So yea, kind of new to the chipmusic scene. I'm coming from a background in music, but now wish to combine my love of video games from when I was a kid to music that I compose. I have been seeing a lot of this VRC6/7 and when I saw a screenshot of it I noticed more channels. Thought this might come in handy since I write a lot of 'full chords' (7ths and 9ths, and don't really want the arpeggio feel). Can anyone help explain this to me? And if it is something useful, where could I download it?
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Michigan
The VRC6 is a memory mapper expansion chip included on a handful of official NES carts by Konami. It also has a few built in programmable oscillators for expansion audio. Just like the channels internal to the NES, the extra channels on the cart are programmable and mixable.
See here for further details:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_ma … oller#VRC6
tl;dr it is just extra channels to program audio.
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NC in the US of America
The NES music writing program Famitracker supports composing with the VRC6 expansion channels.
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SketchMan3 wrote:
The NES music writing program Famitracker supports composing with the VRC6 expansion channels.
AND also VRC7 as well.
VRC7 has 6 additional channels of FM (Frequency Modulated) sound. This is added on top of the original NES chip. It's very close to the Sega Genesis configuration in some ways. You can definitely get a similar sound.
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Princedmorn wrote:
So yea, kind of new to the chipmusic scene. I'm coming from a background in music, but now wish to combine my love of video games from when I was a kid to music that I compose. I have been seeing a lot of this VRC6/7 and when I saw a screenshot of it I noticed more channels. Thought this might come in handy since I write a lot of 'full chords' (7ths and 9ths, and don't really want the arpeggio feel). Can anyone help explain this to me? And if it is something useful, where could I download it?
Yes, VRC 6 and 7 expansion chips would definitely allow for those 7ths and 9th chords you want. (By the way, I really like music that deals with more complex chords like that 
These are special expansion chips that were only available in only a few Japanese NES (Famicom) cartridges.
VRC 6 - this expansion adds 2 additional square wave channels, and 1 Saw wave channel. There is a little more variety of sound from the 2 new square channels for the Pulse Width.
VRC 7 - this expansion, as stated above adds 6 channels of FM sound. The FM is only 2OP and has 15 presets, and 1 setting that allows you to make custom FM sound.
Other chips you might be interested in are the Turbo Grafx (PC-Engine). It has 6 channels of Wave Table modulated sound. The sounds can sound as much like an NES as you want, or beyond!
Sega Genesis has 6 channels of 4OP FM sound, and 3 additional channels of PSG (square wave/blip bleep) sound. Combining all 9 of these melodic channels can really expand your polyphony and chord structures quite a bit. And that's not even mentioning special tricks to get chords from a single FM channel!
Hope this helps to answer you question.
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Michigan
Thank you everyone for the responses! I'm just looking for the best way to get a sound similar to Nobuo Uemastu's Final Fantasy VI or Yasunori Mitsuda's Chrono Trigger. They are what influenced me to compose my own music, and I would like to incorporate that with this software.
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Princedmorn wrote:
Thank you everyone for the responses! I'm just looking for the best way to get a sound similar to Nobuo Uemastu's Final Fantasy VI or Yasunori Mitsuda's Chrono Trigger. They are what influenced me to compose my own music, and I would like to incorporate that with this software.
Ah! Those are actually Super Nintendo games you mentioned. You have to use samples for that.
I recommend getting the actual sample set from those particular games, for starters.
Then using a program like Open MPT, use 8 channels ONLY, using the samples. This stays within the SNES limits.
Open up Super Nintendo game music file (in SPC format) with this utility: http://www.dwedit.org/dwedit_board/atta … p?item=348
Follow the instructions on the last post found on this thread: http://www.zophar.net/forums/showthread.php?t=8085
Don't forget to download OpenMPT: http://openmpt.org/
OpenMPT will allow you to design music for the SNES by opening up the IT file that is produced by the first utility I linked to you.
I'll be looking into how to convert that back to an SNES file afterwards.
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NC in the US of America
marcb0t wrote:
Princedmorn wrote:Thank you everyone for the responses! I'm just looking for the best way to get a sound similar to Nobuo Uemastu's Final Fantasy VI or Yasunori Mitsuda's Chrono Trigger. They are what influenced me to compose my own music, and I would like to incorporate that with this software.
Ah! Those are actually Super Nintendo games you mentioned. You have to use samples for that.
I recommend getting the actual sample set from those particular games, for starters.
Then using a program like Open MPT, use 8 channels ONLY, using the samples. This stays within the SNES limits.
Open up Super Nintendo game music file (in SPC format) with this utility: http://www.dwedit.org/dwedit_board/atta … p?item=348
Follow the instructions on the last post found on this thread: http://www.zophar.net/forums/showthread.php?t=8085
Don't forget to download OpenMPT: http://openmpt.org/
OpenMPT will allow you to design music for the SNES by opening up the IT file that is produced by the first utility I linked to you.
I'll be looking into how to convert that back to an SNES file afterwards.
You know what'd be cool? if people used their own samples to make tunes that they convert to spc, then reripped the samples back from SNES and then they'd be legit SNES samples 
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SketchMan3 wrote:
marcb0t wrote:Ah! Those are actually Super Nintendo games you mentioned. You have to use samples for that.
I recommend getting the actual sample set from those particular games, for starters.
Then using a program like Open MPT, use 8 channels ONLY, using the samples. This stays within the SNES limits.
Open up Super Nintendo game music file (in SPC format) with this utility: http://www.dwedit.org/dwedit_board/atta … p?item=348
Follow the instructions on the last post found on this thread: http://www.zophar.net/forums/showthread.php?t=8085
Don't forget to download OpenMPT: http://openmpt.org/
OpenMPT will allow you to design music for the SNES by opening up the IT file that is produced by the first utility I linked to you.
