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As someone who is a fan of chiptune and is looking to make tunes of my own i feel lost in this world of mods and electronic music. how would one like myself start geting into the scene what kind of software would i need and how much knowledge of modifying consoles would i need ? i figure I'm not the only one looking to learn more about the music. thanks and hope to hear from ya soon

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))<>((

Have a look around here. wink http://woolyss.com/chipmusic.php

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̛̛̩̥̩̥̩̥̅ ̥⎬̛̛̛̛̛̥̥̩̥̩̩
tacticalbread wrote:

Have a look around here. wink http://woolyss.com/chipmusic.php

Beat me to it

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1. Find a chip you're really interested in
2. Find a tracker for said chip
3. Practice on making covers or studying other peoples source files
4. PRACTICE
5. Ask other composers for helpful criticism (and don't be a bitch about it if you don't like what you hear.)
6. PRACTICE

You'll get there with time. Don't worry about mods and expensive software or hardware yet. Just focus on getting some of the main principles of Tracking down.

Last edited by Heosphoros (May 26, 2010 9:56 am)

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astral cat
Heosphoros wrote:

1. Find a chip you're really interested in
2. Find a tracker for said chip
3. Practice on making covers or studying other peoples source files
4. PRACTICE
5. Ask other composers for helpful criticism (and don't be a bitch about it if you don't like what you hear.)
6. PRACTICE

You'll get there with time. Don't worry about mods and expensive software or hardware yet. Just focus on getting some of the main principles of Tracking down.

^ this

also, one great thing to remember for getting started is make whatever music you like, don't make a type of music because it's popular because you'll never be happy with your work! smile

enjoy the world of chip, lots of lovely people to help are around so don't be shy as my friend Heos says!

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̛̛̩̥̩̥̩̥̅ ̥⎬̛̛̛̛̛̥̥̩̥̩̩

Also IRC is a good place to ask questions directly whenever you need help
http://chipmusic.org/forums/topic/32/of … c-channel/

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Charlotte

1-PRACTICE makes PERFECT!
2-Read a lot, make sure you know what your doing, or thinking about doing.
3-Listen to a lot of chip music! You need to know how it functions.
4-Get a few basic trackers play around, nothing too much.
5-Ask questions on your work.
6-Keep trying! Don't worry about the hardware until you need it!
7-Get yourself involved in chip music forums, IE:8bc, Here or any were else. * Befor I came to this website I had no knowledge now I'm
filled with it!

Thats about it as I can think of atm..

Last edited by phib3r Optik (May 26, 2010 9:17 pm)

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Sweden

When you're a bit further down the road...

o Look at songs in trackers (or the excellent pattern visualization in XMPlay)
o Join themed competitions and compilations
o Join time constrained competitions
o For every released song, prepare to have 10 unreleased/half finished ones
o Whenever you feel like playing video games start a tracker instead
o Collect your instruments and samples so that you can start tracking with minimal boring work

EDIT:
o Get paid

Last edited by boomlinde (May 26, 2010 9:13 pm)

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On the composition side of the spectrum, work ethic is definitely important. I try to write something, even if it's just a fragment, every day. The most important thing you can do is to simply sit down and try to compose; I've written multiple hours worth of music, and in my experience it's only after the first hundred tracks or so that you really start liking what you hear. Composition is a skill, just like any other, and it requires dedication to refine and hone that skill.

In my opinion, writing chiptunes is just filtering your ideas into a specific palette; No different than composing for a string quartet or a brass ensemble in terms of approach. You keep in mind the instruments and the instruments' limitations and try to make them shine.

Good luck! smile

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hardcore, Australia
boomlinde wrote:

When you're a bit further down the road...
o Collect your instruments and samples so that you can start tracking with minimal boring work

Hang on now.

Sample collection/preparation/creation is one of the most fun parts of tracking.

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Need 8-bit samples ??? big_smile Download directly FREE and (commercial) packs.

http://woolyss.com/chipmusic-samples.php

@thanks guys for promotion wink

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jikoo wrote:

Need 8-bit samples ??? big_smile Download directly FREE and (commercial) packs.

http://woolyss.com/chipmusic-samples.php

@thanks guys for promotion wink

Thanks for everything you do for the chip community by maintaining that site, it's come in pretty handy for me at times. I'm downloading a few of those sample packs right now.

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Milan, Italy
jikoo wrote:

Need 8-bit samples ??? big_smile Download directly FREE and (commercial) packs.

http://woolyss.com/chipmusic-samples.php

@thanks guys for promotion wink

awesome.
Thanks.
i was really looking for some new samples. smile

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Heosphoros wrote:

3. Practice on making covers or studying other peoples source files

phib3r Optik wrote:

3-Listen to a lot of chip music! You need to know how it functions.

Why!?
Copying other peoples work seem so... pointless.

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astral cat

i dissagree with the "listen to lots of chip music" but making covers is a good way to learn a tracker i think, it's helped me to create some cool instruments i wouldn't usually create.

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Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Doing covers helps you focus your efforts on learning the tracker without having to also concentrate on the hard work involved in actually writing a song.  It makes sense as a way of learning a tracker.