Hello everyone,

HVSC Update #34 is now available for you to download, just in time
for the Christmas period.  This one-off update is the largest ever
HVSC Update, not only in terms of its size but also the number of
SIDs added.  This bumper bundle of SID tunes will I am sure brighten
up the cold winter nights, and the 20,000 mark is reached too, which
is an outstanding achievement!

Please note: you must use update tool version 2.8.2 to run this
update successfully.  The Windows version is included with the
update, for other OSes please see the Downloads page at the HVSC
web site at http://www.hvsc.c64.org/Downloads/

After this update, the collection should contain 20,325 SID files.

This update features (all approximates):
    1009 new SIDs  (yes, over 1,000 SIDs!)
      64 fixed/better rips
     100 fixes of PlaySID/Sidplay1 specific SIDs (ie: RSID files)
       2 repeats/bad rips eliminated
     275 SID credit fixes


Main Artists Featured In This Update (new additions only):

Deek                          Amorphis (all musicians)
Dwayne Bakewell               Richard Bayliss
Bleed Into One                Blues Muz' (Glenn Gallefoss)
Bzyk                          Comer
Da Blondie                    DaFunk
Aleksi Eeben                  Emil
Extern                        Eye
Harmony Productions           Harti
Matthias Henckell             Image
Jadawin                       Jammer
Jaymz Julian                  Konrád Kiss (Con)
Klax                          Maciej Kochan
Kordiaukis                    Merman
Mindflow                      Oedipus
PST                           Rabbi
Rayden                        Shapie
Shogoon                       Sidder
László Simon (Roy)            TDS
Touldie                       Twoflower
Vip                           

and lots, lots more...

----------------------------
What else is in this update?
----------------------------

* Lots of real C64/Sidplay2 fixes and bugfixes
* C64-specific sample rips in RSID format (another 100 here)
* Competition entries from many C64 competitions, including
  Flag 2002, Solskogen 2002, Symphony 2002, Role 2002,
  Vision 2002, Arok 2002, LCP2002, Antiq 2002, North Party 7
  and the SID Music Compo II!  
* Still more credit fixes!
* and much more...

---------------------------
What's to come next update?
---------------------------

* More real C64 specific sample rips
* Competition tunes from TUM Party 2002 (hopefully)
* and much more..

------------------------------------
HVSC Administration and Team Changes
------------------------------------

This update is Warren Pilkington's final update as HVSC
Administrator.  Here's a few words from him:

"I would personally like to thank you all for all the support
and encouragement that you have given me and indeed the whole
HVSC project over the years.  Without your help the
collection wouldn't be as enjoyable not just for us to
look after, but for you to enjoy too.  I have mainly decided
to retire for personal reasons, and in addition I also feel
a new change in direction with new administration will keep
the collection's quality intact."  

Jan Diabelez Arnt Harries (nmioaon) has volunteered to take
over the Administration duties, with Peter Sandén assisting
him.  So in future, if you wish to email the Administrator,
please email:

Jan Diabelez Arnt Harries <nmioaon@get2net.dk>

If your mail involves a a rip pack or general HVSC Submission,
please also email:

Peter Sandén <yodelking@formec.com>

LaLa, too, has decided to retire from the HVSC Team due to
personal reasons.  I am sure I speak on behalf of many SID
fans to thank him for the time and effort he's put in, and
indeed for initially administrating the STIL.  He will still
be doing his SID related stuff on his homepage, though, which
is very nice of him :)

The Team already has fresh new blood, and they joined in
September 2002:

Simon White (Sidplay2 author)
Stephan Schmid (of http://www.demodungeon.com/ fame)
Michal Hoffmann (Smalltown Boy/MultiStyle Labs) (C64 musician)

------------------
Minor HVSC Changes
------------------

As from this update, a composer now only requires 4 SIDs
(must be from 4 unique games or 4 demo tunes) to gain a
directory of their own.  You may find that some of your
favourite SIDs have moved, so please check the update34.hvs
file included with the update if you need to locate where a
particular SID went.