I'll be looking into how to convert that back to an SNES file afterwards.
You know what'd be cool? if people used their own samples to make tunes that they convert to spc, then reripped the samples back from SNES and then they'd be legit SNES samples
True, but you gotta start somewhere. Sometimes using something that's already there and making a cover song, or your own tune with premade samples is a good way to "learn the ropes" or "get your hands dirty" with designing for a particular chip set.
I started Genesis music making by using preset samples. Eventually, I learned how to design my own FM and PSG instruments and inserting samples that don't come from Sonic games. 
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Princedmorn wrote:
Thank you everyone for the responses! I'm just looking for the best way to get a sound similar to Nobuo Uemastu's Final Fantasy VI or Yasunori Mitsuda's Chrono Trigger. They are what influenced me to compose my own music, and I would like to incorporate that with this software.
Hey Princedmorn,
Here is a conversion tool that will transform your .IT file into a .SPC file which is playable off of a real Super Nintendo.
http://snes.mukunda.com/snesmodlite_july09.zip
Read the instructions, and they'll tell you how to structure your tracker module.
It may involve a bit of "trial and error", but you'll figure it out.
Last edited by marcb0t (Jan 2, 2016 4:41 am)
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Michigan
SketchMan3 wrote:
You know what'd be cool? if people used their own samples to make tunes that they convert to spc, then reripped the samples back from SNES and then they'd be legit SNES samples
My biggest problem is finding the right sound... I've spent 20 years around live instruments, knowing sounds that different woods and strings give when plucks or bowed, and making an instrument off of a computer is way more complicated than I thought
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Michigan
marcb0t wrote:
Princedmorn wrote:Thank you everyone for the responses! I'm just looking for the best way to get a sound similar to Nobuo Uemastu's Final Fantasy VI or Yasunori Mitsuda's Chrono Trigger. They are what influenced me to compose my own music, and I would like to incorporate that with this software.
Ah! Those are actually Super Nintendo games you mentioned. You have to use samples for that.
I recommend getting the actual sample set from those particular games, for starters.
Then using a program like Open MPT, use 8 channels ONLY, using the samples. This stays within the SNES limits.
Open up Super Nintendo game music file (in SPC format) with this utility: http://www.dwedit.org/dwedit_board/atta … p?item=348
Follow the instructions on the last post found on this thread: http://www.zophar.net/forums/showthread.php?t=8085
Don't forget to download OpenMPT: http://openmpt.org/
OpenMPT will allow you to design music for the SNES by opening up the IT file that is produced by the first utility I linked to you.
I'll be looking into how to convert that back to an SNES file afterwards.
Do I need a copy of the game or are the sounds provided for me?
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There's a site with MIDI maps for ripped SNES game samples, but you could also use your own provided you know how to use the tracker module conversion utility.
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Princedmorn wrote:
Do I need a copy of the game or are the sounds provided for me?
My apologies, Princedmorn.
No, you don't need a copy of the game. I will provide what you need below.
Here is the ".SPC" file for Chrono Trigger: http://chronofan.com/Black/Music%20(Chr … r)/cts.rar
And here is the ".SPC" file for Final Fantasy VI: http://ocremix.org/chip/6384
Just so you know, an .SPC file is the music data that is actually extracted from the original SNES game. It's in a small portable format which is good for playing on special media players that can read the format. The sound you get is always at highest quality and only takes a few KB! But if you use an .mp3 version, it takes much more space and may not sound as good.
For NES files, the format is ".NSF".
For Sega Genesis, it is most often a ".VGM" file.
Various old video game console and computer systems have their own specialized Sound Data file formats.
By the way, that OCR Remix website is a huge source of extracted music data from a variety of old games.
Have a great day now! ^-^
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Michigan
marcb0t wrote:
Princedmorn wrote:Do I need a copy of the game or are the sounds provided for me?
My apologies, Princedmorn.
No, you don't need a copy of the game. I will provide what you need below.
Here is the ".SPC" file for Chrono Trigger: http://chronofan.com/Black/Music%20(Chr … r)/cts.rar
And here is the ".SPC" file for Final Fantasy VI: http://ocremix.org/chip/6384
Just so you know, an .SPC file is the music data that is actually extracted from the original SNES game. It's in a small portable format which is good for playing on special media players that can read the format. The sound you get is always at highest quality and only takes a few KB! But if you use an .mp3 version, it takes much more space and may not sound as good.
For NES files, the format is ".NSF".
For Sega Genesis, it is most often a ".VGM" file.Various old video game console and computer systems have their own specialized Sound Data file formats.
By the way, that OCR Remix website is a huge source of extracted music data from a variety of old games.
Have a great day now! ^-^
Thank you so much for this! Downloaded everything last night but test it all out tomorrow (my day off work). Do you happen to know if it accepts midi controllers?
Also, another silly question to ask. If I have LSDJ and the SNES adapter for gameboy cartridges, will I be using the SNES sounds?
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Oklahoma City, OK
Princedmorn wrote:
Thank you so much for this! Downloaded everything last night but test it all out tomorrow (my day off work). Do you happen to know if it accepts midi controllers?
Also, another silly question to ask. If I have LSDJ and the SNES adapter for gameboy cartridges, will I be using the SNES sounds?
LSDJ on a flash cart will still operate the same way if connected to a Super Gameboy (I assume that's what you mean by adapter?) as it would if you ran it on your computer or from an actual Gameboy. So you won't be using SNES sounds, still GB sounds.
edited: for clarification
Last edited by DBOYD (Jan 4, 2016 4:57 pm)