Re: Limitation (Page 7 of 12)

There are plenty of portable music-makers besides LSDJ, though none so inexpensive...

Not to play the devil's advocate, but how often do you make tunes that you want to rearrange on "stronger" software (DAW, etc) once you're through?

this is huge for me. totally agree.

Here's my 2cents:
Really good points raised about limitation in all forms of creative output, but I think really this concept/idea is integral to chiptune, hence the fakebit sucks attitude that is pervasive (by no means universal or even a majority, but it exists definitely [as an aside, a similar thing happens in regards to synths "analog or die"]) or the popularity of 1-bit shit. I am slightly ignorant about this, but has anyone heard a good 1-bit song? Not a cool melody, not an amazing example of economy, but a good song? How many young (ish/er) people like modern jazz? I'll hazard a guess, not many. But you can find several chip-jazz songs/artists that are quite popular, seemingly on the basis of what the song was made on (mainly) and/or the technical aspect behind it. I personally think this whole "scene" is very rarely about the music/songs, but it is strictly defined by the instrument, not the sound, the nostalgia, etc. People will say the sound, and I believe them, but that is not what it's about. I can make square waves, easily and by cheaper methods than a gameboy. Being about the instrument, talk of limitation arises because the whole ethos is about repurposing something. You don't talk about the limitations of a guitar because you aren't using it as a platform to play video games. 99% of the people who use a guitar use it for its intended purpose, not as a paper weight or kindling. The limitation aspect comes about because making music with a gameboy is strictly not its intended purpose. Similar ideas come about in regards to hacking or circuit bending.

Last edited by melkor (Feb 14, 2011 3:26 am)

...durr, whoops.

Last edited by gizmo (Feb 14, 2011 6:51 am)

And after a listen to these gems I think my point is even further solidified. The only reason these were mentioned is because you assumed that by virtue of my posting on a chiptune site that I would "get" that these are good songs. When in fact they are not "good" (my apologies Shiru and mr. beep) but rather good FOR being made with 1-bit tools. Again subjectivity rears its head, but:
Would these songs be considered "good" if you found out that they were made with LSDJ? or NL2.3? or DS-10? or a modern DAW such as Ableton? I find that proposition utterly laughable. I really don't think that it is "the sound" in these cases, because honestly they sound like shit (maybe in a punk type of way, but shit regardless). I am not proposing that these songs are bad per se, but rather that the people who appreciate them, appreciate them BECAUSE OF the platform they were made on and BECAUSE OF its limitations and they recognize the skill it takes to coax the semblance of a song out of one. [Sorry if I am coming off as harsh, this is not an attack on primate, shiru, or beep, just expressing my perspective. keep doing that voodoo that you do]

Melkor, your argument makes no sense. You asked if there were good 1bit songs/compositions, and some were presented to you. Perhaps the compositions presented aren't up to your standards, but in theory a good 1bit piece should be every bit as attainable as a composition for any instrument. To blacklist a composition by the virtue of what instrument it was composed on/for seems heavy-handed and frivolous. What if you arranged an excellent piece for two cellos as a 1bit piece? Would the composition itself, distinct from the performance, suddenly and irrevocably be degraded?

You ask if they would be considered good if they were made on more advanced software but that is a side-stepping of the main argument; A good composition would still be just that even if it were only sheet music scrawled on a cave wall.