Commodore 128D - Introduction

Introduction
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The Commodore 128 has one of the most sophisticated built-in
sound synthesizers available in a microcomputer. The synthesizer,
called the Sound Interface Device (SID), is a chip dedicated solely to
generating sound and music. The SID chip is capable of producing
three independent voices (sounds) simultaneously. Each of the
voices can be played in one of four types of sounds, called wave
forms. The SID chip also has programmable Attack, Decay, Sustain
and Release (ADSR) parameters. These parameters define the qual:
ity of a sound. In addition, the synthesizer has-a filter you can use to
choose certain sounds, eliminate others, or modify the characteris
tics of a sound or sounds. In this section you will learn how to control
these parameters to produce almost any kind of sound.
To make it easy for you to select and manipulate the many capabili
ties of the SID chip, Commodore has developed new and powerful
BASIC music statements.
Here are the new sound and music statements available on the
Commodore 128:
SOUND
ENVELOPE
VOL
TEMPO
PLAY
FILTER
This section explains these sound statements, one at a time, in the
process of constructing a sample musical program. When you are
finished with this section, you will know the ingredients that go into a
musical program. You'll be able to expand on the example and write
programs that play intricate musical compositions, Eventually, you'll
be able to program your own musical scores, make your own sound
effects and play works of the great classical masters such as
Beethoven and contemporary artists like the Beatles. You can even
add computer-generated music to your graphics programs to create
your own "videos."
129 USING C128 MODE—Sound and Music in C128 Mode