Boron
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I have created my first chip tune on Milkytracker. It is a rather small tune that loops. I figured starting small and working up in my chip skills would be a good option for me.

I would however like to be informed of how panning and volume should interact with the instuments. I am going to post the link to my tune so you can see what I've chosen for the sample panning and volume:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6YM- … XNScHhNN0k

Thanks!

P.s
Any other criticism you see would be great too.

Last edited by Boron (Aug 1, 2016 10:51 pm)

marcb0t
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I don't know. It's hard to say. So far it sounds good. Just remember not to overdo it on effects such as reverb and delay and phasing/flanger. Things can get muddied up pretty quick. Simplicity can really make all the difference.

So far, I like the way it sounds. So I wouldn't add any more effects or anything. Panning sounds fine. No problems with the volume balance.

A lot of your panning and volume mixing will be solely up to the creator of the song. Even though there is a threshold where it becomes uncomfortable for the common listener.

I'd say finish it up, and we'll see how it sounds then.

joule
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It's all about taste, of course! I think it sounds good.

I wouldn't have come up with this kind of mixing since I try to follow some common guidelines. I'm not saying it would sound better since every track has it's own personality, but just for the sake of explaining the difference of what I'd have done as a standard approach:

Bass mono. Stereo bass take up a lot of energy from the speakers.
Harmony (chords/pads) stereo. Pads are the perfect candidate to create a stereo context by introducing a wide element.
Kick, snare mono, in general.

I'd be aiming for the track to sound OK in mono and not only in my stereo headphones. That being said I think your mixing brings the track some personality and atmosphere and wouldn't say it was "wrong" in anyway. Maybe go a bit easier with the bass level though.

marcb0t
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Mono bass line is usually a good rule of thumb. In the case of your song, I think it works. Because you have enough of the bass sound coming out of both channels. And it gives it a unique flavor.

So I don't think you need to change the bassline in your song. I like how it resonates in my ears.

Boron
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Thanks for the feedback!
If you want to hear the finished tune it's here. I adjusted it based on the feedback.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2oKoI … sp=sharing

It's just suppost to be a short little tune and I'm satisfied with it.

marcb0t
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Boron wrote:

Thanks for the feedback!
If you want to hear the finished tune it's here. I adjusted it based on the feedback.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2oKoI … sp=sharing

It's just suppost to be a short little tune and I'm satisfied with it.

Yeah, it does sound noticeably better. Everything is more balanced, and it's pleasant to listen to. Very pretty tune. Could be used for an old skool RPG game that blends sci-fi and medieval themes. You know, for some kind of cut scene interlude.

Stereo and volume balance are good to go in my ears.

Hehe, I kind of wish this were longer. However, it has a good looping point, so it's fine. XD Remember all these things and build on them as you produce future tracks.

If I might ask, is there any particular chip set you are trying to imitate? Or are you just wanting to get a "chip sound/style" for your music production in general. A lot of musicians will do both.

Boron
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No there wasn't any goal to try and imitate any kind of chip set. As I've stated before it's my first tune so I wasn't going to burden myself with trying to emulate a certain sound. If I was I would probably would want to use the actual hardware anyway.

Perhaps down the road of my life I'll toy with an arduino and some old soundchips to try and make some tunes. But that's far from what I know how to do at the moment.

Last edited by Boron (Aug 7, 2016 12:53 am)

SketchMan3
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NC in the US of America

When you're doing dos tracker modules it don't matter if you're trying to specific chip or not, imo.
Sounds cool, man.