----------------------------------------------------------------------------- T H E H I G H V O L T A G E S I D C O L L E C T I O N release 2.1 November 5, 1997 Compiled by: The Shark of INC Jan Diabelez Arnt Harries (Rambones/TST) Assisted by: Michael "The Mage" Schwendt Adam Lorentzon Wilfred Bos Kristoffer Johansson LaLa (Imre Olajos, Jr.) Andreas Varga (mr.sid) Gabriele "G-Knight" Priarone Darren, Bod/Talent Warren Pilkington (Waz of Zaw Productions) -> Members of the C64 Historical Preservation Society! <- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------- COPYRIGHT NOTICE ---------------- All of the tunes available in the High Voltage SID Collection (HVSC) are copyrighted and owned by the original authors/software companies. Use for profit would be subject to law. Do not offer any such contributions to the creators of this collection for none will be accepted. --------- CONTENTS: --------- [1] Introduction [2] Collection Structure [3] How Can I Help? [3-1] Contributing SIDs [3-2] SID Credits [3-3] Identifying Mistakes [3-4] Ripping SID tunes [4] Update Information [5] Included Documents [6] Acknowledgments ------------------------- CHAPTER [1]: Introduction ------------------------- At last, the ultimate Commodore SID tune collection has arrived! What was originally thought to be a two week project for an individual has instead turned out to be a year long project for a group of eleven. Perhaps one year is not quite accurate since this collection has been in the works ever since the first hacker decided to rip a beloved tune from a video game. Why rip? There is no doubt that music enhances the enjoyment received from a video game and it is often the case that you can whistle your favorite game's music without flaw. That is why this collection exists. The memories of these tunes bounce around in our heads to this day. We _must_ hear that magical music once again. The purpose of the HV SID Collection is to bring you the most accurate and comprehensive SID collection. What is a SID you say? Here is a pseudo-definition: Apparently, the European part of the world refers to any piece of Commodore 64 music - where the SID chip is used to produce sound - as sidtune, while some of the American part of the world only denote music, which is made with the C64 programs Sidplayer or Stereo Sidplayer, sidtunes or just sids. We shall be using the European terms "sidtune" and "sids". Further, the HV SID Collection has but a mere handful of Compute Gazette SidPlayer SID's. The reason is that we find, in general, that these tunes are an insult to the SID chip's abilities. Now then, what is a SID Emulator? Paging Michael Schwendt... Basically, [a SID Emulator] is just an ordinary music player for PCs with a soundcard. It is not bound to a specific music data format. Instead, it emulates the sound interface device chip (MOS 6581, known as SID) and the micro processor unit (MOS 6510) of the Commodore 64 on your [system]. Therefore it is able to load and execute C64 machine code programs which produce interrupt driven music or sound. In general these are independent fragments of code and data which are ripped from games and demonstration programs and are transferred directly from the C64. As of release 2.1, HVSC contains around 98.5% of the most memorable tunes from the C64 (6317 sid files). In addition, we have contacted several of the original composers of the tunes to help verify the music descriptions and some have even sent us additional tunes not in our collection. We have also searched our C64 libraries looking for the correct labels (AUTHOR, TITLE, & COPYRIGHT) for the tunes. Finally, several tunes have been fixed and a billion repeated tunes have been eliminated (some still linger on). All of this was done with great pride, so we hope you enjoy the collection as much as we enjoyed putting it together. * SID emulators are available for many operating systems such as Linux, MacOS, BeOS, Atari Falcon, Windows (3.1, 95, NT), MSDOS, AmigaOS, etc. For a complete list of supported OSs with links see: The InSID Asylum - http://www.dhp.com/~shark/c64music/ --------------------------------- CHAPTER [2]: Collection Structure --------------------------------- There are several ways in which most SID collections have been organized. To name a few, by Author's first name, by categories such as demos and games, or to have a simple rat's nest of SIDs. We have chosen to arrange the collection by the author's last name or by the author's alias if it was used more frequently. In addition, we have a two level hierarchy scheme where the more famous and professional composers are grouped above the demo composers. This no way indicates the quality of composition. Finally, we usually only give composers their own directory when we have four or more tunes available from them. We have made some exceptions. Below are a some comments about a few special directories: Demos - For tunes found in demos in which the artist has less than four tunes. Demos/Unknown - For tunes found in demos in which the artists are unknown. Documents - If you are reading this