SID - Recording Guide

From Video Game Music Preservation Foundation Wiki
Revision as of 15:54, 29 August 2020 by Professor Chaos (talk | contribs) (updated with TheAlmightyGuru's answers to my questions. Generally, several recordings should be done if necessary. Hope this turned out okay. I'll proofread when my head is clear :))
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to: navigation, search

Normally, on most platforms, you can just load a game or rip on any computer, emulator or player and start recording. Unfortunately, due to a production shortcoming at Commodore, every Commodore 64 computer and SID sound chip has differences which bother composers and gamers to this day.

The guide will show you how to convert Commodore 64 music into the VGMPF standard format OGG so you can upload it. The process should be easy to understand, but it will require patience and a bit of making up mind.

Finding best settings

It may be necessary to record the same song twice or four times, with different disc numbers (see Impossible Mission II (C64) for an example).

PAL or NTSC clock

Main article: NTSC/PAL - Recording Guide

If the game was published in America, select NTSC in your favorite C64 emulator or SID player. If it was published in Europe or Australia, select PAL. If it was published in both regions, record the soundtrack twice: in NTSC and in PAL, with the first disc number going to the primary region.

Song lengths

Fortunately, the High Voltage SID Collection estimate all song lengths themselves and release an updated list every end of June and December. Several players support that file, and you can open it in your favorite text editor and search for the SID filename. In the next line are 32 unimportant digits and letters, an equal sign, and the length of every track in the SID file.

Remember, when recording an NTSC song on PAL or vice versa, you need to give or take some seconds or minutes.

6581 or 8580 model

The SID sound chip came in two models with major differences. To find these differences in a song, download SID Which and follow the instructions in the txt file. If a song uses combined waves, 4-bit samples or the 6581 filter, it should be recorded twice, with the first disc number going to the model which the arranger used.

Fortunately, several SID files have a tag for the model which the arranger used, and many players use it automatically. For files that don't, it's best to ask the arranger whether they had a C64 (6581) or a C64C (8580). Several have already answered in interviews or to sites, especially the High Voltage SID Collection.

6581 filter

If you are recording for 8580, skip this section.

Otherwise, filters are the biggest problem. To this day, emulation is not completed and SID files don't contain any filter information.


First off, you should find a filter setting where a song sounds best. To do this, select a song in the aforementioned SID Which, and you will see when the filter is used. In general, open the SID file in a C64 emulator and SID player which supports adjusting the filter; see below for a list to choose from, along with specific instructions. Next, try different filter settings until all tracks sound best with the same setting. To begin with, you can always set the filter to a point where a sound vanishes or becomes unbearable, and then gradually adjust it until it sounds nice and audible -- after all, if arrangers bothered to set up the filter, they probably wanted us to hear it!

If you find that a song is popular with a different filter setting, you can record it with that, but the first disc number should go with the arranger's intent.

Suitable recording software

There are many C64 emulators and SID players with different qualities, like better visuals, performance and debugging. However, for recording history, only accuracy counts, so some software should be used with caution.

As of this writing, VICE and VSID 3.4 are most accurate, and you should use them if a song uses the combined sawtooth and pulse wave (displayed as $61 and purple in DeepSID and SID Which). Otherwise, SID (XMPlay) may be easiest to use.

Following software plays some songs plain wrong, or not at all. For example, the beginning of Title Music - Spiky Harold (C64) sounds too much more metallic and distorted than on a real C64.

  • CCS64 (emulator)
  • DeliPlayer
  • FastSID (option in VICE and VSID)
  • jsSID (option in DeepSID)
  • RdosPlay

Following players don't support changing clock, model, and filter, but are still accurate enough if you don't need to change them:

Following players may feel tedious, as the song has to be restarted upon every change:

Using XMPlay

Downloading

Opening a SID file

  • Open xmplay.exe.
  • Press F9.
  • Click Input.
  • Click SID (rev. 37.1) (or higher number).
  • Click Config.
  • Uncheck both Lock.
  • Uncheck Disable seeking.
  • Set Default Duration as follows:
    • See how many seconds the longest track lasts.
    • If it's below 120, double it to meet timing rules.
    • If it's between 120 and 240, make it 240. It's the fastest way to prevent two 1:59 loops from cutting off one 2:00 loop!
    • Add 10 seconds.
    • Now you can skip anywhere (which can take seconds -- don't worry about that) and record enough.
  • Close the SID configuration window so changes take effect.
  • Drag and drop the SID file into XMPlay (not the playlist, you don't need one).
  • Press F3.
  • Read what it says next to Video standard and SID chip.
  • Click Config again.

Changing SID settings

  • If the Video standard is undefined or you need another, choose a Default SID model and check Lock next to it.
  • If the SID chip is undefined or you need another, choose a Default clock speed and check Lock next to it.
  • Close the SID configuration window, click the XMPlay window and press Enter so changes take effect.
  • Click Config again.

Selecting another track

  • Press SHIFT+LEFT and SHIFT+RIGHT until the track number on the top says what you want.

Adjusting 6581 filter

  • Move 6581 filter strength.

Recording

  • Click Output.
  • Remember what it says next to Device, you will want that back!
  • Choose Encoder - FLAC or WAV Writer.
  • Click Apply.
  • Press ENTER in the XMPlay window.
  • Every time the Write as... window appears, press ENTER and watch XMPlay record a track!
  • After the last track, choose the previous Device.
  • Follow steps 6 and 7 of Determine Song Length.

Using VSID

Downloading

Opening a SID file

  • Open vsid.exe.
  • Drag and drop the SID file you want into VICE (VSID) (anywhere but the playlist, you don't need one).

Selecting another track

  • Click the two skip buttons to select a track within the SID file.

Adjusting 6581 filter

  • Move Bias.
    • Alternatively, press ALT+O, click SID and move 6581 filter bias.
  • To skip to a position within the song, you must fast forward, perhaps first rewind by pressing ALT+F9. Clicking the bar has unfortunately no effect.
  • To fast forward, click the fast forward icon button once. To play normal, click again.
    • Alternatively, press ALT+O, click Speed, and Unlimited. To play normal, click 100%.

Recording

  • On each musical track:
    • Press SHIFT+ALT+R. The record icon does not seem to work.
    • Click FLAC.
    • Click Save.
    • Enter a filename you understand. On the right is an icon to create a directory.
    • Click Save.
    • Skip to the track. If you already have, press ALT+F9.
  • Either exit VSID or press SHIFT+ALT+S to stop the recording.
  • Follow steps 6 and 7 of Determine Song Length.