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Hi Guys,

My manager has asked me to produce an 8bit remix of an upcoming dance track we are producing.

I am desperate to incorporate some authentic SID generated drums and leads into a few songs we are producing.

It's been years since I've touched trackers although I'm fluent in impulse tracker.

Is there anything that exists for the PC, my absolute dream would be a tracker thats a regular tracker but with 3 extra sid channels.

I still need the regular tracker part so as to put down samples of vocals and to overlay various layered sounds so the track is commercially viable although the essence of the remix will be c64 sounds.

if you're using vocals and making some kind of commercial release, why not use one of the many (and pretty decent) SID VSTi's in a proper DAW so that you can take full advantage of being able to mix and master your tune properly, as opposed to being stuck using something like GoatTracker (the answer to your topic title)

With the right approach you can still get close to authentic sound that way and aren't limited by tracker limitations. If authentic is what you really want, then get a real C64, or next best thing a SID Station, or build your own Midi SID Box.

To be honest i'm not all that up on this stuff, plenty others here will have some better advice for you hopefuly, like Dalezy or Syphus etc :)

plenty others == not me!
but:
goattracker -> do a sound, sample it !
even better:
c64, future_composer or anything producing SID-sound and
record it (via microphone or whatever audiocable ) == realsound !

using those samples with your other music shouldnt be a prob anymore, or ?
( if, just get some renoise or madtracker, which both is the same as impulse anyway ;) )

renoise could also record you a sample by just playing a pattern with some VSTi ( c64-alike ) as keito implied already ;)

just have a search for "vst c64" or "vst sid" !
my search yielded this for example:
also FREE

Get Quadrasid, load it in your regular VSTi host and be done with it. Yes, it cost some money, but it's better than the crappy made-with-synthedit plugins.

You could also combine that setup with reVisit, which is basically an Impulse Tracker clone for your VST sequencer.

QuadraSID is the shit if you need SID sounds with VSTis.

Another free vsti recommendation would be "unknown 64". http://www.odosynths.com/vst.htm

Nice synthie, which comes pretty near the actual SID sound imho. (with an awesome GUI too! :P )

I might be wrong, but I think all the odosynth stuff is made with synthedit or similar tools. These were known to be resource hogs and not that stable to begin with.

It really depends on how much authenticity you need. You can get generic chiptune arp leads out of pretty much every monophonic freeware plugin anyway.

you could use Modplug tracker and use some SID vsti emulation.. or get a C64, a MSSIAH cartridge and send those midi events to the 64 :D

or alternatively you get the desired sound out of a real c64 -- or does it's output not match the fidelity required for said "8-bit sound"?

If you can afford it (59 euros), try QuadraSid that emulates 4 SID chip and has nice SID sounds library.

Quadrasid is just sooo great.
Easily programmable sounds and a distinctive library of everything you need.

I'm beginning to think either you or your manager have any idea what the hell you're doing.

I think Timbaland could help you with this, he's pretty versed when it comes to that 'Eight Bit' sound.

shifter: it's called the bandwagon, they're trying to get on :)

It is not the plugin developement tool that counts, it is what you can do with the plugin that counts. SynthEdit plugins that uses only the factory components sounds crappy, yes. But there is also a huge set of 3rd party commercial modules that simply raises the quality of the plugin. So don't diss the tool used to create the plugin. That is not a fair judgement for the plugin designer.

QuadraSID is indeed the one to go for. It is reasonably priced, is easy to use and sounds good. The presets ought to get you going right away too.

Sidenote: what on EARTH are reFX thinking chargingn $350 for their Nexus2 "soft-synth"? A big-ass sample-library with crappy effects for that price?! Dear lord.. If someone is looking for a good soft-synth go grab the Tone2 Gladiator VSTi instead - half the price and 10x the value.

gloom: reFX charge that much for a rompler because talentless trance bandwagon jumping lemmings will pay that much for it. It's genius.

+1 for QuadraSID. It'll do - it'll let you do wavesequencing (the main thing you want for a proper 8-bit sound) even if its filter isn't as unpredictable as a 6581 proper.

k-bird: Good point :)