The Elektron SidStation is a musical
synthesizer sound module
A sound module is an electronic musical instrument without a human-playable interface such as a piano-style musical keyboard. Sound modules have to be operated using an externally connected device, which is often a MIDI controller, of which th ...
, built around the
MOS Technology SID
The MOS Technology 6581/8580 SID (Sound Interface Device) is the built-in programmable sound generator chip of Commodore's CBM-II, Commodore 64, Commodore 128 and Commodore MAX Machine home computers. It was one of the first sound chips of it ...
mixed-mode synthesizer chip originally used in the
Commodore 64 home computer. It was produced by the
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
synthesizer company
Elektron, and was introduced in 1999. As the
SID chip had not been manufactured for years, Elektron allegedly bought up nearly all the remaining stock.
The company built the SidStation until 2003, when their initial supply of SID chips ran out. The last 100 units sold, the Final 100 Edition, were laser etched with a number on the front panel's bottom-left corner and sold in descending order from 100 to 1. In March 2005, Elektron claimed to have encountered an additional supply of 100 SID chips and produced 100 SidStation units, selling them for
€
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists ...
920,
USD
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
$950, or
SEK 8200 each.
In late 2006, Elektron claimed that "100 became 200", and the prices were raised once again. This marks the third time that an additional 100 chips were being produced, each time claiming to be the "final run". This (and the fact that some aftermarket clones of original SID chips exist) has raised skepticism as to how scarce the supply actually is, and which run is actually the final run. However, since January 18, 2007 no new SidStations have been shipped.
As SidStations were manufactured, the company kept the price in relation to the demand, meaning that the initial SidStations were fairly cheap and later on, when the device was more sought-after, the price increased.
The appearance of the SidStation is retro and features a small
LCD-display where the sound editing is done, four assignable knobs, a keypad and a controller wheel.
Different models of SidStations
Besides the standard grey model of SidStation, two other models exist. The beta models of SidStations used by Elektron and their beta testers had a shining red color. Around twelve red units were made and approximately half of them were sold to early customers and beta-test partners. Some of these partners sold their units at a later time giving a handful of metallic red SidStations being owned by private people. Besides the color, these beta machines had a slightly more aggressive character due to some voltages running higher in the filter section, as well as certain beta-testing modes and the ability to upgrade the firmware to a greater extent.
Elektron also sold fifty black SidStation units, which had black aluminum casing and blue
LEDs
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (cor ...
, contrary to the original green ones, called the Ninja Edition. This model also came with a different set of sound patches. There is also a blue SidStation that was made as a one off, by Elektron, for a walk in customer that just happened to see the blue shell sitting unused on the shel
Sound of the SidStation
The sound of SidStation is, of course, very similar to that of the original
Commodore 64. The SID chip is well known for being noisy. By design, the oscillators never stop outputting signal—even while not in use. It's this flaw, however, that is part of the character and sound of the SID chip.
Most SidStations contain the 6581 R4AR incarnation of the SID chip. This version is considered the best trade-off between sound, stability and conformity (which is a big deal concerning the SID chip, since they tend to sound different from unit to unit).
The SidStation is capable of producing all the waveforms of the C64,
triangle wave, Triangle,
Saw
A saw is a tool consisting of a tough blade, wire, or chain with a hard toothed edge. It is used to cut through material, very often wood, though sometimes metal or stone. The cut is made by placing the toothed edge against the material and mov ...
,
Pulse
In medicine, a pulse represents the tactile arterial palpation of the cardiac cycle (heartbeat) by trained fingertips. The pulse may be palpated in any place that allows an artery to be compressed near the surface of the body, such as at the n ...
, Mix (which is a mix between Saw and Pulse) and variable Noise. Besides this is the synth, a 4-part
LFO-modulation system which can be used with
Lowpass
A low-pass filter is a filter that passes signals with a frequency lower than a selected cutoff frequency and attenuates signals with frequencies higher than the cutoff frequency. The exact frequency response of the filter depends on the filter ...
,
Highpass
A high-pass filter (HPF) is an electronic filter that passes signals with a frequency higher than a certain cutoff frequency and attenuates signals with frequencies lower than the cutoff frequency. The amount of attenuation for each frequency d ...
,
Bandpass
A band-pass filter or bandpass filter (BPF) is a device that passes frequencies within a certain range and rejects (attenuates) frequencies outside that range.
Description
In electronics and signal processing, a filter is usually a two-po ...
and various combinations of these filters (including a Notchfilter). All of these are controllable by the four knobs on top of the SidStation.
Technical specifications
*MOS6581 SID-synthesis
*Brushed aluminium casing
*Alphanumeric backlit 2x16 LCD display
*
MIDI
MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and ...
