MIDI PLAYER 64

A Commodore 64 player that reads a MIDI file from disk and plays it on the SID chip.

MIDI and the C64 never really met, even though they are more or less from the same era. There are interfaces and cartridges that let a C64 send MIDI data to external synths, but a direct MIDI file player on C64 is uncommon. MIDI PLAYER 64 is built to close that gap.

Features

• Supports MIDI Type 0 and Type 1.
• Implemented events: Note On, Note Off, Meta Tempo (FF 51).
• Playback on 3 SID voices with automatic note allocation.
• Disk MIDI filename: primary fallback is MIDI.

Repository Layout

• src/main.c C source for the player.
• artifacts/player.prg precompiled standalone player included in the repository.
• scripts/build.sh build + D64 creation + MIDI selection menu.
• scripts/c64disk alternative utility to create a D64 using c1541.
• c64build quick command (wrapper for scripts/build.sh).
• c64disk quick command (wrapper for scripts/c64disk).

Requirements

• Oscar64 in your PATH (oscar64).
• Optional: c1541 (VICE), if you want to use c64disk.

Bundled PRG Artifact

The repository includes a tracked prebuilt PRG at artifacts/player.prg.

./c64disk uses build/player.prg if available, otherwise it automatically falls back to artifacts/player.prg. This lets you test disk creation with c64disk even before running a local compile.

Important: player.prg contains only the player code, not MIDI song data. At runtime it reads MIDI from device 8. It first tries fixed names (MIDI, MJ, SONG) and then automatically scans the disk directory for PRG/SEQ candidates.

Build

Put one or more .mid / .midi files in the project root, then run:

./c64build

The script shows a menu (1, 2, 3, ...) and creates:

• build/player.prg
• build/midi-player-64.d64
• build/midi-player-64_fresh_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.d64

Useful commands:

./c64build --list
./c64build 2
./c64build file_name.mid

Run In VICE

1. File -> Attach disk image -> Drive 8 and select build/midi-player-64.d64.
2. On C64:

LOAD"*",8,1
RUN

Troubleshooting

• Run LOAD"$",8 then LIST: you should see at least PLAYER and MIDI.
• If LIST is empty, the wrong disk image or drive is attached in VICE.
• If you only hear an initial click, check SID volume and VICE audio settings.
• Press STOP during playback to interrupt.

Practical Notes

• MIDI files are not versioned: this repository only contains source and scripts.
• Build always copies the selected MIDI into the disk image as C64 filename MIDI.
• ./c64build also refreshes artifacts/player.prg from the latest compiled player.

License

BSD 3-Clause. See LICENSE.