Yeppah, getting a floppy drive is inevitable if you wish to have a headache-free authentic C64 SID workstation
I use my old C64IIC "The Beast" for testing purposes only (with my old OC drive and X1541M cable - the normal X1541 cable doesn't work with newer PCs), for SID composing now'days I tend to use
VICE 2.1 or 2.2 (sometimes 2.2 sound freezes but it's no biggie) with SID settings
8580R5 1489 re-sidFP . Considering sound, I really can't tell the difference between this and my original machine.
http://noname.c64.org/csdb/release/?id=79676
I'm not going to talk you out of
Cybertracker but if you wish to create SIDs, there are loads of much better music editors you can work with. Despite its good looks, cybertracker is pretty limited, you can get more out of the SID chip even with
Future Composer (1988). Some other editors/trackers that are worth checking, just naming few:
Goattracker (GT)
http://cadaver.homeftp.net/tools.htm
It's a cross-platform editor. Fine stuff. It's compatible with the C64 native
NinjaTracker (can be found also on Cadaver's site): zounds of options, you can configure GT any way you want.
Sid Duzz-IT (SDI)
http://noname.c64.org/csdb/release/?id=84874
Glenn Rune Galefoss and Geir Tjelta continuously develop this native C64 tracker. Perhaps it offers the widest sonic possibilities. Soon (I guess this year), a new version will be available with some groundbreaking options/FX.
Demo Music Creator (DMC)
This is a '90s stuff coded by Brian. Older editor but it's still very flexible. There are many version, I'd recommend checking the 4.0 and 5.1 (they are totally different, with major changes)
http://noname.c64.org/csdb/release/?id=2596
http://noname.c64.org/csdb/release/?id=2600
There is also a quite good tutorials for them, written by Richard Bayliss:
http://tnd64.unikat.sk/
These are just 3 out of the bunch. There are dosens of fine native trackers/editors that beat cybertracker.
Personally I like
NinjaTrtacker 2.03 for its artistically programmed music driver code and
GMC 1.6 (predecessor of DMC from 1990) because it's dirty like hell, with that you can throw the SID chip into some sonic mayhem easily
http://noname.c64.org/csdb/release/?id=83864
(Aw. There is no 1.6 on CSDb as far as I can see. I may upload a .d64 file with some worktunes of mine some time...)
Again: I don't want to talk you out of Cybertracker, you bake sonics with whatever you wish - there are just incomparably better tools around
Regards,
NP