It's incredible how that chip still holds up well today, and people are still using it to create music. There was a particular tune I wanted to link to, but can't find it unfortunately.
Last Ninja 2 (1988) for me is still my favorite SID music ever made. I was blown away by it then and I am blown away by it now.<p><a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/$LaLa%20Tape%20-%20Last%20Ninja%202%20by%20Matt%20Gray/01.%20HVSC/M/G/Gray_Matt/Last_Ninja_2.sid&subtune=1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/$LaLa%20Tape%20-%20Last%...</a><p>(sounds like this player is doing funky things from time to time)
To me, it's Steve Rowlands. No composer ever got anything close to Retrograde or Creatures 2:<p>So: <a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/R/Rowlands_Steve/Retrograde.sid&subtune=2" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/R/Rowlands_Ste...</a><p>Many: <a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/R/Rowlands_Steve/Retrograde.sid&subtune=3" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/R/Rowlands_Ste...</a><p>Different: <a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/R/Rowlands_Steve/Creatures_2.sid&subtune=9" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/R/Rowlands_Ste...</a><p>Styles: <a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/R/Rowlands_Steve/Creatures_2.sid&subtune=15" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/R/Rowlands_Ste...</a><p>The SID can play on 3 channels simultaneously. How many can you hear on the tracks above? Now that's genius. Not to mention the great songwriting.
One of my "back of the head" idea is to build a nerual net that could translate the SID commands into the sound it produces. Anybody know what would be the most suited NN architecture to do that (I've looked around a bit, but didn't find anything "ready-to-use")....
Damn, this is awesome work. Grew up with the C64, always wondered as a kid what these 'scene' intros to tapes my dad bought at swap meets were, of course later learning about the talented individuals in the demo scene.<p>Nice to have this part of the culture and history preserved and presented in such a way.<p>Barbarian will always be my all time favourite C64 soundtrack: <a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/$Best%20of%20Games%201987/High%20Voltage%20SID%20Collection/MUSICIANS/J/Joseph_Richard/Barbarian.sid&subtune=1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/$Best%20of%20Games%20198...</a>
I'll always remember a certain chiptune cover of the Axel F theme, which for my money sounds <i>way</i> better than the actual song:<p><a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/0-9/20CC/van_Santen_Edwin/Final_Axel.sid" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/0-9/20CC/van_S...</a>
In the 90s, early 2000's, there was a resurgence of the SID music scene that may not be widely acknowledged. During this time, new SID editors/players and techniques were developed, introducing a fresh sonic landscape with previously unheard sounds coming from the SID chip. Here's a few of my favorites from this era:<p><a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/C/Carlos_Breeze/Turn_Disk_Track.sid" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/C/Carlos_Breez...</a><p><a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/F/Fanta/Bombs_Over_Dresden.sid" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/F/Fanta/Bombs_...</a><p><a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/J/Jeff/Svend_Daellepude.sid" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/J/Jeff/Svend_D...</a><p><a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/M/Mitch_and_Dane/Gloria.sid" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/M/Mitch_and_Da...</a><p><a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/M/Mitch_and_Dane/Ode_to_Xayne.sid" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/M/Mitch_and_Da...</a><p><a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/P/Peet/Harvy.sid" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/P/Peet/Harvy.s...</a><p><a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/T/Taki/Reynbow.sid" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/T/Taki/Reynbow...</a><p><a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/F/Fanta/Challenger.sid" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/F/Fanta/Challe...</a><p><a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/D/Dr_Voice/Sit_in_My_Underwear_Drinking_Pepsi.sid" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/D/Dr_Voice/Sit...</a><p><a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/J/Jeff/Rectumor_8580.sid" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/J/Jeff/Rectumo...</a><p><a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/M/Mitch_and_Dane/Liptonman.sid" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/M/Mitch_and_Da...</a><p><a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/B/Blues_Muz/Spawn.sid" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/B/Blues_Muz/Sp...</a><p><a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/D/DRAX/KickAssembler_Easteregg.sid" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/D/DRAX/KickAss...</a><p><a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/T/Tjelta_Geir/Blondie.sid" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/T/Tjelta_Geir/...</a><p><a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/G/Greg/Magyar_Mehesz_5_tune_1.sid" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/G/Greg/Magyar_...</a><p><a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/D/Dr_Voice/Years.sid" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/D/Dr_Voice/Yea...</a><p><a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/B/Behdad_Arman/Escape_2_Space_long_version.sid" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/B/Behdad_Arman...</a><p><a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/D/DaFunk/Art_of_Vandalism.sid" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/D/DaFunk/Art_o...</a><p><a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/T/The_Syndrom/Neverland.sid" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/T/The_Syndrom/...</a><p><a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/B/Bakewell_Dwayne/Whisper.sid" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/B/Bakewell_Dwa...</a><p><a href="https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/M/Merken_Vincent/O-Noff.sid" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/M/Merken_Vince...</a><p>I had to restrain myself from posting more, but I believe these examples will give you an idea. The C64 demoscene is still very much alive, by the way, with great SID tunes being released even today.