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                    The High Voltage SID Collection (HVSC)
                       -> Frequently Asked Questions <-
                       Last Updated:  December 16, 2012
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Very Common Questions

 [1] What is the High Voltage SID Collection (HVSC)?
 [2] What software and hardware do I need to play the tunes in HVSC?
 [3] Isn't Commodore C64 music just silly beep-blop music?
 [4] Which tunes are added to HVSC, and why?
 [5] Why aren't there any Compute Gazette SIDPlayer tunes in HVSC?
 [6] What is the SID Tune Information List (STIL)?

HVSC and SID File Format

 [7] Where can I find the SID File Format specification?
 [8] What is PSIDv2NG and RSID?
 [9] Why has HVSC decided to go with PSIDv2NG?
[10] Some of the file names end with _2SID or _BASIC. Why is this?
[11] My SID player doesn't play all SIDs in HVSC. Why is that?

Updates

[12] When will the next update be released?
[13] Do I have to download all of HVSC after each update?
[14] Why isn't the update tool available for my system?
[15] Why do the updates sometimes add SIDs that HVSC already has?
[16] After I ran the Update, I can't find some SIDs. Where did they go?

General Questions

[17] How can I tell what version of HVSC I have?
[18] Why do some tunes in HVSC sound different than on a real C64?
[19] How do I rip SID tunes from games/demos?
[20] Why isn't tune X in HVSC?
[21] I can't find a tune in HVSC which was used in an intro/demo. Where is it?
[22] Why do some of the tunes in HVSC not play?
[23] Why are there some incorrect or ugly-looking credits in HVSC?
[24] Can I just download the individual tunes I want?
[25] Do you offer HVSC on CD?
[26] When will HVSC be completed?
[27] I find myself listening to SID music all the time. Am I normal?
[28] So how do I make my own SID tunes?
[29] What if I want to release a cover of a SID tune commercially?

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[1] What is the High Voltage SID Collection (HVSC)?
---------------------------------------------------

HVSC is the ultimate SID tune collection featuring over 41,200 popular and
requested SIDs from the Commodore 64. The collection includes SIDs (aka C64
music) from games, demos, intros, etc. HVSC has been in the making for fifteen
years and is the result of many contributors.

[2] What software and hardware do I need to play the tunes in HVSC?
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucky for you, there are many devoted SID fans throughout the world. Many people
have created or ported SID emulators to various OSes. To name a few: Win32 (7,
Vista, XP, 2000, Me, 98, 95), Linux, MSDOS, MacOS, AmigaOS, Atari Falcon, BeOS,
OS/2, etc. For a complete list of which OSs are supported, see the HVSC web
page. You can also listen to the SIDs in HVSC on a real C64 with the 1541
Ultimate I/II cartridge, MMC64 cartridge, Sidplay64, Real SID Play, PSID64,
the HVSID Player or through Winamp by connecting your PC with a C64 with a PC64
cable.

A list of SID players is available on the HVSC web page. See
http://hvsc.c64.org/players.htm

As for additional hardware, you only need a sound card.

In addition to using your home computer, there are hardware devices out there
that utilize the SID chip itself in conjunction with your sound card.
See http://www.hardsid.com for more information.

[3] Isn't Commodore C64 music just silly beep-blop music?
---------------------------------------------------------

Absolutely not! Although the C64 went into production in 1983, do not
underestimate the C64's technology. In fact, Byte Magazine named the C64's
Sound Interface Device (SID) as one of the 20 most important chips in computer
history alongside the PowerPC, Intel 8086, and Pentium. After all, there has to
be a reason why there are so many SID fans. You should note that there were two
distinctive regions for SID music, America and Europe. American SID music is on
average lower in quality compared to European SID music. This is not to say that
American SID music is crap, but if you are judging SID music based on the
American SID music you have heard, I can understand partially why you might
think SID music is silly.

Why is American SID music lacking compared to European SID music? Mainly this
has to do with much information sharing related to the SID composing tools in
Europe (not to mention some theft as well). The best way for you to determine
if SID music is or isn't for you is to listen to some of the best. Take a listen
to some Hubbard, Galway, Daglish, Gray (Fred and Matt) and Tel. If you do not
like any of those artists, then there is a strong chance you will not like any
SID music.

