Chip Tunes - Make your own

[Fzero]

I am definitely going to look into this when I've a little spare time.


Could be a good use for my old Gameboy Color


http://littlesounddj.com/lsd/


I was reading this article this morning:


http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2012/08/how-to/make-8-bit-chiptunes


Which mentioned the programs like FamiTracker and MilkyTracker and the LSD mentioned above.


I like the idea of making these tunes on the Gameboy itself using the LSD, but seems that these carts are no longer being made and I bet they're pretty rare/sought-after now.


So I will probably use the ROM and the GBA emulator on my PSPGO.


Perhaps we could get a thread going with some user submissions linked to SoundCloud or something?


Anyone used this, as good as it looks?

 

[mindlord]

I've used Little GP Tracker (Piggy) on the GP2X, and have run it in Ginge once upon a time. Still a valuable tool, imo.

 

[TangentDelta]

I make chiptunes the old fashioned way: Machine code on a Commodore 64


I also do some work in milkytracker, and use sunvox to get desired samples, but I do prefer C64 chiptune making.


I don't get what the hype is about making chiptunes with GameBoys and NESes. The sound chip in either of them is extremely simple, and can only create a few wave forms. As far as I know, it doesn't have filters (I could be wrong). What I think causes most people to pick up a GameBoy or an NES for chiptune making, is that it's easy, most people know what it is, and it's what they grew up playing on.

 

[Fzero]

post your links here if you want to share them eh

 

[spn-x]

Another tool is "nano loop" for the GBA I think.


You can download it onto an iPhone/iPod Touch... I played a little with that but I'm better with my guitar


but here is what I did :


http://snd.sc/O842jY

 

[Fzero]

Acieeeeed!


I like it!

 

[TangentDelta]

post your links here if you want to share them eh

Ooh, I don't have them with me at the moment, though I'll try to upload something when I get home.

 

[Fzero]

Nice one, I will most likely install one of these programs later to take a look at myself, good stuff

 

[Prometheus]

One Game Boy chiptune tool that I liked to mess with, was the sequencer found in the Game Boy Camera's DJ "game", known as Trippy-H. It's an officially-made Game Boy chiptuning tool. You can find more information on that here. I used to spend many, many hours putting tunes together with Trippy-H when I was in my mid-teens.


Game Boy Cameras are not expensive on eBay. This is probably the cheapest way to get into making chiptunes directly on the Game Boy hardware.


Looking at more modern tools, if you happen to have a DSi, DSi XL, or 3DS, you can't go far wrong with the DSiWare software, Rytmik (official tutorial

https://www.youtube.com/embed/67njAlrrors?feature=oembed on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1BQAFgsXbY.

I really can't recommend Rytmik enough if you like this sort of thing. The only thing that it's lacking, is the ability to output tunes made in it to your system's SD Card (I would guess that this is due to codec licensing or possible space issues, so I don't begrudge them that), but this is easy to get around with a patch-cable and a computer running Audacity, so it's not really a big problem.

 

[Fzero]

Pianocade ...looks fun


http://www.pianocade.com/

https://www.youtube.com/embed/jPO8buyyjJg?feature=oembed

 

[erico]

Hey Fzero, I have a few gems to share too musicwise.


On the algorithm music creation...


I recommend you check Cgmusic and read Maciej´s piece here (guy is a genius)


http://codeminion.co...rs-create-music


If any of you are feeling macho you should also check Algomusic on the amiga. You can see it marvelously running here :wub: :

https://www.youtube.com/embed/gyUnXjVgx44?feature=oembed

For that you will need workbench 3.1 or higher and magic user interface installed, best it all on HD. It is a f**k to set up, but mind it is extremely worth. Best there is IMHO.


Listen to the youtube as is starts cheesy and grows up quite nice, the melody generation is also extremelly good.


There is an extended set of intruments on aminet and you can use your own should you know your way around it


Both apps can be seen as a Populous automatic music creator, you can control a lot of things, but never the note individually.


Beware not to spend the rest of your life playing with these software, they are really contagious.


On extra note, you also have http://www.soundhelix.com/


Next we have a set of low-tracker-types apps on the net.


It is like very simple tools, but they sure have potential and casualty...


Nudge


Is lovely and simple, should you have a wacom tablet just scribble things to hear music.


I like the drums set on this, good to make drum loops.


There were a couple others I forgot now.


For modular things, I recommend Buzz here:


http://www.buzzmachines.com


You can add so many trackers or engines to it it seems to me a hell of a pro program.


It gets a bit complicated too and you can blow your speakers should you connect things in a wrong way


...but this is the best module software I have seen so far.


You might find a game boy generator there for sure and plenty of chip tune related things.


As for trackers, I always used mad tracker:


http://www.madtracker.org/main.php


As it seemed to me more complete and bla bla.


Lately I have been using milktracker, as stated on original post, cause it has a port running on my caanoo, so I can track on the go or bed more or less.


But I miss madtracker´s ability to record on the fly...


Enjoy! B)

 

[Fzero]

That AlgoMusic is a nice melody.


Cheers for links, more for me to take a look into.


I not long ago treated myself to a Korg Kaossilator 2 and am loving that for just improve tune making, mad addictive too.


I want something to play around with on the desktop though too, think I'll look into Buzz

 

[erico]

Buzz is a bit complicated but you can get soo much out of it.


I have a korg nano key and an acoustic guitar with a mic for it.


I can get buzz to ´real time´ distort the acoustic guitar sound...does a good job.


I can´t use the korg on caanoo though, and the nano key is so cheesy I can do better with a proper computer keyboard, desktop or handheldwise.

 

[pmprog]

Check out the Chipophone

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Jn2h6f1EO2k?feature=oembed

 

[erico]

You can also check Dunc´s algomusic here:


http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=48880.0


...goes on the ´misterious´ mickey/mario kind of music, seems made of samples and provides some interesting chip tune results.

 

[TranceTip]

SoundHelix is (sort of) the sequel to AlgoMusic. Same author, much more flexible, much better results.


Check out the SoundHelix audio examples here: http://www.soundheli.../audio-examples


Play around with the SoundHelix applet here: http://www.soundheli...lix-applet.jnlp


If you have any questions: http://www.soundhelix.com/forum

 

[erico]

yep, it took me a while to notice its from the same author.


It is an awesome tool indeed.

 

[moxie]

There is also, of course, this:


http://www.nullsleep.com/treasure/mck_guide/


Me being of a rather text-oriented sort like it

 

[erico]

I almost forgot PX TONE from Pixel (ye cave story) and its great eng manual from Gryzor87.


Manual +app eng here:


http://www.gr87.com/?page_id=64


Site jap here:


http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA022293/index.html


This is a great tool.

 

[pmprog]

SoundHelix is (sort of) the sequel to AlgoMusic. Same author, much more flexible, much better results.

Enter 'Space Shmup', and you get a very R-Type style track.


It's pretty cool, but I don't think it gives as varied results as the other did. "Hammer On" gives almost the same as "Space Shmup", and several other totally unrelated song names give similar tunes.