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ChipMusic.org / Forums / General Discussion / opinions on using using more modern devices for chip music.
I don't want to sound like a purist, but what amaze me most with chipmusic are... the chips. I like the idea you take a 1 cm x2 cm chip, you send it some electricity, and you get some music. The chip can be old (PSG) or new (ATmega328), dedicated to music or not, it's still great.
Modern and powerful equipment can create et emulate chiptunes, but since it's more complex (involving a full computer chain), I find it less interesting (like samples based music).
I don't even fully know anymore tbh so I'm left with a feeling of Chip music being: Music(in whatever genre, mind you) that is made on older hardware/synths and all that entails, basic waveforms, PCM samples, etc, etc OR! Music that is made to SOUND like such.
It's definitely left to be more of a stylistic choice once it's an emulated/likeness of the oldschool sound, just as pixelated indiegames now are an emulated/likeness of oldschool games.
On oldschool hardware you have no choice. You can't go "up" in sound-quality because obviously it's not capable.
Going "down" in sound-quality is, if no restrictions are enforced, a stylistic choice.
I furhtermore think that the chiptune ~Aesthetic~ (bet everyone here loves that word by now) is up for grabs by anyone who cares to do so (again: as is with pixelated indiegames).
I personally give more cred, however, to someone making a proper banger on a 3 or 4 channel soundchip than someone who does it on unlimited channels in a DAW. I've done both and my recent music is definitely "modern DAW chip" without pretense But I also make my share of LSDJ tunes. Both of them fulfill me and both excel at their respective areas.
Making something on a limited platform doesn't mean it's automatically good. So you can have all the "authenticity" of just using a SID-chip all you want. If it's bollocks, it's bollocks. (Believe me, I know)
I just furthermore feel that such a worrying about doing the "right thing" just plain gets in the way of just *doing something*.
Last edited by my.Explosion (Feb 25, 2016 2:29 pm)
One does not wish to be unduly harsh at this critcal moment however, if I may interject, I would like to put forward the following query:
The subject of this thread was "opinions on using more modern devices for chip music", was it not?
I understand that numerous participants in this communication are more interested in the follow up question "what is authentic chipmusic?", nonetheless, in my humble opinion it would be delightful to discover at this juncture peoples thoughts on which devices in particular seem to hold esteem in the community regarding usefulness in the future of this seemingly cherished and adored "chipmusic".
One does not wish to be unduly harsh at this critcal moment however, if I may interject, I would like to put forward the following query:
The subject of this thread was "opinions on using more modern devices for chip music", was it not?
I understand that numerous participants in this communication are more interested in the follow up question "what is authentic chipmusic?", nonetheless, in my humble opinion it would be delightful to discover at this juncture peoples thoughts on which devices in particular seem to hold esteem in the community regarding usefulness in the future of this seemingly cherished and adored "chipmusic".
tbh, I didn't like the title when I first posted, I just stuck with it because I didn't feel like spending hours coming up with a better one. Basically I wanted to know if people considered music from the sample based trackers and sequencers on the DS and PSP as authentic chip music, and I'm pleasantly surprised by the discussion going on. I didn't know very much about the Amiga music scene until reading these responses.
And I would have continued using my DS and PSP in my music because I grew up with those devices and I like their sound.
Well is nice to start with emulators + tracker or crossplatform trackers or retro VSTis...
When you will find your fav sound (NES, GB, POKEY, SID) go ahead and buy 8bit computer.
Well and modern interfaces for it as FLASH, SDCARD CART etc...
But for beginners are emulators or win/macos/linux chiptrackers ideal.
And also when you are doing "hybrid" chiptunes (8bit via MIDI and modern synths or 8bit samples meets modern samples in modern DAW) you can stay on modern HW...
But making chipmusic "emulating" sounds in nonchiptune VSTis will sounds strange. I mean lot of POP producers do that. But you will hear it that PSG sounds strange...
Last edited by Matej (Feb 25, 2016 11:49 pm)
But making chipmusic "emulating" sounds in nonchiptune VSTis will sounds strange.
Unless you take great pains and pay much effort and attention to detail to make it sound like a specific system or collection of systems
I have a question related to this discussion: what's fakebit? Is it also tracker music?
And can 'Feel so real' by Unicorn Kid be considered fakebit?
I have a question related to this discussion: what's fakebit? Is it also tracker music?
And can 'Feel so real' by Unicorn Kid be considered fakebit?
Fakebit is the term used to exaggerate the size of one's perceived genitalia over people on the internet who use software music making tools that do not contain authentic hardware programmable sound generators.
idk what a unicorn kid is (everyone identifies with something nowadays) but you're probably setting me up for a joke...
Last edited by Orgia Mode (Nov 29, 2019 5:51 pm)