You should also note that C64 music has been played not just on specialist radio
shows like the KDVS 6581 SID show (now sadly no longer with us) but also on
Swedish national television. So much for silly beep-blop then :)

[4] Which tunes are added to HVSC, and why?
-------------------------------------------

HVSC adds music from games and C64 scene programs (whether they be from demos,
stand-alone music packs, or disk magazines) which have been released into the
public domain. However, we do not normally add any Compute! Gazette tunes (see
[5]). Thus, if a tune has been released publically including C64 FTP or WWW
sites, this means it also allows for any other public collection such as HVSC
to place it in their collections as well using the same unrestricted and free
ethics that public domain software allows. We do this so that HVSC serves as an
archive, not just for the SID fans, but for the composers as well if they ever
need to refer to their work. There are also some previously unreleased tunes by
composers which HVSC also has (such as /MUSICIANS/G/Gray_Fred/Sled.sid), where
the HVSC Crew strictly asks for _composer permission_ before releasing such.

[5] Why aren't there any Compute Gazette SIDPlayer tunes in HVSC?
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Because the music will not play on its own and needs a separate music player to
work. Every CG music should be merged with the player code to get a working
.sid file, which is a lot of work and generally not worth the pain.
Also, because on average they do not sound as good as non-SIDPlayer tunes.
SIDPlayer was a public domain SID composer and player available in the early
'80s on the C64. The tool was predominately used by Americans and has a strong
following among the public domain audience. SIDPlayer tunes are usually followed
by a ".mus" and can be found on some C64 ftp sites.

The best Compute! Gazette SID tune collection HVSC knows of is maintained by
Peter Weighill and the latest version can be found here:

http://www.c64music.co.uk/

(note: do not confuse SIDPlayer with SIDPlay. SIDPlay is a SID emulator whereas
SIDPlayer is a SID player for the C64. (Confusion is easy when there is SIDPlay,
PLAYSID (Amiga), SIDPlayer (C64), Real SIDPlay (C64), etc.)

[6] What is the SID Tune Information List (STIL)?
-------------------------------------------------

The STIL is basically a text file which contains general information about the
SIDs in HVSC. Such information includes the original composer's name, defects
in certain tunes, interesting trivia, etc. Consult the STIL FAQ for more
information. Hopefully your SID emulator has the option to display the STIL
information for the current playing SID tune.

[7] Where can I find the SID File Format specification?
-------------------------------------------------------

The SID File Format specification is located in the DOCUMENTS folder within
HVSC.

It describes all the sections and fields in the SID file and all the differences
between the SID header versions.

[8] What is PSIDv2NG and RSID?
------------------------------

PSIDv2NG (PSID format v2, Next Generation) was invented by Simon White and
Dag Lem and is an extension of the Playsid V2 file format. It takes advantage
of some free bytes in the header and allows for the following situations (the
first one was already in the existing PSID v2 format):

* the SID file has a standalone player or is a Compute! Gazette SIDplayer tune
* whether the SID file is C64 compatible or specific to the old PlaySID formats
* whether the SID file is for NTSC (e.g. USA) or PAL (e.g. Europe) TV formats
* SID chip selection, 6581 (old) or 8580 (new) SID chip
* relocation fields, required to support a real C64 (emulator) where additional
  code must be placed in C64 ram to play the SID tune.

All the above means that it also allows for better compatibility with a real
Commodore 64 so you can play the tunes on the real thing (see also RSID below)

It also has the added advantage of being backwards compatible with most SID
tunes, so that older SID players can still play them, but to take advantage
of the features of PSID v2NG, you are highly recommended to use a modern SID
player to play SIDs in HVSC.

RSID is an extension of the PSID v2NG format, introduced in HVSC 5.1. RSID is
for those rips that require strict C64 compliance, and also ensure that older
SID players do not lock up when attempting to play these SIDs. It does this by
having "RSID" in the first four bytes of the SID file header instead of "PSID",
which allows for safe rejection. Examples of an RSID format SID include sample
tunes which require real-time sample playback, busy delay loops in real time and
cycle-accurate timing.

The RSID format should only be used if the rip will crash older SID emulators or
when it is not possible to make the SID playable in PSID format.

