401

(38 replies, posted in Releases)

Shoot, I think I missed it. Checkin' it mañana.

So, did this with my bro and it worked but there is a little something wrong. The screen only displays black or white, no grey. Does anybody know what the problem might be?

My mom got a gameboy when it first came out because she loved Tetris so much. Then I got each iteration as they were released (pocket, color, advance, etc). Not sure where they all went to, so when I started making music, I used a Famicom flavored SP and a Super Gameboy for a little bit before my brother backlit and prosounded a black DMG for me. Mods are nice but not at all necessary.

Russellian wrote:
minusbaby wrote:

I feel like this "OMG! THEY'RE COMING TO GET US" hyperbole is largely borne from green artists looking for solidarity in paranoia.

Agreed. By new, do you mean chip artists that started in the 21st century? Because that seems to be the case in almost every thread this discussion has come up in. Most of the responses from people in that group are just fear-mongering and paranoia. Also just blatant denial.

Take for instance the "we'll have to sift through a lot of terrible shit to find the good stuff" argument. I'm sorry, have you looked outside of the chiptune scene (which also suffers from the following) lately? The amount of garbage music you have to sift through to find the absolutely immense amount of good music out there is unreal. Every tween with a DAW is throwing up shitty tracks soundcloud and bandcamp (e.g. bronies). There's nothing wrong with that, because they're learning (or maybe they're just subjectively and/or objectively terrible). My point is that this scene is already like that. There are a lot of chip artists out there who I find terrible. Maybe they're learning, maybe they just don't have talent, I don't know. The point still stands: You already have to wade through a lot of shit to find things that suit your taste. How would more—potentially better—artists joining the scene harm it? You'd have to sort through a proportionally equal amount of artists that don't suit your tastes to find ones that do.

And, note, that I'm emphasizing "your" and "my tastes" for a reason: a lot of this paranoia stems from the fact that pop music, dubstep, shitty electro, etc., etc. aren't what you're looking for in music. Great, don't shit on other people's parade just because you think you're all high and mighty and that pop is below you just because you're making some niche music with kitsch appeal. As minusbaby put it:

minusbaby wrote:

Truly you don't think that chip music versions of pop music end up any less pop, do you? Have covers of pop tunes by chip musicians become a version of Stockholm syndrome [no pun intended <):'p]?

I dont' see a reason to think that the music you're making is any better than the music that makes thousands (maybe millions) more than you're making. Clearly they're doing something right, regardless of how artistically lazy they are. Why do you think you crack the cheesiest fucking smile when James plays "Sexy and I Know It" or when someone throws "I Just Had Sex" on the party playlist? Because it's fucking catchy and you know you like it you sneaky motherfuckers, you. You're allowed to dislike things. You're allowed to present your distaste in a logical fashion. What I don't think you should be doing is becoming a jaded cynical asshat who like to piss all over whatever you even mildly dilslike, because that's a lot of what's going on in here. As the [insert dicksucking here] minusbaby [cock-in-mouth] stated:

minusbaby wrote:

The whole thing is really bugged out and full of holes. I just want to hear cool shit from cool people.

^ Words of truth.

As an artist, I want to keep my integrity (not sell out) and progressively make music that is increasingly rich and sophisticated. However, as a performer, I love to play live gigs and see other people enjoy my music. So, I've found myself making two types of music. Type 1) Sophisticated music that appeals to me and helps me to become a better artist.  Type 2) Music that is a lot simpler and catchier. And honestly, it is the latter that gets me the most shows and is more likely to lead to something bigger (and I wouldn't mind playing more gigs and getting paid more). Now, I still try to make Type 2 as musically rich as possible, but there are definite differences between the two types in the chord patterns and lyrics.

Yet, even though the simpler, catchier songs are the ones that the common man gravitates towards, people often want to hear more afterwards. These songs work to introduce people to a different type of music, after which they start to appreciate the more complex, esoteric music. And I'm in the camp that supports having more people listening.

Hey guys. I'll be traveling across the country to play a show at the Velour in downtown Provo coming up on the 22nd of August. It is a very cool place, very cool atmosphere, where bands such as the Neon Trees and Imagine Dragons got their start. If you are in the Salt Lake/Vegas area you should definitely try and make it up. Perhaps good attendance would encourage more chip acts there, hmm? Anyways, $6 cover charge, all ages, doors open a 8pm.

