CMD SID Symphony Stereo Cartridge User manual

Page 1
The SID Symphony Stereo Cartridge
Instructions
Creative Micro Designs, Inc.
P.O. Box 646
East Long eadow, MA 01028
Support: [phone]
Congratulations on your purchase of a SID Symphony Stereo Cartridge'. This cartridge contains a SID
(Sound Interface Device) chip, like the one inside your Commodore computer, and support circuitry
When used with an appropriate player program such as Mark Dickenson's Stereo Player, this cartridge
allows you to play Sidplayer songs with six voices in stereo
These instructions:
• give you operating guidelines,
• tell you how to set up the cartridge for use,
• provide troubleshooting tips,
• suggest where to find stereo SID music and information,
• explain how to create stereo Sidplayer songs, and
• state warranty information
We strongly suggest that you read all of these instructions before using your SID Symphony Stereo
Cartridge, and especially the next section, Operating Precautions.
Operating Precautions
Your SID Symphony Stereo Cartridge contains a SID chip, an integrated circuit which is much more sensitive
to handling than some other cartridges which you may own or use The SID chip is especially susceptible
to damage caused by static electricity on your person For this reason, please observe the following:
• NEVER insert or remove the cartridge when your computer is on, even if you have a cartridge
expander device This kind of treatment will certainly damage your cartridge
• NEVER open the cartridge There are no user-serviceable parts inside Opening the cartridge
can discharge static electricity onto the SID chip—which can destroy it
The cartridge has circuitry to protect the SID chip from static and short circuit damage while its case is
closed and it is used in a reasonable manner As long as you observe the two precautions above, you are
in no danger of damaging your cartridge
Using the Cartridge
The SID Symphony Stereo Cartridge is easy to use Just follow these instructions:
1) Turn off the power to your Commodore 64,64c, 128,128D, or SX-64 computer
2) Plug the cartridge into the computer's cartridge port, label side up
3) Turn your computer back on
The cartridge is now ready to provide three more voices of sound for true stereo SID music
Since the cartridge gives you stereo sound capabilities, you have audio outputs for both the left and right
channels The left channel, as defined by the stereo player for Sidplayer songs, consists of the three voices

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from the SID chip inside your computer The right side is composed of the three voices from the SID chip
inside the SID Symphony cartridge To fully appreciate the six stereo voices, hook up the outputs from
your computer and cartridge to the left and right inputs, respectively, on your stereo receiver or ampli
fier See Figure 1 below for a typical system setup The Y splitter should have have one male RCA plug
splitting to 2 female RCA jacks, such as Radio Shack #42-2436 Note: The "Y" splitter is optional—if you
don't want to connect your computer's audio to your monitor, you won't need it
| Stereo (or other a plifier) | I Monitor I | Co puter
Figure 1—Exa ple Syste Setup
Notes for Special Setups:
• If you are using a 1902A monitor, you don't need the Y splitter to bring the left channel sound
to your stereo Instead, plug one end of a RCA male-to-male cable into the "Audio In" jack on
the back of the monitor and connect the other end to the left input on your stereo This may
sound a bit strange, but it works
• If you are using a 1084S monitor, you can take advantage of its built-in stereo speakers
Simply plug one end of a short RCA male-to-male cable into the cartridge and the other end into
the right side audio input on the monitor If you wish to also have the sound go to your stereo,
you will need two Y splitters and two RCA male-to-male cables
The player for stereo Sidplayer songs is the public-domain Stereo Player, written by Mark A Dickenson
The SID Symphony Stereo Cartridge has been tested and verified to work with versions 8 0 and above of
this program We recommend that you use version 10 0 or higher, though, for best results To set up
Stereo Player, just make sure the (A)ddress parameter is set to $DE00 That's all there is to it!
Troubleshooting Tips
If you are experiencing trouble with your cartridge, here are some possible problems and their solutions:
• No music from cartridge (you may hear static): First, check to make sure the address is set to
$DE00 for the software (such as Stereo Player). Then, check all of your audio cables to make sure
they are in working order and plugged in correctly If the cartridge is hot, there is a very good
chance that the SID chip inside the cartridge has been damaged
• Cartridge sounds "funny" (wrong tones, garbled notes, "hum", etc ): The first thing to do is
check all of your audio cables to make sure they are in working order and plugged in correctly
Next, turn the computer off and then check to make sure the cartridge is seated properly in the
cartridge port connector If you are listening to the music through a stereo and you are hearing
a "hum" or "buzz", make sure both the computer and stereo are connected to the same ground
The easiest way to ensure this is to plug both components into the same wall outlet

