Software Recomendation

Hi

I'd like to start making music for small retro videogames. Some examples:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LYB7iLZNWE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgHk_N77DaA

I am not sure which software and VST's would be more appropiate for this kind of tunes, could you recommend me some? I don't care if it's free or paid, this way I can compare the options.

Thanks!

get any of the numerous software who can do this

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_MIDI

Examples 1 & 2 are actually quite different beasts. The first being FM synthesis, and the second being a sample based module.

Even though it's a initially a real steep learning curve, for making music for little indie like games I'd suggest maybe starting with a tracker (something like lovely and free ModPlug Tracker - http://www.modplug.com/trackerinfo.html - and click on the Quickstart kit to point you in the right direction). To start with just download some tracks ( http://modarchive.org/index.php?request=view_by_rating_comments&query=10 ) to see how other people have used the programme and just experiment from there ...

Blah get a copy of Ableton Live Intro and get QuadraSID vst

and that vst company that makes effects with mario and zelda names... those are video gamish

I don't really like QuadraSID because the timing seems off, at least when using it with Ableton...

If you'd like to make faithful representations of the NES soundchip and do it the way it was done originally, you should use a tracker. Famitracker works really well, I've used it briefly and it can even save it as an NFS file, which allows you to play the composition on actual NES (with required hardware, of course) or with whatever NES emulator you think has the best NES Soundchip reproduction (I liked NesterJ)

In terms of VSTs, there is one called magical8bitplug that I think reproduces the NES soundwaves the best, but seems to have similiar timing issues to QuadraSID (on Ableton) and also Chip32 which isn't as faithful but can do rough reproductions of the NES waveforms.

Good luck!

  On 10/31/2010 at 8:40 PM, yek said:

and that vst company that makes effects with mario and zelda names... those are video gamish

TweakBench's Peach and Toad

^this

^ this again.

Also consider Basic 64, Plastique and MiniSID from the freeware section of Delamancha's site.

  On 10/31/2010 at 4:08 PM, mcbpete said:

Examples 1 & 2 are actually quite different beasts. The first being FM synthesis, and the second being a sample based module.

 

Even though it's a initially a real steep learning curve, for making music for little indie like games I'd suggest maybe starting with a tracker (something like lovely and free ModPlug Tracker - http://www.modplug.com/trackerinfo.html - and click on the Quickstart kit to point you in the right direction). To start with just download some tracks ( http://modarchive.org/index.php?request=view_by_rating_comments&query=10 ) to see how other people have used the programme and just experiment from there ...

if you want to make music like example #2 the best way is probably just rip a sample bank from an actual SNES game. I've recently been doing this with super castlevania IV and contra III with great results. Download an SPC player, download the donkey kong country SPC files, then use a plugin for say winamp that lets you mute the instrument channels. Record the output of the songs individual instrument layers, then cut out individual notes with a wave editor, load them into several sample bank VST instruments on a sequencer.

  On 11/1/2010 at 1:54 AM, Awepittance said:

  On 10/31/2010 at 4:08 PM, mcbpete said:

Examples 1 & 2 are actually quite different beasts. The first being FM synthesis, and the second being a sample based module.

 

Even though it's a initially a real steep learning curve, for making music for little indie like games I'd suggest maybe starting with a tracker (something like lovely and free ModPlug Tracker - http://www.modplug.com/trackerinfo.html - and click on the Quickstart kit to point you in the right direction). To start with just download some tracks ( http://modarchive.org/index.php?request=view_by_rating_comments&query=10 ) to see how other people have used the programme and just experiment from there ...

 

 

if you want to make music like example #2 the best way is probably just rip a sample bank from an actual SNES game. I've recently been doing this with super castlevania IV and contra III with great results. Download an SPC player, download the donkey kong country SPC files, then use a plugin for say winamp that lets you mute the instrument channels. Record the output of the songs individual instrument layers, then cut out individual notes with a wave editor, load them into several sample bank VST instruments on a sequencer.

there's a program that creates multiple wav files from loading a snes rom file.

i downloaded like hundreds of snes games from a torrent site and ripped all the wav files form each one. took me hours. i should sell it lol.

  On 11/1/2010 at 2:08 AM, yek said:

  On 11/1/2010 at 1:54 AM, Awepittance said:

  On 10/31/2010 at 4:08 PM, mcbpete said:

Examples 1 & 2 are actually quite different beasts. The first being FM synthesis, and the second being a sample based module.

 

Even though it's a initially a real steep learning curve, for making music for little indie like games I'd suggest maybe starting with a tracker (something like lovely and free ModPlug Tracker - http://www.modplug.com/trackerinfo.html - and click on the Quickstart kit to point you in the right direction). To start with just download some tracks ( http://modarchive.org/index.php?request=view_by_rating_comments&query=10 ) to see how other people have used the programme and just experiment from there ...

 

 

if you want to make music like example #2 the best way is probably just rip a sample bank from an actual SNES game. I've recently been doing this with super castlevania IV and contra III with great results. Download an SPC player, download the donkey kong country SPC files, then use a plugin for say winamp that lets you mute the instrument channels. Record the output of the songs individual instrument layers, then cut out individual notes with a wave editor, load them into several sample bank VST instruments on a sequencer.

 

 

there's a program that creates multiple wav files from loading a snes rom file.

i downloaded like hundreds of snes games from a torrent site and ripped all the wav files form each one. took me hours. i should sell it lol.

woah shit

Renoise + single-cycle waveform samples + QuadraSID + a better bitcrusher that the native one

I made music for games, and this is what I use.

maybe too many features for a beginner, but plogue chipsounds (vst) has most of the classic sound chip emulated. hi watmm!

  On 11/1/2010 at 11:28 AM, stockfish said:

maybe too many features for a beginner, but plogue chipsounds (vst) has most of the classic sound chip emulated. hi watmm!

Read the rules.

yep, have a nice day too!

  On 11/1/2010 at 11:49 AM, stockfish said:

yep, have a nice day too!

  On 11/1/2010 at 11:28 AM, stockfish said:

maybe too many features for a beginner, but plogue chipsounds (vst) has most of the classic sound chip emulated. hi watmm!

yeah, I love that vst. My only issue is that it rapes my cpu because my computer sux dix.

one thing to keep in mind but when most people use the term 'chip sounds' they are only referring to SID chip or NES style 8-bit music/sfx or before that era.

There are only a handful of chip communities that track using Adlib or Sega genesis emulation that i know of .

Thanks a lot for all the answers, I'm still a noob but i'll do my best to come up with some tunes.

I'll post when I have something listenable