document, then most likely you have already figured out what this directory is for. It also keeps an archive of all the update data files. Games/X-X - For games first released in which the artist has less than four tunes. Game tunes with unknown artists go here as well. Various - As mentioned above, this is where mostly demo composers from post-1992 or lesser known composers reside. ---------------------------- CHAPTER [3]: How Can I Help? ---------------------------- [3-1]: Contributing SIDs ======================== We love to receive new SIDs for the HV SID Collection. Of specific interest are tunes from games, but we'll take anything you have unless the tunes are lacking musical skill (subjective). He are some other items we are looking for: * Complete collections directly from the composers. * Loading/Intro tunes used in games. These are rare since crackers would often not include the tunes along with the cracks. * SIDs already in the HV SID Collection, but with additional sub-tunes. SIDs with additional sound effects are okay, but we prefer SIDs with more tunes instead. * Fixes of SIDs already in the HV SID Collection. We have found several tunes that start at the wrong location, have missing voices, with bad samples, etc. - We DON'T want any Compute Gazette SID tunes *unless* you find a few that are exceptionally good. We have already listened to NemeSIDs #18-#19 and have rejected around 99% of those. - You will notice groups of tunes where there will be a gap in order. For example, in /DEMOS/UNKNOWN, you will see a group of tunes labeled "Alb_X" with small gaps. These gaps usually do not mean that we are missing these tunes, but rather we have found them repeated elsewhere. - We also DO NOT want any SID collections from the Internet unless you are pretty certain none of the tunes are in HVSC. HVSC will most likely already have all these SIDs. If you have SIDs and would like to send them to us, there are several methods in which this can be achieved. We prefer them to be emailed as an included attachment (preferred) or to be uuencoded. There are other possibilities so feel free to email us and we can arrange what ever is most convenient. Please mail them to _both_ of the people below: The Shark of INC Jan Diabelez Arnt Harries (Rambones/TST) [3-2]: SID Credits ================== For those of you that rip, below is the standard for labeling SIDs. The standard does not have to be strictly followed, but the more you follow it, the most consistent the SIDs credits will look. Consider the standard a general rule of thumb. SID Credits Standard -------------------- NAME : AUTHOR : <FIRST_NAME LAST_NAME> (<ALIAS>) COPYRIGHT : <FOUR_DIGIT_YEAR> <COMPANY or AUTHOR or GROUP> Fill in any unknown field with a <?> Place a maximum of 31 characters per field for compatibility reasons. ----------------------------- Examples: <All information is completely known> NAME : Hysteria AUTHOR : Fred Gray COPYRIGHT : 1987 Software Projects <Author and Company are unknown> NAME : Night Racer AUTHOR : <?> COPYRIGHT : 1988 <?> <Tune ripped from a demo/intro, but you know that's not where it > <originated. This will give clues which just might jog the memories> <of someone listening.> NAME : R.A.D. Intro <#> AUTHOR : <?> COPYRIGHT : <?> <Author is thought to be known with a *strong* degree of certainty> NAME : Rainbow Dragon AUTHOR : Ian Crabtree <?> COPYRIGHT : 1987 Duck Software / Firebird <COPYRIGHT date is not exactly known and crack intro has a date or> <you know an approximate copyright date. Dates in crack intro, by> <the way, can often be extremely inaccurate compared to the actual> <copyright date of the game. > NAME : Deep Strike AUTHOR : Rob Hubbard COPYRIGHT : 198? Durrell or NAME : Spijkerhoek AUTHOR : Edwin van Santen COPYRIGHT : 1988-89 20th Century Composers ------------------------ Some SID Credit Pointers ------------------------ (1) Rippers: ABSOLUTELY DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME/ALIAS IN THE SID CREDITS! (2) You should be at least 70% certain of the field you are guessing. To put incorrect credits rather than a <?> would forever ruin your reputation as a serious SID collector. :) When in doubt, at least follow the doubtful information with a <?>. (3) Just because a tune uses another author's famous music routine, that is not enough to signify with certainty that the tune is by that author. Sometimes authors lent their routine for another to use. Other times the routine was used without permission. Again, please use <?