[9] Why has HVSC decided to go with PSIDv2NG?
---------------------------------------------

The HVSC Team had thought for some time about going with the file format, as it
would allow for better and more accurate rips, being played with the
cycle-accurate Sidplay2 player. However, such an issue was important and so in
March 2002 HVSC undertook its first ever user survey, which asked how the
collection was used, what the users found important in a SID file format to
them, and whether the collection should move to PSIDv2NG format. When you
consider that of those surveyed:

* 73% wished for SID files to be played on a real C64 where possible
* 94% would like to hear SID tunes at their intended PAL or NTSC speed
* 91% wished to know which SID chip a SID tune was composed on

and that a majority also wished for us to have SID files play more accurately,
and for the collection to go to PSIDv2NG, then it was an easy decision to make.
Further, PSIDv2NG is the only new SID file format thus far that facilitates what
was preferred.

[10] Some of the file names end with _2SID or _BASIC. Why is this?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

SIDs that are marked "_BASIC" were originally taken from C64 games
which were wholly programmed in the BASIC language. Modern sidplayers are able
to effectively emulate BASIC (and thus the tunes created within BASIC) correctly.

HVSC 5.7 saw the first BASIC SIDs in the collection, and as the collection
progresses, more of these tunes will appear.

From HVSC #55, _2SID files will be present in the collection. 2SID files (aka
stereo SIDs) are SID files that control 2 SID chips. The SID file format is
extended for this so the address of the second SID chip can be specified and
also the SID model of it.

In order to play _2SID files, you need to use a Sidplayer that supports the PSID
v3 and RSID v3 file format or you need to use a modified C64 that have 2 SID
chips in it that maps the second SID chip at the same address as where the 2SID
tune is made for. Also if you have a C64 cartridge that emulates 2 SID chips, it
is also possible to play _2SID files on it.

[11] My SID player doesn't play all SIDs in HVSC. Why is that?
--------------------------------------------------------------

Old SID players can't play RSID files which are C64 specific. Download the
latest version of your SID player or choose a more actively maintained one to
resolve this problem.

From HVSC #55, _2SID files are included. These tunes can only be played
correctly if your SID player does support it or if your Commodore 64 has 2 SID
chips inside and the SID tune is using the same address of the second SID chip
that your extra SID chip is mapped to. Also it is possible to play _2SID files
on the 1541 Ultimate II cartridge via SID emulation and when you are using the
audio out connector on the cartridge.

[12] When will the next update be released?
-------------------------------------------

There is no fixed time schedule as to when each update is released. Each update
is dependent on two factors: available time and available SIDs. Once enough
SIDs have been sent in and the HVSC crew has time enough to properly sort the
SIDs, the next update will be released. At present, it takes on average six
months to put together a new update. However, you should note that with the
amount of SIDs already present in HVSC, it does become harder to compile updates
full of new SIDs and six months should be seen as an absolute minimum.

[13] Do I have to download all of HVSC after each update?
---------------------------------------------------------

No. The update comes with a tool that automatically updates HVSC to the next
version. Instructions are provided in each update and within the tool. In
particular, do NOT run the update tool more than once.

[14] Why isn't the update tool available for my system?
-------------------------------------------------------

The update tool was made in mind to be portable, and at the moment is available
for Win95/98/ME/XP/Vista/7 and Linux.

If you would like to port the Update tool to your OS, the source code to the
tool and information about the format of the HVS data file can be obtained at
http://hvsc.c64.org/download.htm#HVSC-tools

[15] Why do the updates sometimes add SIDs that HVSC already had?
-----------------------------------------------------------------

We often replace SIDs in HVSC with better versions. Reason for replacing SIDs
could be (1) more sub-tunes (2) 100% rip (3) significantly smaller (4) merger of
several SIDs. A "100% rip" includes SID tunes that are fully C64 compliant and
where applicable have all subtunes.
Thus, there is a chance that a new version of a tune could sound identical to
the current version in HVSC. The new rip, however, has some internal changes
that does in fact make it superior. Note that occasionally we do mistakenly add
repeated tunes (and please tell us if you spot them.)

