Thanks, but no thanks. It's sounding way more expensive and complicated than the other options. Looks like the X-Box screen thing is the way to go.
1 Aug 1, 2011 8:01 am
Re: Best Portable screen for use with NES (9 replies, posted in Nintendo Consoles)
2 Aug 1, 2011 5:02 am
Re: Best Portable screen for use with NES (9 replies, posted in Nintendo Consoles)
12ianma wrote:
Making if you want one. pretty easy to read on them. They have 900 by 500 or something resolution. What are you playing on the nes. I have not been pleased withthe yobo version as I like the actual NeS better
Okay, what's your price including shipping? I just need to be able to read the NESK-1 setup menus.
3 Jul 31, 2011 8:45 pm
Re: Best Portable screen for use with NES (9 replies, posted in Nintendo Consoles)
12ianma wrote:
This thread was a few down:
http://chipmusic.org/forums/topic/4683/ … ntegrated/
or do you want bigger?
Not so much bigger as just cost effective/space effective while still being legible. Are you actually making those, or is it still in plan/inception stages?
4 Jul 31, 2011 7:37 am
Topic: Best Portable screen for use with NES (9 replies, posted in Nintendo Consoles)
Hey all, I just recently got a NESK-1 and I was wondering what you'd think would be the best/most affordable option in regards to having a portable screen for setup? I realize you can do set-up without a screen, but I'd prefer to work with a screen rather than either memorize all the codes or refer to a cheat sheet. I was looking into a portable DVD player, but that seems rather expensive for the purpose. Any better ideas?
5 Jul 3, 2011 9:47 am
Re: LSDJ: AN INTRODUCTION (4 replies, posted in Nintendo Handhelds)
For the first time I can say that I get the LSDJ interface. If this vid had been around earlier I might have chosen the Gameboy over the NES.
Big Thanks, dude.
6 Jun 26, 2011 4:32 am
Re: Other synesthetes on the forum? Possibly a discussion. (32 replies, posted in General Discussion)
I'm both envious and glad I don't really have such an ability. Normal sensation is often a bit too much for me to handle. It would be awesome to have correspondences with every sound. It would be awful to not be able to turn it off if you went someplace rather cacophonous. I can barely take crowds as it is.
Here's a recent article on the subject:
http://www.gnxp.com/wp/2011/06/21/synae … savantism/
What I found particularly interesting in the comments was that one can replicate the effect of number-color synethesia, via training. Granted, it's a mental visualization process rather than an immediate sensory reaction, but the ability to use it to pull off feats of mental calculation are rather astounding. It would probably take more work than it's worth to create a similar system for color and sound.
7 Jun 23, 2011 9:24 am
Re: Some beginner's questions on audio production (and live work) (15 replies, posted in Audio Production)
Zef wrote:
FL Studio is a very good adaptable modern DAW, unfortunately people keep calling it fruityloops and forcing it to keep its old reputation.
Unfortunately, I'll be honest with you that it's very difficult to live-loop-record anything. It's pretty good for triggering pre-made songs on the fly, but not so much for writing them live. It's great with midi and you can link things up really well for live effects and stuff.
Also take a look at Ableton Live for live loop recording, I think it works quite well for that sort of thing.
How about one of those gigantic loop pedals that Boss makes comboed with a KP3 and a decent mixer? Granted, I have zero idea of what I'm talking about here, having zero experience, but is that a possibility?
8 Jun 23, 2011 9:11 am
Re: Some beginner's questions on audio production (and live work) (15 replies, posted in Audio Production)
ant1 wrote:
since version 7 or so they have really been changing the FL studio paradigm to something closer to the other DAWs.... yes it can do midi, yes it can record audio, yes it can use vsts, no it isn't crap. mike oldfield uses it so it's not just for really amateur hip hop instrumentals any more. it would be a fine choice for mixing recorded instruments with chiptunes and etc and at your budget the low price would probably also be appealing.
i am running FL studio and famitracker and renoise and schism tracker and vortex tracker all just fine on this laptop which i got for £400 in 2008 (with no external soundcard). with $1000 of money to spend on a 2011 computer you will get more than enough.
the way i would split up the money $600 pc, $200 audio interface or soundcard with midi on it, $200 microphone (for recording your instruments). of course that is not a PRO SETUP but it is certainly good enough
Right now I'm leaning to Studio One Artist, mainly because it comes bundled with the Presonus Interface starter pack that Sweetwater sells. I'm slightly cautious though, as the software didn't have much in the way of reviews at all that I could find. It doesn't seem that popular, but the price can't be beat. However, if any of you think I'm walking into a trap, then I'd believe it.
I have a copy of Ableton something or other around my room somewhere, it came bundled with my Alesis. Lost it, like the 'tard I am. Probably sitting under a pile of sheet music.
