Commodore 64 MIDI DAW!

MickB

New member
What? That old junk?

Yes, indeed. The Commodore 64 was a fully programmable, 3 voice and 1 noise, polyphonic, multi-effect (via extremely rapid arpeggio) 8-bit semi-digital synthesiser with 1 bit 'retro' sampling facility.

Plus bung in MIDI cartridges, oscillation knobs, intelligent composition software, additional synth plug-ins, printer for notation work and then loop all that in with the other MIDI equipment you have and you've got more power to your elbow.

Indeed, most of Concept Single 9 was composed or recorded with the Commie using its own synth or running MIDI out to other units.


See pix and hear trax:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/michael.braisher/Records.htm
 
What I'd really like to see is an emulated C64 MIDI setup on CD-Rom.

With an amended emulator accessing the MIDI ports and line in on a typical sound card, the actual Commodore software and hardware could be emulated to give PC owners what C64 people had all along - MIDI sequencing, SID synthesiser use, plug-in Sound Expander and Sound Sampler emulation or anything else which could so completely utilise the C64 sound which even the SID boxes can't quite give.

Certainly, you can still use existing emulators to program and play the emulated SID (as I can do with my ported software), but there's no quarter given for all the rest of it.

It could be done for £30 you know, a complete set. I'm sure Tulip computers would oblige in selling a license.

..... However, this should do in the meantime: http://c64music.blogspot.com/2006/03/sidcontrol-093b-vsti.html
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/QuadraSID_6581/
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/92.html
 
The addition of MIDI to the Commodore 64, as well as a plentiful supply of other audio software and hardware, allowed budget home studios to take on sophisticated tasks such as notation or sequencing (and even allowing for pro studios to use it for mixer automation).

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/michael.braisher/Studiomaster.jpg
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The Commodore is a forgotten synth, despite the fact that many great games used fabulous synth compositions for its tunes. I would recommend it, and its various add-ons, to take its place amongst the sundry gear in any studio due to its unique sonics.

And because I have software called Instant Music which allows me to compose jingles locked in key as well as tempo, which is ace to come up with MIDI tunes in 10 seconds.
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http://homepage.ntlworld.com/michael.braisher/MIDI.jpg

Sound Expander synth add-on with MIDI attachment. Great for '87.
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http://c64music.blogspot.com/2006/07/hubbard-orchestra.html

Orchestral arrangements
 
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http://homepage.ntlworld.com/michael.braisher/daw.jpg

A little guided tour of the DAW.
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The Commodore 64c, the 1986 revision, had a subtlely different SID synth to the original model. To my ears the older model sounds fuller whilst the second sounds clearer. Other differences included the older machine's capability of playing samples louder and some differences in general operation between the two. Anomolies such as these make for an interesting stereo image when running the two units hardpanned alongside each other whilst playing the same soundtrack.

One (perhaps the only) drawback of the whole C64 affair is that the sound and video tracks were placed too close together on the system's motherboard, an anomoly overlooked even during the 1986 overhaul of the entire design. This results in a slight buzz on the soundtrack, something which only really sounds when using the Commie for multiple overdubs. However, the noise is only sometimes noticeable and can be overcome either by using software which disables the video chip for music, running non-sawtooth tracks through mild reverb to smear the noise, running MIDI out to a SID VSTi or by running the composition through a faithful PC-based C64 emulator once the real 64 has been used to compose it.

The Commodore 64 as a totally programmable 8-bit semi-digital analogue sythesiser with MIDI option was one of the most enduring and unique instruments to ever have been looked upon with disdain by the Business. Whilst musician-technicians favoured the more respectable and powerful Amstrad PC1512 or Atari STs to perform their pro/home studio numbercrunching, the fact is that a Commodore 64 can still be of a much greater use today than the obsolete MIDI housekeepers which used to tower above. (Indeed, downloadable C64 software is still in abundance, as is the hardware on the secondhand market. Old PC and ST stuff is much scarcer.)

There were so many works of art made for the C64, so many games saved only by the sounds. But the likes of Rob Hubbard or Jeoroen Tel were forever doomed to be thought of as second-raters because they composed synth symphonies for games, despite their creative innovations. These days, however, making game music is considered as complex and artistically meritorious as the making of a good album or film score.

