SID benchmark

[Wilba]

It might be interesting to set something up that lets people compare the sound of their SID chips with others. The aim would be to combine a set of benchmarks (patch + MIDI sequence) that will drive the SID (i.e. filter sweeps, sync, ring mod, testing each oscillator, etc). It could even be interesting to listen to (like TK's demo MP3s). Then people could share an MP3 recording of a publicly available (and constant) benchmark for others to listen to.

Thus people who are building or have built a MBSID can:

- test their own SID is working and performing well (oscillators all work, filter works)

- compare a SID with other SIDs (their own or other MBSID users)

- hear the differences between SID revisions and filter cap choices.

- let builders make an informed choice of which SIDs they prefer and should try to obtain (6581 vs. 8580)

- let synth newbies (like me) learn from the gurus about filters, how the capacitors affect the sound, what makes a good sounding SID, how the 6581 and 8580 filters are different (why there are different preset patches for each), etc.

Obviously, some MBSID veteran needs to kickstart this process, and we can't ask TK to do everything, so the call is out for someone else to name the first benchmark. Keep it simple, one patch loaded into A1, record a short sequence on channel 1 to a MIDI file, include some parameter sweeps, or maybe something you know sounds different between the SIDs you have.

In case it is not obvious, I volunteer to setup and host the benchmarks, but I'm not the best person to name them.

Sidebar: The makers of HardSID would put SID chips in four "classes" using some some testing processes... http://www.hardsid.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=11  An ad-hoc benchmark system could perform the same function for the MBSID community.

[kokoon]

i can do a few if you provide hosting space. i have 2 different sid chips and a couple of caps that i can switch. i thought about this already but didn't think anyone would be interested.

i think the most important thing to show are the filters. also important is the pure waveform output cause both of my sids sound pretty different. then the combined waveforms. one of mine is almost mute with SAW+SQR (i think)

i propose the following "benchmarks" (samples/demos):

- TRI wave 5 octaves

- SAW wave 5 octaves

- SQR wave 5 octaves

- noise 5 octaves

- TRI+SAW 5 octaves

- TRI+SQR 5 octaves

- SAW+SQR 5 octaves

- TRI+SAW+SQR 5 octaves

- TRI wave 5 octaves filter sweep reso=0

- SAW wave 5 octaves filter sweep reso=0

- SQR wave 5 octaves filter sweep reso=0

- TRI+SAW 5 octaves filter sweep reso=0

- TRI+SQR 5 octaves filter sweep reso=0

- SAW+SQR 5 octaves filter sweep reso=0

- TRI+SAW+SQR 5 octaves filter sweep reso=0

- TRI wave 5 octaves filter sweep reso=127

- SAW wave 5 octaves filter sweep reso=127

- SQR wave 5 octaves filter sweep reso=127

- TRI+SAW 5 octaves filter sweep reso=127

- TRI+SQR 5 octaves filter sweep reso=127

- SAW+SQR 5 octaves filter sweep reso=127

- TRI+SAW+SQR 5 octaves filter sweep reso=127

the filter sweeps would be each note (C2 C3 C4 C5 C6). it looks like a long list - do you think some are useless? would you add anything?

[Wilba]

kokoon: thanks for your input.

There are so many combinations of pitch, waveform and filter that it might be tedious and not really that useful.

I was thinking of two kinds of benchmark, one kind is just a pure test of the oscillators/filters working, the other kind a demo of a given patch. Maybe the pure tests consist of a single patch and all you do is play a note  , although you could repeat the test with different notes (one per octave or something).

Waveform Test #1

- a wavetable that plays the each waveform combination in sequence on oscillator 1, then repeats again on osc 2 and osc 3.

Waveform Test #2

- a pulse waveform on oscillator 1 only, modulated by a slow LFO.

Filter Test #1

- a wavetable that switches between each of the filter options and resonance 0/127. Cutoff modulated by a slow LFO.

These are pretty basic, and what I do manually to test my SIDs.

What I was hoping for was some SID guru to come up with a more musical demo kind of thing - i.e. a patch and a sequence they think shows off the SID (with cool filter use) that a newbie can listen to and compare to the same patch/sequence played on their own SID. Sort of like the demo samples that TK put on the MIDIbox SID page.

[sidmonster]

kokoon: thanks for your input.

There are so many combinations of pitch, waveform and filter that it might be tedious and not really that useful.

I was thinking of two kinds of benchmark, one kind is just a pure test of the oscillators/filters working, the other kind a demo of a given patch. Maybe the pure tests consist of a single patch and all you do is play a note  , although you could repeat the test with different notes (one per octave or something).

Waveform Test #1

- a wavetable that plays the each waveform combination in sequence on oscillator 1, then repeats again on osc 2 and osc 3.

Waveform Test #2

- a pulse waveform on oscillator 1 only, modulated by a slow LFO.

Filter Test #1

- a wavetable that switches between each of the filter options and resonance 0/127. Cutoff modulated by a slow LFO.

These are pretty basic, and what I do manually to test my SIDs.

What I was hoping for was some SID guru to come up with a more musical demo kind of thing - i.e. a patch and a sequence they think shows off the SID (with cool filter use) that a newbie can listen to and compare to the same patch/sequence played on their own SID. Sort of like the demo samples that TK put on the MIDIbox SID page.

I too would like to find a patch where I could hold down one key and the wavetable would run through all the different voices and filters so I could test my sids. I can't tell if my filter sounds as it should.

[toadstool]

Not exactly what you are looking for but it is what I use to test my SIDs:

Plogue's SID benchmark