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Elektron Sidstation

Friday, July 17, 2009

As a kid, I spent a lot of time with my Commodore 64. I used to experiment with the sid chip by programming a string of variables into it and playing them back. The Sidstation gives me control over the SID6581 sound chip using midi. Sure beats learning 6502 and BASIC to program the commodore 64, although it might be fun too.

The most unusual and original synth I have ever owned. With the Tables feature, the sidstation becomes an experimental, unpredictable and sometimes chaotic synth. A little fun trick I have discovered is to program three tables, then change their speeds to get all sorts of new sounds. I use this trick in “dirty sid”.

The Sidstation produces a very noticeable noise when midi note commands are not sent because the SID6581 gate never closes. This noise can be controlled with an external gate. The background noise sounds very eerie like picking up frequencies from another dimension. I use it in “dirty sid” to add tension.