> if not certain. (4) Don't make up titles (e.g., TITLE: This Tune ROCKS!). If you are ripping the tune from a demo in which the music was specifically made for that demo, then you can use the demo's name as the title. (5) DO NOT PUT A SPACE AFTER THE '=' CHARACTER IN THE SID HEADER! (A space should not be the first character of any credit field) (6) Try to follow standard English capitalization rules when inserting the titles into the SID fields. Examples: The Way of the Exploding Fist {correct} The Way Of The Exploding Fist {incorrect} (7) Normally, you should make the default tune of the SID the first tune one would first hear when running the game. For demos, the default tune you choose is up to you. (8) We prefer to have the musician's real name in the AUTHOR field. If possible, we like to have both alias and real name for demo tunes. The author's real name should precede his handle. Standard -> <AUTHOR's REAL NAME> (HANDLE) Examples: Torben Hansen (Metal) {correct} Torben "Metal" Hansen {incorrect} (9) The documentation that is included with SIDPlay includes a large quantity of information about how to get C64 tunes working with SIDPlay. Further, you will find other documents related to the area of SIDs including SID header information at the SIDPlay homepage. SIDPlay homepage - http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/5147 [3-2]: Identifying Mistakes =========================== We know that there still exists several mistakes within the HV SID Collection and we would appreciate any help in correcting the mistakes. In addition, we also would like to have missing information in the SID tune credits (i.e., filling in the <?>'s). If you have some corrections or some additional information, no matter how insignificant, let us know. Please mail to _both_ of the people below: The Shark of INC <shark@dhp.com> Jan Diabelez Arnt Harries (Rambones/TST) <nmioaon@vip.cybercity.dk> Before you mail us, please verify the information you are sending by either loading the game/demo yourself or contacting the original composer. We have squashed many common beliefs as to who _really_ composed several tunes. You might be surprised to see one of your favorite tunes now with a different author (the correct one we hope). This is why we suggest you first verify the information you plan to send us. Further, we would like to mention that you should not use C64 emulators to compare to the sound of SIDPlay or to identify mistakes with tunes in the HV SID Collection. Ideally, you should play the music on a real C64 and if then you determine that the sound of the rip is not right, you have a valid complaint. There are few instances, however, where a C64 emulator can be used to show that a sid tune in HV SIDs is a bad rip. Such cases would include a tune with missing samples or a tune with missing voices. One last note for this section, we have found several tunes in which someone has gone into a tune and removed part of the song for whatever reason. Examples of this would be the old Fusion theme being a subset of Rhaa Lovely II (Kimmel). We highly recommend that you listen to these tunes in question carefully and check out the UpdateXX.hvs files and the SID Tune Information List (STIL) for information we have discovered already. [3-3] Ripping SID tunes ======================= Much information about ripping is provided at the SIDPlay web site. http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/5147/ (click 'General Information') ------------------------------- CHAPTER [4]: Update Information ------------------------------- The HV SID Collection will be constantly maintained by providing zipped update files. These updates will add new tunes to your HV SID Collection so that you will always have the most accurate SID collection around. To handle deletions, renaming, moving, etc. of files, we will also provide a 'sweeper' program that upon execution will clean up your collection for you. Isn't automation wonderful? Oh, now we have pissed off the Unibomber who happens to enjoy updating his SID tune collection by hand. ************************************************************************* * It is therefore _important_ that you keep the HVSC structure and * * filenames as is, otherwise the sweeper will fail to work properly. * ************************************************************************* The updates will be announced at the INC C64 Music web page as well as other locations. There is no set time as to when the updates will be available. The frequency of updates will depend on the amount of new tunes and corrected information we receive. The InSID Asylum -> http://www.dhp.com/~shark/c64music/ under the 'High Voltage SIDs' link. ------------------------------- Chapter [5]: Included Documents ------------------------------- The following lists the documents that reside with HV SIDS (/DOCUMNTS): CREATORS.TXT - Information about the people who have made HVSC possible. Check out the "Top 10" lists if you would like to know what are considered some of the best SIDs around. HV_SIDS.FAQ - Answers to frequently asked questions about the collection. You should read this before emailing the HVSC creators with questions. MUSICIANS.TXT - A list of most of the musicians who ever composed on the C64. We would appreciate any help in fixing errors in this list. Further, we would also like to know artist's real names for the sake of possibly identifying other tunes by these artist. That is, some artist composed tunes under an alias as well as their real name (e.g., Neil Baldwin = Demon). RECOMMENDED.TXT - A small list of tunes that we recommend you listen to that were done by lesser known artist or by artists who have an incredible