An Ode to True Chiptune.

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An Ode to True Chiptune.

Postby Scooblee » 18 Dec 2014 14:13

FLAOFEI wrote:Also yeah, if you make a thread like that I'll read it. And maybe complain about the name not making sense.


Since you asked for it...

This is just a thread about chiptunes and follow up & explanation to what I had said earlier in this post. (I know there is a Chiptune Discussion thread, and as much as I wanted to revive that thread, I figured this is more of just an explanation post than anything else, so maybe it should be in its own thread.)

So to actually get to the explaining part...

First off, chiptune songs shouldn't technically be classified in "bits," as bits are more related to the processing power of whatever computer, console, etc. you're talking about. For instance, the Commodore Amiga is an 8-bit computer, but this sounds nowhere close to this, does it? Two completely different sounds, but both come from an 8-bit machine.

What I meant by "fake" 8-bit was actually just sorta me being me. I tend to get a little... upset, I guess, whenever I see someone label a song "8-bit remix" or "NES version" and it turns out to be a sloppily made cover of the song with some chip VSTs. That is what I meant by "fake" 8-bit. The reason I have a strong dislike for those types of songs probably stems from a collective hate of these kinds of songs within some parts of the chip community (definitely not all, some people are just sorta 'meh' about them), especially those done with a program known as GXSCC.

For those who don't know (and even though it's probably a good thing that nobody knows it, I've got to do this, for eduation's sake), GXSCC is basically a program that lets you convert MIDI files into "8-bit" songs. Problem is that you can just grab any MIDI file off the Internet, whether you made it or not, run it through the converter, post it to YouTube, and garner thousands, if not millions of hits. Another thing, its name comes from the Konami SCC expansion chip used in the MSX computers, but it doesn't even emulate the chip right at all (This post has what you need to know, just start under the Snatcher vid if you only want the comparison between SCC and GXSCC.) Basically, this program was probably made with good intentions, but it's been used very badly and doesn't even come close to the chip it gets its name from.

My main complaint is that most people who write chiptunes label their songs something they're not. Is that song 8-bit? No, it was probably written with a VST. Looking in the description of the video, it says the song is "reminiscent of classic chiptune NES 8-bit Nintendo songs!" Could this be achieved with a Nintendo console? Yes, if you used an expansion chip, though the drums are all wrong for it to be running on NES or Famicom (they sound like Commodore 64 SID drums, actually.) If you want to create an NES song, for example, but you don't want to learn something new, like FamiTracker, just study the NES a little before you create your "8-bit NES" song. I won't care too much if the noise is off a little, just as long as your song adheres in some way to NES limitations. This song, for example, was made with the Chipsounds plugin, yet the creator (who makes good music, btw, check out his other stuff if you want) was able to keep it to NES specifications (and even better, within the Mega Man style, since it is supposed to be a Mega Man song.)

To summarize: I'm okay with a song that uses pulse waves and simple waveforms or whatever being called a chiptune. I'm not okay with it being associated with a system unless it was made with the system's technical specifications in mind. This goes for all systems, too, not just NES or any 8-bit system. If you want to make a Genesis/Mega Drive song, study its chips (it has 2 soundchips, btw.) You want to make a SNES song? Study its chip. Virtual Boy? Study harder, because there are no ways to create accurate VB chipsongs yet, sadly. Don't just write something that uses a few pulse waves, FM sounds or low quality samples and slap a "bit" on it, take your time to understand what the chips do and how unique they and their sounds are. You may even start finding yourself writing especially for a certain soundchip.

Hopefully I've cleared some things up and if I haven't, please point out something you need clarification on. I'm no expert on all things chip, but I may be able to help. This took me about 2 hrs or so of writing, proofreading, writing, back and forth, so if I happened to have missed something or made a sentence or phrase that didn't make sense, please point it out, too. I've been listening to Teehee Valley from Superstar Saga for almost the whole time, or up until probably somewhere in that last paragraph if you want an estimation of where I was, so the deserty music may have clogged up my mind just a tad.)
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