HardSID? Where did it go?

[fishbowlio]

Does anyone know what happened to HardSID? A few months ago I was toying around with the idea of getting one but figured I would wait a little bit. Then, just the other day, their website was down and it looks as though they might be no more. Any news that maybe I am unaware of?

[Chris Abbott]

Good question: if it's just the website being down, it's probably some technical thing. But I've heard nothing else...

[Analog-X64]

I did a bit of digging and it looks like the domain hardsid.com is now owned by joker.com

the domain hardsid.com expired on the 22nd of October and updated on 24th of October which I think where joker.com comes in.


---- New Info -------------------------------
Domain Name: HARDSID.COM
Registrar: CSL COMPUTER SERVICE LANGENBACH GMBH D/B/A JOKER.COM
Whois Server: whois.joker.com
Referral URL: http://www.joker.com
Name Server: NS2.SZERVERGEP.HU
Name Server: VAZZ.HU
Status: clientHold
Updated Date: 24-oct-2011
Creation Date: 22-oct-1999
Expiration Date: 22-oct-2012
------------------------------------------------------




----------- Original Info ---------------
domain: hardsid.com
owner: Teli Sandor
email: maco@mail.alarmix.net
address: Thokoly ut 25.
city: Budapest
state: Hungary
postal-code: H-1076
country: HU
phone: +36.1209168199
admin-c: CCOM-25057 hostmaster@euroweb.hu
tech-c: CCOM-25057 hostmaster@euroweb.hu
billing-c: CCOM-1366479 domain@invitel.co.hu
reseller: Invitel Domain Registrar Team
nserver: ns2.szervergep.hu
nserver: vazz.hu
status: hold,expired
created: 1999-10-22 05:23:17 UTC
modified: 2011-10-24 07:06:07 UTC
expires: 2011-10-22 09:23:17 UTC

[Commie_User]

I never figured HardSID to be a white elephant so soon. It was supposed to be some kind of elite thing wasn't it?

I wonder why so many people want to buy SID boxes for hundreds of Pounds when MSSIAH is available for around 20? Not to mention M64 and such which is free.

[fishbowlio]

I was looking for a was of playing SID files on a hardware application on a PC. Yes, I do understand that there are emulators but I didn't want to go that route. I do have at least 3 working C64s but the room it requires to set one up in my studio is simply unavailable. Any ideas?

[Commie_User]

As far as my Googling goes, there's no way beyond the Hard SID - which is apparently a total swine because it's self-assembly and hardly user friendly once it's going.

Nothing on Ebay today. It will mean setting up a 64 I'm afraid.

To keep things ultra-compact, try using just a C64 and 1541 MkII. They could fit into almost any tiny space, including by your feet. Or do away with the disk drive and use a C64 flash card reader to load disk images.

Another special gadget can display the Commie's video on your existing VGA monitor. Even an SX-64 would take up more space.



And if that doesn't appeal, try buying a small hostess trolley from a junk shop. You can put all the bits on there, including a small LCD and wheel it around. Failing that, if you have a rack trolley with a few spaces, try placing a disk drive and Datasette in between two units and the computer on the top. If needs be, Blu Tack will keep them in place with cable ties holding the PSUs to the frame.

Or put them in a flight case, PSUs and all.




Or do as I do and put them on the wall.



_____________________________

LCD monitors are as cheap as ten Pounds where I live. Junk and charity shops are now heaving with compact models. I even have one above my piano for remote recording use.

And the boxes to convert the 64 signal to PC VGA costs twice as much but means you can have everything in the box. I keep meaning to get one actually: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Video-AV-TV-R ... 2750wt_961

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AV-S-Video-BN ... 405wt_1185


SID players: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hx2xEZ5UTgY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qAZ_l31sEU

[Razmo]

I don't understand... HardSID is still up and running, selling their hardware!? At least I can access their site without problems...

[Razmo]

And yes, there are more methods on a PC to play SID tunes... one is to build a MIDI Box SID, and use it together with the ACID playback software through MIDI... The Elektron SID Station also can be used this way.

But the best way still, IS the HardSID, as it's the fastest approach for a PC to communicate directly with the SID chip... through MIDI the speed is simply not really enough with a baud rate that low... and sample playback is simply impossible.

HardSID still sell those new one or two SID devices made solely for playing back SID tunes... you can also get the HardSID4U studio edition for more professional use... this is the one I've got, and it's simply the best hardware out there for playing back SIDs... though, if you want a synthesizer I'd go for the MIDI Box SID... it's way better in my opinion.

