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Introduction – ALM ALM003 User Manual

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Introduction

The MOS Technology 6581/8580 'Sound Interface Device' chip

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, aka the ‘SID’, was

the sound generator chip used in the Commodore 64 home computer - the greatest

selling home computer of all time.  The SID, by the means of 3 wavetable oscillators, a

real analogue multi mode filter, an ADSR and various cross modulation options,

provided the soundtrack to a generations gaming and perhaps many peoples first

exposure to real sound synthesis. The SID’s unique musical aesthetic has lasted well

beyond the lifetime of the C64 re-imagined in standalone products such as the SID

Station and with in the computer via sophisticated software emulation. 

The SID GUTS now takes the legendary SID chip and tailors it into the eurorack

modular environment. By use of a real SID chip the classic sound is taken in a new

direction with the levels of direct and voltage control only a modular system can offer. 

The SID GUTS provides a single ‘SID Voice’ to your modular and has been designed

to achieve a balance between functionality, features, size and cost. The charm and

authenticity of the original sound is preserved with no attempt to 'clean' or reduce

noise in the SID audio output. 

Both version on the SID chip are fully supported together with the more modern

‘SwinSID’ hardware emulation. The selected SID can be easy changed at the rear of the

module (See appendix I).

For instructions on connecting a SID chip to the SID GUTS, please refer to Appendix I

at the back of this manual.

ALM-003 - ‘SID GUTS’

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1 For more info see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOS_Technology_SID