Dance for the Perihelion! (on Commodore-64)

I wrote this in 1984 for string quartet, but no string quartet wanted to play it so I transcribed it for my Commodore-64. Every pitch, every waveform, every on and off is programmed in BASIC by POKEing one-byte values into the SID chip hardware.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Commodore
• 64
• BASIC
• electronic

[AcadieNow]

This is so great!

It is mind boggling to think something like this can be made-up only of BASIC code. Robcat, do you think you could share the BASIC coding with us so we can learn?

Cheers!

[robcat2075]

Thanks!

The code? That would be a major archaeology project. It might be sitting on a 5 1/4 floppy in one of my piles of old junk from the 80's but even if I found it there's be no way to transfer it to a modern computer.

But the code was pretty primitive. There was no attempt to make a "player" that would read a data set. It was just starting every note individually and then a delay loop until something new happened.

I guess I did it that way so each note could get a custom treatment.

[AcadieNow]

Thats a great approach but sound very labor intensive. Still, I like the idea of just creating it "Sraight-pipe" off of BASIC, no extra programs used, very inspiring and the sound is killer-retro!

[robcat2075]

in 1984 there wasn't much in the way of music software except for very simple note-players. To get all the different "ADSR" envelopes and timbres and filter effects and tempo changes I had to do it that way. Wouldn't do it again though.

[BearorBust]

Creepy Radiotronic workshop vibe there.

[AcadieNow]

no, but I'm thinking myself about doing it hahaha, I've got a commodore sitting in my place and got no software for it. LOL

[FatherWarhol]

People knew how to write back in those days. The more advanced the DAW the shiiter the track these days.

[stoffel442]

insane in the membrane.

i think its cool..ancient..lovely