"The SidStation is a MIDI-controlled synthesizer with real-time controllers. The heart of this synthesizer is the sound generating chip from the classic home computer Commodore 64. This sound chip, named SID (Sound Interface Device) was developed in the early eighties by Bob Yannes at MOS technology."

"The rediscovery of the SID-sound will be a pleasant surprise for many sound explorers that are looking for something more exiting than the current crop of analog imitating 'virtual' synthesizers."

Features of the SidStation synth module include a rotary wheel for easy data entry, an alpha-numeric 2x16 LCD display with back-lighting, audio input and output, 3 syncable oscillators with traditional (triangle, sawtooth, pulse) waveforms, nice resonant filters, arpeggiators, effects and ring modulation. The numeric keyboard and large knobs offer a unique form of hands-on desktop dance / techno music production for the 90's and beyond!

gridsleep

February 22, 2013 @ 1:08 am

Also not mentioned is the SID's built in wavetables accessible independently by each of the three oscillators, predecessor of Ensoniq's Transwave technology. This synth could be considered the primordial ancestor of the FIZMO.

Ed

January 16, 2012 @ 10:49 pm

Also, rather humorously, Vintage Synth Explorer has completely forgotten to mention that the SID chip has a waveform fixed Triangle-wave Ring Modulator and can sacrifice one of the 3 channels to provide oscillator sync! For shame! Those were some of it's signature, flagship features! It's like mentioning the Minimoog without talking about it's ladder filter!

Ed

January 16, 2012 @ 10:38 pm

Being a chiptune aficionado, I can say that the C64 6581, and it's younger cousin the 8580, are easily two of the most influential pieces of silicon and metal to ever grace video game history. It was designed with the composer in mind, adding many commonplace synthesizer features that for video game music was unfathomable.

That said, this module complete with a real 6581 R4 AR, is nothing less than a revival of a past that many simply didn't look at the details of. Sure there exist better methods of manipulating this powerful chipset (HardSID 4U Studio Edition), but this one is more popular

Eraser

August 2, 2011 @ 4:19 am

There are better implemented, cheaper and more reliable ways to get the sound of SID into your music. The whole essence of the 'SID' sound relies upon its multitimbrality. Having a bassline ring modulated to the lead line which is synced and ringmodulated to the drums. None of this is possible with the monotimbral Electron and without such effects, the SID chip can sound rather plain.

Over-priced from day one, and a bit of a joke thesedays. Get a real C64 with MSSIAH, a Hardsid or a MIDIBOX SID and release the true potential of a 6581/8580.

gridsleep

August 1, 2011 @ 11:49 pm

Very cool. Very mad sciencey. Sciency. Apparently either way, its misspelled. Anyway, I got pretty much the same sounds out of a $20 short wave radio kit when I was a kid. And there's a retro keyboard app for Nintendo DS that's a close proximity. I really would like one of these, though. Probably to tick off all those who don't see the point. When your head was swimming in 8-bit imagery, before the surface had a map, these sounds were the music of the spheres, the choir ethereal, the ambiance of the game (get all growly hissy grrr when you say that--use your movie voice.) Want.

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