To hear some examples of how good SID music actually was at its best, go here and grab the music for, say, ZEPHIX, TURBO OUTRUN, AUF WEIDERSEHEN MONTY, TURKISH TUNE, THRUST, RECKLESS RUFUS, T14 TANKBUSTER or any of the classics. Then go here to get a Sidplayer with which you can remix to crisp 16 bit 44.1khz stereo the real old masters! Just like with Brian Wilson's Pet Sounds stereo remix, a whole new panorama can be opened out like a set of new baffles!!!
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http://homepage.ntlworld.com/michael.braisher/table.jpg

Even a toy membrane music keyboard could work magic on the 64 by using the SID's great sounds. Also, I can create sophisticated rapid finger gliding and arpeggio-type sounds with even my stiff and clumsy fingers just by tickling the thing, or by moving my forefinger round and round in circles up and down! Is there nothing I can't do on a 64?!
 
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Look on Ebay for starters. And this search provides more C64 hardware, including keyboard overlays and Sound Expander. On other days you can also get the MIDI cartridges too.

The machine itself is always for sale.

New bits are being made all the time, the most notable for this being the Prophet 64 synth interface with third party MIDI option.

The software itself is usually downloadable for nothing because the C64 retro thing is bigger than that of any other format. And a decent emulator is available if you wish to remain PC-based. But don't expect the best out of it.

The C64 is a nice instrument and it's worth having one for the sounds, particularly if linked up to other 'proper' synths of the time. But the VST option, see above, is also a good step to take if you don't want too much equipment cluttering up the place.
 
Look on Ebay for starters. And this search provides more C64 hardware, including keyboard overlays and Sound Expander. On other days you can also get the MIDI cartridges too.

The machine itself is always for sale.

New bits are being made all the time, the most notable for this being the Prophet 64 synth interface with third party MIDI option.

The software itself is usually downloadable for nothing because the C64 retro thing is bigger than that of any other format. And a decent emulator is available if you wish to remain PC-based. But don't expect the best out of it.

The C64 is a nice instrument and it's worth having one for the sounds, particularly if linked up to other 'proper' synths of the time. But the VST option, see above, is also a good step to take if you don't want too much equipment cluttering up the place.
 
I have "basic programming" in the original b&w box for my stable of atari 2600's.

You can program it to play music. Something I've only ever been bored enough to do once. But the Atari goodness was worth it.
 
Just landed a *MINT* original model C64 with *MINT* Commodore monitor, printers and floppy drive... from my landlord.. lol

Sahwheat addition to my Amiga 500...

Chip tunes.. here I come...
 
I had the required cart. the software, the floppy drive etc BUT I tried to do it all with the PORTABLE 64 (weighed a tone & had a full colour screen that was less than 6" x 6").
& guess what? The portable didn't do the midi thing - tooks months of trying & then several visits to comp techs to be told it wasn't built into the portable. I thought I'd bought the ultimate (it was about '90) going porta midi in concert with my portastudio.
Had to buy an ordinary 64 & by the time I did I'd moved away from thoughts of midi. My missus certainly loved playing wizzball on the porta64 though!
Great programs - Speedscript was cool, the data base progs were ahead of their time and the games were superb.
 
Those earlier links are gone now. An updated link is Places To Go

That flows on to all and more I've been doing with the unit. I've uploaded samples, improved composition and allsorts.
 
I had the required cart. the software, the floppy drive etc BUT I tried to do it all with the PORTABLE 64 ....

The cartridge SHOULD have worked. Theoretically.

Working MIDI would let you use programs like Instant Music: http://www.dustybin.org.uk/IM.htm

The MSSIAH cartridge has its own Cakewalk-style sequencing program, sample player and realtime bass and poly synths. I really would urge folks to give them a go.

And failing all that, why not just sample it? Stacks of games, stacks of noises and bloody good fun messing about.

I made some: Commodore Remix • View topic - Commodore 64 Samples Rack (plus other systems pending...)


(Yup, I still love the 64!)
 
This is probably a dumb question. However, can WinVice be used to interface MIDI to a keyboard using a USB MIDI device? Vice does have the MIDI cartridge options however the option for MIDI IN is greyed out? I presume that is because I do not have a MIDI device on my PC. Curious if anyone has tried something similar.
 
Win Vice does claim to support MIDI cartridge emulation. Though I spent an afternoon experimenting, nothing ever worked. Nor did the claimed emulation of anything else. And this was on a number of PCs.

It's probably just not worth it, sad to say. I also found latency issues in using the emulator, limiting what you can do anyway.

I'll be sticking to my original units for a while yet, especially as MSSIAH, Commodulator and such can't plug into the PC. Though the emulator (and Sidplay, through which you can mute channels) can still be excellent for sampling and such.
 
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