amount of tunes. This list in no way should help you decide as to which tunes are good versus which tunes are bad. This only points out some of the more popular tunes by the artists in the list. STIL.FAQ - STIL Frequently asked questions and STIL format issues are discussed in this file. Further, a list of STIL HEROs are in this file too. Do you have what it takes to be a STIL HERO? STIL.TXT - A text document listing information about the SIDs in the HV SIDs Collection such as original composer, troubled SIDs, and other interesting trivia. UPDATEXX.HVS - A list of fixes and additions that are performed to each update. If you want to know exactly why certain SIDs were replaced, this file will likely have the answer. The XX in the file name will increase sequentially as new updates are released. ---------------------------- Chapter [6]: Acknowledgments ---------------------------- Special Thanks ============== Rob Hubbard - You certainly gave us some surprises when you informed us what tunes you had _really_ composed. Thanks a bunch for taking the time to listen to the tunes and putting up with our waves of questions. Martin Galway - Thank you very much for helping us out! Jeroen Tel - It took a long time to squeeze it out of you, but we finally got the info we needed about the MoN tunes. Thanks a bunch and we look forward your C64 CD that you plan to create. :) Ben Daglish - It took a lot, but we tracked you down. We hope you still plan to make a C64 CD/tape of your music. Johannes Bjerregaard - Thanks for the info, especially concerning how your name is really spelled ("aa"). :) David Whittaker - Thanks a ton for the speedy response and for verifying your tunes. Johnathan Dunn - Thanks for a few comments about your SIDs (we would appreciate any more if you get time). Wally Beben - Thanks for verify the tunes we had credited to you! We hope to get some of those other tunes from you that you had mentioned. Jens-Christian Huus/Vibrants, for sending an incredible amount of ripped tunes -- as well as original work from the whole Vibrants crew. Also for helping find mistakes in the collection. Barry Leitch - For credit info and for sending in some of your tunes. Michael Hendriks / FAME - Thanks for the tune credit information. Adam Gilmore - ditto Fred Gray - ditto Knatter of XAKK - for sending in some of his tunes! Drax/Vibrants - for sending his and Laxity's tunes. Metal/Vibrants - for sending in his collection. Geir Tjelta - for more of your tunes and the Tim Follin tune. Marcel Donne (Mad) / Scoop / MoN - Thanks for the tune credit information. Tomas Danko - for his collection, & for some Alien & Moon SIDs. Zyron - for his collection. Glenn Rune Gellefoss - for his complete collection! Michael Winterberg - for sending in his collection Agust Arni Jonsson (Nemesis1) - We took several tunes from your collection so please feel free to snag tunes from ours for the NemeSIDs collection. Your work has helped our cause tremendously. Thanks. Inge - thanks for the continuing rips. Dennis Lindross - Thanks for the GREAT collection and some GREAT rips! Ulf Andersson - Gaunt collection, Matrix/Zone 45 tunes, and repeat finds. Ron Rickert - Thanks for sending in a ton of tunes! LoLo - Thanks for the new sids. Zenox/Starion - for sending some of his tunes. (Jan is still waiting for the rest).. Fred - We merged your collection with the ours. IW - Thanks for some rips! (but keep your name out of the credits! :) Vectrocon of Fairlight - sent in 47 tunes! Svante Hellstadius (Fulcrum) - sent Adam his complete collection Medicus/KLF (Andy) (a few dozen tunes) Akira/Light Society - Sent in over half the tunes used for Update #1 Frederic Gidouin (Piccolo) - Sent in ~60 tunes and helped w/ the automation of finding repeats Kenz - Sent in a bunch of tunes from Feekzoid and Jon Wells Minstrel Dragon - sent in Ultima III music. Author of Doom II FAQ - used your format for this document. Henrik Simonsen - for a few 20cc tunes (x1000 hehe). Slaygon - for sending in your tunes. Wad of Prehistoria - Thanks for the info and some programs. Ron Birk & Per Håkan Sundell - PlaySID creators and trend setters Anders Eriksen - for a few cool rips...keep them coming pal. Eric Ardem/Antimon - for your rips and a few others. Daniel Näslund - for a few rips. Michael Huth - for some credit fixes. Simon Colgrave (credits and repeat info) Kris/Clique (babyface tunes) Peter ´Panda´ Sandén (some tunes and credit fixes) Jarle Berntsen (Credit fixes) RRR - for the PRI tunes! Burglar - for the Real SIDPlay fixed tunes and some others. Seven/Hitmen - for several rips and credit fixes! PiNa/Torture of Music - for Mateus' collection and other rips. King Fisher/Triad - for the Triad SIDs, Druid II, etc. Vincent Voois - A few SIDs from others and his own. Ville Muikkula - several Red Devil tunes. Alien - for the credit fixes and SIDs. Skid Row - for the new SIDs and credit fixes! RRR (Timo Buschmann) - many PRI & Relax tunes Chris Abbott - For his tunes. Peter de Bie - For your early collection of SID rips. And to everyone else who contributed...We apologize if we have forgotten anyone.