| CDTrack13 | Demo songs utilising (only?) the SidStation. |
| CDTrack17 | Demo of the Tel-lead preset. |
| CDTrack24 | Demo of the SidStation together with other instruments. |
In a time when DSP's of ever higher performance are equipped with increasingly complex models of synthesis, the small Swedish company Elektron take off in a completely different direction: creating all sounds through the soundchip of the old homecomputer number one, the Commodore 64. An April fool pulled off at the wrong time? Not at all, this little synthesizer-chip that appeared in 1983 as the SID-chip of the C64 was the most progressive of its kind. Inventor Bob Yannes, who later founded Ensoniq, created a system that was incredibly flexible by the standards of the day and provided the atmospheric background for the cult computer-games of the C64 - long before the introduction of sampled sounds. The SID-chip thereby brought about such interesting and characteristic sounds it kept a whole generation of computer-game freaks in its enchanting power. All very well, this was sixteen years ago, but what in the world is it doing back here today?
Whereas the SID-chip originally was doomed to a sad existance boxed up inside the bulky and clumsy C64, lovingly called "the breadbox" by its fans, much effort has been put to make its 1999 appearance more attractive. The 4 freely rotable knobs, LCD, numeric keypad and overdimensioned rotary encoder are not just visually appealing but also technically practical. Next to the MIDI in and out, the only connections consist of a mono out socket and an audio input. Running an expensive sampler through the sound-engine of the C64 - what an audial and philosophical feast for the LoFi-fractions! Storage slots for 100 sound patches is all there is, but if the free slots run out the patches can be SysEx-dumped into an archive.
The sound engine works subtractively, similar to the ones found in analogue synthesizers. The three oscillators of the SidStation make up either a three-voice polyphony or can be used for more advanced monophonic soundscapes. Each of the oscillators consist of a waveform generator, an envelope generator and an amplitude modulator. The tone generators can produce 5 different waveforms: apart from triangle, saw and pulse you also get a "noise" and a "mix" waveform, created by combining the triangle and pulse waveforms. The oscillators can be synchronized and ringmodulated, varying these settings and changing the pitch lets you create either soft sounds or more agressive ones. With the pulse waveform, there's also the option of pulse width modulation, which in turn can be run through an LFO. The envelopes of the SidStation are the typical attack, decay, sustain and release. The values of these can only be set a large notch at a time. Still, they cover a sufficiently wide range. Four LFO's are present for the modulation of several different properties. They are able to modulate pulse width, gain, filter and pitch. Remarkably, the LFO's can also be set to mutual modulation of each other. Six different waveforms provide a great variety of altering capabilities -and to top it off there is also a function for random modulation. In order to fit the tempo of the tune, each LFO is synchable to an external MIDI clock. All done, the signal can be routed through a programmable filter sporting an envelope of its own. Among the 7 different filter-types, there are combinations of for example lowpass and highpass beside the usual low- high- and bandpass. There is also the special "all" filter-type, which combines all filter-types.
The most clever sound-shaping feature lies within the waveform-table: this is essentially a small sequencer which supports the entering and sequencing of waveforms. It can hold a sequence of up to 32 steps, making an extensive sound-programming possible, as seen in the Waldorf Microwave or Korg Wavestation. Different commands of modulation and the ability to play the sequence at different speeds allows the creation of extremely interesting sounds. The commands include modulation of waveform, oscillator synch, ringmod or pitch. Single steps can be looped, as well as the entire sequence itself. Whats more: a wave-table isn't universal, there is a separate one for every oscillator. There's also an arpeggiator with selectable tempo. It gets interesting when you select different tempo values for the arpeggiator of each oscillator. For a more structured sound, the arpeggiator can also be synched to a midi-clock. The legato-feature is the perfect tool for adding that final touch to your lead-sounds. The played note bends into the next one struck, without running through the attack-time of the envelope again.
Refreshingly different! The sounds of the SidStation sport an incredible prescence and power, without overloading the arrangement as a whole. Without a doubt its main strengths lie in the leads and phat timbres, with the legato lead-sounds being especially convincing. Not forgetting the powerful, aggressive bass-sounds and razor-sharp cutting sound effects, which also make the SidStation a very special instrument. The SidStation has a tendency to sound a little "cold" compared to analogue synthesizers, the spectrum of frequencies isn't as flat as that of newer machines, but this is hardly surprising given the fact that this is a soundchip from the 80's. There is also some distinct digital distortions and noise present, but these features only add to the thrill and unique sound of the SidStation. The filter is another source of power and expressive impact, which also features an input for external signals. Oddly, the patch-dependant LFO-modulation and envelope of the filter are also able to affect an external signal.
Of course, the use of an old processor like the SID-chip is perilous. Sound-engineers will get shivers down their spine when they hear the noise of the SidStation, because without an external gate on the mono-output you will notice quite a lot of it. Also, when switching patches, you will get disturbances hardly controllable even with a noisegate. Therefore, the SidStation holds the balance between attractive sonic effects and sound-technical horror.
The SidStation is a lot of fun! Far from being only an exciting toy, it sends a crucial and refreshing breeze through the world of everyday and mainsteram sounds. Its distinctively characteristic expression is nothing short of extravagant - and it delivers truly remarkable sounds. It is easily accessible in operation, not suffocating the user with an excess of parameters, and the LFO's, wave-table and arpeggiator create a great flexibility of sound modulation. The only minor drawback is its rather high price: it costs almost as much as the Clavia micro-modular, a contemporary synthesizer which also features some excentric sounds. The SidStation is an extraordinary synthesizer sporting an extraordinary concept - perfectly suited for the musical climate of today and sure to make a colourful impact. Sound-sculptors, retro-romantics and LoFi-freaks who find the current range of synthesizers too perfect and boring will love the SidStation.