If you are going to use an emulator for tracking I might as well spam these some more. They come fully assembled, in kits or as bare PCBs: http://devsound.se/products-page/sbu

Alernatively an atari 2600 joy stick is good. They are more available i think.

Mssiah is ok, I just like being able to sync it with other devices with midi clock signals. So you could write a gameboy/c64/renoise song. If you just hit play at the same time they will not stay in sync. Just make sure to get a storage device.

All you need is a Cynthcart cartridge. I love it to death!

someone correct me if im wrong i dont think there is any trackers that come on cartridges. you need a DISCK DRIVE or DISC DRIVE EMULATOR kind of thing such as the 1541u

Thanks for that

Anyway, do I need a midi interface, or can I just run a tracker program from a cartridge?

admirable

i suggest a mouse if you plan to use mssiah, not really sure if this applies for other software above

This, a hardsid UNO will work fine with gt and it will be considerably easier to get running. They are only about 150 euro.

I'd seriously advise trying out some C64 trackers in an emulator or using goattracker on the PC (which also has a nice tutorial) before spunking out on a load of hardware. The SID is a pretty crazy bitch to control and the software much less user friendly when compared to Game Boy/LSDJ.

As an aside, to get the best out of the sid chip use trackers. A decent modern tracker such as SDI, JCH or John Player have sound drivers miles ahead of Mssiah.  Just listen to the demos.  I guess the latter is good if you want to hook a midi device up to it (god knows why) , but you probably won't get the same quality of instruments that a modern tracker provides.   GoatTracker with a hardSID card is also a very good option.

I note this link mentions X1541 cables but only the parallel port versions. Thought I should mention, there's also the XU1541 which is USB based: http://www.commodore16.com/index.php/co … u1541.html Probably a better option given parallel ports are pretty rare these days. Also it's fairly cheap and I've found it to be very reliable. Hope that helps!

Well, I have a tendency to update my threads if nobody responds and I find the answers I need just in case somebody else stumbles upon this thread with the same question.

If you are looking to use a C64 as a synthesizer rather than a dedicated workstation like myself you will need 3 main things:

1. A Commodore 64
  -There are two main versions that use different SID chips. The 6581 which runs off a 12v supply in the original C64 'breadbox' designs and the 8580 which runs off a 9v supply and found in the C64c redesign. The sound chips are said to sound warmer/crisper respectively; which is not the same as better or worse, just different.

2. A midi interface
  -There are various places that use to sell dedicated C64 midi interfaces, but it seems like the shops have dried out. A good alternative I found is one that uses arduino found at this site:
http://little-scale.blogspot.com/2010/0 … rface.html
Seems relatively simple, but i'm in the process of building an arduinoboy so I know this stuff is easier said than done!

3. A means of transferring files between the C64 and your Computer
  -There are a few ways in which this can be done. The most convenient of which are really expensive or impossible to find. The most cost effective route is to buy a C64 floppy drive and to splice your own cord. Note: A normal floppy drive will not work. Also, I posted the link to make the cord in the post above so I won't repeat it here.
  -Link regarding the other transfer methods: http://www.c64.com/faq.php#2.6

Overall, this is a lot cheaper than buying a MSSIAH cart, but again, buying a MSSIAH cart is much more practical if you want to use your C64 as a dedicated workstation.

To answer my above questions:
The C64 has an TV analog out, so it would be harder to connect it to a monitor (you have to buy an adapter which is pretty cheap) or you can connect it straight into a TV.
The mouse would be useful for a lot of programs (mainly MSSIAH cart), but you can buy an adapter online.
Adapter Info: http://sensi.org/~svo/[m]ouse/
Note: at the time of writing this adapters cost about ~$30

Hey guys, i've been getting into chiptunes a lot ever since I got this DMG and EMS cart. Anyways, I was looking around my local Craigslist and saw a C64 listed for $25 and now I feel this overpowering urge to buy it and abuse the hell out of that SID chip. My question to you guys is a very basic one: what are the essential hardware peripherals that i'll need to get in order to start making music with this thing right away?  There's loads and loads of information on various mods and programs, but it's the stuff that is so simple and obvious that I can't find any info on!

From my research I need a floppy drive to load programs and a C64 to parallel port cable, is that all the essentials? Can I connect the C64 to any TV using RCA or S-video? Is that mouse thing helpful or just unnecessary because it looks like C64 runs on a "MS-DOS" like interface.

What do you guys think of this cable? http://sta.c64.org/xe1541.html

Anyways, thanks for the help!