Playing a software SID sound with a midi keyboard

[Beakster]

Hi,

Can anyone tell me how I can play SID sounds on a computer with a Midi keyboard? I don't have any kind of hardware sid chip or external controller but I'd like to get some chipophone sounds out when I press keys on the midi keyboard.

Thanks

[Chris Abbott]

If you've got a sequencer and a VST SID plugin then you could do this. Otherwise you're stuck with GM "Square Wave" and GM "Sawtooth Wave" and pretending

Since the sound you get when you press a key on the midi keyboard is dependent on the midi sound the channel is connected to, you'd have to be directing it to something nice: either a software wavetable soundset, a sample bank, some external hardware, a VST, or whatever.

[Commie_User]

Here's the two-point plan in starting from scratch:


1. Download Cantabile or some other freely available VST host. When you run it, enable the soundcard (and MIDI when you get it) as well as discovering any default plugin folders. These are where the lovely virtual SID things go.



http://download.cantabilesoftware.com/2 ... 0Setup.exe

No controller? Get one! Especially second hand, keyboards with MIDI can be cheap enough. Same with soundcards with joystick/MIDI sockets and the cable.

Failing that, you can play the on-screen keyboard graphic with your mouse.








2. Google for free SID emulator software like 38911 Bytes. You can also widen the scope by looking for chiptune VSTi in general. Or you could always download the free version of the Kontakt rompler and a pile of Commodore samples.

When installing, make sure they go into the plugin folder Cantabile uses.



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Top 10 programs: http://www.boyinaband.com/2009/09/top-1 ... -plug-ins/

My samples: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7594




And if you already have a DAW with piano roll plotter for your MIDI, you could end up with doodles like mine:

So there it is - a program which takes the performance data from your MIDI keyboard, routes it through a virtual synth and outputs the product of that as sound.

Have fun.

[Beakster]

Thanks guys. I've got LMMS installed now and I've tried out a couple of VSTs to create SID noises, exactly what I was looking for