The cool thing about the HardSID4U is that you can have four SIDs in it at the same time, and switch between them on the fly... so I've got an 6581R2, 6581R3, 6581R4AR and 8580 in mine so that I can always find a chip for playback that resembles the sound of what the tune was originaly made on.

And as a nice exstra, if you're a musician, the ACID software let you switch off individual channels in the playback, which is perfect when you want to sample the SID... that's how I made those 256 Rob Hubbard SID percussion samples. It's also a nive way to analyse a tune for remixing, especialy if you want to analyse tunes with loads of ringmodulation and syncronization in them and reconstruct the same sound on another synthesizer... that was how I made my Delta Ingame sound example on a Dave Smith Evolver synth.

[Razmo]

http://www.hardsid.com/

works for me...

[Analog-X64]

Ok its working for me again. Looks like whatever the problem was got updated on November 3rd, maybe late payment or something.

Domain Name: HARDSID.COM
Registrar: CSL COMPUTER SERVICE LANGENBACH GMBH D/B/A JOKER.COM
Whois Server: whois.joker.com
Referral URL: http://www.joker.com
Name Server: NS2.SZERVERGEP.HU
Name Server: VAZZ.HU
Status: clientTransferProhibited
Updated Date: 03-nov-2011
Creation Date: 22-oct-1999
Expiration Date: 22-oct-2012

[madfiddler]

The trouble with the MIDIBox is though, you've got to build the damn thing yourself!

I bought a Sammichsid recently. Not doubt influenced by Polish Water, and didn't see the word "Kit" - so now I have a lovely box of capacitors.

The HardSID 4u sounds very interesting, especially with the VST control, but I'm concerned as to whether the support with continue. No true Win 7 64 bit drivers, no OSX drivers (I plan to use my MacBook live, not PC).... so not sure whether to take the plunge with this or not.

m

[madfiddler]

OK - seems they have 64 bit drivers.

So, which would be the best SID to order with this? I have 2 6581r4's waiting to go in to the Sammichsid

m

[Razmo]

OK - seems they have 64 bit drivers.

So, which would be the best SID to order with this? I have 2 6581r4's waiting to go in to the Sammichsid

m

Do you mean the SammichSID or the HardSID 4U?

I've got two 6582A revisions inside my sammichSID. I'd GREATLY advise you to use either 6582A's or 8580's (they are the same... well almost... only difference I can hear is with the bandpass filters). The reason for this is, that the 6582A/8580 is working a lot better, so they don't vary from chip to chip like the 6581 does. The sammichSID is a stereo synth, and when you put two 6581 in the sammich, you'd get non-perfect stereo perspective, especialy with the filters on, since they vary greatly even from chip to chip within the same batch... this has always been a "problem" with the 6581. The newer revisions 6582A/8580 sounds identical, so that if you want 100% dead center in the middle mono output, you'll have it. With that said though, it would probably give some interresting pseudo stereo sound with two 6580, but I've not tried it myself. Also REMEMBER to look out for the different voltage rating of the 6581 vs. 6582/8580. The latter two run on 9v, the older 6580 on 12v !!! they also use different capacitors for the filters. If you get the voltage wrong, you could blow the 6582A/8580

In my HardSID 4U, I've put four different revision, so that I can play the SID tunes with a chip that most closely was used to make the SID. I've got a Rev. R2, R3, R4/AR and 8580 (R5). I've tested the older revisions first, since they sound so different, and chosen the one I feel sound the best to my ears.

the R2 has a rather poor filter response, but it sounds best with some of Hubbards earlier tunes with filters. if I use the better R4AR on tunes like Tarzan, Dragon's lair etc. it sound really bad... so bad the leads sometimes dissapear totaly (these tunes are good to test with).

the R3 is a good sounding SID, and is pretty close to the R4 and R4/AR. My R3 sounds particulare good to my ears, and it's also the one I've got that has the most perfect filter response (smooth transisition from open to closed).

the R4AR is said to be the best revision of the old revisions. In my ears it does have a pronounced and loud quality to it. Filter sounds wonderful. There are two revisions out there, the R4 and R4/AR. The AR stand for "Advanced Revision" and I think this means that it can be clocked higher than earlier revisions. SID normaly run at 1Mhz (a little less on a real C64, which actually makes it out of pitch), but can run as high as 3Mhz... I've tried this myself with my electronics and it works on the newer revisions 6582A and 8580. Result is higher pitch, faster envelopes. This chip is good for most SIDs, and the one I use the most... especialy the newer tunes that use the filter.

Hope this helps.

[madfiddler]

Cool - thanks for all of that info. I'll have to digest it later

Got word back from the HardSID guy that there won't be OSX drivers which is a damn shame as I'm planning to use the MacBook for anything I do live.