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If your cartridge is in need of repair, return it to CMD postage paid See the Limited 0-day Warranty
section for the terms of a warranty repair
Finding Stereo Sidplayer Music
You can often find Sidplayer compositions in computer user group libraries or on computer bulletin
boards The headquarters for Sidplayer music, though, is the Music Room on the Quantum Link national
information service The Music Room has the largest collection of regular and stereo Sidplayer tunes in
the world available for downloading You can also take classes in creating Sidplayer tunes and ask many
famous Sidplayer artists questions about techniques and music The Music Room also organizes periodic
"Sidfests" which bring people together who love Sidplayer music for a few days of workshops and music
composing You can also meet other Sidplayer artists in person and enjoy the local sights and attractions
CMD maintains an official presence on Quantum Link and GEnie On Q-Link, look for us in the Hard
ware Support Group, or send electronic mail to "CMD" On GEnie, look for us in the Commodore
Flagship or send mail to "C Micro"
Creating Stereo Sidplayer Music
The easiest way to create stereo Sidplayer songs is with Stereo Editor, by Robert Stoerrle This public-
domain package allows you to see all six voices onscreen at the same time and has many other powerful
editing and playback features To use Stereo Editor, however, you need to own a copy of Computers Music
System for the Commodore 128 and 64: The Enhanced Sidplayer, by Craig Chamberlain Both the Enhanced
Sidplayer and Stereo Editor are available from CMD
Sometimes you may wish to use the Enhanced Sidplayer to create stereo music instead of Stereo Editor (such
as when you want to use the C-128 version of the Enhanced Sidplayer editor because it gives you more
memory for longer compositions) Since the Enhanced Sidplayer edits and plays just three voices (one side)
at a time, you have to use a few tricks to successfully create a stereo composition The Enhanced Sidplayer
editor automatically appends a " MUS" to every file it creates Stereo Player plays files that end in this
extension on the left side It expects the right side filename to end in " STR" Therefore, you must rename
the right side file that you create with Enhanced Sidplayer to have the same base name as the left side but
with a " STR" extension before you play it with Stereo Player.
For example, you could name the left side file "LEFT SIDE" and the right side file "RIGHT SIDE" from
within the Enhanced Sidplayer editor The editor creates two files: a "LEFT SIDE MUS" and a "RIGHT
SIDE MUS" You then exit the editor and rename "RIGHT SIDE MUS" to "LEFT SIDE STR" before playing it
with Stereo Player.
Note: You need to rename "LEFT SIDE STR" to "RIGHT SIDE MUS" before attempting to edit it again with
the Enhanced Sidplayer editor
Using the Cartridge with MIDI
The SID Symphony Stereo Cartridge may be used in conjunction with any Commodore 64/128-compatible
MIDI interface However, as shipped from the factory, the stereo cartridge occupies the same spot in
memory as a MIDI interface If you wish to use a stereo cartridge and a MIDI interface simultaneously
(such as with MIDI—SID Connection), you will need to have CMD change the "base address" of the
cartridge from $DE00 to $DF00 This can be done at no charge Once the base address of the cartridge has

