Commodore Free 4/Commodore_Free_Issue_04_2007_Commodore_Computer_Club.d64/t.hvsc faq 2

Text File | 2023-02-26 | 13KB | 466 lines

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  Continued from HVSC FAQ part 1


[17] Why should I get HVSC when I can
just load up the game/demo & hear the
Music on a real C64?

First off rememberthat HVSC isn't just
for emulator users. In fact, the tunes
in HVSC are still in raw C64 code only
prepended by some header information.

There now exists a really useful tool
called PSID64, which takes a .sid from
HVSC and turns it into a RUNnable C64
.prg file, which you can load and run
on the real thing to play the tune.

The only ones you can't are those with
_PSID in the filename (see [9] above
for more information) but gradually
there'll be real C64 versions of those
SIDs, too. We appreciate that there's
still many C64 diehards out there (in
fact, several of the HVSC Crew still
compose music on the real thing too.)
hence our wish that all SIDs can be
made into a C64 runnable form. C64
users enjoy HVSC because it is the
largest SID collection on Earth. It is
unlikely that you have all of the
programs from where the SIDs in HVSC
originated.  Plus, with HVSC, you can
select any level tune at any time.

SID emulators are getting better all
the time, and with libsidplay2's cycle
exact timing, moving onward too. And
for people who no longer own a C64, SID
emulators are a dream.  Imagine how
many C64  disks you would need to
store the whole HVSC on.


[18] Why do some tunes sound different
compared to how I remember them on the
C64?

SID emulators are very good, but not
perfect.  Although SID emulation is
not perfect, the actual rip of the SID
tune may be corrupt.  In addition to
rippers corrupting tunes, crackers
would often make mistakes and muck
up the tunes' speed (most infamously,
Skate or Die and Driller.) Another
common problem is that some people
may not be aware of is that North
America (NTSC) and Europe (PAL)
had differences in their TVs that
influence the speed of SID tunes that
used raster timing. However, where
possible in HVSC SID tunes are now
flagged as being PAL or NTSC so you
can now hear them as the composer
intended.  You must use Sidplay2 to
take advantage of this feature,
otherwise in older SID emulators you
can force the clock speed to PAL or
NTSC to hear it as you remember it.

If you believe you have found a
corrupt tune, it would be best if you
load up the old tune on a C64/128 and
compare it to the HVSC version. If
you then notice a problem with the
HVSC version, by all means, let us
know.  We strongly recommend that
you do not compare the HVSC tune to
a tune played in a C64 emulator, as
often it's not accurate.  You might
also want to check out the STIL which
documents any known problems with
the SIDs found in HVSC if the game
or demo also played the SID tune the
same way.


[19] How do I rip SID tunes from
games/demos?

http://www.geocities.com/Silicon
           Valley/Lakes/5147/sidplay/

This gives a basic guide to the
fundamentals of ripping, although
please note that you should not use
the PlaySID extended digi registers
anymore.  All rips should be C64
compliant. Once you've ripped the C64
data (and wherever possible, tested
your ripped data on a real C64) you
should use the SIDEdit tool to convert
your rip to PSIDv2NG format for HVSC.
Please use the PSIDEdit link at
 http://lala.c64.org/

for more information.

However, do not set any of the
PSIDv2NG fields unless you are
absolutelysure you are correct.

Consult the documentation with
SIDEdit for more information. You
should then use Sidplay2 to test your
rip to make sure it works correctly.

One other important thing to bear in
mind - if at all possible, rip from
the _original_ release of the game.
The initial wave of game cracks back in
the late 1980s often missed out tunes,
mucked up tunes etc and are never
treated as a 100% reliable source for
the correct game tunes, just to be on
the safe side.  Also, you will find
that the release date given in a crack
can be inaccurate, along with the
credits, as the cracker would often
overwrite the correct credits with who
cracked the game etc.


[20] Why isn't tune X in HVSC?

