FOREWORD The "SID Player" and "SID Editor" programs have enjoyed a long and rich history in the Commodore computing world. Written by Craig Chamberlain and published by Compute! Books, "Compute!'s Music System for the Commodore 128 & 64: The Enhanced Sidplayer" represents the ultimate in music composition tools for the Commodore. With over 7,000 songs now available in this format, one can easily say that it is the most popular music system in use on 8-bit machines. Foreward
In 1987 Mark Dickenson introduced the Stereo SID concept, which gave SID music renewed life. By making an internal hardware modification to one's computer or simply by plugging in a cartridge, one gains an additional three voices with which to work. Stereo SIDs provide a fullness never before heard on a 64. However, while the StereoPlayer series of programs allow easy playing of such files, creating stereo SIDs remains a somewhat mundane task. Because only three voices may be edited at once, one must frequently swap and rename files, breaking the continuity of the music composition process. Clearly, a specialized editor for stereo SIDs is needed.
The Stereo Editor has been created to fill that void. Not only are all six voices available in memory, they are displayed onscreen at all times, greatly improving editing ease. Most of the popular editing features from the original SID Editor are also available in this package. In addition, several new, stereo-specific capabilities have been added. Many hours of work have been put into this project in order to preserve the flavor of the original Editor while greatly redesigning it for stereo operation. A special menu system has been introduced to alleviate the need to remember how to access some of the more obscure mode-setting functions, singalong song editing has been integrated into the main editor, and MIDI support has been added, along with a host of other new options.
I wish to make it clear, however, that Stereo Editor represents an entirely different editing environment. In terms of program operation, Stereo Editor has very little in common with the original Enhanced Sidplayer system. Stereo Editor was designed from the ground up with absolutely no conscious effort put into making it resemble the original editor; emphasis was put on functionality, not familiarity. For this reason, those accustomed to the original editor might find Stereo Editor awkward at first. The transition will occur much more smoothly if you approach this new editor with an open mind. Though Stereo Editor makes it easy to redefine editor keys to mimic the original editor, we STRONGLY discourage this practice, as it has been found to increase confusion by those who tried it during alpha and beta testing.
It is the wish of those involved in and associated with this project that Craig Chamberlain continue to be rewarded for his excellent work in the original Editor program and associated utilities. Therefore, we will not accept donations of any nature and urge anyone who makes use of this package to purchase the book/disk combination "Compute!'s Music System for the Commodore 128 & 64: The Enhanced Sidplayer". Not only is it necessary to have the book to fully understand Sidplayer commands, Stereo Editor makes use of the stand-alone player on the Enhanced Sidplayer disk. So, take no shortcuts; purchase the book and be an honest member of the great SID community.
When Eric McCormick approached me with the idea of writing a Stereo SID Editor in June (a funny story in itself), I thought he was out of his mind. Nevertheless, I began the project then, although half-heartedly. It wasn't until late August that I finally got the spark to work on the project; and three months of sleepless nights later, I realize what a joy it was to write this program and work with people as talented as the arrangers who have made SID music as popular as it is today. To those fine people I dedicate Stereo Editor.
Robert A. Stoerrle
November 24, 1989
[Stereo Editor Documentation]
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