Hello fellow lover of SID music!

HVSC Update #42 is now available for you to download
at www.hvsc.c64.org

After this update, the collection should contain 30,001 SID files!

This update features (all approximates):
     943 new SIDs
     211 fixed/better rips
       3 fixes of PlaySID/Sidplay1 specific SIDs
       7 repeats/bad rips eliminated
     400 SID credit fixes
     472 SID model/clock infos
       3 tunes from /DEMOS/UNKNOWN/ identified  :-)
     216 tunes moved out of /DEMOS/ to their composers' directories
      85 tunes moved out of /GAMES/ to their composers' directories

We've got the music compo entries from the following parties in this pack:
Tiny SID Compo, Breakpoint 2005, Deadline 2007, Floppy 2005, Forever Hex,
Maximum Overdose 6.

#########################
New features in HVSC v42:
#########################

o New version numbering (you guessed it already), which is now consistent
  with the number of the current Update. This should make it easier to find
  out which update you need in order to upgrade to a newer HVSC in the
  future. And believe me, there are a lot more updates yet to come, we
  haven't by far ripped everything that's out there.  :-)

o Complete songlength database now included!
  Compiled by Laust Brock-Nannestad (the PSID part and some RSIDs) and
  Stephan Schmid (the majority of the RSID tunes and manual correction
  to some PSID entries that were wrong).
  Kudos to Michael Schwendt for making his songlength tool publicly
  available and to LaLa who sorted the PSID and RSID entries to make the
  SLDB better readable.

o From now on it only takes 3 tunes to get a composer his own directory!
  Three is a nice number, we thought. And it also cleans up the /GAMES and
  /DEMOS directories considerably.

o We decided to dissolve the following group directories in order to make
  the HVSC more consistent and make locating certain composers more
  intuitive:
  ADSR, Graffity, Natural Beat
  Right, there are still a few group directories left, but for various
  reasons we felt it's better to leave these composers grouped together
  (splitting up 20CC or Blues Muz' would really feel odd, for example).

o New update tool 2.8.3 (the Win32 version is included in the update).
  The C++ source code saw a reasonable clean-up, so it can now be compiled
  on more platforms without dirty hacks or patches to the source code.
  Check out the HVSC downloads page, there you find the new tool for the
  platform of your choice, as well as the source code, if you want to
  compile it for yourself. We're still looking for a precompiled binary of
  the update tool for the Amiga, so if you manage to compile it, please
  send it over. That of course also accounts for any other platform that
  it's not available for in the downloads section of the website.

o And of course we have another juicy update intro for you. Check out the
  d64 file at the bottom of your root directory (in /C64Music) and watch
  the intro to get into the right mood!  :-)
  
o The HVSC crew got 2 new members: Pawel Ruczko aka Murdock/Tropyx and
  Mariusz Rozwadowski aka Ramos/Samar, both from Poland, have recently
  joined the team to support and enhance us.

o Kristoffer Johansson has retired from the team due to private and familiar
  reasons. Kristoffer, it's been a blast having you around, good luck and
  take care!

  

Main Composers featured in this update:
(Artists marked with NEW are either completely new to the HVSC
 or they get their own directory in this update)

  Stephen C. Biggs          DRAX
  Laxity                    Ace64 (NEW)
  B0rje                     Richard Bayliss
  Bionic Hands              Cleve
  Digger                    Dos
  Gangstar                  G-Fellow
  Maktone                   Mc Zak
  Miss Secret               Moog
  Nata                      Ne7
  No-XS                     Oedipus
  Praiser                   PVCF
  Racer X                   Rap
  TC                        Mr. L (NEW)
  Asterion                  Trays
  Warnock                   Remarque (NEW)
  Linus Akesson (NEW)       Radiantx (NEW)
  Eloquence (NEW)           Gomez (NEW)
  Mac_ALivers (NEW)         


#######################
SID related scene news:
#######################

o The MMC64 cartridge is out
  ==========================  
  If you still have your real C64 set up from time to time (or even
  permanently), and considered you are a SIDaholic (which you just
  have to be, you're reading this announcement!), then the MMC64 is
  definitely a must have for you.
  What is it? It's a cartridge for the expansion port of your C64 which
  allows you to use a FAT formatted SD/MMC card of up to _4 Gigabytes_
  as file storage container. It has a filebrowser built into the
  reflashable ROM bios that allows easy navigating in your directory
  structure. And (now it comes) there's also a SID player built in that
  allows you to play plain unmodified .sid files on your real C64 without
  any more additional helper applications! Now imagine: Just copy HVSC
  onto your 256 MB cheapo card in your card reader on the PC, insert it
  into the MMC64 and start listening to your favourite SIDs, it never was
  that easy!
  