Of course, not every SID ever made on
the C64 is in HVSC.  We feel that the
majority of the most requested tunes
are in HVSC.  This does not mean we
feel that almost _all_ C64 tunes are
in HVSC.  The HVSC crew is always
busy ripping new SIDs and always
receiving more SIDs.  The best thing
you can do if you would like to hear a
certain tune in HVSC is to check out
the  SID Hunt web page  which can be
reached from the main HVSC web site.
Also, the  HVSC Ripped Tunes page is a
good source to check if a tune has been
ripped and due for a HVSC Update.

You may also want to consider
Vincent Voois' "Sidbace 32"  which
helps you locate information in both
HVSC and STIL that you require.


[21] I can't find tune Y in HVSC
which was used in an old intro/demo.
Can you tell me where it is?

Unfortunately, many intro coders and
programmers failed to properly give
credit to the music they used in their
work.  HVSC, thankfully, is very
accurate in the credits it gives.  We
have worked for years contacting the
original composers of tunes to help
verify SID credits in HVSC. I don't
think you are going to like what I am
leading up to.  C64 musicians have
long been ignored on the C64.  Many
people will say, "Do you have the
music to Commando?" not knowing
who made the music.  The time has
come that you too should learn these
composers' names.  Basically, what I
am telling you is that there is a
chance that you will have to roll up
your sleeves and dig through HVSC
searching for your old favorite tunes.
Before you do this, though, you should
check out the HVSC search engine at
the HVSC web site. With just a
fragment of information, you can
perhaps find the tune.  Also, note
that the professional composers
(i.e., ones who received money for
their work) are at the root of HVSC.

Some of the lesser known composers and
composers from post-1992 are in the
"VARIOUS" directory.

Knowing this information should help
reduce your search time. For demos,
you might wish to pay a visit to
Stephan Schmid's excellent Demo
Dungeon site  - it has lots of demos,
but also which tunes were used in
each one. Very highly recommended.


[22] Why do some of the tunes in
HVSC not play?

More than likely, a silent tune is a
PSID-only tune or the tune isn't
fully C64 compliant.  Our goal is to
eventually replace all these tunes with
versions that will work in the real C64
environment mode of Sidplay2.

Further, some tunes use ADSR values
which the original Sidplay's
libsidplay library does not like.


[23] Why are there some incorrect or
ugly-looking credits in HVSC?

Slowly but surely we are taking care
of this. With each update, we make at
least 200 credit fixes.  So please be
patient and if you notice any
incorrect credits, email us and we'll
try to fix them for the next update.
Note also that any documented proof you
have of the credit fix will help.

Some people may not realise the amount
of effort that has gone into HVSC since
they have no idea of the collection's
history.

The chart below proudly shows the
amount of progress HVSC has made
since its existence. An explanation of
the key: deleted tunes were either
damaged or repeated; fixed tunes that
replaced inferior rips; new is for
new SIDs added; credits are fixes or
additions to current HVSC credits.

The chart shows several things.  Not
only does HVSC average over 400 new
SIDs per Update but the collection
also averages over 400 credit fixes
per Update.  Also, note how the
number of repeats added and the
numberof fixed rips have been kept
extremely low.  This shows the amount
of quality in the collection.
Eventually we hope that the number of
credit fixes per Update will drop below
200.


[24] Can I just download the individual
tunes I want?

Yes.  HVSC is available unzipped at a
few web and ftp sites.  A listing of
these sites can be found at the  HVSC
Mirrors Page.


[25] How is it determined which
composers go under the /VARIOUS dir?

The current rule is:

 (1) If the artist has no tunes made
in 1992 or earlier, go to step #4

 (2) If the artist has game tunes (3
must be made in 1992 or earlier),
above Various... else go to step #3

 (3) If the artist was a famous demo
composer in 1992 or earlier, above
Various...else go to step #4

 (4) Below Various

Note: Rule (2) above has slightly
changed. This is in order that an
artist who may have produced only one
game tune for a magazine covermount
prior to 1992 does not make it above
VARIOUS.

Also, as of HVSC 3.1, the /VARIOUS
directory changed structure. In order
to make it manageable chunks,
/VARIOUS now has four subdirs, A-F,
G-L, M-R and S-Z, so you can look in
those to find the composers you seek.