9 Jun 23, 2011 9:04 am
Re: Some beginner's questions on audio production (and live work) (15 replies, posted in Audio Production)
HeavyW8bit wrote:
In regards to your question about what is better for jamming, here is a video clip of Kreese playing the NESK-1 along with famitracker.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2skhVghhuE
Hope that helps. If you have any questions feel free to hit me up.
Woah, that was pretty wicked awesome. Do you have many left in stock or should I just grab it up before I even have the 4-player? I only have the standard set-up right now. Speaking of, if I did get it, which of the two devices for controllers would you recommend to go with it?
10 Jun 17, 2011 10:42 am
Re: Some beginner's questions on audio production (and live work) (15 replies, posted in Audio Production)
Thanks for the help everyone; would have replied sooner, but this week has been hectic.
So just for further clarification:
What do you mean by interface? Is that the software mixer kinda stuff, or is it a hardware device that works in tandem with the software?
While I want to use some software VSTs and FX, especially certain softsynths, I don't want to use them for more than one track at once. Ideally I'd like everything I record to possibly be performed live in the distant future, with the aid of other people, or a looper. Correct me if I'm wrong (and most likely I am), but the number of things you can do while live is capped pretty low, and switching from say an effects filter to a soft-synth and back again isn't very quick. Hence I want to make more use of the external effect processors and pedals and the like for that reason (or hit the jackpot and go on stage with a flock of laptops ("Flock of Laptops", now there's a possible band name!)).
Can FL Studio handle recording of live instruments well? It's rather frustrating to see how DAW software is catagorized either "Dance/Electronic loops and samples" or "Traditional recording". Sure, I expect FL and Cubase to be different have different strengths, but there's not much talk of the crossover, and what there is really isn't low level enough for me to understand. Try all the test versions before you buy, I suppose, but in my rawness, I'm rather afraid I'd overlook features I'd later find useful.
Again, thank you everyone for the advice. It's been more helpful than a couple weeks of intensive net and magazine reading, since most recording people aren't really geared towards the chiptune mentality (necessary essay, "Why 8 bit?").
11 Jun 15, 2011 8:51 am
Topic: Some beginner's questions on audio production (and live work) (15 replies, posted in Audio Production)
Okay, so quick rundown:
I'm starting to get serious about making music, of which chiptune is an element I'd like to use extensively (but not in every piece). I'd eventually like to perform live, but looking at my skill level, and more importantly my extreme stage fright/social anxiety, it really isn't feasible at this point, still I'd like to keep it open as an option. So really, this is going to be a bit of a bedroom musician project.
What I want to do is combine and record various tracks and instruments, sometimes feeding them through effects processors like pedals or the KP3, sometimes trying to record straight acoustic sounds. I want to play my ukuleles and harmonicas with a NES or Monotron backing and vocals.
What am I starting with? Other than the basic instruments, nada. My laptop is from 2003, with 250 megabytes of RAM and one mic in. Even Famitracker causes it to choke. Hence, to start with, I need a new computer. I've tried reading the SOS guide to getting an audio workstation set-up, but it seems the advice more geared to the financially able perfectionist amateur and professional set and not the shit-poor amateur musician who made a bad choice of college major set.
I've got about $1,000-$1,500 dollars to spend on getting a set up. Is that enough? Will an off-the-shelf Best Buy Dell suffice for the task I want to put it through, or do I need one of those special DAW setups with fancy audio cards?
Will a plain 8-track USB mixer/audio interface do, or should I get a USB 2.0 or Firewire capable one? I want to avoid latency and constant cable swapping, but I don't really need super-high fidelity recording, in fact I'd rather try to sound a bit cheap and lofi because my instruments as cheap. :-)
What's better, Chipmaestro or NESK-1 for jamming? I realize one of these hasn't been released yet, so it's a bit of a theoretical question. Right now I use Famitracker, but it's a bit of a pain in the ass to compose with alongside traditional instruments, at least for me. Granted, I'm going to get a powerpak somewhere down the line, but not right away. As for Midines, I'm not a gambler, nor the sort who is willing to sell my '95 Geo in order to win an ebay auction, so out of the question.
What software should I use? I've been fooling around with Audacity, and I'm not too impressed with it, though it could be an artifact of the sublime antiquity that is my current computer. Also I hear it can't do MIDI. I haven't really done any MIDI, but I don't want to rule it out. Still, I'd like something that could possibly merge loop based composing with traditional ones (mainly so I don't have to futz around with trying to get the same notes over and over again on the Monotron)
For the acoustic instruments, pickups, or direct mic? For that matter, what should I be looking for in a mic? They really range in price. I'd like to do some vocoder sort of stuff with the KP3, though.
Anyways, I know this is a doozy of a post, and I thank anyone who gives their two cents on even part of it.
12 May 24, 2011 6:49 am
Re: Tesla Coils? (12 replies, posted in Other Hardware)
Want a playable Tesla Coil? Check Amazing One, they sell parts and plans. Of course, it's gonna cost you up the yin yang. Still, I got some of the cheaper kits they have at the site and they're fun.