chipmusic.org is an online community in respect and relation to chip music, art and its parallels.
You are not logged in. Please login or register.
ChipMusic.org / Forums / Posts by 1-Down
I wish you had posted this sooner. In the Birmingham area, would totally have made time to drive up if I knew about this sooner
Yeah, I would've gone as well. Carpool next time?
What kind of camera did you use cause it looks like the 90's, which is awesome. Cool jam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_NU2ruzyc4
This is the best tutorial on soldering I've ever seen, but I guess they are charging for it now.
Dang dude, why so pretentious? Guy was just asking for feedback...
Wow, just wow. I may be being punctilious, but in no way has pretension ever been my goal. Stating truths is constructive. No need for personal attacks mate.
lol, no one is "personally attacking" you...never mind guy...
For the record, 'Chiptune' is not a Genre. It's a medium.
Dang dude, why so pretentious? Guy was just asking for feedback...
One similarity between Beethoven and chiptuners is that both die virgins.
So. True. 
I really like Chipbitz
I like it. That wav channel lead is ripping through nicely. Throw a melody on that P channel and a bombing four on the floor pattern and you're good.
1-Down wrote:I have a BS in music and I tell everyone this. Learn everything up to secondary dominants, which in college curriculum is most likely just Music Theory 1, a single semester. After that it gets into the weird stuff that you'll never use as mentioned above.
Hmm, I don't completely agree. Augmented 6ths, jazz theory, alternative scales/modes, rhythmic tension/resolution - there's some pretty neat stuff to learn from those things, even if you don't end up using any of those techniques in your own compositions.
Yeah! Of course what you mentioned is great. I was just saying as meat and potatoes, if you get to secondary dominants and still can't write some decent sounding tunes, well then theory isn't the problem.
EDIT: DUDES relax...lol Beethoven is rolling around in his grave, but John Cage is happy...and as long as Cage is happy, all is well.
1-Down wrote:I have a BS in music and I tell everyone this.
I just BS'd my way through music theory.
lol, how?
"Name this note."
"G-sharp."
"That's a D-sharp..."
"Yeah, D-sharp, that's what I said..."
I'm pretty happy with it. GP2X + LSDJ times two!
xoxbox in the back?
I have a BS in music and I tell everyone this. Learn everything up to secondary dominants, which in college curriculum is most likely just Music Theory 1, a single semester. After that it gets into the weird stuff that you'll never use as mentioned above. Developing your ear though will be ongoing,
Learning the basics wouldn't hurt: Rhythms up to 16th notes, pitch notation, major/minor keys/scales, intervals, constructing chords, inversions, roman numeral analysis, counterpoint, basic structure/forms (songwriting form would probably be more beneficial)...yeah, I mean that'll get you far. It sounds like a lot, but it's not that bad, you just have to be disciplined...it does take some time to internalize, especially notation. I recommend using a piano to visualize and put notation into practice.
One problem that I had and others who took theory had too, is after realizing that most songs are composed with the same chord structures, you may get stuck feeling uncreative for a while...because you'll be doing the same thing, but trying not to at the same time if that makes sense.
Last thing to remember is, theory came after music was made. Notation is just a way to instruct others how to play the music. However, knowledge is power. Don't let it hang over your head, just knock it out. MusicTheory.net is good stuff (learn everything on the lessons page except neapolitan chords...not necessary)
Awesome sounding!
This is an interview with Johan Kotlinski (super nice guy) I did last year for Devise Magazine, which has mysteriously stop being maintained, and the owner is MIA. SO...I thought this would be the best place for it to live. Will also archive it here: 1-Down Blog Keep in mind this was for a laymanchip audience. Enjoy!
We're catching up with Little Sound DJ's founder, Johan Kotlinski. If you've ever heard any chiptunes, there's a good chance that they were made using Johan's program more lovingly known to its users and fans as LSDJ.
Wow, it's been many years since LSDJ first came out in 2000. What was your inspiration to write the program?
Well, I had been using homebrew music software on the Commodore Amiga for a long time, programs like Protracker and Musicline Editor. Around 2000, the Gameboy Color was new platform, so I was interested in seeing whether it was possible to make some good composing software on that platform.
Were there any major hurdles to make it happen? (This was back in the day before a lot of information was easily available online. Before YouTube if you can imagine.)
Nothing in particular that I can come to think of. The documentation for the platform was and still is available on the internet. If there was any problem, it is that the C compiler I have been using all these years is very buggy and crappy...
Are you a programmer by trade?
Yes, I have been doing it for a living for some years now. However working in big companies is quite different from programming alone in the bedroom.
Are you a coffee or tea kind of guy?
Coffee.
How does it feel to be a major player in the chiptune movement knowing that LSDJ is a platform for artists like Nullsleep and Bit Shifter to create their music?
I am humbled that the program inspired so many people to make great music. I would never have expected that when I first started on it.
Has the chip scene grown or is it limited to those who grew up in the era of 4-8 bit consoles?
Surprisingly enough, this technology still find its way into hands of new young people. Some of the new musicians I like are Toriena and Trey Frey. But there are many others.
As noted in Europe in 8-Bits documentary, people would come together in person to share their music and video art. While the internet has connected people instantly, do you think the essence of the 8-bit culture has been diluted because people can just send an email as oppose to essentially performing their work and standing by there creations? Is there anything you would change about to the current situation?
I think communication through computer networks always was an important part of chip music culture. Already in the 80s, people called bulletin board systems using dial-up modems, to share music and other productions. The internet also makes it so much easier to plan and promote events in real life, it is crazy not to use it. I can get nostalgic about micromusic.net at times, which was very energetic around 2000 and sparked a lot of international activities and friendship, but now this is a thing of the past and that is the way life is.
Do you make chiptunes regularly?
No, unfortunately I'm not very motivated these days.
What separates LSDJ from the modern DAW and current synthesizers?
In my mind, it's that the workflow is fast and flexible and that the program is fixed to doing one thing very well. This makes it possible to get from point A (first musical idea) to B (finished song) very quickly without getting lost in distractions. The real strength is in musical arrangement, which in my opinion is much more enjoyable and quicker than any other program I worked with.
Can you share any secret/obscure tricks with LSDJ? What's your favorite technique?
My tricks must anyway be outdated by now! So I will keep that for myself.
So when will there be a worldwide chiptune meet?
The next one is scheduled Sep 27-28th, Square Sounds festival in Tokyo.
Is there any advice/insight you can share (whether about music, life, Zen, making a great steak etc)
Not really, at the age of 35 I feel more clueless than ever.
Originally published in Devise Magazine - June 19, 2014
Interviewer: Tom Jones
ChipMusic.org / Forums / Posts by 1-Down
