Hey all- so obviously a huge fan of the old school game music. I write a lot of music generally for acoustic instruments and finally decided to get into game music, but I'm really kind of an idiot when it comes to turning my essentially hand written music into 8-bit, or anything else.

https://soundcloud.com/user-675094618/falls-demo/s-mSNzKRsBsiH?si=bbc3d4c4c51e4681bbd81adfb2bc17b0

https://soundcloud.com/user-675094618/falls-8-bit01/s-SRJA5sX3nFL?si=cc3f53d496e34284a41d84056b372829

So I am basically wondering what some of you use to make your music. Here are two links- one is the piano version I did which is just the different parts, and then an 8-bit attempt (using the magic 8-bit plug in) which sounds pretty awful in my opinion. A lot of the voicings and articulations get lost. So I'm wondering what your suggestions might be, million thanks!!!!

PS- does anyone think the main melody is strong enough to be a game theme or just a track?

Hello, and good day, Chip_Chune92!

Popularly, chip music is nowadays made in music creation tools names as trackers: An example of one, is Dn-Famitracker, which targets the sound processing unit used on the Nintendo Entertainment System video game console system, and some sound chip expansion used on video games for its Japanese counterpart Famicom video game console system. Another approach to, is writing music targeting a macro music language compiler, supporting them, as the macro music compiler named as PPMCK.

One can program a sound driver, and write sound data targetting it; the Nerdy Nights

tutorials proposes an approach to. Another introduction to program targeting the Nintendo Entertainment and Famicom video game console systems, may be found on a electronic book, named as Famicom Party

.

May I ask: Which are the systems or sound chip that you, may, feel most desire to write music for?

Battle of the Bits offers articles about systems, and creating music targeting different sound chips and formats: One browse of, also in the web page that the next hyperlink leads at:
https://battleofthebits.com/lyceum/View/Format

Hey many thanks for your reply!!

The game makers want an NES sound.

You are welcome, Chip_Chune92!

To get a NES sound, characteristic of a retail game, one may use a Famitracker fork named as NSFImport

: It offers the utility of importing music program targeting a Nintendo Entertainment System or Famicom video game console system, and later, possibly using some sound chip expansions: One may use this to learn how a sound design used in one or more sound channels in a particular music track of a video game for both systems, can be achieved; as well as creating a FamiTracker instrument you may import on other projects: NSFs of retail video games one might use to, may be found on the web site that the next hyperlink leads to:
https://nsf.joshw.info/

FamiTracker instruments already made, may be downloaded from posts on the threat that the next hyperlink goes to; they have an extension of .fti:
http://famitracker.com/forum/posts.php?page=1&id=1032

Here is an hyperlink, leading at a post with a FamiTracker project file attached at, related to Mega Man 10:
http://famitracker.com/forum/posts.php?id=6454&pid=64413#64413

If there is any do you accept support with, you are welcome to ask about here, or in the community chat, via IRC

, or Discord

!

Many many thanks for your reply!!

hello Chip_Chune92!!

most people on this site make music using software which emulates actual soundchips (or indeed on hardware with homebrew tools). while it is possible to make sound-alikes in a modern DAW using retro VSTs - this is sometimes known as 'fakebit' - you will have a much easier time capturing the 'soul' of classic 8-bit music by working within the same limitations which its composers did.

since you brought up NES specifically, here

is a reddit comment by me in response to a similar question. also here is BotB's lyceum page for the NES's soundchip, if that kind of thing interests you.

getting started with this kind of software can be pretty daunting - you can always leave any additional questions you like here, or in BotB's discord.

happy chipping!