[16] After I ran the Update, I can't find some SIDs. Where did they go?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

To find out more details as to where SIDs were moved, why they were deleted, why
they were replaced, etc., view the /DOCUMENTS/UpdateXX.hvs file for the current
update. The "XX" in the path mentioned in the previous sentence represents the
current update number. So if after running Update #7 you can no longer find a
favorite SID, check /DOCUMENTS/Update07.hvs and search the file for the location
where that SID was manipulated. The UpdateXX.hvs file serves as a data file for
the UPDATE tool but is also readable by humans and does contain some useful
comments. The best way to find the section of the file that contains the
information you seek is to do a string search on the old SID or the path where
the SID resided.

[17] How can I tell what version of HVSC I have?
------------------------------------------------

Look at /DOCUMENTS/HVSC.txt. The first few lines will tell you what version
you have. Also check the UpdateXY.hvs files. XY tells you the last installed
update, and as they are counted in ascending order it's easy to calculate which
ones your are missing.

[18] Why do some tunes in HVSC sound different than on a real 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 a modern sidplayer to take advantage of this
feature, otherwise in older SID players 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 wish 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?
---------------------------------------------

Steppe wrote an excellent document about ripping SID tunes. You can download the
document here:

http://hvsc.c64.org/info.htm#dummies

This documentation gives a basic guide to the fundamentals of ripping. 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 SIDEdit link at http://lala.c64.org/ for more
information.

However, do not set any of the PSIDv2NG fields unless you are absolutely sure
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. First check via the search
functionality on the HVSC web site if you can find the SID tune that you're
looking for.

If you still can't find it then try using the tool SID Known which is available
here:

http://csdb.dk/release/?id=109492

SID Known can be used to identify music but it also helps to find out which
tunes are not in the High Voltage SID Collection. If you find music not found
by SID Known, it would be appreciated if you report this to the HVSC crew
(http://hvsc.c64.org) or post it in one of the CSDb forums (http://csdb.dk) like
"SIDs that aren't in HVSC yet".

[21] I can't find a tune in HVSC which was used in an intro/demo. Where is it?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

For demos, you might wish to pay a visit to Stephan Schmid's excellent Demo
Dungeon site at http://www.demodungeon.com/ - it has lots of demos, but also
which tunes were used in each one. Very highly recommended.

Also, at CSDb <http://noname.c64.org/csdb/> everyone who knows or finds the
correct sids used in C64 production can add a link to the correct HVSC path.

And if by all means you still can't locate a tune in HVSC, drop us a line at
<hvsc (sid) c64.org> and I'm sure we can help you out.

[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 some old SID players don't emulate correctly.

[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.

[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] Do you offer HVSC on CD?
-----------------------------

Yes we do :)

Please contact the below for further HVSC on CD information:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jason MacKenzie
Binary Zone Interactive
Basement Studio
34 Cowleigh Road
Malvern
Worc's WR14 1QD
ENGLAND

Website: http://goo.gl/2fZG1 (links to http://www.binaryzone.org product page)
Email: kenz (sid) bzpd.wanadoo.co.uk
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bionic Grasshopper
Email: bg_mfc (sid) usa.net
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 us <hvsc (sid) c64.org> 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. Should you ever stumble about such a CD offered on websites or online
auctions, please let us know and notify us via email at <hvsc (sid) c64.org>.
Thank you.

[26] 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.

[27] 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. ;)

[28] 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.zimmers.net/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,
SID DUZZ'IT, 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 Öörni'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://covertbitops.c64.org

Another cross-platform music editor is CheeseCutter made by Abaddon of
Fairlight, see: http://theyamo.kapsi.fi/
It's an open source cross-platform music editor build around the JCH-editor.

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

[29] 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 endeavor 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 <chris (sid) c64audio.com> with regard to this if you are
unsure how to proceed.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Do you have more questions? Have you also checked:

(1) The documentation for the SID emulator/player you are using
(2) /DOCUMENTS/HVSC.txt (describes HVSC in more detail)
(3) /DOCUMENTS/STIL.txt & /DOCUMENTS/STIL.faq (discusses some tunes in HVSC)
(4) readme.1st (information about updating; comes with each update)
(5) BUGlist.txt (information about bugs in SIDs)

If you have checked those documents and have not found the answers you seek,
by all means, please email <hvsc (sid) c64.org> at any
time. Note that if you think your problem is related to the emulator/player
you are using, we suggest you email the party responsible.
