I have no way of recording anything anymore and even when I could nothing ever came of it. I pretty much just have a custom Game Boy, LSDJ cart, and a LSDJ keyboard collecting dust. Should I just sell these to invest in a better recording option? I'm pretty heartbroken not being able to release anything.
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South Korea
Don't sell your gear. Seriously, you will regret it and buy everything again. It's normal to ragequit every now and then. Also, don't worry about releasing anything yet, there is NO DEADLINE. Just write a fuckton of songs, in every imaginable genre, and figure out what you enjoy creating. Often times the genre you are good at is not a genre you enjoy listening to. Then write a shitton of songs in that genre, choose a few, and record/release it. Also, be kind to yourself, and celebrate being average and sort of sucking, just like the rest of us.
TLDR: This isn't a race or popularity contest, keep your gear and do it for YOU.
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Argentina
Is easier (not cheaper) to get recording gear. Get a GB, LSDJ and the KB i really hard, at least for me. Keep them, you can still use headphones
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Taichung, Taiwan
Yo man, personal story. I spent all my time in the chiptune scene modding gameboys since 2011 and had close to nothing except for half-songs. I moved from California and have been working in Taiwan for the past year. I brought all of my chiptune gear with me. I know that I never really made anything super great but my goal was to eventually be good at making chiptune music that I wanted to hear. I purchased a CRT TV, a Super Famicom and a Super Gameboy 2.
First "real" song to now.
to this
The only way you are guaranteed not to improve is if you give up.
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(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ el ass dee j
Don't sell your shit.
Don't give up.
Just try something new! That's what I'm doing with Nanoloop and I'm getting better at LSDj for it!
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Abandoned on Fire
I want to add that if you don't like doing something then don't do it. Making chiptune is not your job. You have no responsibility or requirement to use any of the things you've bought just because you have them.
I'm saying this because all the responses to these kinds of threads tend to be "KEEP GOING!! YOU'RE THE BEST!! NEVER STOP FOREVER!!" but it is just as valid for you to realize that you don't enjoy making chip and decide to stop. No biggie. I don't like mushrooms so I don't eat them. Ya feel me, brah?
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(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ el ass dee j
egr wrote:
I want to add that if you don't like doing something then don't do it. Making chiptune is not your job. You have no responsibility or requirement to use any of the things you've bought just because you have them.
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If chipmusic is what you want to do, work towards that. If chipmusic isn't what you want to do, go do what you want to do. If you don't know what you want to do don't be so eager to give up on what you already have. Take time and think.
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NUMBSKULL
If recording is your only problem, you could always send the LSDJ save to someone on here and they could record it for you?
katsumbhong wrote:
Yo man, personal story. I spent all my time in the chiptune scene modding gameboys since 2011 and had close to nothing except for half-songs. I moved from California and have been working in Taiwan for the past year. I brought all of my chiptune gear with me. I know that I never really made anything super great but my goal was to eventually be good at making chiptune music that I wanted to hear. I purchased a CRT TV, a Super Famicom and a Super Gameboy 2.
Dude, same exact boat. Well, I'm not in Taiwan, but still. I have a few demos that sound great but I just can't get myself to finish anything. I entered the 80's comp on here hoping that would encourage me to finish a song finally!
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What exactly is your recording situation? If you have a computer, there's probably a mic-in jack on it. Take a basic male-to-male 3.5mm audio cable, plug it into the headphone jack, plug the other end into the computer, pop open audacity and record. That's how I did every gameboy song I ever wrote.
If you want to step it up a bit you could just mute each track, throw the individual tracks up in your DAW of choice, and mix it and process it or whatever too.
If you really need actual recording stuff just save up and haunt craigslist like it's nobody's business. The deals come to those who are patient (and those who haggle).
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Detroit
dont sell your shit because it's a pain in the ass to get it back when you change your mind
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Keep at it!! Back your stuff up if you can and just write lots that way when you can record you'll have a bunch of material to put out! 
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Ciudad de méxico, MX
Just use a good emulator (KGB, BGB, gambatte, they all sound pretty decent) and open your SAVS there. You can export your audio files even on separate channels for mixing.
Good luck!
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Melbourne
egr wrote:
I want to add that if you don't like doing something then don't do it. Making chiptune is not your job. You have no responsibility or requirement to use any of the things you've bought just because you have them.
I'm saying this because all the responses to these kinds of threads tend to be "KEEP GOING!! YOU'RE THE BEST!! NEVER STOP FOREVER!!" but it is just as valid for you to realize that you don't enjoy making chip and decide to stop. No biggie. I don't like mushrooms so I don't eat them. Ya feel me, brah?
This. LSDJ wasn't working out for me (I was having creativity problems as well as various problems with carts) so I gave up on it and gave nanoloop a try instead. Now I have 3 nanoloop carts and I can't stop making tunes (or at least little loops) in it.
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You can get a portable digital recorder for a hundred bucks and record direct in. It would only be one track things, but it's better than nothing. It would be even cheaper if you go used. Tascam and Zoom both make nice, cheap portable recorders.
I've been in your position before, all I had was Windows Sound Recorder and the built in mics on my laptop, not even direct in, just recording the sound of my amp in my room, it was awful. Just save up some money, and in the meantime, practice.