[26] Do you offer HVSC on CD?

Yes we do :) Please contact the below
for further HVSC on CD information:
--------------------------------------
Jason MacKenzie
Binary Zone PD
ENGLAND
Website:
http://www.bzpd.freeserve.co.uk/
--------------------------------------
Imre Olajos Jr.
Website: http://lala.c64.org
--------------------------------------
Bionic Grasshopper
Email: [e-mail]
--------------------------------------
Stefan Scheffels
Website:
http://de.geocities.com/sokratekk.rm
--------------------------------------

In addition, the HVSC Crew have
ensured that any programs distributed
on a HVSC CD have had written
permission from the programmers
concerned to include their work, such
as Sidplay, PlaySID, APlayer etc.

If you are a public domain library
and wish to include HVSC  on a CD-ROM
then please email Stephan Schmid &
Peter Sandn for permission -that's
all we ask. As long as you are making
no profit on the CD, we will be more
than willing to support you.

One final thing. You may also see C64
compilation CDs (such as the C64
Classix CD) which contain to have
"over 10,000 SID tunes".  They have
copied HVSC onto those CDs without
permission and are making profit from
it, which is not only against the
HVSC ethic, but also means that  the
composers' works are being abused.


[27] When will HVSC be completed?

In all likelihood, never. Far too many
tunes were made on the C64 to
reasonably expect that every SID will
be collected.  In addition, people are
still composing music on the C64 to
this day (some of the HVSC team
themselves are among them).
Consider HVSC a living collection.


[28] I find myself listening to SID
music all the time. Am I normal?

No, you are a SID-aholic. But we
consider this a good thing. ;)


[29] So how do I make my own SID
tunes?

In most cases, you will need access to
either a real C64 or a  C64 emulator
such as CCS64 or VICE.  Ideally it is
preferred that you actually compose
on the real thing, as you know the
emulation is going to be 100% :-).
You will also need a music editor
program, which will enable you to
easily alter the sequences with the
notes in, the voices that the C64
will use, and also which will let you
compile your tunes  to disk so that
they can be loaded and run by other
users.

ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/cbm/c64/
       audio/editors/

is a good place to start to download
a Commodore 64 music editor. I would
advise you to try out a few and see
which one you prefer. Over the years
many people have recommended JCH's
Editor, Music Assembler, DMC Editor,
Future Composer, Voicetracker,
Siduzzit, Soundmonitor and many others,
but do take the time to read all the
documentation with them. They will help
you a lot in creating the right sound
for your tune.

Those of you who are used to tracker
programs like Fast Tracker on the PC
might like to check out CyberTracker

  see http://noname.c64.org/tracker/

it's a FT-like environment for making
C64 tunes.

And now there's a native PC
application which will do the job very
nicely for you.  Lasse rni's
GoatTracker uses the well known
reSID emulation engine in conjunction
with a friendly and simple to use
interface so that within minutes you
can be mastering the SID chip and
producing your tunes.  And for
HardSID card owners, you can also use
the real C64 SID chip on your
HardSID to ensure your sound is as
close to the real thing as possible.

The beauty also is that you can save
your tunes (when finished) to C64 .prg
format, or SID format too. For more
information, please consult the
following webpage:

  http://www.student.oulu.fi/loorni/

And of course, once you have a saved
compiled tune, it should be pretty
easy to convert to a SID file to send
off to the HVSC Crew (hint).


[30] What if I want to release a
cover of a SID tune commercially?

You should importantly please bear in
mind that often the C64 composer will
own authorship rights to their SID
tunes, and not the software company.
This is particularly the case as
often known game composers worked
freelance and so kept the ownership
to their pieces. You should endeavour
to contact the original C64 composer to
ensure not just permission but also
that the composer gets due authorship
credit (and payment of course) on the
record.  Feel free also to contact
Chris Abbott with regard to this if you
are unsure how to proceed.

------------------------

Information printed from the FAQs with
the agreement of Peter from HVSC