3*DIN5P In/Out/Thru
*1/4" line level audio out
*1/4" line level audio in (routed through SID-filter)
*Dimensions: 240W x 70H x 200D
m*Powerful and user-friendly SidStation OS
*Three
oscillators, phase accumulation synthesis
*All oscillators syncable (ringmodulation and synchronization)
*Sweepable pulsewidth modulation
*Resonant multi-mode analogue filter
*
Portamento
In music, portamento (plural: ''portamenti'', from old it, portamento, meaning "carriage" or "carrying") is a pitch sliding from one note to another. The term originated from the Italian expression "''portamento della voce''" ("carriage of the ...
, individual for all oscillators
*Variable interval-independent portamento time
*Unique wavetable function in form of 3-track mini-sequencer
*Flexible 4-part LFO modulation system
*Extensive MIDI support
Artists that use SidStations
*
Autechre
Autechre () is an English electronic music duo consisting of Rob Brown and Sean Booth, both from Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1987, they are among the best known acts signed to UK electronic label Warp Records, through which all of Au ...
*
Machinae Supremacy
Machinae Supremacy is a Swedish/Finnish band that combines modern heavy metal, power metal and alternative rock with chiptunes. Self-defined as "SID metal", many of their songs use a SidStation that features the SID chip of the Commodore 64. ...
*
Daft Punk
*
Freezepop
Freezepop is an American electronic band from Boston, Massachusetts, United States, formed in 1999 by Liz Enthusiasm, Sean T. Drinkwater, and The Duke of Pannekoeken (an alias for Kasson Crooker). Since December 2009, the current lineup inclu ...
*
Zombie Nation
*
The Prodigy
*
KMFDM
KMFDM (originally Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid, loosely translated by the band as "no pity for the majority") is a multinational industrial band from Hamburg led by Sascha Konietzko, who founded the band in 1984 as a performance art project. ...
*
8-Bit Weapon
*
Mr. Pacman
*
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...
*
Tarmvred
*
Trent Reznor
Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and composer. He serves as the lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and principal songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, wh ...
*
RedOne
*
Carbon Based Lifeforms
*
Kim Hiorthøy
Kim Hiorthøy (born March 17, 1973) is a Norwegian electronic musician, graphic designer, illustrator, filmmaker and writer.
Biography
Hiorthøy was born and raised in Trondheim, Norway, and studied at the Trondheim Academy of Fine Art (1991–96 ...
*
Jaga Jazzist
*
Apoptygma Berzerk
*
Depeche Mode
*
Code 64
Code 64 is an electronic music band from Sweden. Their music can best be described as a mixture of synthpop, electronic body music and electropop.
Biography
Code 64 is a synthpop, darkwave, electronica band that signed with the small Norweg ...
*
Thermostatic
*
Linkin Park
*
Robyn
Robin Miriam Carlsson (born 12 June 1979), known as Robyn (), is a Swedish pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. She arrived on the music scene with her 1995 debut album, ''Robyn Is Here'', which produced two ''Billboard'' Hot 100 t ...
(SidStation shown in the video for "Hang With Me")
*
David Guetta
Pierre David Guetta ( , ; born 7 November 1967) is a French DJ and music producer. He has over 10 million album and 65 million single sales globally, with more than 10 billion streams. In 2011, 2020 and 2021, Guetta was voted the number one D ...
*
Benny Benassi
Marco "Benny" Benassi (; born 13 July 1967) is an Italian DJ, record producer and remixer. He is widely seen as a pioneer of electro house, a genre brought into the mainstream by his 2002 summer club hit " Satisfaction".
He started his career ...
*
Big Bang
*
Girls' Generation (SNSD)
*
Psy
Park Jae-sang (, ; born December 31, 1977), known professionally as Psy (stylized in all caps as PSY) (; ; ), is a South Korean singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Psy is known domestically for his humorous videos and stage per ...
*
Kara
Kara or KARA may refer to:
Geography Localities
* Kara, Chad, a sub-prefecture
* Kára, Hungary, a village
* Kara, Uttar Pradesh, India, a township
* Kara, Iran, a village in Lorestan Province
* Kara, Republic of Dagestan, a rural locality in Da ...
(Han Jae Ho)
*
Tsunku
, known professionally as , is a Japanese singer, record producer, and songwriter. He is the lead singer of the rock band Sharam Q.
As a songwriter, Tsunku is the primary producer for Morning Musume and other Hello! Project acts, such as Coco ...
*
Crystal Castles
Crystal Castles was a Canadian electronic music group formed in 2006 in Toronto, Ontario, formed by songwriter-producer Ethan Kath and singer-songwriter Alice Glass, who later left and was replaced by Edith Frances. Crystal Castles were know ...
*
Broadcast
Further reading
*
External links
SidStation homepage{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040612155813/http://www.sidstation.com/ , date=2004-06-12
Elektron homepageSidStation at vintagesynth.comucapps
Sound modules
Commodore 64 music
Elektron synthesizers