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been changed, you will need to change the (A)ddress parameter in Stereo Player to $DF00 Stereo Editor
automatically detects where the cartridge is in memory
The Sidplayer system was not originally designed to support MIDI After the release of the Enhanced
Sidplayer, Craig Chamberlain defined a "MIDI extension" to Sidplayer (using AUX commands) and released
two different 3-voice "MIDIplayers"—one for any "non-handshaking" MIDI synthesizer and a special
version for Casio CZ-series synthesizers Frank Prindle worked with Craig to develop and release a 6-
voice version of the non-handshaking MIDIplayer. Frank also wrote MIDI—SID Connection, a simple
sequencer which records MIDI input and converts it to Enhanced Sidplayer format for playback on one or
two SID chips Robert Stoerrle included Craig's MIDI definition in the Stereo Editor player module—it can
play back Sidplayer files with the appropriate AUX commands on any MIDI synthesizer
Although there are now several MIDI tools for the Sidplayer system, there remain some significant gaps in
functionality:
• Neither the Enhanced Sidplayer editor or Stereo Editor support real-time input of music via a MIDI
synthesizer There is talk that a second version of Stereo Editor will add this feature
• There is no 6-voice player to complement the Casio-specific 3-voice player (which supports
patch file loading) There are also no other other manufacturer/model-specific players
All of the MIDI tools discussed above can be found on various commercial information services and local
BBSes/user groups If you can't locate the tools, CMD distributes all of the MIDIplayers plus MIDI—SID
Connection on a disk for $5 00 plus $2 00 shipping
Li ited 90-day Warranty
CMD warrants that each SID Symphony Stereo Cartridge will be free from defects in material or workman
ship for a 90-day period beginning when the cartridge is shipped This warranty covers parts and labor
for repairing defects in the cartridge as it was manufactured The warranty does not cover unreasonable
wear and tear or abuse on the cartridge, nor breakage through negligence
The manufacturer does not warrant that this unit is fit for any particular purpose In no event shall
damages for loss of use of this cartridge extend beyond the purchase price of this item Any attempt to
alter or repair the cartridge by persons not associated with CMD voids any remaining warranty on the
cartridge
If your cartridge needs warranty service, return it to CMD postage paid Make sure you package it very
securely to prevent any damage during shipping You may also want to send the cartridge insured
Enclose a letter stating the nature of the problem and describing your computer system Your cartridge
will be repaired free of charge and returned postage paid, unless it is determined that that the problem is
not defect-related CMD reserves the right to determine what is and what is not a defect This cartridge,
as well as many other peripheral devices of this nature, is extremely sensitive to static electricity There
fore, damage due to static electricity discharge once the cartridge is in your possession is not considered a
defect, and therefore is not treated as a warranty repair

The Stereo SID Music Collection
Loading Instructions
The Stereo SID Music Collection is a two-sided disk featuring Mark A Dickenson's Stereo Player vl0.3 and 39
of the best stereo SID songs This software is all public domain and may be freely distributed Here's how to
load Stereo Player:
For Commodore 64/64C/SX64:
1) Turn on your monitor, drive, and computer
2) Insert the Stereo SID disk, label side up, into drive 8 and close the drive door
3) Type: LOAD "BOOT",8,l and press <RETURN>
For Commodore 128/128D:
1) Insert the Stereo SID disk, label side up, into drive 8 and close the drive door
2) Turn on your monitor, drive, and computer Stereo Player will automatically load on power-up
NOTE: This disk contains Enhanced. Sidplayer tunes and should be played only with vlOO, or later, of
Stereo Player. These songs will not play correctly with earlier versions of the player
Stereo Player comes with on-disk documentation To either view it or print it out, just LOAD and RUN the
program DOC VIEWER The documentation is in the four NOTICE files
I i * _ • (V V U * U i i A v kW
• all of the SID artists for creating such great stereo tunes,
• Mark Dickenson for his continuing work on Stereo Player,
• Bobbye Haupt for all her work in helping to choose tunes for this collection
• Craig Chamberlain and Harry Bratt for creating the Sidplayer music system
• Dr Evil Labs for putting the whole thing together!