  The MMC64 is priced at a reasonable 49 Euros and can be ordered at
  www.protovision-online.de
  www.go64.de
  or directly from the producer Jens Schönfeld at www.ami.ga


o Sidplay2/w was updated
  ======================
  Everybody go and grab the new Sidplay2 version for Win32, it features:
  * reSID 0.16
  * PSID samples variables get reset properly
  * emulation improvements make some previously silent subtunes
    work again.

  => Download it from www.gsldata.se/c64/spw/

  
o PSID64 0.7 released
  ===================  
  PSID64 is one of these invaluable helper applications that make the life
  of the average SID fan a lot easier. It allows you to convert any .sid
  tune in HVSC into an executable .prg file that can be started with RUN
  on your real C64 or in any emulator.
  
  New in version 0.7:
  # Improved RSID compatibility.
  # Use INST/DEL to toggle screen on and off.
  # Use + and - keys to select next and previous song respectively.
  # Display the song number of song currently being played.
  # Show all 31 characters of the PSID header.
  # Fixed NMI bank register bug.
  # Pass default song number via boot loader.
  # STIL support (finally!)

  => Download it from http://psid64.sourceforge.net
  
  
o SID plugin for XMplay released
  ==============================
  Pieknyman wrote a really nice .sid plugin for XMPlay.
  It has reSID 0.16 and is based on libsidplay2, so it can also play BASIC
  and RSID files at reference emulation quality. And the best thing about it:
  It supports the songlength database, included in HVSC from now on.
  Just go and drag a couple of your favourite SID tunes into the playlist
  window and listen to them just as long as they were meant to be heard, without
  the need to ever press that NEXT button when you get bored of a SID after it
  looped for the 8th time.
  
  Now go uninstall Winamp, get XMPlay that (besides being able to play various
  Amiga music formats) of course also supports MP3 and OGG and finally get a
  healthy mix of SID and MP3 tunes without always having to switch players or
  suffer from bad emulation quality due to an outdated plugin.  :-)
  
  => XMPlay website: http://www.un4seen.com
  => Pieknyman's website with the SID plugin:
     http://xthost.info/pieknyman/download.html


o HVMEC 0.4 released
  ==================
  Stefano Tognon's "High Voltage Music Engine Collection" now contains
  83 editors, 53 trackers and 24 other kind of music programs.
  If you're thinking about starting composing on the C64, this is the
  place to go to pick your editor/tracker of choice.
  
  => Go here:  http://digilander.iol.it/ice00/tsid/hvmec.html


o SidDB v1.0.3 released
  ===================
  You may not have heard of this one: SidDB is a tool written in Visual Basic
  (an earlier version v0.9 is also available in Java) that helps you 
  organize and maintain your collection of SID tunes on your harddisk.
  It creates a database file from your HVSC that allows you to search HVSC
  for specific keywords in a very flexible way (search for titlestrings,
  composers or release years). Check it out, it's free.
  
  => Borries Wendling's website:  http://dashemdchen.de/
  => Direct Link to SidDB V1.0.3 (Visual Basic version):
     http://dashemdchen.de/siddb_1.0.3.zip
  => Direct Link to SidDB V0.9 (Java version):
     http://dashemdchen.de/siddb_java_0.9.zip

  
o Goat Tracker 1.53 released
  ==========================
  GoatTracker is a music editor running on the PC which allows you to compose
  COMMODORE 64's SID tunes. It doesn't require any emulators or special
  hardwares as the sound of the SID is emulated by the editor itself.
  
  New to this version:
    * Fixed packer behaviour with no hardrestart/no pulseinit instruments
    * Optimized pulseinit routine a few cycles (at cost of one byte)

  The stereo version was also updated.
  
  => Download it here: http://www.covertbitops.c64.org
     (in the Tools section)

     
o Sid Player for Atari XL/XE 0.99 released
  ========================================
  Swiety from Poland is has written a SID music player running
  on the ATARI XL/XE. Despite its POKEY chip being very different from the SID
  chip, this player shows pretty good reproducibility. The interrupt related
  to initialization seems to have been corrected in this version.
  NOTE: To download it, you have to get a forum account (click "Zgadzam Sie
  na te warunki i mam powyzej 13 lat"), then proceed to the login form.
  
  => http://atariarea.histeria.pl/pliki.php?sec=show&id=522
  
  


Now go and enjoy the new update!

Thanks to all the people who have helped to make HVSC the collection that it
is today, without your help it would be a much tougher task.

Steppe, on behalf of the whole HVSC Crew