ACiD Productions
Encyclopedia
ACiD Productions is a digital art
group. Founded in 1990, the group originally specialized in ANSI art
work for BBSes
. More recently, they have extended their reach into other graphical media and computer software
development. During the BBS-era, their biggest competitor was iCE Advertisements
.
, Shadow Demon, Grimm, The Beholder, and Phantom. Their work originally concentrated in ANSI
and ASCII art
, but the group later branched out into other artistic media such as music tracking
, demo
coding, and multimedia software development
(e.g., image viewers). Membership rose from five members in 1990 to well over seven hundred by 2003.
In the mid-1990s, ACiD created subsidiary groups responsible for these broader areas. For example, Remorse
is the official ACiD sub-label responsible for ASCII art and other text-based graphics. Similarly, pHluid is responsible for module tracking and music production, and ACiDic handles bulletin board software modification and enhancement.
Today, ACiD focuses largely on the preservation of digital art
history, talk radio
news, and sale of their DVD
-based artscene archives.
Demos
Metadata protocols and binary
Radio
ACiD tools downloads
Digital art
Digital art is a general term for a range of artistic works and practices that use digital technology as an essential part of the creative and/or presentation process...
group. Founded in 1990, the group originally specialized in ANSI art
ANSI art
ANSI art is a computer art form that was widely used at one time on BBSes. It is similar to ASCII art, but constructed from a larger set of 256 letters, numbers, and symbols — all codes found in IBM code page 437, often referred to as extended ASCII and used in MS-DOS and Unix environments...
work for BBSes
Bulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
. More recently, they have extended their reach into other graphical media and computer software
Computer software
Computer software, or just software, is a collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instructions for telling a computer what to do and how to do it....
development. During the BBS-era, their biggest competitor was iCE Advertisements
ICE Advertisements
iCE Advertisements is a digital art group formed in 1991. Although the expanded title is rarely ever used, iCE is an acronym for Insane Creators Enterprise...
.
History
ACiD Productions was founded in 1990 as ANSI Creators in Demand by five members: RaD ManRaD Man
Christian Wirth , better known by the pseudonym RaD Man, is an American computer artist and historian. He works in the field of ANSI art, a method of creating art using a limited set of text characters and color escape codes based loosely on the relevant ANSI standard .RaD Man was initially...
, Shadow Demon, Grimm, The Beholder, and Phantom. Their work originally concentrated in ANSI
ANSI art
ANSI art is a computer art form that was widely used at one time on BBSes. It is similar to ASCII art, but constructed from a larger set of 256 letters, numbers, and symbols — all codes found in IBM code page 437, often referred to as extended ASCII and used in MS-DOS and Unix environments...
and ASCII art
ASCII art
ASCII art is a graphic design technique that uses computers for presentation and consists of pictures pieced together from the 95 printable characters defined by the ASCII Standard from 1963 and ASCII compliant character sets with proprietary extended characters...
, but the group later branched out into other artistic media such as music tracking
MOD (file format)
MOD is a computer file format used primarily to represent music, and was the first module file format. MOD files use the “.MOD” file extension, except on the Amiga where the original trackers instead use a “mod.” prefix scheme, e.g. “mod.echoing”...
, demo
Demo (computer programming)
A demo is a non-interactive multimedia presentation made within the computer subculture known as the demoscene. Demogroups create demos to demonstrate their abilities in programming, music, drawing, and 3D modeling...
coding, and multimedia software development
Software engineering
Software Engineering is the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the study of these approaches; that is, the application of engineering to software...
(e.g., image viewers). Membership rose from five members in 1990 to well over seven hundred by 2003.
In the mid-1990s, ACiD created subsidiary groups responsible for these broader areas. For example, Remorse
Remorse ASCII
Remorse ASCII, or Remorse 1981, is the official ASCII sub-label of ACiD Productions.-History:Remorse was established in late 1994 by two IBM-PC scene ASCII artists from San José, California who went by the pseudonyms Necromancer and Necronite....
is the official ACiD sub-label responsible for ASCII art and other text-based graphics. Similarly, pHluid is responsible for module tracking and music production, and ACiDic handles bulletin board software modification and enhancement.
Today, ACiD focuses largely on the preservation of digital art
Digital art
Digital art is a general term for a range of artistic works and practices that use digital technology as an essential part of the creative and/or presentation process...
history, talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
news, and sale of their DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
-based artscene archives.
DemosDemo (computer programming)A demo is a non-interactive multimedia presentation made within the computer subculture known as the demoscene. Demogroups create demos to demonstrate their abilities in programming, music, drawing, and 3D modeling...
Metadata protocols and binaryBinary numeral systemThe binary numeral system, or base-2 number system, represents numeric values using two symbols, 0 and 1. More specifically, the usual base-2 system is a positional notation with a radix of 2...
image standard
- SAUCEStandard Architecture for Universal Comment ExtensionsStandard Architecture for Universal Comment Extensions or SAUCE, as it is most commonly known, is an open metadata protocol for tagging and describing ASCII text files and other files, most of which generally center around or date back to the era of BBSing...
- XBinXBinXBin, or eXtended Binary, is a file format for saving IBM PC text mode images.Essentially an extension to the normal raw-image BIN files, it provides an enhanced means for saving console graphics superior to ANSI graphics.The format was created by Belgian programmer Tasmaniac of ACiD, partly in...
RadioRadioRadio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
programming
- The ARTS (newsNewsNews is the communication of selected information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third party or mass audience.- Etymology :...
/talk radioTalk radioTalk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
) - pHluid Radio (music)
- ACiD Radio (music)
See also
- ANSI artANSI artANSI art is a computer art form that was widely used at one time on BBSes. It is similar to ASCII art, but constructed from a larger set of 256 letters, numbers, and symbols — all codes found in IBM code page 437, often referred to as extended ASCII and used in MS-DOS and Unix environments...
- ASCII artASCII artASCII art is a graphic design technique that uses computers for presentation and consists of pictures pieced together from the 95 printable characters defined by the ASCII Standard from 1963 and ASCII compliant character sets with proprietary extended characters...
- List of artscene groups
- List of text editors (ASCII art section)
External links
- Dark Domain The ACiD Artpacks Archive on DVD (ISBN 0-9746537-0-5)
- The ARTS ACiD's Artscene Radio Talk Show
- Official Facebook page for ACiD Productions
ACiD tools downloads
- ACiDDraw for DOS download page at ACiD.org
- ACiD View for Windows An image viewer for Microsoft Windows which supports several formats, including ANSI art and ANSI animation; includes source code; compatible with Windows 9X