the Covox might be easier to find?



gklinger - hmm, that's too bad, i don't have a passport yet. i would love to check out one of your meetings though, maybe once the weather breaks. i wish we had something like that around here. do any members ever run across any music-related hardware or software? i'll be sure to let you know how i make out. hopefully between the Fresno, Cincinnati, and Toronto Users Groups i should be covered for all my C64 needs.

are there any other forum members here that are doing music on the C64?

[gklinger]

do any members ever run across any music-related hardware or software?

There are a couple of regular attendees who use their Commodore computers for music stuff. There's one guy who is really into the Prophet64. He even gave a demo of it at the last World of Commodore. It was pretty impressive.

[jbuonacc]

right on, Prophet64 is one thing i'm really looking forward to. i actually tried to put in an order last week, but they didn't get back to me and now it says they're out of stock. i'll keep an eye on the site though, i'd really like to get one. i see they have some free trial versions on their site, but i need to get an Xn1541 cable to transfer them. i downloaded a C64 emulator but haven't spent too much time with it. for some reason it feels so much better running the programs on the actual C64.

[rbernardo]

i'll send a PM regarding the C64s, assuming that you're offering.

Got the message. Will respond in a bit.

- how long can a sample recording be? (maybe a few seconds at most?)

Right. Just a few seconds.

- are samples saved seperately and able to be used in music programs, or can the recordings just be used with the Covox software?

Samples are saved separately. I must look at the documentation to see if they can be used elsewhere.

- does the recording device need to be used to play back samples, or can they play out of the C64's audio out once they're recorded?

They play out of the C64's audio once recorded.

- i'm also curious as to why they label it as a 'music processor' and what sort of uses they had in mind for it.

Well, there is an additional disk program in which you hum into the microphone, and the program displays the hummed notes on-screen.

Truly,

[jbuonacc]

thank you, that sounds like what i was hoping for. seems that besides the intended software it could work almost the same as the others. looks like a nice idea for it to plug into the controller port, not sure how the input sound quality would compare though. then again, when you're recording at 8-bit (maybe 20-30kHz?) what could it matter?

is it very hard to come across units like the 'Voice Master', 'Sound Sampler', or 'Sampler 64'? are there any others like these that can be used to record audio into the C64? i'm almost suprised that someone hasn't started producing something like this to work with existing or custom recording software. maybe it's more work that it seems, but i wouldn't imagine it's all that complicated compared to the other projects around.

then again, i wonder if it's possible to convert a mono sample down to whatever rate the C64 uses in an audio editor and somehow transfer it over from a more modern computer? any idea what format the sounds are saved as, and if it's possible to convert a .wav file to this format for use on the C64? i wonder if anyone has done this, i'll ask around a bit.

thanks again for your help, very good to know.

[mjj4363]

Check the below web site:

http://www.tpug.ca/

I purchased a complete system from them (commodore 64, monitor, 2 disk drives, mouse and some other accessories for a really reasonable price) they shipped the system to me (I am in the United States) the shipping was not that bad.

[soupisgoodfood]

You've probably already seen this, but I didn't see the name mentioned anywhere. Have ou checked out the MIDIbox 64? If you use the AOUT module for it, you can bypass the SID's filters and use a Moog filter

R.I.P. Bob Moog...