---------------------------
Back in Time Live - Germany
---------------------------

Due to the overwhelming success of Back in Time Live!, there is now
going to an event in Germany (near the city of Hamburg) on Saturday
21 June 2003, which will be exactly one year from Back In Time Live!
3.  It's still being put together at the moment but you can register
for the event at the official site:

http://www.c64audio.com/bitlive/sidology/

-----------------------------------------
Edge Retro Special - C64 and SID Featured
-----------------------------------------

UK games magazine Edge this month published a "Retro Special"
which features many classic games and computers from down the
years.  There's a special look at the C64, Zzap! 64 magazine,
and indeed the SID chip and its events (watch out for the 
pictures from the Back in Time Live! events for example).  Be
sure to track down a copy of this magazine at your local
newsagents.  If you can't, then Chris Abbott has set up a 
mini-site, which includes interviews from the magazine, features
on the SID composers, and the radio show "The 10 Worst SIDs 
Ever!" where Chris and Boz count down the 10 worst SID tunes.
And believe me, some of them are really awful ;)

If you wish to take a look at the minisite, then head to:

http://www.c64audio.com/edge/

--------------------
Best of VARIOUS 2002
--------------------

For all you fans of composers in the VARIOUS folder of HVSC
(and I know that there are many of you out there!),  the
Best of VARIOUS 2002 is quickly approaching.  Of course, the
Best of VARIOUS (BOV) is simply the best music within the
VARIOUS folder voted on by some serious SID fans.  Each
year's BOV results are appended to the previous year's
results.  Will you be nominating and/or voting on tunes for
BOV 2002?   The nomination phase will commence in week or
two from now, so be sure to check out the homepage:

www.dhp.com/~shark/BOV/

Feel free to snag the playlists from the previous BoVs to
see what has been voted on before.

---------------------
SID Hardware Releases
---------------------

Firstly, the HardSID is getting a release in a PCI version,
so no need to stumble around to find a motherboard with an
old ISA slot anymore!  The classic card with a SID chip will
still be as reliable as ever, and is the only choice for
diehard SID fans:

http://www.hardsid.com/

Also coming soon is the Catweasel flipper card, which works
in a PC and in a Zorro slot of an Amiga, which not only
also has a SID chip on board, but also allows you to use your
trusty favourite C64 joystick on the PC as well.  Maybe worth
checking out at:

http://www.jschoenfeld.de/products/cwmk3_e.htm

--------------------------------
Mods Covered on the C64 - Update
--------------------------------

The "Modules Covered on the C64" collection has been
updated with 14 more modules.  This collection gives you the
pleasure of hearing some songs that inspired a few SID tunes.
Also, the collection has switched over to a more friendly
ilenaming standard.  Module/SID fans should check it out at:

http://gallium.prg.dtu.dk/MODs/

--------------------
NanoSIDplay released
--------------------

A new SID player, NanoSIDPlay, was released recently.  Here's
what was announced about it:

There is a new sid-music player available, named NanoSIDPlay,
developed by Tom Roger Skauen (that well-known C64 composer)
and Laurent Ovaert. Instead of emulating the Sound Interface
Device chip along with the whole environment (which is the
way SIDPlay2/w does it), it simply reads values that a tune
writes into the SID registers. Of course, it has to use format
totally different from PSID/RSID. So, a new format is
introduced - called ZSID (after Zipped SID, most probably).
ZSID stores values from SID registers (also tune length/loop
data and precise, almost cycle-exact information about ADSR
changes) in compressed format. Of course, it has its
disadvantages - for example it cannot store multiple subtunes
in a file. All in all, very much alike YM format, commonly
used to play Atari ST music. There exists a PSID->ZSID
converter, but it is unfinished and unavailable at
the moment. NanoSIDPlay developers have a plan to convert
the whole HVSCinto the ZSID format, so it could be played
on NanoSIDPlay.  NanoSIDPlay is not trying to compete with
SIDPlay2/w in terms of sound fidelity etc. (but it isn't bad
compared to STSound for example, try it yourself!), it has
just one advantage - runs C64 tunes smoothly even on a 386
class CPU.

If you have a low spec PC, why not check it out?

http://www.sid6581.org/NanoSID/

------------

Enjoy the new update, and have a wonderful Christmas - may this
be a present you all enjoy!

Kind regards
The HVSC Team
