My chiptunes don't go anywhere. (Page 2 of 3)

You'd be surprised.

it would be nice to hear more ambient game boy music. almost everything has to be fast and have beats. lsdj can make some really nice sounds when you have things moving very slowly.

you should maybe listen to this. more 70s synth ambient style though.

http://ubiktune.com/releases/ubi051-yer … der-my-bed

my main priority right now for instruments is to find stuff like a heartbeat-like sound, a long sustained note for the background, like the strings in tower of heaven, a noise channel instrument that would sound like waves crashing on the beach, good arpeggios (i already have a good one form LSDJguides) and lead instruments that make echos and other etherial sounds that give the sense of a large space.

Last edited by pivot. (Jan 9, 2013 12:03 am)

Great advice in this thread, I can echo a lot of it, especially just to listen to a lot of music.

Here's something ambient ish that I've been playing a lot lately. https://soundcloud.com/starpilot/the-ap … gh-you-are

That all isn't rocket science. In Noise just have a Note with Octave 5 playing with an Envelope XF. Listen to it will you goof around with the Shape - Wave rising.
Then try the same with a short Envelope and Octave 4, listen to it, change Shape - should get a wave chrash sound out of it.

Arps you can do with C command quick or just look around on the Internet or some LSDNG files. Most of the times a table with short TSPs and a H Command at the End does the trick.

For the Lead Instrument, just make a normal Instrument.
Copy it, set the Envelope on the Copy low and place the Copy Note after the real Note - Echo Effect. For a wide sound feel you can also bring in the O Command (Left panning to Right).

Start with basic theory and songwriting. Always remember. Musician first. Chip Musician second. I've said this before, but it should be repeated. Start out minimal just writing a melody and progression on one basic instrument. Guitar or piano if you have one and can play one. If not, use the basic osc setting on your gameboy and just write out a melody and key changes that you like. If the basic bones of your song sounds like crap, no cool instrument setting or effect is going to make it sound good. Once you have the basic framework of the song, then you can add all the bells and whistles and cool instruments.

Here's are examples of some good minimalist chiptunes.

http://pixelrecall.bandcamp.com/track/l … ance-party
http://disasterpeace.com/track/adventure

Here are a couple brilliant non-chip minimalist songs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLx9PHz9HKE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMezwtB1oCU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p … zk#t=2346s
Practice doing songs with simple structures like that first. Pay attention to the changes that make the song "go somewhere." Again, once you have a good foundation for a song, then experiment with different sounds and waveforms.

Last edited by NationalBroadcastNetwork (Jan 9, 2013 8:28 pm)

Below are paramount factors that I have pinpointed (but they might differ depending on your genre and taste). I often find myself stalled on one of these points, making it difficult finnishing a track. So, these are just some of my personal ideas that might possibly give some input on identifying your weak spots when it comes to composing. This is quickly posted so let me know if something should be more clear or if you have any questions.

A) Song structure
This is all about maintaining the listeners interest while evoking emotions/attitudes. This includes dynamics over time, meaning that the "energy" of the song evolves (often according to a norm/scheme). It also includes both variation and repetition/familiarity, and if your track is based on chord progressions the ever so difficult art of modulation (key change) will be an efficient way of maintaining interest, variation and energy.

One of the the most basic tricks is to start by making a patterns were you go "all in" arrangement wise, and then strip this arrangement for use in the earlier parts of the song. This requires confidence and will probably make you perfect the stripped down version of the arrangement, chord and rhythm wise, which might also be beneficial for use in the versions with higher energy.

B) Chord progression
Depending on your genre, this is more or less important, although there are very few genres that won't benefit from an interesting chord progression imo. I recommend using a conventional instrument like guitar or piano for making chord progressions. My personal opinion is that an interesting chord progression will at least include any of these: 1) bass inversion, 2) exotic chord(s), 3) colored chords, suspensions or chords with more than 3 voices. Making a melodic song with only in-key triads and root as bass would probally require a really great arrangement or rhythm to be percieved as an interesting song. I think this is often a common obstacle when it comes to music formats with very few channels, but it is possible to overcome by using various techniques.

C) Arrangement
This is an important aspect. To me, the best songs have an efficient arrangement. Simply put there are two extreme paths to choose from: symphonic or rhythmic. The latter will often make it easier to achieve a better mix (get a powerful sound). By switching between different arrangements thru out the song you will bring variation and possibly trick the ear into exaggerating the different qualities of the different arrangements (e g, you can really lift a part by intentionally making a minimal or even worse part before. The ear will percieve the different parts by contrasts, mainly).
To make a good arrangement, it is important to have a repertoir of different song elements depending on your genre, and different ways of implementing them. What type of bass line to use in dub step, and what to use for funk? How to use an ostinato to make a cheesy part even cheesier?

Other than these factors, your song should have an identity (main idea, or at least a distinguishable vibe).  Also, small hooks never fail.