* Quick Abstract

 (Please refer to psidTool.INF or HTML.DOC\psidTool.html for details!)

 
 * What is psidTool? 

 psidTool is a command-line tool for creating (from C64 
 files)/manipulating/extracting (to C64 files) 'PSID' files. 

 This utility is intended for old Commodore 64 freaks (like the author :-) 
 who want to convert their C64 SID music to the PSID format used by 6581 
 emulators like PlaySID and SID Play.  It can also be used to inspect existing 
 PSID files, as well as for converting PSID files back into C64 program files.  
 Flexible cardware, complete with INF and HTML documentation.


 * Aha... What is 'PSID' then?! 

 What, you mean you were never a hardcore Commodore 64 freak, 
 spending those night you were supposed to be studying on optimising your
 new demo-effect to use 3 less clock cycles per iteration?! You mean you 
 never listened to - even composed - the great SID music from this 
 machine, enjoying the fab sweeping filter-effect of the snare sound of 
 Artline Design's touching music? (The place to get 'PSID' music is, of 
 course, the High Voltage SID Collection.) Oh, you hate those soft and nice 
 sounds, calling them geeky, preferring trashy techno, digital 
 reproductions of real instruments, and real girls instad of 180*200 
 reproductions instead??? Well, in that case, this program is certainly not 
 for you! :-) 

 If you, on the other hand - and like the author of this program, who was 
 (and still is, I guess ;-) one of those freaks, spending night after night 
 coding 6510 assembler and composing music for our group LASER Inc. - 
 were once part of the C64 scene, you are almost certainly familiar with 
 PlaySID; a (now) cross-platform 6510 and 6581 SID-chip emulator 
 capable of playing the original C64 files with acceptable quality. Of 
 course you need a real SID for the full experience, in my oppinion.

 'PSID' files are basically the original 6510 program code, prefixed with a 
 small header providing necessary information for PlaySID (and 
 compatibles) to replay the music. The header also contains song title, 
 author and copyright. When you want to transfer a SID tune to 'PSID' this 
 header must be added, which can be a bit tedious doing in a 
 monitor/hex-editor when there are lots of tunes to transfer. This is the 
 reason I wrote psidTool; I was in the process of converting all my own 
 SID compositions to 'PSID', and decided to write this little tool to greatly 
 ease the addition/manipulation of 'PSID' headers. 

 

 * Bonus!

 Yes, wow! I've included a couple of my own C64 SID tunes for you to play
 around with (and hopefully enjoy listening to). They are included in both
 original C64 executable format (*.C64) as well as in PSID (*.SID) format.

 The files reside in SIDs\* and are:

  "Alien?" (original track by me)
  "Squash!" (another original track by me)
  "Ghosts'n Goblins" (a funky cover version by me)

 The files are (C)opyright 1992 me, "Artificial Arts" and "LASER Inc."

 Enjoy!

  - And don't forget to contact me at: Mads Orbesen Troest <mads@troest.dk>

 