Also, I'm headlining and I think they are still looking for opening acts, if any of you are in the area. And if anyone wants to do some visuals, we might be able to work that in as well.

velourlive.com
https://www.facebook.com/VelourLive

Facebook event, for the facebookers:
http://www.facebook.com/events/290599771047377/


I hope to see you there!

I'm taking the lack of input as a sign that I'm headed in the right direction. This song has definitely improved and I'm really happy with how it is now. I've made a few more changes, mostly small tweaks to things that bothered me, but also a whole new section. If anybody con still give criticism, I'd like some feedback on two main points.
1. How are the transitions? Smooth?
2. Does it ever sound too cluttered? Sometimes when I keep adding things, I worry that there is too much going on.

Thanks!

http://soundcloud.com/thelaohu/imminentv3

(Mandarin - Simplified Chinese)
110%饼干 - 我的饼干
10%哲学胡说
2% 犯错是人性
10%能得什么就得什么
33% 她里面的野兽
11%好奇与冒险心 - 探索这个世界的小及大奇观
4%坚果滋味/坚果蛋糕
20%的烧烤
20%的肌肉


I'm not sure what nuttaste is, so I just translated nut taste (as in the flavor of a nut). It is somewhat difficult to translate into Chinese without more context, so this is a very literal translation.

Also, 2% "It's human to be mistaken" is probably referring to the more common english phrase "to err is human", correct?

Auxcide, VCMG, thanks for taking a moment to impart wisdom. I'm a big fan of Roboctopus' LSDJ & You posts and re-reading them today reminded me of so many things I need to do better/more often. As per your advice, I've attempted to change up the bass line a bit, dropped the pu1 bass at one point, added in a bunch of little stuff, modified the wav for PWM as well as drawing a custom waveform, and added some mild panning effects. It is far from perfect, but a lot changed.

http://soundcloud.com/thelaohu/imminentv2

I've been working with LSDJ since about February and I think I've got a decent feel for it. However, I usually incorporate it into a setup with vocals and guitar, and I feel the technical level of the chipmusic takes a backseat to overall blend as a result. In other words, I want to improve my LSDJ technical skills. So, here's a track that I've been tinkering with that I think could benefit from your excellent peer review. One idea I've had that might help would be to do more with the wav channel. Sometimes I fall in love with the deep, gruff bass from the wav pu1 combo, I guess.

http://soundcloud.com/thelaohu/imminent

410

(119 replies, posted in General Discussion)

I heart Roboctopus for his LSDJ and you series, as well as welcoming the cyborg apocalypse with open tendrils.
I heart Telerophon for being a cool dude with an avatar that kinda looks like me.
I heart Theta Frost for teaching me how to chip and always answering my questions.
I heart Danimal Cannon for showing me how rocking chipmusic can be.
And, I heart MicroD because he sent me the best postcard ever, providing outside support to me in the chip-starved midwest.

411

(119 replies, posted in General Discussion)

I love SketchMan3 because of his inquisitive monkey avatar that gives me the reassurance that everything he posts has been well thought out. And, I love everybody else for making great music that inspires and motivates me. Also, I heart Saskrotch. A lot.

412

(20 replies, posted in Collaborations)

So, as some of you may or may not have noticed, I finished my Zak and Sara cover and currently have it up with my recent album here. I figure when/if everybody else finishes their covers, I'll just shift it over to our compilation. Speaking of which, anybody else got something to show? Should we have an end of August deadline?

Clutch. Thanks for sharing.

Saskrotch wrote:

come on now

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwjeaaaaaaaaaaaah!

415

(1 replies, posted in Releases)

Check it out at Bandcamp

The Laohu's debut ep has arrived and is ready to rock your party! Polish The Stars provides a unique blend of guitar, vocals and LSDJ that is both fun and addictive.

The $4 you wisely invest in this album will go towards staving off the impeding debt of attending grad school in Scotland while simulataneously helping to convince my wife that chipmusic is a worthwhile endeavor. (But if you really like the music and are just that broke or cheap, send me a message and I'll hook you up with free codes).

This album is self-released but if any netlabels are interested, feel free to contact me by PM or email.

Also, let me know what you think. Good or bad, I'd love to hear what you have to say.

You can also find me on Facebook

Artwork by Calvin Barreto

416

(40 replies, posted in Releases)

Very cool, thanks for sharing.